Anton Friant
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Microsoft Surface
OK people, here it is, the iPod of 2020 - the Microsoft Surface. Although slightly less portable than everyone's favorite gadget today, Microsoft is rigorously positioning its concept device for the kind of widespread consumer - and commercial - craze that only Apple have been able to drill up. As you can see from their flash video, good ol Gates and Co want every last one of us to be able to use this touchscreen surface to do everything - from consumer applications like organizing and sharing photos, music and video - to consumer uses like in-restaurant ordering and bill paying.
If you're as awed by this as we are, check out the hands-on demo over at Engadget!
Steinway Lyngdorf
In an interesting and unforeseen attempt to freshen up a veteran instrument company's image while consequently raising one of Europe's preeminent A/V pioneers to world renown, Steinway and Sons have paired with Peter Lyngdorf to "expand the Steinway & Sons brand into the high performance digital sound system market," according to Steinway & Sons Executive Vice President, Frank Mazurco. Their first offering from this new amalgamation, Steinway Lyngdorf, will be dubbed the Model-D, and it will be available for shipment and installation in early Fall 2007 starting at $150k. Audiophiles: check out how Lyngdorf's installers utilize their patented "RoomPerfect" technique to acoustically correct any room here.
New DNA Art from the UK
If you're anything like us, you probably appreciate the convergence of art and science slightly more than the average Joe; there's just something extra appealing about sleek, aesthetically attractive representations of the hyper-complex. We found some of this cool 'DNA Art' a while back from a company called DNA11, but it seems they're finally being challenged from the Brits at DNA ART UK Limited. They'll run your DNA as a graphical interpretation (the method that seems to have been popular in the past), but they'll also etch out every letter of your DNA code into a cube of crystal. A little more unique than that Van Gogh print you've had on your wall since college, eh? Just be careful if you're a wine mogul using your DNA to protect your cellar.Galpin Brings the Ugg, Makes Xzibit Proud
We don't usually cover the sort of over-extravagance that only ridiculously overpaid sports players can love, but this latest chop-job from Galpin hit our radar when we heard that it sported a $10,000, 5.5 carat diamond clock in the dash. Unfortunately that's about the only thing worth mentioning on this Transformer-esque monstrosity.It's done up in true "Pimp My Ride" fashion, with 27" Lexani wheels, a giant speaker-and-LCD-filled rear end, completely redone interior (the red leather seats remind me more of a 1977 Lincoln than a 2007 model) and two automatically rising champagne flutes for the backseat passengers (this is cool only because Maybach did it first). Turns out this is what happens when you give an otherwise decent ride to a bunch of over-hyped, under-qualified wrench monkeys. More plus pics after the jump.
Sea Phantom Finally Getting Real Cred
Rumors of the Sea Phantom, albeit in varying degrees of truthiness, have been circulating for a while now, but the concept vehicle has just struck the engineering world's pot o gold this month as they're featured in the revered Popular Science. The vehicle is, as PopSci writer Gregory Mone puts it, "Half powerboat, half plane, and all agility, this craft dodges waves by hydroplaning above them." At speeds exceeding 100mph, it's claimed to get you, in complete comfort, to your destination as fast as a helicopter, but with the ease of operation of an offshore speedboat. Could this be a nod at the long-whispered blue highway? Check out pics of the 2006 sea trials after the break.
Cart Across Italy in the Ferrari of Your Choice
The Turin, Italy based company Red Travel is offering a unique service that may intrigue those of you a bit more independently-inclined than the traditional Europe-in-luxury goers: you can rent a Ferrari for one to eight days and scoot your way around the rolling hills, through the countryside, parallel to the ocean, or you know, whatever suits your fancy, from one end of Italy to the other. Some packages include stops at high-end hotels and spas in traditional cities, whilst others cater to a more rural-minded crowd with stops for dinner at a former convent and a farmhouse. Oh, and don't worry about trying to fit your bags in the little red hotrods; a tour manager follows you via GPS and can even arrive at your destination ahead of you if you wish. The four day trip from Rome to Siena and back will run you and your shotgun buddy €4,300 each (about $5,700), but the deposit on the car will set you back €15,000 (or about $19,800) until you bring her back unscathed.
WineM Categorizes Wine, Gives You Another Gadget
When having a ridiculously awesome wine collection and a super posh cellar just isn't cool enough for you gadget-crazed, database-mongers out there, organizing your bottles could become your new obsession. This organization called ThingM is highlighting their concept product for a RFID-enabled database system called WineM, that can store your collection by a number of different variables, including regions and varietals, and allows you to call up the perfect bottle on a handheld device. Visit their site to see a video and shots of the UI, and check out a close-up of the actual gadget after the jump.StrapLuxe For Your LuxeWatch
Looking for a new band for your luxury watch? StrapLuxe has got your number. The company specializes in aftermarket leather watch bands for "collector timepieces," offering you the ability to further customize your cherished wristwatch. The only bands currently showcased on the site are those for Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Offshore watches, but it looks like they'll also be offering replacement straps for Panerai, IWC, Rolex and Patek Philippe. The AP ROO alligator band goes for $239 and ships for free. Check out their website for a nice photo gallery.Thinnest Slider Ever: Samsung Ultra Edition 10.9
Samsung just announced that their crack team of millimeter-shavers has done it again with their new fangled "Ultra Edition 10.9" slider. Being two millimeters thinner than the company's previously crowned D900 and boasting quite similar specs - the 3.2 megapixel camera, along with 80MB worth of music/video internal memory (plus a microSD slot) - it looks like we're getting ever-closer to the much sought-after two-dimensional mobile phone. No price or availability yet, but our Engadget cronies predict we'll know next month after the 3GSM Congress in Barcelona. Click through for more pictures of the Ultra Edition 10.9
[via Engadget]
The PRADA Phone Goes Official
The LG KE850 PRADA became real today, the phone that LG is touting as the "first completely touch screen mobile phone," and is initially priced at €600 (about $778 US). The phone is due to hit "PRADA stores in the UK, France, Germany and Italy at the end of February and parts of Asia before March."So sure, they'll beat the iPhone to market by a few months, but the two phones have little else in common besides their touch screen interface; the KE850 will have no usable internal memory for media (LG opts for a microSD slot instead), it won't have a native mail client or web browser, and it doesn't seem to support multi-touch capabilities.
Regardless, this thin, shiny, posh'd up beauty is launching in Europe as a tri-band GSM (no word yet on US release, but we'll sure let you know as soon as we do) and has a revised UI from their previously-reported OS X –like color scheme to a handsome, minimalist black and white scheme. Check out some nice real-world shots from our coz's over at Engadget and screenshots of the new UI from our friends over at Gizmodo.
[Via Engadget]
