It’s been almost a year since we last wrote about the BMW i8 being winter-tested and here it is again — this time in production prototype form — doing donuts (!) in the snow. This plug-in gasoline electric hybrid vehicle started life as the Vision EfficientDynamics, promising sub five-second 0 – 60mph times while still achieving an impressive 87mpg (2.7 liters per 100km). We last saw the i8 concept at the Frankfurt Motor Show but the sporty coupé with the funky gullwing-like doors isn’t expected in BMW showrooms until sometime in 2014. So for now just sit back, relax and check out the video above.
Themaltake and BMW’s DesignworksUSA are apparently a design-team match made in PC gaming heaven. After previously partnering up for the elegant (and functional) Level 10 modular PC case, the two are back it again — this time with a focus on peripherals.
While details are sparse, the Level 10 M mouse concept you’re looking at is the first of the bunch to be revealed, and it’s said to arrive sometime during the spring. It’s not exactly a shoe-in for MadCatz’s Rats, but considering the wire and an aggressively breathable design, it’s clearly aimed pro-gamers.
Sadly, key specs like its DPI rating and details about any macro functionality are currently non-existent, however, it does appear to be of the optical variety. Here’s to hoping it’ll perform just as good at as looks to the eyes.
We’ve seen plenty of round mice, including Apple’s infamous puck, and many devices that derive power from a yo-yo-like pull string mechanism. So we’re not quite sure why we’ve never seen those two concepts married before. In retrospect, a wireless mouse charged by the kinetic energy of using it as a yo-yo seems like a painfully obvious idea. As an added bonus, this tiny pointer with an LCD battery gauge makes you get up every so often and get your limbs moving — thus saving you from chronic back pain. Huzzah! Of course, there’s no guarantee you’ll ever actually see one of these on shelves. Check out the source for a few more pics.
Nokia appears to have dislodged some huge creative blockage, beginning with its decision to back a new smartphone horse. Today we get yet another concept handset, revealed at Nokia Conversations. The GEM offers up an utterly customizable appearance that doubles as the interface. Following its naming convention, the user “polishes” the appearance of the phone, constantly tweaking it to suit their needs. The full-body touchscreen could offer up advertising on the back of the phone during calls, subsidizing costs, or media sharing done with some physical gesturing. See these glittering features shine in the ethereal design video right after the break.
If the above image is to be trusted, what you spy with your little eye may be the very first BlackBerry smartphone to sport RIM’s QNX-based operating system, known more recently as BBX. With bold angular lines that smack heavily of the P’9981, this touchscreen slab (code-named “London”) is said to be thinner than the iPhone 4 and will dutifully stand tall when placed on its side. Before you get too excited, however, keep in mind that the above image could very well be a concept, prototype — or, even a masterful forgery. For what it’s worth, The Verge was informed that this model is merely a dummy unit, although the actual device is alleged to contain a 1.5GHz dual-core TI OMAP processor with 1GB of RAM and 16GB of on-board storage. An 8-megapixel rear camera is also said to be in the mix, along with a 2-megapixel front-facing shooter and a June 2012 release date. Sure, it’s easy to be excited about Waterloo’s forthcoming wares, but sadly we’re forced to take this one with a heapin’ spoonful of skepticism. So, who’s excited to meet Mr. London?
A new video has unearthed the deceptively named Humanform. Fortunately not shaped like a dolly, this teardrop device cooked up Nokia’s in-house labs supposedly uses some as-yet unexplained nanotechnology, with a bendable transparent display and a fully touch sensitive casing. The segmented design also channels some Wiimote-esque gesture features and twist controls seen on the phone behemoth’s Kinetic Device. An inert Humanform shell was also on show alongside it last month, although it didn’t do much aside from bending. See if you agree with Nokia’s vision of the mobile future after the break.
Recently, Kia officials let it slip that the Korean automaker would be debuting some sort of “coupe-like” rear-wheel-drive concept at this year’s Frankfurt Motor Show, and just a few days later, we now have our first glimpse at that very car. The unnamed concept stands true to everything we were told earlier: it has rear-wheel drive, is a swoopy four-door “coupe,” and looks like it will slot in between the Hyundai Genesis and Equus in terms of size.
“I believe the car is a strong statement from Kia: We are ready to fast forward to an all-new chapter,” says the automaker’s design chief, Peter Schreyer.
Could this be a conceptual version of Kia’s upcoming K9 flagship sedan? Sounds right to us, and with such a bold styling direction, it’s clear that the Koreans are looking to take on the swoopy sedan segment that contains players like the Audi A7 and Mercedes-Benz CLS.
In a concept that is sure to save trees as well as your precious money, designer Kim Su Yeon has created a printer that doesn’t exactly perform the typical task you would expect of a regular printer. The Ink Remover Printer utilizes laser technology to burn the ink right off of paper, essentially becoming your own personal paper recyclers. This would allow you to use the same pieces of paper dozens of times, assuming the printer doesn’t set it on fire.
Nikon engaged in a bit of conceptual product show-and-not-as-much-tell at the French Cité des sciences et de l’industrie exhibit, Hello Demain (Hello Tomorrow). The four prototype cameras on display ranged from the clearly defined — a fully customizable SLR that swaps the lens, grip and LCD screen at your whimsy — to the mysterious webcam dongle-ish i-Ball of unknown purpose, to a mundane six-inch screener. But the real étoile of this forward-facing soirée is that Multi-Ball cam — guaranteed to be a panoramic morning-after hit (or cause for much hungover consternation). While these concepts reside proudly in the province of tomorrowland, it’s only a matter of time before they digitally immortalize your precious visage.
Airbus has been consulting its crystal ball recently and its findings have now been shared with the world in the shape of a new concept plane. Looking entirely detached from the economic and physical realities we know today, this futuristic people carrier includes auto-morphing seats that adjust to your size and shape and also harvest excess heat you produce.
How is this achieved? Smart materials is all we’re told, leaving us to use our imagination to fill in the gaping blanks. Eschewing the usual class system, this Airbus concept instead offers three functionally distinct areas: a Smart Tech Zone at the back is the closest to what we’re used to today, an Interaction Zone in the middle uses holograms to help you relax or conduct some mission-critical meetings in flight, and a Vitalising Zone up front is where more “bio-morphing” seats will provide you with massage or acupuncture treatments.
The ceiling in that front part of the plane can also be turned transparent, letting you soak up the panorama (and get a good tan while you’re at it). You can see and hear more about it in the videos after the break.
Recent Comments