Read more…

Just last week, Apple launched its new line of Sandy Bridge equipped MacBook Airs. However, it seems the MacBook Air is not the only superslim laptop Apple has been working on. Rumor has it that Cupertino’s got an uber-skinny 15-inch MacBook Pro in development. Not only that, but the laptop is supposedly near completion.

MacRumors was first to report the news and readily admits that it’s not sure if this is an addition to the MacBook Air lineup, or a new design for the MacBook Pro. However, the blog claims that what it does know is that the laptop has entered “late testing stages at Apple.” The Unofficial Apple Weblog has since chimed in with its own version of events, reporting that yes, this will be a MacBook Pro. TUAW also reports that there will be a second model, this one a 17-inch notebook, to go along with the first slim machine and that both will appear as part of a MacBook Pro refresh.

There isn’t much in the way of details at the moment. TUAW reckons that the laptops might be available in time for Christmas but, other than that, there’s nothing regarding specs available right now. One of the more interesting points is that the Air’s skinny form-factor has seen Apple ditch the optical drive. It’s not clear if these diet-Pros will also lose their drives.

SOURCE via Mac Rumors

A Toyota factory has unveiled its 17,000 solar panelled plant on the day it was revealed that usage of the power has risen more than 50 per cent in three months.

The panels at Toyota’s Derbyshire were switched on to harness the power of the sun through a field of panels next to its car production plant. The space they cover – 90,000 square metres – is the equivalent of four football pitches.

When working at full capacity it is hoped they will generate enough electricity to build around 7,000 cars and account for nearly four per cent of the total solar powered output created in the three months to June.

Read more…

Jeremy Clarkson is coming to an Xbox near you. The Top Gear presenter has reportedly joined forces with Turn 10 Studios to lend his voice and automotive knowledge to the company’s upcoming Forza 4 video game.

There’s a portion of Forza 4 called AutoVista, which is an in-game showroom where players can examine cars in great detail. Clarkson provides commentary in this area of the game, giving players his voiced-over viewpoint on specific cars.

We can only hope and assume that the commentary will include some of Jezza’s trademark catchphrases like “…in the world.” Regardless, adding Clarkson only rounds out the amount of Top Gear goodies found in the new game, all of which should be enough to have at least a few Sony PS3 owners considering making the switch to Microsoft’s Xbox 360.

SOURCE via New York Times

The best honeymoon ever! Check out this creative Skittles ad by cousin.

[Not affiliated with Wrigley or Skittles. Contains explicit content not suitable for minors]

Video after the break. Read more…

There’s still no news of a proper launch date any more specific than “this fall”, and well guess what, “this fall” has just arrived. To keep things moving, Microsoft has announced a fairly big milestone for Windows Phone ‘Mango’ today. It’s just signed off on the Release to Manufacturing (or RTM) build of the operating system, which now leaves things in the hands of the handset makers and carriers, while Microsoft says that it will turn its focus to the update process.

SOURCE via Microsoft

Is this the fabled 10-inch HTC Puccini tab? Only time will tell for sure, but BGR has some leaked shots that show the purported tab cozying up to a Flyer-like stylus, in addition to its AT&T branding for the US market. A glimpse of this Honeycomb-based 10-incher’s backside also reveals an 8 megapixel rear-mounted camera accompanied by what looks like a dual-LED flash. There’s also that dual speaker set-up we peeped in the tablet’s prior filing. Of course, what lies beneath this LTE slate is still up for speculation, but a rumored dual-core 1.5GHz processor and 1280 x 800 display aren’t beyond the realm of today’s future specs.

SOURCE via BGR

We’ve had about all of the transparent displays we can handle. Besides, what good is a screen you can see through if the electronics behind it are as opaque as ever? Thankfully, the fine folks at Stanford are working hard to move us towards a future filled with invisible gadgets. Yi Cui and Yuan Yang led a team that have created a lithium-ion battery that appears transparent. In actuality, the cells are composed of a very fine mesh of electrodes, approximately 35-microns wide that are small enough to appear invisible to the naked eye. The resulting power packs are cheap and flexible but, currently, can only store about half as much energy as a traditional Li-ion battery.

Read more…