Solar Powered Neck Tie Holds, Powers Your Gadgets

A team of researchers at North Carolina State University have devised an ingenious way to charge your gadgets on the move: With solar powered clothing. The designs use a process called digital textile printing to leverage the blocky solar panels into neck ties and jackets. In the case of the tie there's even a hidden pocket to hold your device as it charges. Convenient. A five-day test found the clothing posed no significant health risk, including electric shock, although the neck tie design did have one major flaw.

DIY XR3 225 MPG Hybrid Car Kit Finally Finished, Hits the Road Soon for $25,000

Turns out the DIY hybrid market is tougher than expected, because just this week word was the XR3 was finally finished and "coming soon"—again. And while the video of the completed car in action made me think of Centauri from The Last Starfighter for some reason, this futuristic looking kit actually uses readily available 21rst century innards to get from A to B. We hope "soon" this year doesn't mean "in one year" like it did in 2007

Lexus Nuaero Concept is Straight Out of Starship Troopers

Does one reach for a camera or a can of RAID when the Lexus Nuaero concept pulls into the driveway? Sure Jon Rådbrink's design looks incredibly cool, fast and futuristic; but then again I've also spent the last few minutes looking over my shoulder to see if Sigourney Weaver was about to burst from the wall in a load lifter to do battle with it in my office. As it turns out, there's a lot more to this design than just looks, and Rådbrink believes the car's "low weight and large presence" will be the way premium cars could be manufactured in the future. Oh, and it's loaded with tech, too.
To drive this catamaran-inspired luxury car, the driver would use a drive-by-wire steering pad and a completely customizable multi-point touch screen. Rådbrink contends that our hands are far more accurate for driving than our feet, so he's eliminated pedals. Everything is controlled via the steering wheel. "Since the car is powered by electrical motors [found in each of the four wheels]," Rådbrink says, "there is no transmission and you break intuitively by pushing the steering wheel away from your body."

The kicker is that this 14.5-ft. car is designed with lightweight materials meant to increase mileage and efficiency.

Sprint Diamond To Come In Red

It looks like the Sprint Diamond, which should have the same flat back as the Telus Diamond, will have a classy looking red added to it, which will be a rather nice change from the boring black. In terms of specifications, it should be the same as the Telus Diamond:

101mm x 51mm x 14mm
EVDO Rev A
WiFi, Bluetooth 2.0
640 x 480 Touchscreen
Qualcomm MSM 7510A Processor running at 528MHz
256 ROM, 256 RAM, 4 Gigs internal (no expansion)
Opera 9.5 for the browser
3.2 megapixel cameral
1340 mAh battery

Make Your Wii Portable

The Nintendo DS Lite is one portable gaming machine that's worth its salt due to the huge library of quality games (and an equally large amount of duds, to be honest, so tread carefully here), but don't you sometimes wish that it had a little bit more horsepower? Here's a way to make your Wii portable - it comes with a widescreen 16:9 LCD display and a Wii dock, along with an integrated Wii sensor bar to get your portable Wii gaming going on. Of course, this would best be used in a vehicle for long distance trips since it comes with cigarette lighter adapter. No worries about not being able to enjoy full High Definition gaming on a small display, since the Wii is but standard def.

Digital Edge Gaming Table

The Gaming Table from Digital Edge is truly a beast of home furniture, featuring multiple tiers for you to place your deadly gaming apparatus such as a high resolution cordless laser mouse, a leather-clad steering wheel and a high-end joystick. There is also enough room for a trio of displays, making provision for flight sim buffs to enjoy their virtual flying moments in full screen glory. It will cost you $379 for the extra space, and I wouldn't recommend getting this if your pad is already more crowded than our prisons.

DSvision Service Launches

Shoot! Somehow or rather, DS and Wii owners in Japan seem to have it better than gamers in other parts of the world, be it quirky Japanese games or game services. This time we have the DSvision service meant for the DS console, enabling owners to download and watch Japanese anime series on their DS. Of course, it will entail the purchase of a special hardware peripheral to view these downloaded episodes, and this could mean a spike in DS hardware that will finally knock the Sony PSP off the top spot where weekly hardware sales are concerned. The DSvision service will go live next Wednesday. Each downloaded movie will cost $4.80, and these are stored on a microSD memory card.

