Nevada Legalizes Driverless Cars

You might not have to actually drive your car, but as the “driver” it will still be illegal to drink and drive.  At least for the moment in Nevada where computer-driven cars have been legalized. It is the first state in which people will be able to get into their cars and not actually have to drive them on public roads. Don’t expect to find a bunch of self-driving cars lined up at your car dealership though, but this is the sign of things to come. 

Currently, it is only Google that is marketing driverless cars. But it seems it is only a matter of time before other cars take the driver out of the mix.  Yet this concept is not quite ready to go to market.

“Driver” Benefits

So how, one may ask, does this benefit the driver if one still is not allowed to drink and drive?  According to one report in Geeky Gadgets texting apparently is legal, but drinking is not.  Still, it’s great for people with medical conditions who cannot get a driving license to be able to enjoy this type of independence by using a virtual chauffeur.  Gov. Brian Sandoval test drove a Toyota Prius last year. Human drivers will be able to override the autopilot function (this is probably why they need to be sober while in the car). 

In addition, there must always be two drivers in the car, with one of them being able to take control of the car, should the need arise. In addition, the cars need to have something like an aircraft black box that has the capacity to store the sensor data for at least half a minute before a collision occurs. In addition, ultimately whether or not there is a human driver present, the operator will be held responsible whether or not he or she is actually in the vehicle at the time of something happening.

Car Expenses

It won’t be cheap initially.  It seems that if a company wants to test one of these cars, a bond of between $1-3m (depending on how many cars they are planning to test).  Following the testing, the firms must provide data to the state on what they found.

So it is going to take time but it looks like Nevada is showing the rest of the nation the sign of things to come vis-à-vis mobility.

The first Macworld/iWorld Expo since the passing of Steve Jobs recently took place in San Francisco.  Now in its 27^th year, it was held at the Moscone Convention Center.  Apart from being filled with iPhones, iPads, and cool new gadgets and gizmos, the expo ended with something that really went back to basics – a drum circle led by guru Arthur Hull from the Village Music Drum Circles.  He claimed that the circle group was “ancient futurists. We're using this technology to connect with community.  Remember that who's on the other side of this technology has heart, spirit, eyes, fingers, and is sharing.”

But for those who still wanted something new and exciting from the modern technological world, the Alljack diamond-studded speakers were certainly drawing a lot of attention.  Priced at a mere $68,000 and fresh from the CES, they are probably somewhat beyond the financial capacity of most viewers but still, it was a great way for Alljack to show off its skills. And indeed, while the diamonds probably do not make the speakers sound any better or louder, they certainly add to their beauty and glamor!

Unveiled at the recent CES, the Victorinox has brought a whole new understanding to Swiss Army Knives.  Not content with just being a really tough, stay-away-from-me knife, it now has 21^st century technology embedded into it as well.  The Victorinox SSD has a USB 3.0-capable SSD and capacities of up to 1TB.  So if you need a ton of data for your camping experience, this is the Swiss Army Knife you should be taking along.  For those for whom size is important though, they might not want to purchase it as it is boasting its smallness.

The cool gadget also comes with a 96 x 48 Bi-Stable monochrome graphic display that tracks what it has inside and users can enjoy 220 MB/s read and 150 MB/s write speeds.  For those interested in the device, it can be purchased in either 64, 128 or 256GB sizes.

Nissan has partnered up with Apple to create a self-healing iPhone case.  What does that mean exactly?  The Scratch Shield iPhone case, when scratched, is able to fix itself with no outside help.  Small scratches can take less than an hour to complete the process, but larger ones might need up to a week.

It’s a nice combination – Nissan and Apple – and clearly it’s gone well.  Nissan is confident that this could be a real commercial success when it arrives in stores later this year.  So rather than think “cars” when we hear the word Nissan, we can now think “iPhone” as well. 

