A Super-Yacht With A Garage For Smaller Boats Is Luxuriously Obscene

It’s OK to desire the finer things in life, but at what point do you draw the line between luxury and exorbitance? Probably somewhere well before this insane 60m long mega-yacht from CRN called the J’ade, which features a built-in garage that smaller boats can drive right into. Larger boats carrying smaller boats isn’t a new trend by any means; they usually serve as tender craft carrying passengers to shore when the yacht is simply too big to pull...

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New web service prevents spies from easily intercepting your data

The encryption that protects your email and social updates is far from flawless -- it's relatively easy for spies to intercept your data using spoofs and hacked servers. If Greg Slepak has his way, though, there will soon be a safer way to send your info. His okTurtles project uses blockchains (the transaction databases you see in virtual currencies like Bitcoin) to let you communicate over the web without the risk of a man-in-the-middle attack. Rather than rely on website security certificates...

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Think tank hires 'Call of Duty' game director to predict the future of war

If you felt that Call of Duty: Black Ops II presented an eerily plausible vision of war in the years ahead, you're not alone. The Atlantic Council, a political think tank, has asked Black Ops II director Dave Anthony to contribute to an "Art of Future Warfare" project that looks at fiction as a possible insight into next-generation conflicts. As he explains, the next big threat to the US probably doesn't fit into conventional definitions of war -- a game developer can ...

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Photoshop for Chromebooks begins long-awaited beta test

If you've been eyeing a Chromebook to replace that Windows or Mac machine, Google's OS is about to get a massive boost in productivity. Starting today, Photoshop is headed to the machines thanks to a partnership with Adobe -- if you meet certain criteria. A cloud-based streaming version of the creative software will be available for Adobe Creative Cloud education customers in beta form, and for now, there's no word on when regular folk will be able to opt in. This version...

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Parrot brings big color and big comfort to its touch-controlled headphones

With the help of Philippe Starck once again, the earcups now feature a more rounded design that should appeal to a larger audience; but, externally, the rest of the headphones are pretty much the same as before, aside from the thicker headband padding and more spacious ear cushions. In addition to the original white and black looks, you now get other color options: blue, mocha, orange and yellow. The Zik 2.0 isn't just about weight reduction and updated looks, though. These cans come...

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HP's $199 Windows laptop arrives alongside a pair of tablets

Contrary to earlier rumors, HP's Chromebook-like Stream 14 turned out to be more expensive than people had hoped for when it was announced a few weeks ago. Having said that, today HP is finally introducing its $199 laptop with Windows, staying in line with what a company representative had told us before in regards to the Stream line expanding beyond the 14-inch machine. But there's more, since HP's new, budget-friendly, 11.6-inch laptop isn't the only fresh announcement....

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Cortana makes sure you don't miss nearby concerts

Microsoft's virtual assistant comes in handy for lots of things -- especially reminders. Now, thanks to a hand from SeatGeek's ticket engine, Cortana will alert you when bands you listen to on the regular have a tour stop close by. As you might expect, in addition to date and venue info, the add-on will also provide you with ticket prices and a handy link to purchase. A Concert Watch option is rolling out to the Music section of Cortana's Notebook, and toggling the option...

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Test code hints at future iPads with Touch ID and Apple Pay

There have been photos and vague rumors hinting that Apple's next iPads will involve more than just a speed bump, but there hasn't been much in the way of hard evidence until today, that is. Hamza Sood has uncovered code in the iOS 8.1 developer beta that alludes to unannounced iPads with Touch ID fingerprint readers and, appropriately, Apple Pay support. Don't think that you'll be tapping your iPad to pay for goods at the local shop, however. From all indications, this...

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'Doctor Who' skins for 'Minecraft' hit Xbox 360 this Friday

Fancy yourself a master of the Sonic Screwdriver? Well, in a few days you can put those skills to the test... in Minecraft, that is. Whether you're a timelord fanperson or a Dalek-sympathizer, you'll be able to show it off once the Doctor Who skin pack hits the Xbox 360 version of the pixely build-your-own-adventure on Friday. As if you needed another reason to look forward to this weekend, yeah? PlayXBLA (Microsoft's official blog for Xbox Live Arcade...

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Radio in a jar plays your favorite station, and only your favorite station

Despite all the proof that we basically live in a sci-fi future, there's still something a little magical about flipping a switch and hearing a story or a song wafting out of a box. Radio is sort of steadfast that way, but that also means people are prone to taking it for granted. Enter the Public Radio, a Kickstarter project developed by two guys in Brooklyn that both celebrates and severely limits the traditional FM radio. To call this thing minimalist is an understatement...

