A device that partially mimics the process by which spiders produce fine, yet super-strong, silks has been built.

It could help produce a new generation of tough, lightweight materials for use in medical equipment, for example.

A simple method for manufacturing strands of artificial gossamer has long been coveted as - weight for weight - it is five times stronger than steel.

Writing in the journal PNAS, the German team says their work sheds light on how spiders produce their unique materials.

"We can observe the initial steps of fibre formation, which was not possible before," explained Sebastian Rammensee of the Technical University of Munich and one of the authors of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Science's paper.

Chumby Industries (love the name), makers of the Chumby Internet connected device, have picked up $12.5 million in Series B funding today. The lead investor was JK&B Capital, and other participants included existing venture investors, Avalon Ventures, Masthead Venture Partners and O'Reilly AlphaTech Ventures. The company notes that the financing will be used to accelerate growth of the company, and expand and broaden the Chumby Network to other screen-based Internet connected devices. The device ain't cheap; it will run you about $200.

The Perfect Hawaii Chair combines the ancient art of the Hula with patented 2,800 RPM Hula motor to create an easy-to-use waistline slimming and fat burning aerobic workout exercise machine that take the work out of your work.

But Neuros Technology International, creator of a new video recorder, has decided to go in a different direction. The company, based in Chicago, is providing full documentation of the hardware platform for its recorder, the Neuros OSD (for open source device), so that skilled users can customize or "hack" the device - and then pass along the improvements to others.

The OSD is a versatile recorder. Using a memory card or a U.S.B. storage device, it saves copies of DVDs, VHS tapes and television programs from satellite receivers, cable boxes, TVs and any other device with standard video output.

Because the OSD saves the recordings in the popular compressed video format MPEG-4 (pronounced EM-peg), the programs can be watched on a host of devices, including iPods and smartphones. The OSD is for sale at Fry's, Micro Center, J&R Electronics and other locations for about $230.

The OSD's capabilities will grow to suit changing times, said Joe Born, founder and chief executive of the company. "Digital video is a fast-moving space," he said, and many consumers don't want to buy a new piece of hardware every time a media company comes out with a new way to watch its shows. "The best way to address this problem was to make the product open source, allowing our smartest developers and users to modify it."

Toshiba showed off a PC that you operate with hand gestures. Hitachi Metals had a product in their booth called "Magic Waters." You wave a wand and point it at a fountain and the waters jump, sort of like the fountain at the Bellagio Hotel in Las Vegas.

Sharp has a screen that will let phone manufacturers put on an iPhone-like interface. Citizen Watch showed off a glove that lets you control certain things. And Pioneer has a car navigation prototype that relies on finger gestures. Flick a 3D hologram-like image of a gas station pump and the car navigation system points out all of the gas stations in the vicinity.

Apple boss Steve Jobs has said that outside developers will now be allowed to make add-on software for the iPhone.

The move follows criticism that Apple was previously not allowing outsiders to make programs that would run easily on the popular mobile phone.

Let me just say it: We want native third party applications on the iPhone, and we plan to have an SDK in developers' hands in February. We are excited about creating a vibrant third party developer community around the iPhone and enabling hundreds of new applications for our users. With our revolutionary multi-touch interface, powerful hardware and advanced software architecture, we believe we have created the best mobile platform ever for developers.

It will take until February to release an SDK because we're trying to do two diametrically opposed things at once—provide an advanced and open platform to developers while at the same time protect iPhone users from viruses, malware, privacy attacks, etc. This is no easy task. Some claim that viruses and malware are not a problem on mobile phones—this is simply not true. There have been serious viruses on other mobile phones already, including some that silently spread from phone to phone over the cell network. As our phones become more powerful, these malicious programs will become more dangerous. And since the iPhone is the most advanced phone ever, it will be a highly visible target.

Some companies are already taking action. Nokia, for example, is not allowing any applications to be loaded onto some of their newest phones unless they have a digital signature that can be traced back to a known developer. While this makes such a phone less than "totally open," we believe it is a step in the right direction. We are working on an advanced system which will offer developers broad access to natively program the iPhone’s amazing software platform while at the same time protecting users from malicious programs.

A touch-sensitive gadget with the sensing panel on its back, instead of the screen, is being developed by US researchers. Using your fingers behind the device allows a firmer grip and more accurate performance without obscuring your view of the screen, they say.

