Remember how the Segway “almost” revolutionized personal transportation? Well it actually didn’t. This Tilto single-person electric vehicle is really gonna go places. Like, around the parking lot — “manos libres!” Named for the two-step maneuver you’ll use to get going (tilt and go), the battery-powered Tilto can move forward, backwards, and sideways at its top speed of 20km/h (12 mph) without the need for pedals or a steering wheel. You’ll be able to travel 15 km with each charge, but that should give you plenty of time to score a traffic ticket in the UK, or to roll a safe distance away from screaming fans after your next concert in Arizona. Tilto is little more than a “prototipo experimental” at this point, without a release date or any plans for production, but I heard that Justin Bieber is very interested in it.

SOURCE via Tilto

Oh Google, you didn’t think you were going to have all the mobile payment fun did you? While you’re beta testing in New York and San Francisco some big names across the pond are looking to dominate the entire UK. Vodafone, Telefonica, and Everything Everywhere (a joint venture between Orange and T-Mobile) are combining forces to create a mobile payment and marketing system that will take on Google Wallet and Offers before they even get off the ground in the British isles. The platform will be open to all comers, including Google, (you know, in case it decides to make Wallet a US only affair) and the companies have pledged to keep customer data out of the hands of third parties. The project is still in the very early stages of development, but the mobile providers aren’t dilly dallying — they expect their efforts to bear NFC fruit before the end of the year.

SOURCE via Wall Street Journal

News of Garmin’s plans to acquire Navigon leaked out earlier this month, but we now have official word that the GPS giant will bring the smaller German company under its wing beginning in late July. Pending regulatory approval, the deal would have Navigon, one of the largest GPS brands in Europe, functioning as a subsidiary of Garmin, which has a much stronger presence in North America. The companies were unable to reveal any financial information, though previous estimates priced the deal in the “mid-double-digit million” Euro range. Navigon says it’s not ready to share any details concerning the acquisition, but we’re unlikely to see major effects in the US, where the company has smartphone apps but hasn’t sold dedicated GPS devices in several years, but the same can’t really be said for the international market though.

SOURCE via Navigon

We previously heard that HTC wanted to squeeze in Gingerbread into the HTC Desire but failed due to the Desire’s weaker spec, but then rectify that they managed after all. Well, what’s the story behind it?

HTC has revealed that it plans to cut several apps to free up space for the Desire’s Gingerbread update. The company once again updated its Facebook status informing Desire users of its plan of attack.

“To resolve Desire’s memory issue and enable the upgrade to Gingerbread, we will cut select apps from the release,” the company posted. “Look for status updates starting next week. We apologize for any confusion.”

HTC yesterday pulled a 180 and announced that despite an earlier announcement indicating the opposite, the company was back working on the Desire’s Android 2.3 update. While users no doubt welcomed the news, HTC didn’t provide any details as to how it planned to solve the ‘not enough RAM’ problem it had mentioned earlier in the week. The manufacturer originally said there wasn’t enough RAM to run both Gingerbread and the HTC Sense UI on the Desire. However, it seems a stream-lined platform is the company’s solution.

HTC did not provide a projected release for the Gingerbread update, nor did it specify which apps it’ll be cutting out.

The Nexus One and Nexus S have one thing in common: They’re both official ‘Google Phones,’ which means they get Android updates as soon as they’re available. The fact that you don’t have to wait for your carrier or manufacturer to get their ducks in a line is incredibly valuable to some users, so both phones have proved quite popular.

However, though both phones feature impressive specs, the Nexus One’s release dates way back to January of 2010 and the Nexus S will celebrate its first birthday this December. Both phones hit before the dual-core ‘superphone’ trend kicked off in at CES in January of this year, so it won’t be long before they’re considered out of date. But fear not, Nexus fans, because Google’s apparently got another Nexus up its sleeve, and this one has got a dual-core processor, a “monster” screen and 4G support to boot.

According to BGR sources, what’s believed to be the next Nexus phone will feature a next-generation dual-core 1.2GHz or 1.5GHz CPU (likely an OMAP 4460 or an ultra-low-power 28nm Krait-based Snapdragon); 1GB of RAM; 1080p HD video capture and playback; a 1-megapixel front-facing camera; and a rear-facing camera with an “advanced 5-megapixel sensor delivering class-leading image quality in addition to superior low-light performance.” All of this will run on Ice Cream Sandwich, aka Android 4.0 (or is it Android 2.4?).

Before you get really, really excited, BGR says it’s also possible that this device is just the flagship/reference phone for Ice Cream Sandwich and not a Nexus-branded phone after all. Either way, it’s expected to launch around Thanksgiving so we’re hoping to find out more as that holiday draws closer.

SOURCE via BGR

Apple has always guarded new and developing products extremely closely and rumors that workers have to hide the finished product under black covers while they work on them are not uncommon. Despite the drastic measures Apple will go to keep new products a secret until they launch, it’s still surprising to hear three people have been jailed for leaking information regarding the iPad 2’s design.

PCWorld reports that the Shenzhen Baoan People’s Court this month ruled the three had collaborated to steal trade secrets from iPad manufacturer Foxconn. Xiao Chengsong, the head of a Chinese electronics company, is said to have contacted Hou Pengna, a former Foxconn staffer, about obtaining information on the iPad 2 design last summer. Hou in turn funneled 20,000 yuan ($3,090) to Lin Kecheng, a section chief with Foxconn’s R&D group who passed on details of the iPad 2’s casing. The information was used to manufacturer cases and covers compatible with the iPad 2.

Xiao was sentenced to 18 months and fined 150,000 yuan, while Lin was sentenced to 14 months and fined 100,000 yuan. Hou received the lightest sentence with 12 months in prison and a fine of 30,000 yuan.

SOURCE via PC World

It may look like some sort of space ship from a futuristic sci-fi film but the Tofi is actually an award winning yacht design created by Hyun-Seok Kim. A winner of the 2011 “Dreamboat” Millennium Yacht Design Award, this unconventional vision of a luxury boat provides an interestingly strange aesthetic pleasure. Complete with a hideable diving board and safety floatation devices; this yacht is beaming with style and fun.

Although you may think of a luxury yacht as a massive boat filled with elegance and boundless amenities, the Tofi provides a much more intimate take on luxury. Designed to house a much smaller number of guests, this concept emphasizes the view of the ocean and provides a comfortable and warm place to enjoy the open seas. Read more…

Thursday Intel launched a new interactive advertisement for its second-generation Intel Core i5 processor with an additional nod to its Intel Wireless Display technology. Called “The Escape,” viewers must help a female secret agent escape from the clutches of enemy agents. Intel calls this a “first” for YouTube given that viewers must interact directly with the medium in order to make the escape.

“We wanted to connect with consumers in a personal, engaging and interactive way while demonstrating the visual capabilities of the 2nd Generation Intel Core processor family,” said Stephanie Gan, regional manager of advertising and digital programs for Intel Asia Pacific. “While YouTube offered the perfect stage for creating this experience, it was important to make some of the interactions social with Facebook integration.”

“Just as Intel’s 2nd Generation Core processors transform your computing experience, this campaign will transform the way you look at the YouTube platform. You’ve never seen YouTube quite like this,” she added.

During the video, users are required to solve a puzzle, go into first-person mode and shoot down enemies using a remote-controlled, flying robot (no deaths), go into a one-on-one fist fight with an enemy agent and a few other silly tricks. The ending is actually rather corny as well, but the interaction between the viewer and the advertiser is rather unique. Viewers can also sign up two Facebook friends to help out with the mission. Read more…