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TomTom has a new watch designed specifically for golfers

In perfect conjunction with the start of the Ryder Cup, TomTom couldn't have found a better time to introduce its new GPS-powered wearable. The watch, simply, and fittingly, named TomTom Golfer, is similar to Garmin's Approach line, featuring data for more than 34,000 courses. In addition to that, TomTom's Golfer is waterproof and can keep track of distance, score and time for every whole -- so long as the course you're playing at is supported. It can also send detailed...

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Belgian brewery to reduce truck use with underground beer pipeline

In order to cut down on the number of trucks it puts on the streets, Brouwerij De Halve Maan is working with the city of Bruges to construct an underground beer pipeline. While the brewing still happens at its original site, filtration, bottling and shipping operations were moved outside of town in 2010. To get the tasty beverages from point A to point B, dozens of trucks go back and forth each day, but not for much longer. Folks familiar with the Cleveland,...

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Corvette's 'valet mode' is illegal depending on where you live

When we took the Corvette Performance Data Recorder for a spin at CES this year we'd never have guessed that the system could cause a run-in with Johnny Law. As it turns out, the system's audio recording feature that activates when the car's put into valet mode doesn't jive with privacy statutes in a handful of states. In fact, using it could be a felony depending where you live. Chevrolet, for its part, is apparently attempting to skirt any legal...

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Nixie is a wearable drone that captures your activities on the fly

Remember the dronie? If not, it's a self-taken photograph (sigh, selfie) from a UAV like the Parrot AR Drone 2.0 that provides a bit more creativity than your arm reach allows. Imagine that you can attach that drone to your wrist and launch it instantly, and you have some idea about how the Nixie works. Once aloft, it's designed to detect your presence and fly around you, pointing its camera to film your exploits -- ranging from tourism to mountain climbing, as the video below shows. The project is part of Intel's Make it Wearable contest,...

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How would you change Huawei's Ascend Mate?

Can a 6.1-inch smartphone ever be accepted in the mainstream? That was what Jonathan Fingas asked while reviewing Huawei's Ascend Mate, and found the answer to be a resounding "no. The handset offered a lot of things that did impress him, including a staggering battery life, big display and the company's Emotion UI. On the downside, the old(er) internals, 3G-only modem and modest storage meant that the device had "niche proposition" stamped all over it. But, what about...

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Tiny Hamster Eats Tiny Hot Dogs Faster Than Any Human Can

It’s kind of funny how our favourite tiny hamster looks exactly like Kobayashi, the famous competitive eater, while mowing down hot dogs. They’re using the same method! The hamster looks much cuter though. Much cuter. Don’t worry, the tiny hamster was fed healthy mini dogs made out of grapes, dates and carrots. Kobayashi had to deal with regular hot dogs Verry Funny!!!!!!!...

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Forget Smartwatches, You Can Strap This Bendable Phablet Onto Your Wrist

Over the past year or so we’ve seen an awful lot of wearable devices, like smartwatches, designed to complement the smartphone experience. As of yet, none of them are capable of replacing the phone in your pocket, until now. Meet Portal — a flexible phablet device that comes with a strap that lets it sit comfortably on your forearm. Speaking to CNET, the founder of Arubixs, the company behind the the Portal, had this to say: “Current wearable offerings and even the new Apple Watch are...

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Man Sees Jesus In Tree Trunk

What WOOD Jesus do? A Tennessee lumber yard owner is stumped with what to do with a split-open tree trunk that appears to bear the image of Jesus Christ If somebody wanted it I would sell it, but I do think it would be best served if it were in a church or it'd be nice in a pastor's office," Daniel Turbeville, owner of Mid-South Sawmilling in Millington, told WMC last week. Turbeville also noted that when he’s asked others what they thought of the grain pattern, “about 70 per cent.. agree...

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George Clooney & Amal Alamuddin Step Out For First Time Post-Wedding

Here are George Clooney and Amal Alamuddin causing quite the stir as they step out and boldly continue to exist following their wedding ceremony. It's weird how something momentous can happen -- you turn a year older or you marry some actor from "ER" -- and you still look pretty much exactly the same! Oh well, here they are: ...

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Apple smart watch set for Valentine’s Day release?

There have been rumours that Apple could be targeting V-day to release its smart watch. Although it’s slated for early 2015, no date has been confirmed yet. February isn’t exactly prime time for shopping like the December holidays, but people will still be on the hunt for fashionable and expensive gifts. Apple has launched other products around that time before, such as iOS device storage capacities and pink coloured models. However The Information claims that someone briefed by the Apple...