Multi-touch interface technology hit the commercial market this year, with the US release of Apple's iPhone in June. But the iPhone's touchscreen is not perfect, says Daniel Wigdor of Mitsubishi Electric Research Labs (MERL) and the University of Toronto, Canada.

"As soon as you put your hands on the display you [obstruct] the screen," he says, something he calls the "occlusion problem". Users of iPhones have other problems too, he adds. "Multi-touch devices detect the entirety of the touch area,” Wigdor continues. "That's what we call the 'fat finger' problem."

Savant Systems LLC, with a visionary approach to home automation that emphasizes reliability and a maintenance-friendly open platform, has announced the first Apple-based coffee table surface product. The ROSIE Coffee Table Touchpanel Controller supports all the capabilities of the Savant suite of ROSIE In-wall touch panels plus new and exciting interactive multimedia capabilities, such as integration and interaction with iTunes multimedia content, digital cameras, IP network cameras, business card readers, and many additional high-tech devices.

Victor Saverino, director of product management at Savant said, "The ROSIE Coffee Table brings the converged functionality of a touch panel to an interactive surface technology that is practical on the one hand, entertaining and exciting to use on the other. The ROSIE Coffee Table is truly the evolution of interactive technology-it can seamlessly download photos from digital cameras, play music, movies, and TV shows as well as accomplish complete home control all from within one elegant forty-inch interface."

First, I am sure that we are making the correct decision to lower the price of the 8GB iPhone from $599 to $399, and that now is the right time to do it. iPhone is a breakthrough product, and we have the chance to 'go for it' this holiday season. iPhone is so far ahead of the competition, and now it will be affordable by even more customers. It benefits both Apple and every iPhone user to get as many new customers as possible in the iPhone 'tent'. We strongly believe the $399 price will help us do just that this holiday season.

Second, being in technology for 30+ years I can attest to the fact that the technology road is bumpy. There is always change and improvement, and there is always someone who bought a product before a particular cutoff date and misses the new price or the new operating system or the new whatever. This is life in the technology lane. If you always wait for the next price cut or to buy the new improved model, you'll never buy any technology product because there is always something better and less expensive on the horizon. The good news is that if you buy products from companies that support them well, like Apple tries to do, you will receive years of useful and satisfying service from them even as newer models are introduced.

Third, even though we are making the right decision to lower the price of iPhone, and even though the technology road is bumpy, we need to do a better job taking care of our early iPhone customers as we aggressively go after new ones with a lower price. Our early customers trusted us, and we must live up to that trust with our actions in moments like these.

Therefore, we have decided to offer every iPhone customer who purchased an iPhone from either Apple or AT&T, and who is not receiving a rebate or any other consideration, a $100 store credit towards the purchase of any product at an Apple Retail Store or the Apple Online Store. Details are still being worked out and will be posted on Apple's website next week. Stay tuned.

Since the details are public, it seems likely that a small industry may spring up to buy U.S. iPhones, unlock them and send them overseas.

"That's exactly, like, what I don't want," Hotz said. "I don't want people making money off this."

He said he wished he could make the instructions simpler, so users could modify the phones themselves.

"But that's the simplest I could make them," Hotz said.

The modification leaves the iPhone's many functions, including a built-in camera and the ability to access Wi-Fi networks, intact.

A couple of years ago a Swiss designer was bored and was also sick and tired of everyone whizzing around on aluminum scooters so he thought sod it and retired to the garden shed for a while! The end result is staggering out came a sleek, sexy scooter that when mastered made travelling effortless and at the same time grabbed everyones atttention!

Opening weekend sales of iPhones may have reached 500,000, according to an analyst's estimate, as Apple's much anticipated product saw sales that lived up to and even exceeded its hype.

Piper Jaffray's Gene Munster released a report Sunday night estimating that the iPhone sales would reach that mark through the close of business Sunday. He had previously forecast first weekend sales of 200,000 of the device, which sells for either $499 or $599.

"Overall, Apple met strong demand over the weekend with adequate supply," he wrote in the report. "We were surprised by the rate at which Apple was able to sell the handsets, with 50 cashiers processing up to 1,000 iPhones an hour in some stores."

Apple was not immediately available to comment on that estimate early Monday. It has set a goal of selling 10 million iPhones by the end of 2008, and analysts are generally looking for it to sell about 3 million units this year. The phones went on sale at 6 p.m. Friday, with long lines outside many Apple Stores.

Most stores for AT&T, the phone's exclusive operator, have sold out of the 8GB models, but still have 4GB ones in stock.

