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UPS Adds 50 Next-generation Hybrids to Its Delivery Fleet 2007-05-27 08:29:00 What can brown do for you? The hybrid news continues to flood in this week. On Tuesday, we learned of Wal-Mart's new hybrid addition to its trucking fleet, then New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg announced the city's decision to make all yellow cabs hybrid by 2012. Today, UPS announced that it is adding 50 hybrid electric vehicles (HEVs) to its delivery fleet in Atlanta, Dallas, Houston and Phoenix. The stop and go nature of deliveries to commercial and residential addresses make hybrid technology a perfect fit for UPS trucks. Hybrid vehicles are most efficient in stop-and-go city traffic where the electric motor can be called upon to handle a majority of the propulsion duties. "We're excited to be among the first to deploy the latest in HEV technology because it promises a 45% increase in fuel economy in addition to a dramatic decrease in vehicle emissions," said Robert Hall, Director of UPS Ground Fleet Engineering. UPS says that the 50 new HEVs improve fuel ef ...

All NYC Yellow Cabs to be Hybrids by 2012 2007-05-27 08:24:00 Hybrid fever strikes New York City Given the stop and go nature of traffic in New York City, the promise of increased fuel efficiency from hybrids is too good to pass up. Mayor Michael Bloomberg announced yesterday on the "Today" show that every yellow cab will be a hybrid by the year 2012. There are roughly 13,000 taxis roaming city streets (90 percent of which are gas guzzling Ford Crown Victorias). According to Bloomberg, 20 percent of the existing yellow cab fleet will be replaced each year until all are running on hybrid power. Currently, there are only 375 hybrid taxis on the road in NYC. "There's an awful lot of taxicabs on the streets of New York City obviously, so it makes a real big difference," said Bloomberg. "These cars just sit there in traffic sometimes, belching fumes; this does a lot less. It's a lot better for all of us." There are currently eight vehicles on the city's "approved" list when it comes to hybrid vehicles to be used as yellow cabs: th ...

Wal-Mart to Get Hybrid Big Rig 2007-05-27 08:18:00 The Peterbilt Model 386 Hybrid will save an estimated $9,000 USD per year in fuel costs We have hybrid cars, SUVs, pickups and school buses, so it makes sense that hybrid technology would start filtering into other areas of the automotive segment. Wal-Mart understands the benefits of hybrid technology and is adding a hybrid-diesel Class 8 truck to its stable of transport vehicles. "The implementation of Hybrid trucks is an encouraging step towards environmental sustainability and the reduction of emissions throughout the industry," said The Pete Store President John Arscott. "Wal-Mart is proving to be a leader in this arena, and The Pete Store is pleased to play a part in such a landmark event within the transportation industry." A single Peterbilt Model 386 Hybrid will join Wal-Mart's fleet of 230 existing diesel Peterbilts. The Model 306 Hybrid uses an Eaton Hybrid Power System. The hybrid system takes full advantage of regenerative braking and used a motor/generator t ... Hybrid

Nokia Designs Phone that Detects Lightning 2007-05-25 10:07:00 New patent aims to warn callers of impending lightning strikes Finnish phone maker Nokia has applied for a U.S. patent on technology that will equip mobile handsets with the ability to detect lightning.Lightning bolts typically produce radio waves in the frequency range of 10 Hz to 5 GHz. This often produces pops and crackles audible on AM/FM radio receivers and TV sets. Nokia plans to provide software in the phone to detect and analyze those signals, providing information to handset users on their proximity to approaching lightning strikes. According to the patent application, the Nokia system would use two adjacent radio channels to detect the atmospheric disturbances, allowing the phone to provide its owner with as much as 10 minutes warning before a thunderstorm actually becomes visible at the user's location."There is a large population that would benefit from such a safety feature," the application states. "To some persons, it might provide only a nice-to-know everyday knowledge ... Nokia