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Samsung shows off battery-sharing cable for your mobile devices

Samsung's latest tech accessory is the Power Sharing cable, a battery buddy-up system that'll let you drain juice from one device and power up another. The cable is double-ended with micro-USB connectors, meaning it's good to go with any micro-USB-friendly device. In terms of Samsung, that means it's good for all the latest category flagships like the Samsung Galaxy S5, the Galaxy Tab S, and the Galaxy Gear smartwatch. The new Power Sharing cable gives multi-device users a versatile way...

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Gadgets Monster Machines: This Mobile Dialysis Machine Will Clean Your Blood On The Go

The days of hemodialysis patients spending hours upon hours sitting in a hospital lounge while waiting for their blood to be cleaned could soon be a thing of the past — assuming, of course, that the world’s first wearable artificial kidney passes FDA muster later this year. Dubbed the Wearable Artificial Kidney (the WAK), this device is the result of more than a decade of development by teams at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, Los Angeles, and the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA,...

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OnePlus Has $US15 Earbuds To Match Its Fantastic Phone

Yesterday, OnePlus announced on its forums its first foray into audio equipment with the new $US15 Silver Bullet Earphone. Continuing the “half the price of Apple” trend, they look like they’d fit in just fine alongside the company’s OnePlus One wonderphone. While it’s unlikely that any $US15 pair of earbuds can produce sound worth crowing about, the Silver Bullets at least look lovely, with a brushed aluminium finish that’s the same texture as OnePlus’s Sandstone Black handset. They...

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This Spectacular Shot Was Not Grabbed From Some New Movie

Briefly: It’s hard to believe, but this spectacular shot was not grabbed from some brand new Hollywood movie. This Army Air Corps Apache took part in this dramatic display at the Royal International Air Tattoo at Royal Air Force air base, Fairford, ...

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News Argentina Is Using Drones To Hunt Down Tax-Evading Mansions

Officials in Argentina had a sneaking suspicion about property tax evasion, so they sent sent out some camera-equipped drones to look at a mostly vacant part of town. What’d they find? Oh, just 200 luxury houses that hadn’t been registered, according to the Telegraph. That’s pretty flagrant. The $US10,000 unmanned aircraft, often used by security forces, were flown over an area near Buenos Aires, and judging by what they found, the dragnet was a winner. Authorities say 200 large homes,...

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BlackBerry inches towards safety despite smartphone slump

From the looks of BlackBerry's newest earnings report, it looks as if CEO Jon Chen's plan to transform the company into a software-and-services company might actually be working. The company posted a quarterly net loss of $207 million, pocket change compared to the $950 million that the other guy lost in the same period the year before. The reason for the healthier spreadsheet is thanks to growth in the company's services arm, which managed to sell 3.4 million licenses of its BlackBerry Enterprise...

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Intel plots a mobile coup with $1.5 billion investment in Chinese chipmakers

While Intel is prominent in the mobile world, it's often playing catch-up with the undisputed king of the market, ARM (and as a result, Qualcomm). But that doesn't mean it's not willing to spend money to reverse that trend. The company has announced that it's paid $1.5 billion for a 20 percent share in two of China's biggest mobile chipmakers, Spreadtrum Communications and RDA Microelectronics. The deal will see Spreadtrum jointly create and sell a range of Intel-based system-on-chips (SoCs),...

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Online dating leads to more break-ups than meeting in real life

Online dating has reached the point where it isn't weird to say you met someone via the internet anymore. Tinder is another story, but that's a digression for a different day. However, while sites like eHarmony and Match are quick to espouse their success rates (the former claims that 438 members marry every day) it turns out their data, much like OKCupid, might not be telling the whole truth. A recent joint-study (PDF) conducted by Michigan State University and Stanford...

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Korean smartphone also-ran Pantech goes up for sale

If we asked you to think about a (South) Korean tech company, it's highly likely that the names "Samsung" or "LG" would be the first to spring to mind. That's one of the reasons that Pantech, the country's third biggest manufacturer, is putting itself up for sale. Being sat behind two of the world's biggest smartphone outfits has hurt the comparatively small business, which has recorded losses for six consecutive quarters. According to ZDNet Korea, the company decided...

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Apple smart watch set for Valentine’s Day release?

There have been rumours that Apple could be targeting V-day to release its smart watch. Although it’s slated for early 2015, no date has been confirmed yet. February isn’t exactly prime time for shopping like the December holidays, but people will still be on the hunt for fashionable and expensive gifts. Apple has launched other products around that time before, such as iOS device storage capacities and pink coloured models. However The Information claims that someone briefed by the Apple department...