Meanwhile, only 745 of 8,000 iPhone offerings on eBay have actually been sold. The sellers lucky enough to find a buyer fetched $962 on average, according to a report by Associated Press.

The 4GB iPhone retails at $499 and the 8GB model goes for $599.

More than 32 hours after the iPhone went on sale, most eBay auctions closed around the retail price, leaving the seller to pay for the sales tax and commission.

A $600 closing price carries about $25 in listing and closing fees. Sales taxes vary by county from zero to 8.65 per cent.

By 7:30 p.m., dozens iPhones were listed for resale in the Washington area on Craigslist.org, listed at about $900 to about $1,200.

Analysts and skeptics warned of the new phone's potential downsides. AT&T's network, the sole carrier for the iPhone, operates at a slower speed than some of its rivals, prompting some criticism. And industry analysts said even the hallowed iPhone may need some time to work out the kinks.

"No one waited in line to get an iPod, and it got mediocre reviews," said Chris Null, a consumer advisor for Yahoo! Tech. "It didn't consume the market until the second or third version, once the issues had been worked out."

But Apple's carefully orchestrated marketing and its tightly controlled media strategy helped heap fuel on consumer and media fascination.

The display combines Sony's organic thin film transistor, or TFT, technology, which is required to make flexible displays, with another kind of technology called organic electroluminescent display, it said.

The latter technology is not as widespread for gadgets as the two main display technologies now on the market - liquid crystal displays and plasma display panels.

Although flat-panel TVs are getting slimmer, a display that's so thin it bends in a human hand marks a breakthrough.

Sony said plans for a commercial product using the technology were still undecided.

"In the future, it could get wrapped around a lamppost or a person's wrist, even worn as clothing," said Sony spokesman Chisato Kitsukawa. "Perhaps it can be put up like wallpaper."

MagicMouse, a three-dimensional ultrasonic computer mouse designed by a team of five WPI undergraduates, is one of 10 inventions honored with the inaugural PopSci Invention Awards, the cover story in the June 2007 issue of Popular Science.

Developed by seniors Christian Banker (Norwich, Conn.), Michael Cretella Jr. (Monroe, Conn.), Jeff DiMaria (Prospect, Conn.), Jamie Mitchell (Worcester, Mass.), and Jeffrey Tucker (Nottingham, N.H.), the mouse is designed to permit a computer user to control and manipulate items on a computer screen just by pointing at the monitor. The mouse uses an array of receivers to track the motion of a tiny ultrasonic transmitter worn on the index finger like a ring.

The MagicMouse is a true 3D mouse. Users can move the cursor about the screen simply by pointing and moving their index finger. Zooming is achieved by moving the hand nearer to or farther from the screen. Since both actions can be done simultaneously, the mouse makes it possible to work easily in three dimensions to pan and zoom through 3D maps, for example, or manipulate objects in computer-aided design (CAD) drawing packages. The mouse could also make game play more realistic and interactive, much as the novel 3D remote on the new Nintendo Wii game console has done. For more routine applications, like word processing and web surfing, the WPI students note that controlling a computer with hand gestures should make computer use more intuitive and less intimidating.

The device uses standard mouse protocol to communicate with the PC - so it doesn't need any additional software, and is plug-and-play through its USB interface.

• A great gift
• Fun safe and easy
• Adults love it ...
• Kids love it ...
• Become a hunter in your own home
• Kills but doesn't squish (no mess)
• International bestseller

First, I took a seat in front of two scanners -- one for each side of my face.

The faceScan III projected a series of light and dark bands to establish the contours of my face. The scanner's optoScan software used that information to generate a slightly patchy 3-D image of my noble visage.

The resulting image file was then passed along to a row of digital artists who primped and tweaked it before sending it to the rapid prototyping machine that would ultimately generate my miniature bust.

(My data could have been further enhanced using a SensAble Technologies Phantom, a haptic sculpting tool, and its accompanying FreeForm software. Together, these allow you to "mold" 3-D images as if they were made of physical clay, painlessly filling out those thin lips and removing any unsightly boils. Alas, my image was left in its natural, sorry state.)

The Sonic Chair can be best described as a surround sound speaker with a seating area. The Chair has input jacks, so you can connect your iPod, laptop or favorite gaming console, letting you feel the sound in your own little world. The nicest part of the chair is the two-way acoustic insulation which acts a barrier between listeners and the people around you. The company states "despite the open design, the sonic chair's background noises will not affect the enjoyment of music in the sonic chair, and “what the listener chooses to hear is hardly audible beyond the chair."

