The latest update to iOS 5 is drawing near, folks, as the beta of version 5.1 was just released on Apple’s developer site. You can grab the build if you’re in possession of an iPhone 3GS or later, either iPad or the third and fourth generations of the iPod Touch. We’re hoping to see some fixes to the battery life issues on the iPhone 4S, as the company has acknowledged the concern and promised a fix in the near future. Stay tuned as we learn more about the new refresh.

SOURCE via Apple

The carnival doesn’t quite enjoy the same level of prestige it once did. The old-world entertainment now has to vie with a movie industry soaked in computer-generated special effects, on-demand satellite entertainment and a vast expanse of electronic distractions. That doesn’t make some of the stunts performed at the carnival any less amazing, however, and it’s especially true when it comes to the infamous Wall of Death, wherein motorcycle riders ramp up speed and take to a near vertical wall to defy gravity.

Benedict Campbell has just finished a short film on Ken Fox and his family. The Fox Troupe wanders the English countryside with a traveling carnival, where they ride the Wall of Death. Fox himself rides an Indian Scout along the walls of the 26-foot diameter wooden ring. In his 30 years of performing, Fox estimates he’s had around 20 significant falls, and yet he’s still incredibly grateful to be able to live and work with his family on a daily basis. Hit the jump to check out the video for yourself.

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This iPhone 4 started to glow red and smoulder with dense fumes in the middle of a flight to Sidney, Australia. Fortunately, a flight attendant stopped it from exploding violently, something that has happened before with other gadgets.

The owner of the self-combusting iPhone wasn’t doing anything extraordinary with it. The iPhone’s battery just started to overheat in the middle Regional Express’ flight ZL319, going from Lismore to Sidney. According to the airline, the flight attendant extinguished following standard emergency procedures. Nobody was injured.

The phone now is being analysed by the Australian Transport Safety Bureau.

SOURCE via BGR

It’s no secret that the Toyota FT-86 will finally make its production-spec debut next week at the Tokyo Motor Show, and ahead of that, the automaker’s UK office has released the first official photos and some initial specs. In Europe, the car will officially be called the Toyota GT 86. In Japan, however, the car will simply be called 86.

Cutting right to the chase, here are the specs that are now official, from the Toyota UK announcement. Obviously, there’s more to come:

• 2.0-liter boxer with D4-S injection (direct and port injected)
• 197 hp @ 7,000 rpm and 151 lb-ft (205 Nm) @6,600 rpm
• 6-speed manual or automatic transmissions
• 17-inch wheel/tire package standard
• 4,240mm (167 in.) long, 1285mm (50.6 in.) high, 2,570mm (101 in.) wide
• 53:47 front-to-rear weight distribution
• 475mm (18.7 in.) center of gravity

As demonstrated in the photos, everything is basically in line with what we’ve seen so far in the various leaked materials. So, start getting excited. In addition to the sharp styling outside, the interior looks the business, and the “86″ fender logo is just plain cool. The GT 86 goes on sale in the UK next June.

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We are so close to living in a world where everyone can be David Hasselhoff. Thanks to an enterprising programmer named Brandon Fiquett and Apple’s Siri app for the iPhone 4S, there’s at least one Acura TL out there in the States that’s responding to voice control in awesome Knight Rider fashion.

While not quite up to the level of interactivity that Hollywood dreamed up for the Knight Industries Two Thousand, Fiquett’s TL will remotely start itself and turn off the ignition on his command. The system works by relaying the Siri command to a proxy server, which sends the instructions to a Viper car automation and security system. About the only thing missing here is William Daniels doing the voice of KITT – and that awesome black Trans Am itself.

Fiquett has put his source code up for download, so if you’re interested in trying it yourself and you’ve got some coding skills, have at it on his website. Otherwise, just click through the jump to watch the video.

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Batteries aren’t the only technology mankind has invented to store electricity, and Mazda is working on a solution to the energy storage needs of electrified vehicles with a new system it’s calling i-ELOOP. While we wish it didn’t have such a cumbersome moniker, the technology behind i-ELOOP is intriguing.

Mazda claims that its i-ELOOP system will be featured in the first production passenger vehicle with recaptured energy from regenerative braking stored in a capacitor. The rest of the bits and pieces behind the tech include a variable voltage alternator and a DC/DC converter that sends energy otherwise lost to heat in the brakes at up to 25 volts to the Electric Double Layer Capacitor, where it’s stored for later use.

There’s no electric motor in the i-ELOOP drivetrain, so the capacitor releases its energy to recharge the car’s battery and to help power electric components like the heating and air conditioning systems. All in, Mazda promises fuel savings of up to 10 percent over cars not equipped with regenerative braking.

This isn’t the first time we’ve seen a prison turn to robots for a little assistance, but South Korea looks to be going a bit further than most with its latest robotic endeavour. The country’s Ministry of Justice has announced that it will be conducting a one-month trial run of robot guards at a prison in the city of Pohang starting in March — a project that’s expected to cost one billion won (or about $863,000). “The robots are not terminators,” as the university professor in charge of the endeavour told The Wall Street Journal, but rather monitors that will patrol the corridors of the jail and alert the human guards if they detect any unusual activity. Inmates will also be able to use the robots to communicate with the guards, and the folks behind the bots are apparently doing their best to keep things from turning into too much of a dystopian future — they’re now said to working on making the robots appear more “humane and friendly.”

SOURCE via Wall Street Journal