You know all those precious lenses you’ve been stockpiling for your SLR since the 90s? They’re still safe for another couple of decades, but in round about 2030, you’re gonna be trashing all that glassware and buying yourself a Wonder Camera. Why would that be? Canon is pretty confident that by then it’ll have figured out how to do a single lens capable of going from macro shots all the way out to a 5000mm focal length

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Canon Wonder Camera Concept promises single-lens perfection (video)

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Considering my car is bombed out in a shed somewhere, I’d be happy with any car—but given half the chance I’d love to see this Audi Q7 , complete with all 62 speakers, in my garage. More

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It’s like something from a James Bond film. You can just see Daniel Craig jumping effortlessly from the land-dock onto the deck of a yacht gliding away slowly, and as he hurries into the cabin the yacht submerges, bubbles rising. More

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During an on-stage interview at yesterday’s Mashable Media Summit, Foursquare CEO Dennis Crowley revealed the new concept of “ badge rewards ,” his company’s latest growth milestones, and the social network’s partnership with CNN. Afterwards, we caught up with Crowley to talk a bit more about his plans for the red hot startup, his thoughts on the future of social media, and the idea of expanding the concept of “mayorships” within the gaming aspect of Foursquare. Check out the highlights in the video above. For more social media coverage, follow Mashable Social Media on Twitter or become a fan on Facebook Reviews: Facebook , Foursquare , Twitter Tags: dennis crowley , foursquare , internet week ny , mashable media summit , social media

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Foursquare CEO Dennis Crowley Talks to Mashable [VIDEO]

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In three days, soccer (or football, depending on where you live) World Cup starts, and fans all over the world get into a collective craze that’s hard to compare to any other sporting event. Now, we’ve seen Google change its logo for events such as this, but this time it chose to do something different . If you search for “World Cup” in Google, you’ll get a list of the upcoming World Cup games, but if you scroll to the bottom, you’ll see that the other Google logo, stationed above the result page numbers, has changed to Goooooooal! With Google recently giving users the option to create custom homepages , and all the logo changes, one has to wonder whether Google will lose its visual identity; or has Google become so big that it’s synonymous with the concept of search, and thus the visuals don’t play that big a part anymore? For more technology coverage, follow Mashable Tech on Twitter or become a fan on Facebook Reviews: Facebook , Google , Twitter Tags: Google , google doodle , world cup

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Google is Crazy About the World Cup, Too

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Google officially unveiled Google TV at its Google I/O conference today. We’ve heard lots of rumblings about Google TV over the last few months, but today the product was demonstrated before a live audience. Google is teaming up with Intel, Sony and Logitech for Google TV. The device is not designed to replace your cable or satellite box, but work alongside it: The goal is to be able to view web content and television content side-by-side from the same interface

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Google TV Has Arrived [VIDEO]

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It’s a shame Nine Inch Nails isn’t touring anymore. Their concerts, while an acquired taste for some, were always a spectacle, replete with one-of-a-kind technological marvels , and I could totally see Silent Drum at the forefront should they return. More

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Listen Sprint, we get it, you want the whole US drooling over an iDevice hitting the internet at 4G speeds. First you extolled the virtues of WiMAX in an ad featuring the iPhone , and now you’re going so far as to give away a special “4G” iPad case for free with the purchase of an Overdrive from Best Buy — and yes, to be sure, the tote features a special pouch for your new mobile hotspot. No word yet on if placing a 3G iPad in the case creates some singularity from which no nearby object can escape (or get reception, for that matter). Update: Don’t take the playful tone personally, we actually love the concept

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Sprint’s iPad ‘4G case’ features an Overdrive pocket, oodles of irony

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Art Lebedev managed to impress us with its Segmentus analog clock last month, but it looks like the prolific design firm has now already outdone itself with its new Reflectius clock concept, which uses a single laser beam and sixty rotating mirrors to display the time. That impressive mechanism is matched by the clock’s angular exterior (pictured after the break), which Art Lebedev describes as “a complex triangulated surface that reminds of the complicated trajectory the beam of light travels in no time.” Unfortunately, it is still just a concept, but you can at least get your usual glimpse of Art Lebedev’s design process at the source link below. Continue reading Art Lebedev’s Reflectius clock tells time with a single laser beam Art Lebedev’s Reflectius clock tells time with a single laser beam originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 09 Apr 2010 15:23:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink

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You know what, the more we look at this thing, the less crazy we think it is. While the concept of mousing around your desktop on foot may appear foreign at first, we imagine we can get used to it after a while. Not that it’s designed for lazybones like us anyway, as the wireless Toe Mouse concept is primarily intended to help out people with upper limb disabilities, who aren’t able to navigate in the usual manner. Just to score some extra flair points, designer Liu Yi also points out it has a “streamline model that symbolizes the motorboat surfing the internet.” So it’s not just practical, it’s also poetic. Click the source link for more pictures of this flip flop-inspired creation.

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Toe Mouse!