Glyn Evans of Pocket PC Solutions just contacted me with some photos of a concept keyboard he is using from Eleksen who pioneered the fabric keyboard design. This concept keyboard is interesting as it doubles as a case for the UMPC, in Glyn’s case a TabletKiosk eo. According to Glyn this keyboard gives an audible click when a key is pressed and is very usable on a daily basis. Here are a couple of photos of the concept keyboard, the first showing the eo nestled in the case part of the keyboard and the second showing the keyboard deployed for use.

Instead of using acoustic vibrations, the team's system exploits the resonance of electromagnetic waves. Electromagnetic radiation includes radio waves, infrared and X-rays.

Typically, systems that use electromagnetic radiation, such as radio antennas, are not suitable for the efficient transfer of energy because they scatter energy in all directions, wasting large amounts of it into free space.

To overcome this problem, the team investigated a special class of "non-radiative" objects with so-called "long-lived resonances".

When energy is applied to these objects it remains bound to them, rather than escaping to space. "Tails" of energy, which can be many metres long, flicker over the surface.

"If you bring another resonant object with the same frequency close enough to these tails then it turns out that the energy can tunnel from one object to another," said Professor Soljacic.

The Remember Ring has a special nagging feature, using its "Hot Spot" technology that warms up to 120 degrees Fahrenheit for 10 seconds, every hour, on the hour, beginning 24 hours before that "special day," apparently honoring the anniversary of your voluntary servitude. That's supposed to be warm enough to be uncomfortable but not hot enough to burn you. The Remember Ring converts the heat from your hand into electricity using a micro-thermo pile, keeping that battery charged and its heat-bomb clock ticking away, ready to burn you again next year.

CushTop (F8N044) -- $39.99

Made of high-quality, furniture-like upholstery, the CushTop provides increased padded comfort for laptop users. A convenient storage pocket keeps your power adapter and mouse tucked away. By flipping its platform over, the CushTop can accommodate small or large laptops. It is available in three contemporary colors: silver, orange and green.

PocketTop (F8N043) -- $49.99

The PocketTop is your laptop computer's new home base, doubling as a case and a workstation. Its simple form provides generous storage space for a mouse, power supply and other accessories, such as pens and notes. A convenient hatch gives you easy access to the storage area and doubles as a handle.

Ideal for use on your lap or desk, the PocketTop features a built-in cooling pad to keep the heat from penetrating through the bottom surface. With semi-rigid material, the PocketTop provides superior protection for your laptop, while leaving you with unrestricted access to your side ports. It is available in three stylish colors: silver, orange and green.

When it opened its doors this month, ArtdeSoul became the company in the U.S. to use a new Cruse scanning technology to offer artists, illustrators, photographers, museum curators, architects, and archivists a way to flawlessly scan their original works for preservation, reproduction, distribution, promotion, and sale.

The company owns the only Cruse Scanner with this kind of specialized technology in the country, in this size. ArtdeSoul's is an even newer, more advanced model than the Cruse Scanners used at the Beethoven Museum in Bonn, Germany, the Getty Museum and the Vatican Secret Archives.

The Cruse Scanner is unbeatable in image capturing. According to Mike Lind, Cruse technical representative, "The Cruse Scanner excels in five areas: focus, lighting, lens resolution, alignment of the camera to the subject, and alignment of the digital back.

"It's the difference between painting with a roller versus a paint brush," explained Lind. And because the Cruse Scanner features a scanning table, the lighting is fixed while the original art rides past it on rails. The resulting scan perfectly reflects the colors, textures, and characteristics of the art piece.

The Cruse Scanner represents a major advance over previous methods. It is much more accurate than reprographic scanners -- designed for engineering and architectural drawings -- and can handle thick or mounted originals up to four inches in depth. And it achieves perfect focus and even lighting by eliminating human error and using a patented lighting system, while digital cameras are prone to problems in these areas and must be retouched.

Introducing chumby, a compact device that can act like a clock radio, but is way more flexible and fun. It uses the wireless internet connection you already have to fetch cool stuff from the web: music, the latest news, box scores, animations, celebrity gossip...whatever you choose. And a chumby can exchange photos and messages with your friends. Since it's always on, you’ll never miss anything.

