Nissan Pivo 3 extreme agility concept EV hands-on

Nope, there's nothing wrong with those wheels. As you may recall, this is Nissan's Pivo 3, the company's latest concept EV that provides extreme agility using its four oddly pivoted, individually powered wheels. While we couldn't see this three-seater make sharp U-turns and do automatic parking at the Tokyo Motor Show, our very own Zach Honig managed to get his finger and trouser grease all over it.

Behind those pop-out doors one of the most interesting features we saw was the subtle side-view cameras with accompanying screens, thus reducing the car's width. Also, it turns out the lone steering wheel handles all four wheels, meaning the driver won't have to sacrifice too much brain power over multiple controls. That said, we can imagine that even the most experienced drivers may find this car to be a tough animal to tame initially -- the lady in Nissan's earlier demo looked like she had to steer dramatically around sharp corners. But keep the car going straight and it'll accelerate up to 120km/h (75mph), while on a single charge it can go up to 100km (62 miles). Video after the break.

Source:http://www.engadget.com/2011/12/01/nissan-pivo-3-extreme-agility-concept-ev-hands-on/

Worlds first elasticated USB cables invent bungee jumpering (video)

Recall those stretchy transistors and bendy silicon circuits? Now you can plumb them together with these Roboden elasticated cables. Asahi Kasei corporation came up with the idea while trying to create cords flexible enough to power up humanoid robots. Thanks to its work with Spandex, the company knew human skin can stretch by a factor of 1.5, and a cable with similar properties would be ideal for juicing up them 'droids. USB leads are planned, among other types, meaning you could make it all the way to the fridge in your heated slippers without unplugging. Check out the video below and you'll see why we're already designing next year's Tron costume for Halloween.

Source:http://www.engadget.com/2011/11/30/worlds-first-elasticated-usb-cables-invent-bungee-jumpering-vid/

Mouse Computer's LuvBook S heals emotional scars, one Hello Kitty at a time

What the world needs now is just one thing, and that thing is a bejeweled Hello Kitty laptop. Fortunately, Japan's Mouse Computer is well aware of this, which is why it's unleashed the LuvBook S, pictured above. Designed in collaboration with Sanrio and Swarovski, this masterpiece is powered by a 2.2 GHz Intel Core i3-2330M processor and boasts an 11.6-inch, 1,366 x 768 display. It also packs a 500GB HDD and a 1.3 megapixel camera, but all that really matters is the swaggy centerpiece -- a heart-ensconced Hello Kitty mug made out of about 1,100 Swarovski stones and untold buckets of cuddles. The LuvBook is available now for ¥69,930 (about $900), at the source link below.

Source:http://www.engadget.com/2011/11/26/mouse-computers-luvbook-s-heals-emotional-scars-one-hello-kitt/

Samsung Galaxy S II LTE arrives in Japan, NTT DoCoMo offers up its first course of 4G phones

Japan has got its first taste of an LTE smartphone, and this one's Galaxy-flavored. Oh yes, Samsung'sGalaxy S II LTE has made an appearance on NTT DoCoMo, running on the Japanese carrier's next-generation Xi network and promising top download speeds of around 37.5Mbps. The latest member to the carrier's top-drawer Next series will set you back around $260 (¥20,000) on a two-year contract. DoCoMo is aiming to reach the hands of 30 million customers by 2015, with another as-yet unnamedseveral more 4G devices already penned for release before the end of the year. Perhaps the pair of data-loving handsets will help to fill that iPhone-shaped hole in the carrier's phone catalog.

Update: Contrary to the Asahi Shimbun report, it looks like both the Fujitsu Arrows X LTE F-05D and the LG Optimus LTE will cosy up on the new high-speed network before the end of the year

Source:http://www.engadget.com/2011/11/26/samsung-galaxy-s-ii-lte-arrives-in-japan-ntt-docomo-offers-up-i/