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It’s pretty rare that Apple patent applications reveal much more than vague plans and ideas about future devices, but a newly-public filing out of Cupertino just comes right out and states the truth about gaming on touchscreen devices like the iPhone: it can be “somewhat awkward, particularly on a portable electronic device having a touchscreen” because the “user’s fingers block the action.” So what’s the solution? Buttons, dude-man. The patent describes a handheld gaming dock that fits around a “substantial portion” of an iPhone or iPod that has both physical input controls and secondary storage for game information like scores and save data. That’s certainly a nice idea, and one we’d love to see supported by Apple, but we’re also pretty certain this patent doesn’t have much of a chance as written, since we’ve been hearing about this concept since games first hit the App Store and similar products — including a keyboard — are on the market now

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Apple patent application shocker: games need buttons

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It’s a fantasy come true for the avid nerd / traveler , but unfortunately for us, it’s but a concept in its current form. Syracuse’s own Rahul Mahtani and Yofred Moik have dreamed up Google Envelopes, and if brought to production, this might just make the USPS as relevant as it was during the heyday known as 1985 . Put simply, the solution would involve a new ‘Send Envelope’ method of passing along a note penned in Gmail ; when pressed, you’d get a printout of the message along with a specially crafted envelope, the latter of which really makes this idea shine. The envelope itself would be a Google Maps representation of the quickest route to transfer said message from you to the recipient if roadways and kayaks were used in place of fiber and coax, giving the receiver a crucially awesome keepsake each time you dropped him or her a line. Oh, and having an ‘Avoid Tolls’ option would just totally put it over the top — even if were relegated to beta

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Google Envelopes turns Gmail into snail mail, wraps it in precisely routed Maps printout

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For years we’ve heard that laptops are replacing desktops. Although laptops are conveniently portable, the little buggers (netbooks, especially) have the disadvantage of a cramped keyboard. Enter this optimistic folding laptop concept from designer Yang Yongchang — it’s black, it’s sleek, it has a huge (perhaps even a little too big?) keyboard and some interesting design ideas, as seen in the images below. The iWeb, as it’s called, is just a bunch of pretty images right now. But now that we have dual-screen laptops , this concept doesn’t surprise us at all.

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Folding Laptop Concept Will Make You Crave a Bigger Keyboard

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In December 1968, Douglas C. Engelbart introduced the world to two brand-new computer peripherals of his own invention. The first was the computer mouse — which, as you’re well aware, revolutionized user input two decades later. The second, the chorded keyboard, still has yet to take off outside the Braille community. But after forty years, Doug Engelbart hasn’t given up on the latter device; he recently commissioned an industrial designer, Erik Campbell, to modernize the antiquated keyset into this lovely jellyfish-inspired, five-fingered keyboard replacement.

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Engelbart’s chorded keyboard reborn as stunning red jellyfish

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Ah, the old electric two-wheeler , a dream of so many ecologically conscious geeks and yet never popular enough to achieve its Gaia-saving objective. Enter designer Eric Lanuza, with his own spin on the idea, who brings in a few exciting curves straight from the world of motorbikes, but keeps the self-balancing antics of the concept’s progenitor . Setting aside the cute toro theme, we reckon the addition of a seat will be one of the biggest differences, since — though they may not be wiling to admit it — most people don’t consider something a vehicle unless they can sit in or on it . Hit the source for a photo gallery, though we’d advise against holding out any hopes for this making it past the concept drawing board. Taurus concept adds a touch of bullish masculinity to personal transportation originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 26 Mar 2010 05:52:00 EST.

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Taurus concept adds a touch of bullish masculinity to personal transportation

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It’s just a concept, but think about it: Why should we put up with the tyranny of standing—on both legs, manually—while being carried across sidewalks? Why, when we could sit on one like a pony . [ Atcrux via Jalopnik ] More

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That looks like fun. Gouging your hand into a display unit, sinking into the colored lights like Ewan McGregor into the carpet during his heroin-fuelled trip in Trainspotting. Impress, as the flexible display is called, runs on Arduino and sensors. More

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We’ve heard of soccer balls that play a tune when kicked , sure, and we’re pumped to see the World Cup in 3D , but it’s not often that someone comes up with a serious technological makeover for the sport that’s nearly as old as life itself. CTRUS, however, is just that — a theoretical revolution in soccer that begins with the all-important ball. To start with, a reinforced elastic structure means that CTRUS doesn’t require any air. (So long, pump.) Next, GPS and RFID chips keep track of the ball’s position at all times, and tell it to light up in different colors when it scores a goal or is accomplice to a nefarious violation.