These glow mouse mats are incredibly original & available in 2 cool designs They illuminate the funky design using tiny LED lights embedded in the mouse mat

Highly original designs

USB powered - simply plug in

Auto switch off when your computer is off

Cool to the touch

PC or MAC

Optomises mouse performance

Fantastic price!

The perfect synthesis of form, function and fun, the i2 lets you glide through your daily commute or zip from errand to errand, indoors and out, without worrying about parking. The LeanSteer frame and handlebar tilt left and right in response to your body's natural inclination to lean in the direction you want to travel. The i2 seems to anticipate your every move and adjusts to your slightest whim. The wireless InfoKey controller constantly monitors data such as battery level, speed and distance, and includes a new security feature to help protect your i2.

Featuring all-terrain tires, a robust fender design, lithium-ion batteries and specially tuned software, the rugged Segway x2 will go practically anywhere in the wild that you want to go, whether it's along nature trails, over hilly terrain or on the beach. The Segway x2's low-pressure tires cushion the ride on bumpy surfaces and minimize trail impact, while a continuous center rib provides a smooth ride on paved surfaces. The increased track width increases stability on uneven ground, and the x2 happily navigates a variety of surfaces including sand, grass, gravel, dirt and pavement.

The device, called AMOEBA (Advanced Multiple Organized Experimental Basin), consists of 50 water wave generators encircling a cylindrical tank 1.6 meters in diameter and 30 cm deep (about the size of a backyard kiddie pool). The wave generators move up and down in controlled motions to simultaneously produce a number of cylindrical waves that act as pixels. The pixels, which measure 10 cm in diameter and 4 cm in height, are combined to form lines and shapes. AMOEBA is capable of spelling out the entire roman alphabet, as well as some simple kanji characters. Each letter or picture remains on the water surface only for a moment, but they can be produced in succession on the surface every 3 seconds.

Tiny is preloaded with Virtual Expander, which expands the capacity to virtually store up to three times as much data by automatically compressing and decompressing files.

According to Lucas, the industry has come a long way from the once bulky, utilitarian drives to Sony's small wonder. Initially seen as a device craved by early adopters, USB portable storage drives have become as mainstream as digital cameras and MP3 players -- due in part to their ease of use and universal application.

Sony has been promoting USB drives since their inception, launching the Micro Vault line in 2001, with drives about the length of an index finger, and storage capacities maxing out at 64MB. Since then, the company has developed more compact drives with greater storage capacities, adding style along the way.

Sao Tome e Principe is a West African country with a population of about 150.000, located on the Guinea Gulf along the Equator. SEED 2006, a Design and Social Economy project financially supported by the Portuguese Cooperation and developed by designer Pedro Alegria, introduced USB flash card design to local craftsmen, all of whom had never seen or heard of such things before. The end result merges traditional "forgotten" craft with hot technology on the rise, sustaining the working families' needs and offering unique craft-designs to the masses.

The design is the result of a personal annoyance for years and years. Almost everybody with a computer has the same problem. An ugly looking skincoloured box under the desk, all kind of ugly wires, all the peripherals like soundsystems, transmitters and so on are annoying too. No matter how nice the desk looks when you buy it, by the time you have everything installed there is not much left of it. A lot of people decide for that reason not to put the PC in the living room.

In the i-Con I everything is integrated. The PC is in the desk. The only thing you see yet is the front of the DVDburner, the adjustable screen and the powercable, coming out of one leg, that's it. All the other things, the motherboard, the harddisk, the wires to and from the screen, the bluetoothhub and other transmitters, all that is in the desk.

Funny to think now how it all started so innocently. Then suddenly, phones became mobile, CD players gave way to MP3s, computers found new life on the internet and DVDs made tapes obsolete.

Your relationship with gadgets quickly gained pace, gathering into obsession. But sooner or later there comes a time when you must ask yourself: has our relationship moved to a new level? Am I and technology more than just friends?

From what we gather from a trail of liberally translated links is that this radio-controlled bot, which is being developed at Japan's Chuo University, uses 6 legs to propel itself across the water like the ones MIT and Carnegie Mellon have been developing for a while. The outer legs are made of buoyant resin to keep it afloat, while the middle legs provide the driving force. Eventually the developers are hoping it will be able to move flawlessly from the water onto land, making it a valuable tool for aquatic rescues, especially when equipped with a camera. Even if it never gets that far, the videos on the source link suggest it would make a pretty killer pool toy.