Filed under: Misc. Gadgets

While we certainly applaud the designers at Spectrolab for developing a solar cell that’s reportedly “twice as efficient as typical rooftop solar panels,” we’re stifling most of our excitement until it actually leaves the laboratory. Nevertheless, the Boeing subsidiary has apparently cranked out a cell that utilizes metamorphic materials and is “designed for photovoltaic systems that use lenses and mirrors to concentrate the sun’s rays onto small, high-efficiency solar cells.” The unique semiconductors used are said to resemble ones that adorn satellites and planetary landers, and can capture three layers of the solar spectrum versus the single layer that traditional solar panels collect. Unfortunately, it seems that the eventual goals for this thing are rather ho hum, as the crew only expects the cells to hit 45-percent efficiency within the next six or so years. C’mon folks, you’ve already got alternatives at 40.

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Office Depot Featured Gadget: Xbox 360 Platinum System Packs the power to bring games to life!

Filed under: Transportation

If you’ve been pondering assembling your own dune buggy to cruise the beaches this summer, here’s a swank idea. An all-electric GEM caught parked at the Pismo Beach Classic custom car show had apparently undergone quite a dramatic makeover as it boasted off-road tires and a substantial lift to boot. Sure, enabling it to climb over the punier hybrids on the freeway is bound to hurt those miles-per-watt, but there’s nothing like crawling over barricades without even a hint of carbon dioxide being emitted. Catch another snapshot of the whip after the break.

Continue reading All-electric GEM vehicle gets off-road makeover

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Office Depot Featured Gadget: Xbox 360 Platinum System Packs the power to bring games to life!

Filed under: Handhelds

Bookeen’s Cybook has already been around longer than most e-book readers, and it looks like it’ll soon be taking on yet another incarnation, one that finds it looking not unlike eREAD’s STAReBOOK reader. Like the STAReBOOK, the new Cybook boast a 6-inch E Ink display with an 800×600 resolution and four shades of gray, and weighs in at a relatively lightweight 6.5 ounces. According to MobileRead, the latest rumor is that the Cybook will also support Open eBook, PDF, HTML, RTF, and Mobipocket document formats, along with MP3 audio, among other possible formats. While other specs are still up in the air, it looks like we won’t have to wait too much longer for the complete rundown, as it’s apparently set to launch in the US and Europre later this summer for about $350.

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Office Depot Featured Gadget: Xbox 360 Platinum System Packs the power to bring games to life!

Filed under: Household

Oregon Scientific has been busting out some pretty slick gear lately, and its new BA900 Crystal Weather Station is no exception. The acrylic block features three laser-engraved 3-D icons that light up in color to represent sunshine, precipitation, or cloudy skies, while the radio-controlled atomic clock in the base switches to a temperature readout with just a wave of your hand. We’re hearing this thing will ship in December for about $60 — just in time for that rain icon to be rendered totally inaccurate.

[Via Red Ferret]

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Office Depot Featured Gadget: Xbox 360 Platinum System Packs the power to bring games to life!

Filed under: Misc. Gadgets, Robots

Those looking for a little robot companionship but wary of them potentially turning on you when you least expect it may want to consider the latest creations from Japan’s Take G, which boast plenty of style without any of that pesky “technology.” From the looks of it, there’s plenty of different stationary contraptions to choose from, ranging in size from just a couple of inches to over two feet tall. Unfortunately, there’s no word on pricing or availability, although we’re fairly certain they won’t come cheap, if they’re even for sale at all.

[Via Boing Boing]

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Office Depot Featured Gadget: Xbox 360 Platinum System Packs the power to bring games to life!