Pedal-powered monorail for amusement park

This is not a swear word but it is a pedal-powered monorail. Each capsule holds a single rider who has to pedal in order to get from point A to point B and is supposed to be faster than a bike. It is also really eco friendly as it doesn’t need to rely on a motor or electricity. And since you’re suspended from a rail on a set path, you’re free to make phone calls or check your email without the worry of having an accident. It seems this wont really come out as a real network of rails as not everyone wants to go to the same destination, so it is only going to exist as an amusement park ride at the Agroventures Adventure Park in Rotorua, New Zealand. So if you are already thinking of booking a trip for this especially, keep aside $30 for a 3-lap ride around their course.

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Dell XPS 630

The Dell XPS is a desktop PC that measures 560x491x199mm. Inside it has an Intel Core 2 E8400 processor, a 500GB hard drive, a CD/DVD optical drive and integrated 7.1 channel audio. It also runs Windows Vista Home operating software.

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Vertu Ascenti Ti

Vertu, that purveyor of posh phones, has just announced that another is on its way, and it’ll be known as the Vertu Ascenti Ti Carbon Fibre Edition. A catchy name if ever we heard one.
You may have gathered, but the Vertu Ascenti Ti Carbon Fibre Edition is made with “the optimum amount of carbon fibres and resin”. Now, carbon fibre, thanks to its super-strong properties and extremely light nature, is normally found in race cars or extremely expensive supercars. Naturally, then, Vertu would want to put it in a phone.
So, apart from its sturdy nature, what does the Vertu Ascenti Ti Carbon Fibre Edition have to offer? A two-inch screen with QVGA resolution for starters. Okay,so that’s not too impressive, but what about 3G support and 4GB of internal memory? Still not impressed? Well then the 3.15-megapixel camera with LED flash will surely grab your attention. Or maybe not.
Okay, so the specs aren’t “all that” as the yoof says. But Vertu’s have never really been about the spec anyway. Available next month in Carbon, Copper or Aluminium, the Vertu Ascenti Ti Carbon Fibre Edition is more about status, which is why you’ll probably need to remortgage to buy one.

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iPod Touch

t’s that time of year again. We’re approaching September and Apple is getting ready to drop an iPod-shaped news bomb on us. This year’s hype is all surrounding a new iPod touch. Whispers on the net strongly suggest that Jobs and co are sticking a camera and on-board microphone into the touch!
Giving the Apple iPod touch a camera and a mic makes sense as Apple would be able to push the iPhone 3GS video app to the new touch. The only downside? We’ll be inundated with even more innocuous YouTube clips of little kids headbutting their dads in the groin, or gerbils surfing in the bath.
Of course, a built-in mic also raises the possibility of VoIP capabilities, that could turn the touch into a sort of Wi-Fi Phone. And that means money-saving Skype calls, without needing to get a special handset!
Whether these iPod touch rumours come to fruition remains to be seen. Obviously when Apple makes an announcement, we’ll let you know. Until then we can dream about what we’d like to see… 120GB storage, Hi-Def capabilities, the ability to make a bacon butty…

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Sony Ericsson W910i

Sony Ericsson W910i is a mobile phone with the tag, 'Walkman in style.' The mobile phone has a thin but elegant slider, and has 3.6 Mbps HSDPA, Bluetooth, and EDGE and uses Walkman 3.0. It boasts of a fast photo browser and powerful loudspeaker. The camera, however, is 2 megapixels without autofocus and flash.
Like that wet kid from the Sixth Sense or Annette Fielding, the W910i has an freaky extra sense – SenseMe – which automatically creates playlists based on your tagged songs. For instance if you tag Boccelli you’ll get other operatic numbers, or if you tag Madonna, you’ll get other overrated tosh… possibly. It’s a nifty little feature on a nifty little phone. The audio performance – as with most Walkman mobiles – is fantastic via the wireless, Bluetooth-enabled headphones. But, like Sarah Jessica Parker’s nose, the most prominent feature here is the motion-sensitive control system. Flick the phone to the left or right and you skip tracks. Alternatively, just waggle the phone to shuffle them. The same sensor also flips videos from landscape to portrait depending on how you hold the phone.

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Nokia 6760

Are you ready to tap? Because Nokia has just announced that it’s launching the Nokia 6760 slide – a new smartphone with a full QWERTY keyboard hiding under a 2.4-inch screen, that’s just begging for someone to start typing.

The Nokia 6760 is actually vaguely related to its American cousin, the Nokia Surge, but sports a title more in keeping with the Finnish phone manufacturer’s usual naming philosophy. That full QWERTY keyboard, naturally, makes typing much more appealing than say on a phone with only a touchscreen. The fact that the Nokia 6760 slide also supports Mail for Exchange, Google Talk and Windows Live Messager, means there’s plenty of use for that slidey keyboard.

Available from the third quarter of this year (that’s around September, folks) the Nokia 6760 slide also has a 3.2-megapixel camera, a microSD card slot (with support for up to 8GB) and A-GPS with Nokia Maps pre-installed (naturally).

So how much will the Nokia 6760 slide set you back? Nokia says it’ll cost around €199 before subsidies and taxes (which is around £170) and will be available in black, red or white.

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