Dang!! Well dream no more. The JetLev was created by Raymond Li a Chinese-Canadian living in St. John's Newfoundland. I could explain to you how this thing works but I think the video will speak for itself. In a nutshell, the jetpack is tethered to a seperate vessel with a propulsion engine that uses water to power it. This according to the company greatly improves the thrust-to-weight ratio. Believe it or not, this awesomeness will be available for order this April. Although, owning a ride like this is gonna cost you. The 155hp will sell for 99,000 euros and the 215hp model will run you 119,000 euros. [via Engadget]
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The evolution of home entertainment is in high gear these day. The race to dominate is definitely grinding the wheels of innovation. ReQuest is a company that creates home entertainment systems run on sophisticated media servers. Powered by their media servers, the Intelligent Media Client (IMC) now brings you Hulu, in addition to YouTube, Finetune, and XM/Sirius. Watch the demo and you will see that the interface is simple to use and controlled via IR remote. Once you are in fullscreen there is no need to toggle.
ReQuest also offers an iPhone app, touch screens, and iTunes Sync to boot. I'm not sure if this service is available in Canada, you'll probably have to contact them to find out.
This is a serious solution for home entertainment connoisseurs. The cost is for the IMC is $2,495 usd and requires a request server, sold seperately. [via Electronic House]
I wanted to know more details about this sofa, but unfortunately they don't have an english version of their site. So, I don't really know much about this sofa or what kind of hardware is included. What I do know is that it's priced in the $15,000 range and it's beautifully designed with a his and her LCD (hopefully touch) screen built into either arm. That's pretty sweet! [via Gizmodo]
Its obvious that video is becoming a huge part of the online experience. Broadcasters are aware of this and have increased the number of streams as well as improved the viewing experience over the past year.
The most alluring statistic for me is the growing number of visitors to broadcast sites like Globaltv.com, CTV.ca, and CBC.ca that visit mainly to watch TV online. If that is the case, are we seeing a growing trend that will inevitably breakdown the traditional scheduled programming model and be replaced by online VOD? I sure hope so! [via Media In Canada]
For most people, figuring out which remotes control which device can be quite frustrating. So the idea of having a universal remote is quite appealing. However, you quickly realize you have to figure out how to program that too?! Pressing sequences of buttons and counting blinking lights or going on a website to configure your remote can be a bit too labour intensive for the everyday person. The Digital R50 with it's LCD screen with setup wizard claims to have you up and running in no time with minimal fuss. It even has a macro feature that allows you to control several commands with one button.
It would be nice if someone could invent a universal remote that could also control web interfaces, my iPod/iPhone and Front Row on the Macbook as well.
If anyone out there owns a R50, please email me your review on this product. [via Wired]
The i24R3 wireless multi-room speaker system, despite it's name, looks anything but something related to r2d2. This audio system is pure designer goodness created by renowned industrial designer Michael Young.
Some of the features of this system is a motion sensor that read hand movements to operate functions, multiple inputs/outputs, two step wireless connection, wireless remote, and get this...wireless USB audio transmitter so that you can stream iTunes from your PC or laptop.
The website states an early 2009 launch date. [via Design Milk]
Would you use less energy if you could see what you were actually using in real time? Google is betting that you will, as they pursue their goal to "organize the world's information and make it universally accessible and useful".
I think this has to be one the most progressive ideas to come out of Google yet. Imagine being able to see the amount of energy each appliance in your house uses? Having that kind of information could really put some perspective on things. Electric bills till this point have been, for the most part, a blind cost. If I could compare whether or not boiling water on the stove was using less or more energy than say a kettle, I could make a more informed decision to use the one with less cost. Imagine that bit of saving across an entire population. [via New York Times Blog]
The trend towards "connected tv's" and devices is a sign that people more and more want to enjoy the convenience of being connected without being chained to a desk. Laptops are becoming the norm as prices fall, next-gen kids are growing up not even having used a desktop computer, and smartphones are becoming more accessible and user friendly. So what does all this mean? Well, I hope it means that we've reached the stage where technology is finally adapting to us and not only facilitating but simplifying our connected lifestyle.