Xbox Killed Baby, Lawsuit Claims 2007-05-25 10:03:00 Bereaved parents blame Microsoft, Wal-Mart for a deadly house fire that claimed an infant's lifeAn Illinois lawsuit alleges that Microsoft and mega-retailer Wal-Mart are at fault for a fire sparked by a faulty Xbox 360 power cord. The suit was filed in December 2006 by the family of Wade Kline, a baby who perished in the accident. The case came to light this week when Wal-Mart filed a motion to move the proceedings from a state court to a federal jurisdiction. Along with Microsoft and Wal-Mart, an unnamed power-supply maker is also named as a codefendant. The Kline family is seeking $50,000 in damages for the fire that destroyed their Warsaw, Ill., home.The lawsuit alleges an overheated electrical supply line for an Xbox 360 sparked the blaze, according to an article in InformationWeek, however the suit claims the fire occurred in late 2004. The magazine concludes that the product involved must have been a first-generation Xbox (not Xbox 360) unit.Microsoft recalled 14 million Xbox po ... Xbox

Halo 2 Vista Delayed Due to Nude Content 2007-05-25 10:00:00 Master Chief spills hot coffee on self; needs extra time to recoverFor those of you who have been waiting for the PC version of Halo 2, looks like you will have to wait a little longer ? that is, if you?re able to tear yourself away from the Xbox 360 Halo 3 beta. Microsoft has once again pushed back the release date for the Windows Vista edition of Halo 2 to May 31.Halo 2 Vista was originally set for release on May 8, but Microsoft decided to push it back in order to make some important improvements to the install experience and to touch upon other technical issues. "Halo 2 for Windows Vista did not release to retailers on May 22, as previously announced, and will now ship from manufacturers on May 31," a Microsoft representative said. "Shadowrun will be the first game to debut the highly anticipated Games for Windows Live system on May 29. We apologize for any inconvenience this may have caused our customers."Interestingly enough, reports are now surfacing that nudity is the cause for ...

Transformers Movie 2007-05-24 18:42:00 The Earth is caught in the middle of an intergalactic war between two races of robots, the heroic Autobots and the evil Decepticons, which are able to change into a variety of objects, including cars, trucks, planes and other technological creations.http://www.transformersmovie.com/ ... Transformers

Heartbeat Indicator Mouse 2007-05-24 17:21:00 "Heartbeat Indicator" is not only a mouse, but also is an indicator for user's health when the user are using it while they are working. When the user grasps it, his or her thumb and palm will touch on its sensors which are inside the mouse and it starts to detect the user's health situation. For the users who needs special care about their health situation, it will send the information to hospital or their caregivers cell phones through the network by PC on a regular time schedule. Moreover, it will remind the users how long they have worked. Designer: Kwok Lau ...

Glo-Go Bikini Top and Skirt Shed Light on the Subject 2007-05-24 16:56:00 Nobody noticing you there, girl? Put on this Glow-Go bikini top and skirt, and be the center of attention until your batteries run down after about 10 hours. They're part of the GloFur collection by designer David Lee, who won't really say how they work but we suspect it has something to do with a bunch of wires and LEDs. This little bra will cost you $78, while the matching skirt goes for $124. Check out the gallery below and you'll see there's a variety of electronic clothing with which to decorate your already-appealing female parts. After the jump, check out an almost not-safe-for-work video of these illuminating garments in action. ...

HP Wins $5.6 Billion NASA Contract 2007-05-24 16:52:00 HP to provide U.S. federal agencies with ITNASA awarded Hewlett-Packard a seven-year, $5.6 billion contract to provide the agency a wide range of new technologies. HP products offered by the indefinite delivery indefinite quantity (IDIQ) contract, also called the "NASA Solutions for Enterprise-Wide Procurement (SEWP) IV Class 5," will include workstations, desktops, blade PCs capable of handling Linux and Unix, servers and printers, along with other pieces of hardware.Under the SEWP IV, federal agencies will be able to acquire technology solutions at low prices ? guaranteed at or below U.S. General Services Administration schedule prices ? with low 0.6 percent surcharges, capped at $18,000 for orders more than $3 million.The entire federal government and its authorized prime contractors can purchase HP technology through SEWP IV. In addition, the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs has made NASA SEWP IV its mandatory contract for the acquisition of technology.?As the federal government ...