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Conceptual ‘CTRUS’ football gets loaded with sensors, don’t need no pump

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I could have sworn I killed this thing while playing Mass Effect 2 the other day, but the designer says this is actually a benevolent, firefighting automaton called Firegard that’s meant to aid firemen in the field, not kill them. More

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During the night, this tower is an energy-generating waterfall. During the day, it creates power using large solar panels while allowing bungee jumpers to leap from level 90.5. More

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Nokia’s community blog has opened up the crowdsourcing floodgates, at least in theory. For “Design by Community,” users will be able to vote on smartphone features via a series of sliders, although within an arbitrary point allotment system. A new poll opens next week for size and shape, followed by materials, operating system (Symbian or MeeGo being the only choices, unsurprisingly), and so on in the weeks that follow, with the last poll starting April 26th. After that, a concept sketch will be voted on and later rendered — but no plans to ever have it made into an actual retail product (boo). We can’t exactly say we understand all the selections here: why is a touchscreen keyboard less ambitious than T9 text entry

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Nokia’s Design by Community makes smartphone concepting a multiplayer game, with limits

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How’s that headline treating you? Surely the same criticism leveled at the iPad holds true for this tablet concept running the Windows Phone 7 smartphone OS right? Maybe. But it’s certainly advantageous to see all those metro UI panels laid out as a single image instead of a series of vertical slices suitable to a mobile handset. And a pair of backside joysticks and double-duty touch QWERTY / viewing stand are nice features as well

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Windows Phone 7 tablet concept is just a big iPhone (video)

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Want to get our attention in a hurry? Tip us on a digital magazine concept for the iPad that combines footage captured by a prototype RED Epic Mysterium-X inside of a Frank Miller style, noir hellscape. Of course, just because it was created for the iPad doesn’t mean that the concept isn’t applicable to any of the hundreds ( not an exaggeration ) of tablet devices destined to arrive over the next year. The feature concept, created by Alexx Henry and Andrew Grant together with co-directors Cory Strassburger and Ming Hsiung, redefines the art of infotainment

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Viv magazine iPad concept is sin city, man (video)

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It’s hard to argue that Windows Phone 7 Series’ Metro UI concept isn’t utterly unique in the mobile world, but it was wasn’t the only option Microsoft considered — far from it, in fact. The company has published a bunch a design concepts it churned through on its wild, wacky journey to finalizing Metro as we know it today, and one thing’s for certain: they’d clearly planned on simple, square lines, partially-obscured typography, and in-your-face colors pretty much from day one. After careful consideration of everything they’ve got here, we still think we like the production design best, but that’s kind of besides the point — why, pray tell, couldn’t these have just been user-selectable themes? Windows Phone 7 Series’ cutting room floor is an extravaganza of bright colors and chunky fonts originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 17 Mar 2010 23:02:00 EST.

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Windows Phone 7 Series’ cutting room floor is an extravaganza of bright colors and chunky fonts

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Reader Saad Baig’s desktop shows what a Windows desktop could look like if you made the Windows 7 Superbar really “super”, by adding desktop widgets directly into the taskbar, easily accessible even with maximized applications. More

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Unless you’re a fan of high-tech jewelry, few things are as irksome as an overblown wristwatch design (we’re looking at you Tokyoflash ). While a binary timepiece will certainly up your geek cred, it’s not very useful for providing at-a-glance information. Robert Dabi’s Zero concept above, however, remains simple, beautiful, and amazingly enough, useful , all that same time. Practical too if he can coax a batch of round LCD displays into a production run

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Zero watch concept perfects the minimal timepiece

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The Maldives, a small nation consisting of 1,200 islands is gradually disappearing as sea levels rise. In an attempt to save the place, their government has signed off on the development of several “floating facilities” like this one. Dutch Docklands/Dutch Watervalley, makers of many floating homes, are the starry-eyed folks working with the Maldives government on this project and they intend on creating tiered—and yes, star-shaped—mini-cities which won’t be bothered by rising sea levels.

Originally posted here:
Convert Your Nation Into Star-Shaped Islands And Save It From Sinking [Concepts]

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Seen through the eye of the YouTube gloryhole is Honda’s eco-friendly trike , which debuted this week at the Geneva Motor Show . While it’s just a concept, it’s on display at the show where the battery-powered three-wheeler is being ogled by people OTHER THAN US. It makes me slightly teary at the thought. [ Electricpig ]

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Honda’s Space-Age Eco-Friendly Trike Gets Filmed From Every Angle [Concepts]

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See that Storm -esque device there? You may have noticed that the home screen looks positively nothing like the experience you’re used to — and that’s because it’s not. Shown off as part of a slide deck in RIM’s “Super Apps” webinar for developers last week, the company’s official explanation is that this is a pure, off-the-cuff mockup, not indicative of anything they’re working on for future devices or releases of BlackBerry OS. To be fair, when you take the shot in context with the bullet points and the fact that this presentation was geared squarely at devs, we can imagine that they really were just using it to get folks’ creative juices flowing — but it makes you wonder, doesn’t it?

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RIM dev webinar hints at BlackBerry OS of the future?

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A new voyeuristic phenomenon with a truly explosive name is sweeping the nation: Chatroulette. The video chat service takes those chat rooms of yore to a new level, allowing random strangers to spin the digital dial and connect with another willing soul out there in the ether — sometimes with disturbing results. If you have an Internet connection and ample surfing time, you’ve probably heard about Chatroulette by now — most likely in one of the many articles depicting the disturbing things that people have seen there (people dressed as animals, boobs, people dressed as celebrities, boobs, and people dressed.. well… in nothing at all).

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POLL: To Chatroulette or Not To Chatroulette?

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