High performhttp://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gifance electric vehicle trial

A consortium made up of specialist UK vehicle manufacturers, a green consultancy and an eco-friendly vehicle rental company has just launched a new project to road test 14 high performance electric vehicles (EV) for the next 12 months. Every aspect of performance will be closely monitored as the drivers taking part in the EEMS Accelerate project put the vehicles through the same kind of dynamic driving conditions encountered by users of regular road cars. The gathered data is to be published and used by government officials to help boost green transport manufacture in the UK.

Archos unveils G9 series Android tablets

Archos has unveiled its 3rd generation Android tablets with its new G9 series, which includes the 8-inch 80 G9 with 1024 x 768 pixel resolution and the 10.1-inch 101 G9 with 1280 x 800 pixel resolution. Powered by a dual-core OMAP 4 processor (1.5GHz ARM Cortex A9) and running Android 3.1 (Honeycomb), the G9 series also offers a first for Android tablets - the option of 16 GB of flash storage or a 250 GB HDD.

New technology converts exhaust heat into cooling

Engineering researchers at Oregon State University developed a prototype thermally activated cooling system that converts waste heat to cooling.

(Credit: OSU)

It sounds a little counterintuitive, but the wasted heat from automobile tailpipe emissions could one day be used to cool and power your car.

Researchers from Oregon State University developed a thermally activated cooling system that harnesses the energy in waste heat produced by cars, factories, and power plants, and converts it to cooling. The system works by combining a vapor compression cooling cycle with an "organic Rankine cycle," an existing energy conversion technology, to convert waste heat from a thermal source to generate power and cooling.

By turning 80 percent of every kilowatt of waste heat into a kilowatt of cooling capability, the system recycles exhaust heat that would otherwise escape into the atmosphere. The cooling system could be used to ventilate electronics systems that also require energy-intensive air conditioning to keep cool.

"This technology would be especially useful if there's a need to have cooling systems where heat is being wasted," Hailei Wang, OSU research associate, said in a news statement. "That's one reason the research has been supported by the Department of Defense, because they see it being used to provide needed air conditioning for electronics and other purposes when they are using generators in the field."

The energy-recycling technology could also be used in vehicles to help power hybrid cars. Although less efficient than converting exhaust to cooling, the prototype can also be used to produce electricity to propel a vehicle. Only 15 to 20 percent of the waste heat can be converted to produce electricity, but it's better than letting the energy go to waste.

The researchers' new finding requires more development before it can be applied commercially. Semi-trucks will be the first vehicles to receive the new technology, which could eventually be moved into passenger cars..

eco-friendly charger IDAPT i1 Eco

Charging your gadgets and devices can be a troublesome process, especially if you don’t have an universal charger that can recharge all of your devices, but if you’re looking for an universal and eco-friendly charger then IDAPT i1 Eco might be what you need.First thing that you’re going to notice about IDAPT i1 Eco is its unique design – its shaped like an in-car phone charger. Besides its unique design, this charger has an interchangeable tip that you can easily change in order to recharge any gadget that needs recharging. As for supported devices, the list includes iPhone, iPad, BlackBerry, Nintendo DS, Android smartphones, PSP, GPS systems, digital cameras, tablets, and more.

In addition, IDAPT is constantly developing new tips for the charger, so compatibility is not an issue. As for why it is eco-friendly, the IDAPT i1 Eco is made from recycled materials and it meets Energy Star ratings. In addition, this charger also has an auto-off function that turns off the charger when the charging process is completed, hence it certainly isn’t your typical wall charger.

First Android OS cellphone watch

We’ve seen plenty of wristwatch mobile phones in the past, but none powered by the infamous Google Android OS, until now. This latest cellphone watch is called i’mWatch, and unlike other cellphone watches on the market, it runs on its own custom version of Android OS.

You can use i’mWatch to connect to your Android, iPhone 4, and future BlackBerry devices via Bluetooth. Unlike other cellphone watches on the market, i’mWatch comes with a set of apps that it can run, so you can easily make and receive calls and text messages, access your email, weather data, and social networking sites.

Wii U’s new controller at this year’s E3

We’re all waiting for the next gen Nintendo console, and if you’re eager to find out more about it, you’ll be pleased to know that Nintendo has unveiled the Wii U’s new controller at this year’s E3 press conference.