Intel Goes Lead-Free for 45nm, Again 2007-05-23 09:38:00 Intel is taking the next step in environmentally friendly productsIntel Corporation announced on Tuesday that the future of its microprocessors will be lead-free and environmentally friendly. This follows a big tech industry shift towards products that are more environmentally friendly. The shift will begin with its line of "green" 45-nanometer high-k metal gate (Hi-k) processors, which includes the next-generation Intel Core 2 Duo, Core 2 Quad and Xeon processors.Lead is mainly used in a variety of micro-electric "packages" and "bumps" that attach the Intel chip to "packages", which are then wrapped around the chip and used to connect it to the motherboard. Package designs include pin grid array, ball grid array, and land grid array, and will all be 100 percent lead-free.With the introduction of 65nm Yonah, Chipworks -- a company that reverse engineers chip packaging -- discovered that Intel silently transitioned from lead-tin solder-ball interconnects to plated copper pillars. Since ... Intel

iPhone: AT&T Exclusive for Five Years 2007-05-23 09:33:00 AT&T hopes for iPhone to be synonymous with the company in five year exclusiveApple?s iPhone is arguably this year?s most hotly anticipated consumer devices. AT&T already accelerated its plans to rebrand the Cingular properties in preparation of the iPhone?s arrival ? and apparently, its efforts may be well placed as the iPhone could be an AT&T-exclusive for five years, according to a USA Today story.Being an AT&T-exclusive means that the iPhone will remain a GSM phone, leaving it clearly out of reach for CDMA wireless users. Verizon Wireless and Sprint are both CDMA shops, and customers of those carriers who wish to get the iPhone will have no other choice but to make the move to AT&T.T-Mobile is another GSM carrier in the U.S., and its network would likely be able to support the iPhone?s calling features, but the AT&T will be the only company authorized to officially sell and market the iPhone. Furthermore, all iPhone?s sold through AT&T will be ?locked? to the network, disallowing t ... Iphone

NASA Rover Discovers New Evidence of Water on Mars 2007-05-23 09:26:00 Findings collected by the Mars rover Spirit gets scientists excited for what other secrets the Red Planet may hideScientists have conducted a lot of research to discover signs of water and possible life on Mars. A recent discovery by a NASA rover has created excitement in the scientific community: the Mars rover Spirit collected soil samples that makes scientists strongly believe Mars was once wet. The rover found some Martian soil with high levels of silica, which needs water to crystalize. Basic chemical analysis on the soil revealed the soil composition contained up to 90 percent silica. This soil, located in Gusev Crater, is the strongest evidence that water, at some point in the planet's history, existed.Scientists are unsure how the silica deposit in the crater originally formed. The most likely theory is that soil mixed with acid vapors, created by volcanic activity, along with a strong presence of water. Another popular idea is that the silica was created from water from a hot ...

Blizzard Officially Reveals StarCraft II 2007-05-22 08:13:00 Classic RTS gameplay to be revitalized with StarCraft II, coming to PC and MacAfter months of speculation on what Blizzard?s next big title will be, it was revealed today at the Blizzard Worldwide Invitational in South Korea that StarCraft would indeed be getting a sequel. StarCraft II was announced in front of thousands of attendees at the special event, who received a presentation that included a StarCraft II cinematic trailer and a gameplay demonstration by the development team. Rather than go down the massively multiplayer route that Blizzard?s fantasy world has gone, StarCraft II is designed to follow in the footsteps of the original ? to be the ultimate competitive real-time strategy game. In addition to the requisite online play through Battle.net, StarCraft II will include a single-player campaign. In addition, the game will come with the same map editing tools used by Blizzard?s designers so users can create new maps.StarCraft II will feature the return of the Protoss, Terran, ...

Avis Debuts In-Car Wi-Fi 2007-05-22 08:11:00 Mobile units turn rent-a-cars into rolling hot spotsAvis Rent A Car System has made good on its January 2007 promise to offer mobile Wi-Fi Internet access in its vehicles.The rental car agency has launched the service this week for renters at San Francisco International Airport, with plans to roll out the service in San Jose, Calif., Los Angeles and Newark, N.J., during the coming weeks.The mobile devices rent for $10.95 per day, and can be used in or out of the car. Manufacturer Autonet Mobile states that its namesake device allows users to remain connected anywhere, whether in the car, at a business meeting or in a hotel room. The portable devices can be powered via the car's cigarette lighter or plugged into a wall outlet.Autonet Mobile's in-car Wi-Fi router uses the company's patent-pending TRU technology to perform session, link and content management on the network, minimizing network disconnects while the user is in motion. The company claims its technology offers "a seamless ...