ABI Research released a study which included over 1,000 households, and found that the younger consumers want to interact with their friends online and watch tv simultaneously. Yahoo! is on top of this movement with their tv widgets, and have partnered with some of the larger electronics company to stream flikr, news, and weather to your livingroom via the internet. So can we expect channels/widgets for Facebook, MySpace, or Twitter in the near future? I don't know about you but I already use my TV for online content, listening to Last.fm and Twittering. So I welcome a more user friendly interface so I can continue to do these things but on the comfort of my couch and a remote control. [via cnet news]
If you find telling time is elementary and need a challenge, then get yourself a Kisai Denshoku watch. Time is displayed in 3 stages using the LED blocks that were inspired by the skyline of Shinjuku. Advanced technology + minimal display + intuitive design = pure sweetness.
Check out Tokyoflash Japan for this and other awesome selections of watches, jewellry, and design/tech goodies!
There's a good article today in the Wall Street Journal called "Out of Office: Job Loss in the Age of Blogs and Twitter".
There a lot of people these days that have been laid off, looking for
work, or retiring. For some it can be quite a bleak and lonely road
ahead. Thankfully, the internet has really become a source of all
things, ranging from entertainment to social facilitator. The article
points out that online gaming, social networking and movie rentals are
on the rise as people are heading online to escape this doom and gloom
economy.
For the recently laid off or those looking
for work in a downturn economy, the internet has been a great resource
and support network. The days of veggin' on the couch flipping channels
have been substituted by interacting online: searching job sites,
participating in support forums, networking with friends, playing
games, watching movies, and other time-wasters that are available
online 24/7.
In the period when Steve Jobs left Apple, did he travel to the future and come back to implement what he saw? I guess only he will ever know, but there is no doubt in my mind that Steve Jobs is not only the smartest man in the world, but also a visionary that has shaped and evolved our culture through his innovations and his seamingly innate connection with the future. Greg Sandoval wrote an article that follows up a archived Rolling Stone interview with the great Steve Jobs from 2003 where he makes predictions on the future of the music industry and the impact of the iTunes store.
In terms of personal tech devices I have to say the 16GB wireless flash drive by Leyio definitely has potential. I can definitely see the need for this, especially amongst students but also for general personal and professional use. One thing to keep in mind is that this device is wireless, not to be confused or compatible with Wi-Fi or Bluetooth enabled devices. This product uses ultrawide-band radio which means it needs it's own dongle. That said, it can freely connect and transfer files to nearby Leyio flash drives. The real selling feature for me is that this product offers a USB port so you can connect other flash drives giving this product scaleability.
Definitely a great purchase if you like sharing photos, music, and videos with your friends.
You may or may not have heard of Josh Harris, but as the trailer (see below) for the film We Live In Public states, he is "the greatest internet pioneer that you've never heard of".
I was really excited to read today about We Live In Public a film by Ondi Timoner
which won the Sundance Festival's Grand Jury prize. I remember watching
this project at the time and everyone at work gathering around a Power
Mac to watch as it went live. The video quality was poor, it was
streaming at 160x120px and it was choppy, yet we were all intrigued
with the idea of watching these people live out their lives via live
video cam 24/7.
If you're interested in reading more about the original project from back in the day I found this archived article in Wired from 2000 shortly before they went live with the project, and another from 2001.
After reading an article about Boxee in The New York Times this past weekend, I decided to download the software and try it out for myself. Wow, was I ever pleasantly surprised, in fact I spent the majority of the weekend streaming videos and music on my TV. I've had my Mac mini connected to my 40" LCD TV for a while now but using a wireless mouse and keyboard just doesn't allow for a smooth experience. Boxee does away with browsers and makes accessing media from the internet seamless.
What makes Boxee great and stand out from the rest is that you can navigate through this media center using the apple remote control that comes with your Macbook. The interface is so easy and well thought out. Within minutes I was a pro user.
I've never been more excited about an application. Go download this NOW!
By
the way, for those of you that want to set up your own internet TV but
don't know how I will be posting a video tutorial in the coming weeks.