Nissan did not develop this technology alone.  It had some help along the way. The company joined forces with Advanced Softmaterials Inc., and the University of Tokyo.  So how did Nissan come into the equation?  Apparently the paint it uses on some of its cars is being put into the case.  Made from polyroxatane, according to the Nissan website, “when damage occurs to the coating in the form of a fine scratch, the chemical structure is able to react to change back to its original shape and fill the gap – ‘healing’ the blemish.”

This is particularly good for those gadgets (especially phones) that are not worth reselling.  Your EcoATM will still accept it and then give you a dollar just because you recycled.  Thereafter it will be melted in an eco-friendly way.

Currently the device is still relatively new and thus there are only around 50 of them that have been put into malls and grocery stores throughout California.  Still, the company that is behind the technology – based in San Diego – plans on installing around 500 nationwide by the end of the year.

For those who want high quality – or even a decent standard – of audio and video recording then the  Olympus LS 100: Smart, 24-Bit Pocket-Sized Recorder is for you.  This device gives you top quality audio recording which is essential for any kind of audio documentation. Bad audio simply cannot be recovered; so use a device that will not let you down. 

It is small enough to hold and has two phantom-powered XLR inputs as well as built-in microphones that are able to capture the scene perfectly. So high quality are the microphones though, that most recordings do not even require the XLR inputs – they are just there for those using plugging-in instruments.  In addition, the microphones can capture audio even in very loud settings without any clipping required.  And unwanted background noises can be minimized with this device too.

For those who felt like they didn’t get quite what they wanted over Christmas, there might still be some items worth waiting for in the New Year.  If you are one of those, look out for a good price on the new Apple TV (once it’s out).  This really is worth having for those who feel the need to have it all, or even those who just love to be in control of their TVs and not the other way round.  It was the late Steve Jobs who first introduced the concept of controlling everything on the TV with the Apple TV, so what is the new one set to do? 

The Apple HDTV is said to be a totally independent entity in that it will be a standalone, high definition TV.  Different sizes will be available, and it will integrate with every other Apple device one owns.  It will be controllable through the iPhone and the iPad and maybe even via Siri.

But rumor has it, that before it hits the stores, iCloud access along with Apple TV software needs to be constructed into new iMacs.  Its establishment will also enable Apple to gently make a presence in the whole world of TV.

The case is also extremely protective and great for everyday use. Slim in design, simple in beauty and extremely practical, the Quad Lock Case Mount also has a holder that is built-in.  So for safety, simplicity, attractiveness and ease this case will make a great Christmas gift to the guy who seems to have way too many gadgets already anyway.

For those who want to do a side-by-side price comparison of gadgets, FindTheBest is a great resource. There are lots of different categories on the site, from business to motors; sports to electronics; health to travel and pretty much everything in between.  So it’s a great way of finding the best deals, at the best prices, for your specific needs/desires.  Before you go Christmas shopping for example, be sure to check out the site.  You’ll be delighted at the potential savings you can make.

FindTheBest is a very easy site to navigate at is organized well.  For example, if you go to the Electronics section, and you are interested in Smartphones, click on that link and you will travel through cyberspace to a list of phones which have: smart rating (which are listed from best to worst, out of 100), price (with contract), screen size (in inches), camera quality, talk time, and amount of internal storage.  That way it becomes so simple to easily make a choice on what smartphone would be “smartest” for you to purchase.

There is a new version of Angry Birds.  But this time it’s not exclusively for the iPhone.  It’s getting bigger (and potentially angrier?) and has now made its way to the web; a promotion of Wonderful Pistachios, a nut-producing company in California. But it remains free. 

Chrome Marketing

The new Angry Birds game is in some way going to be used as a marketing tool for the Google Chrome web browser, since, trying it on other browsers or phones will not work.  According to Marc Seguin, senior director for Wonderful Pistachios North America, the company is looking forward to giving its customers the snacks they want while “feed[ing] the frenzy for new Angry Birds content.”  As well, players who play the game with others on social networks or manage to find some of the hidden “Golden Pistachios” at higher levels can thereafter qualify for part of a $300,000 prize pool.  The prizes comprise money, toys from Angry Birds and a year’s supply of Wonderful Pistachios.