Kanfuboi Packs Quite A Kick

Kanfuboi - a play on the words Kung-fu Boy, consists of two desktop toys that are able to punch and kick their way through virtually anything. All you need to do is turn them on, and they'll start whipping themselves into a frenzy, punching and kicking at imaginary opponents. Of course, they won't suffer from any muscle fatigue, pausing only when there is no more power supplied. At $18 a pop, they're pretty interesting desktop toys to have, although it might cost a wee bit more if you plan to import them from Japan.

Plantronics Discovery 925 Bluetooth Earpiece

Upgrade your ear with the sleek Plantronics Discovery 925 ($150). The lightweight Bluetooth earpiece features a VFrame design that works just as well for sound as it does for looks. You'll also get easy set up, AudioIQ noise control technology, a rechargeable case, and three sizes of self-stabilizing eartips. The 925 offers up to 5 hours talk time or 7 days standby time.

Tie Fighter Advanced X1 Webcam: Vader Records Your Private Moments

The cat is out of the bag—Darth Vader is a sick, perverted voyeur. First he sat atop your computer monitor and watched your every move. Now he his getting serious and starting to record the action (or lack therof) by using his Tie Fighter as a webcam. In addition to capturing audio, video and images, it also features sound effects from the movies. Just don't be surprised if your private moments end up all over the internet. Vader just can't be trusted with a YouTube account. Available soon for around $33.

Gigabyte's 3G-Capable MID M528 Coming Out On Sept 17 For $689

A release date and price has been set for UMPC contender Gigabyte's MID M528, a diminutive portable computer with a slide out keyboard, according to the folks over at UMPC Portal. A product page on Gigabyte's site put the cost at $689 and availability on Sept. 17. The page then disappeared, but not before intrepid internet surfers could get a nice screen grab.[via]

Voodoo Envy 133

Skinnier than a MacBook Air, the new Voodoo Envy 133 ($2,100) is one sexy laptop. This ultra-portable measures .70 inches when closed and weighs less than 3.4 pounds. The Envy wears a carbon fiber casing with custom microweave design, and features a 13.3-inch backlit LED display, integrated 802.11 ABGN Wi-Fi and Bluetooth, USB and HDMI ports, a built-in webcam, and a multiple gesture touchpad. Available in black or white, the Envy can also be customized with Voodoo Allure paint finishes, Voodoo Ink designs and Voodoo Iconograph patterns.[via]

Alienware Area-51 m17x

It's kind of chunky, but this thing packs it all in. Confidently called "the most powerful notebook ever created," the Alienware Area-51 m17x ($TBA) features Intel Core 2 Duo Extreme processors, an NVIDIA GeForce 8800M GTX graphics card, three hard drives with SmartBay, an LED-illuminated keyboard, and 1080p video and HD audio support. Whether you're a hardcore gamer or mobile porn producer, this workhorse has you covered.

Audi Q5

If you're in need of a more family-friendly ride, there's a new contender to consider. Sportier and smaller than its big brother, the Audi Q7, the 2009 Audi Q5 ($TBA) features a fuel efficient 3.2 V6 FSI engine with 6-speed Tiptronic shifting and quattro permanent all-wheel drive. The compact crossover SUV also offers side assist passing technology, 3-zone climate control system, and Generation 3 MMI, and navigation with real-time traffic information.

EarthRoamer Xpedition Vehicles

If you're looking for a way to set up camp in the middle of post-apocalyptic New Jersey, check out EarthRoamer Xpedition Vehicles ($110,000-$230,000). Available in two models — the Ford F550-based XV-LT or the Jeep Rubicon Unlimited-based XV-JP — these four-wheel-drive powerhouses can get you where you want to go, and utilize solar energy as a primary power source for lights and appliances, removing the need for a noisy generator. The XV-LT is designed for two adults and two children, and offers granite counters, a convection microwave, a king-sized bed, an enclosed shower/bathroom, and more, while the two-person XV-JP offers features like a queen-sized bed, an inside cassette toilet, indoor shower, sink, and cooking facilities, just to name a few.