BMW Adds Steam Engine To Prototype 5 Series
BMW has added a small steam turbine engine to a prototype 5 series, and in attempt to improve fuel efficiency, and it looks like they have been able to increase the fuel efficiency of the vehicle by around 10 percent.
The small steam turbine engine uses excess heat from the exhaust system, to boil a fluid and turn it into steam, the steam then powers the turbine, which then converts the power into electricity which is uses to power the vehicle as well as the petrol engine.
BlackBerry Torch 9850 Lands On Verizon, 8th September
RIM’s latest smartphone, the BlackBerry Torch 9850 will be available from Verizon Wireless in the US from tomorrow, the 8th of September for $199.99 when you sign up to a new two year agreement with Verizon.
The BlackBerry Torch 9850 features a 3.7 inch multi-touch touchscreen display with a resolution of 800 x 480 pixels, processing is provided by a 1.2GHz processor, and it also features a 5 megapixel camera which can record HD video in 720p.
Halo 4 Creative Director Leaving Project
Despite what any given sixteen year old boy might think, there is apparently a person alive who not only wouldn’t kill for the chance to work on the next entry in the Halo franchise, but has already done so and found that it’s not exactly what it’s cracked up to be.
Steam Team Fortress 2, Portal 2 In-Game Item Cross-Trading Is Now Live
Remember that crazy idea Valve had of allowing players to trade items across games and games for items? How it all started with that great big Valve class-based FPS turned business model idea incubator, Team Fortress 2? Well, it’s all come to a head across TF2, Portal 2 and Sega F2P MMO, Spiral Knights.
Sony Names Ex-Homeland Security Director As “Chief Security Intelligence Officer”
Something tells us landing a job at one of the planet’s leading video game companies wasn’t what former director of the US National Cyber Security Center Philip Reitinger had in mind back in his college years. Nevertheless, PR makes for strange bedfellows and we’ve certainly seen stranger than the company behind Singstar and a former Homeland Security official.
GameStop Offers Store Credit for Used iOS Gear
GameStop has started taking trades on used iOS devices that people want to swap for store credit. The iPhone and iPad are serious gaming devices along with the iPod touch and it’s no surprise that GameStop is taking trades. 9to5Mac reports that sources are telling it that GameStop will start carrying the entire line of iOS devices.
DVDO Unveils New DVDO Mobile HD Travel Kit
If you are an on the go pro that has to take a smartphone or tablet with them everywhere and needs to shoot content out to a TV or projector this is the gadget for you. This little half-orb accessory will let you charge and lots more from one device.
Google+ API Not Arriving Any Time Soon
If you are a developer waiting to get your hands on the new Google+ API which has been promised by Google, unfortunately you will need to wait a few months more according to the Tech Crunch website.
The news comes from a Google+ developer (who would prefer to remain anonymous) who recently asked the question to a Google+ project manager, with the reply that the API is still “months” away from an official release to developers.
BookTrack App Brings Soundtracks To Books (video)
An innovative new application has been developed called BookTrack that has been designed to enable soundtracks to accompany books. It seems a little strange at first, but the BookTrack application uses custom built soundtracks that have been synchronised with e-books text to dramatically boost the reader’s imagination and engagement as they read.
Watch the demo video after the jump to see how the new application works and can make your book reading more engaging.
Sony Nex-5N Goes On Sale For $699
Sony’s latest camera in its NEX range, the Sony NEX-5N was announced last month, and it looks like it is now available in the US for $699.99 from the Sony store online.
The Sony NEX-5N features a 16.1 megapixel Exmor APS HD CMOS sensor, with an ISO range up to 25600, and it features Sony’s interchangeable E-mount lens system.
Google Releases Android Platform Usage Statistics, With Froyo On Top
Google has this week released the latest usage statistics for its Android operating system which shows that the Android OS is still fragmented with Froyo (Android 2.2) at the top of the user stats with an impressive 51.2 percent usage share. Followed by Gingerbread (Android 2.3) with 30.7 percent share.
However when you compare the results to last months Gingerbread is making the largest gains and has jumped from 24.3 percent last month, with Froyo falling from 55.9 percent.
Sprint Samsung Epic 4G Touch Goes Up For Pre-Order
The Samsung Galaxy S II was announced for the US recently, and it will be called different names with each of the mobile carriers, the Sprint version is called the Samsung Epic 4G Touch and it is now available to pre-order for $149.99 if you sign up to a new two year agreement.
The Samsung Epic 4G Touch features a slightly larger display than the Galaxy S II, with a 4.52 inch Super AMOLED Plus display, processing is provided by a dual core 1.2GHz processor.