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Samsung shows off battery-sharing cable for your mobile devices

Samsung's latest tech accessory is the Power Sharing cable, a battery buddy-up system that'll let you drain juice from one device and power up another. The cable is double-ended with micro-USB connectors, meaning it's good to go with any micro-USB-friendly device. In terms of Samsung, that means it's good for all the latest category flagships like the Samsung Galaxy S5, the Galaxy Tab S, and the Galaxy Gear smartwatch. "The new Power Sharing cable gives multi-device users a versatile way...

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Facebook's Wi-Fi Drones Start Testing Next Year

By this stage, Facebook’s plan to bring internet to the whole world with a fleet of drones and lasers is pretty well documented: what’s a little vague has been the details — until now. Speaking at the Social Good Summit in New York, Yael Maguire, the engineering director at Facebook Connectivity Lab, spilled a few details. The ‘unmanned planes’ (Facebook seems to be steering clear of the term ‘drone’, given what US-made drones are normally associated with doing over foreign soil) will be about the size of a 747, but far lighter and solar-powered. In...

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News India's Space Probe Successfully Enters Mars Orbit

India just cemented its place as a space power and put NASA’s billions to shame, with the news that its $US74 million space probe just entered Mars orbit. The orbiter, dubbed Mangalyaan, dropped into orbit following a burn at 10.30 EST (12.30am AEST), making India the first country to successfully reach Mars orbit on the first try. Actually, the history of Mars missions makes for pretty sobering reading: the first three attempts failed to even reach Earth orbit, and it took until Mariner...

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10 Alternative DIY Wall Decor Ideas

There are such interesting ways to decorate a space without using regular painted canvas, using a variety of materials and technics the possibilities are pretty much endless. So this week instead of the top 5 I searched the web for alternative decorations and found these inspiring ideas. Enjo...

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Science A Bunch Of US High-Schoolers Broke The Paper Airplane World Record

A ‘science’ project for high school kids normally involves making a poster of the periodic table, or perhaps torching things with a small gas burner if your science teacher is a bit Walter White. If you’re also a cadet with the Civil Aviation Patrol, on the other hand, you can make a computer-controlled, record-breaking paper airplane. To achieve the record-breaking height (96,563 feet), the students attached their one-pound plane to a helium weather balloon, then launched...

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Gadgets Panasonic Goes Old-School With Its Cassette-Shaped Voice Recorder

Panasonic is clearly targeting a certain demographic, or at least a specific age group, with its latest voice recorder. Because anyone who grew up before the age of MP3s, or even compact discs, will spot the RR-S30′s uncanny resemblance to an audio cassette tape. To anyone younger, it will simply look like something they vaguely remember seeing in their parent’s garage — or a museum. To help really sell the whole cassette thing, the RR-S30′s LCD display features a pair...

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Are There Any Non-Terrible iPhone 6 Cases?

Smartphone cases are the devil’s handiwork. We know that. But that still doesn’t change the fact that, until our phones magically become 100 per cent scratch proof, we’re more or less forced to wrap our phones in the wretched things. We’ve already looked at the iPhone 6 Plus, and now it’s time to outfit the smaller model. Have you seen any decent iPhone 6 cases out there? This should (hopefully) be easier than scrounging for a decent iPhone 6 Plus case. Sleeker phones mean sleeker cases,...

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Entertainment You Wish You Could Hack Like This

This Sunday, Network Ten will be broadcasting a new hit TV show: Scorpion. It’s about hackers and geniuses and hacking and the genius hacks that they hack. Which means, of course, that even in the first ever episode, there’s a particularly brilliant moment in computer science.   According to CBS, Scorpion “is an American drama television series based on the life of self-proclaimed genius and computer expert Walter O’Brien. In the series, O’Brien recruits other geniuses to help solve...

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Geek Out Learn Just How Crazy Russian Smokejumpers Are

To be a smokejumper — the front-line firefighters who parachute into forest fires — in the US, you’ve already got to be a little unhinged. To do the same job in Russia, with antique equipment, for no pay, you must be certifiably insane. The National Geographic has an in-depth feature following a band of Russian firefighters through their work, and the differences compared to US teams are stark. Equipment is said to be incredibly simple — hand-made shovels, beating down fires with boughs,...

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Here's A Guy Bending An iPhone 6 Plus With His Bare Hands

Earlier today, we started hearing reports that a small sampling of iPhone 6 Plus owners have experienced a slight bend to their phone after putting the device in their front pockets. And now, here’s what appears to be video proof that — yep, this smartphone sure can bend. Although it sure takes some effort. Lou from Unbox Therapy puts the rumours to the test with his bare hands, and though it clearly takes quite a bit of force, he is able to give that handset one hell of an angle. The glass hangs in there, though, so it’s still functional....

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Watching A Falcon Hunt Down A Crow In The Air Is Pretty Terrifying

Seeing a falcon hunt down a crow from the falcon’s point of view in an aerial pursuit is not unlike seeing an aeroplane dogfight or a crazy aerial chase scene from an action movie. Only this is happening in nature all the time. And this particular crow has no chance against the falcons. A user found the footage and it’s sort of horrifying to see but also impressive that we can get these sort of POV shots in nature n...

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Bend-gate: An Apple iPhone 6 story

Reports have emerged that suggest Apple's supersize iPhone 6 Plus handset is prone to bending in pockets. Irate customers have taken to the MacRumors forum to voice concerns over the fact that the handsets are being damaged under normal use. The first to kick off the Bend-gate furore was a user called 'hanzoh', who posted an image of a clearly warped iPhone 6 Plus handset. Yesterday, I left at 10am with the iPhone in my left front pocket of my suit pants," wrote Hanzoh, in his post. "I drove...

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Samsung's putting a stopper on laptop sales in Europe

Samsung is killing off its laptop business across the whole of Europe, according to a company spokesperson. The Korean firm appears to be following Sony's suit, after it revealed it was killing of the Vaio range earlier this year. Samsung revealed the news to PC Advisor, explaining that the move was a response to current tech trends. We quickly adapt to market needs and demands. In Europe, we will be discontinuing sales of laptops including Chromebooks for now," the spokesperson explained....

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Google Now's latest trick is finding you a cheaper flight

Google Now has been showing off alternate info for when your flight's been delayed for a bit, and as of late the app's looking to take another bite out of air transit frustrations: keeping an eye on ticket prices. Poking around on Google Flights for a trip will drop a card into the search giant's digital assistant now and will alert you when prices change based on your recent destination or itinerary searches. It's sort of like what Airfare Watchdog does, but is possibly...

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Google Chrome plugs into iOS 8 app extensions

Enjoy how Chrome and other apps share data back and forth on Android? Now you can get that feeling on iOS, since Google has updated Chrome to take advantage of the app extensions supported by iOS 8. That doesn't mean you'll be able to install any of Chrome's desktop extensions -- it just means links can be shared directly to any other apps on your iDevice, as long as they also support the feature. The update is rocking "iOS 8 compatibility" but no tweaks for the extra size ...

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Huawei's just bought an internet-of-things startup

Whenever we talk about Huawei, it's normally within the context of the company's growing smartphone business. What we don't talk about as much is the Chinese giant's massive networking operation -- but it's this department that's making a big entry into the Internet of Things. Huawei has announced that it's buying Neul, a Cambridge-based startup that specializes in building low-power wireless sensors for monitoring in various industrial and medical applications. Neul is...

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BlackBerry put a $2,000 smartphone into our pauper's hands

BlackBerry may have fallen out of favor with the majority of mainstream smartphone purchasers, but the company has always held a certain appeal with the, erm, super-rich. That's why it's no surprise to see the Porsche Design P'9983 getting unveiled here at London's Harrods, a department store where personal submarines and gold-plated Xbox Ones sit side-by-side. The phone is the latest collaboration with the German design outfit, which crams BlackBerry hardware into its own...

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Apple managed to flog 10 million iPhone 6 and 6 Plus units on launch weekend

Apple's sales statisticians have been hard at work on their abacuses (abaci, perhaps?), and reckon that the firm has managed to flog upwards of 10 million iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 plus units. The flagship smartphone duo landed on store shelves on the 19th September, putting on-sale time at just three days so far. The phenomenal initial sales were marked by huge queues around the world, with some die-hard Apple fanatics reportedly camping out for days in advance of the launch. Apple's iPhone...

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Is Microsoft killing off the Nokia name?

It seems as though the Nokia name isn't long for this world, as Microsoft rejigs the Nokia home site to point all fingers at its own domain. Nokia's UK site, although still live, suggests you move across to Microsoft's website, with most pages forcing a redirect anyway. The home page reads 'Step inside our new home', paired with the tagline 'Nokia devices and services have moved to a new website." Although seemingly insignificant, the change could indeed be part of a larger intention to drop...

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