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With main focus on extreme design but keeping an eye on the environment, the graduates at the Royal College of Art have competed for the 2008 Pilkington Automotive Vehicle Design award, with several futuristic cool cars ideas.
Among these graduates were Ian Callum, the Jaguar design chief, Peter Schreyer, the original Audi TT designer and current head of Kia design, Marek Reichman, the design director at Aston Martin, and many other important figures from the industry.
The winners of the RCA Vehicle Design 2008 were Pierre Sabbas for the best car concept and Jon Radbrink for best using of glazing.



First comes the Phoenix concept by Sergio Loureiro Da Silva, the Spanish designer who used this innovative car concept design to express the regeneration of lost energy through movement. He said: “It’s about improving sustainability by designing every element to aspire to less energy consumption.”
“The beauty of a vehicle comes from the contrast of a fluid shape with precise technical elements”, added the designer.



The winner for best concept, Pierre Sabas, created the Airflow glass car design, placing both the electrically driven engine and suspension in the wheel, this leading to a high degree of architectural freedom. Inside, the car is made of glass and has 4 capsules for the passengers.



“I’ve tried to wrap it around like fabric,” says Sabas. “It allows for a new driving sensation and it gives the occupants a new perception of the outside world.”



The winner for best use of glazing is a Swedish designer who wanted to increase sustainability of the whole car elements using aerodynamic principles to help reduce fuel consumption. He called his creation inspired by building facades, Lexus Nuareo.
Jon Radbrink declared: “There is no real differentiator between normal and hybrid cars.”
“I was inspired by architecture,” he added. “I used glass in conjunction with other materials to create a layered affect that gives the feeling of transparency for the occupants.”



Nereus concept by Ceri Yorath gives the driver the possibility to relive previous speed experiences with the 3-seat fuel cell-powered car, by capturing them on a a memory card, using transformable plates covering the car, which change during driving time to visually reflect the driving style and the route.



Ilaria Sacco’s Multibrand Car My Lounge concept allows the owner to personalize it a a high level: “I’m thinking about a new way of consuming cars, like how you would design your living room.”



Iomega concept by Joonas Vartola is described in a few words by the Finish designer himself: “The structure and layout of the car supports and fosters the idea of this being a passenger car rather than the usual driver's car architecture.”



The South Korean designer Jung Hoon Rhee focused on ergonomics and preferred to eliminate the rigid seating position in cars. Noah car would give the occupants the sensation they are light and carried by the water.
The wave seats “can cope with various body sizes from infants to obese people providing equal comfort everywhere” said he.



This green car design from Arturo Peralta Nogueras is based on the riding horses experience, and is fueled by algae with the exterior made of a solid holographic technology. The inside evolves and adapts to its environment, passengers and scenarios.



Soft Vehicle comes from Raquel Aparicio Lopez. It is a foam car with a zip in the rear for the boot, capable to resist during accidents. “I would like to extrapolate rubber, textile and other soft materials into vehicle design,” said the designer.



Here is another impressive car with a futuristic look. It was designed by Paul Howse who explained his creation: “'The idea is to create a local quality, something that is completely unique to you.” He refers at the fact that his car concept made of bronze will change its aspect over time giving the impression of an old collective car.



Korean Yunwoo Jeong’s concept transforms in to a commuter or SUV, when the driver pleases.

(Sources yatzer; Wallpaper)

A recent press release issued by AMIMON Inc. informs that the aforementioned company together with Hitachi Ltd., Motorola Inc., Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd., Sharp Corporation and Sony Corporation will form a special interest group to develop a comprehensive new industry standard for multi-room audio, video and control connectivity utilizing Wireless Home Digital Interface (WHDI™) technology. The WHDI standard is to be finalized by the end of 2008.

In order for the WHDI technology to work properly, the group intends to introduce a revolutionary video-modem that operates in the 5GHz unlicensed band to enable robust wireless delivery of uncompressed HD video (including 1080p and Super Hi-Vision standards). WHDI provides secure, encrypted HD video delivery through multiple rooms and other potential signal obstructions, such as people, furniture and walls, while maintaining a 3Gbps data flux with less than one-millisecond latency.

The newly-founded group will ensure the wireless uncompressed HD video and audio transmission between CE devices such as LCD and plasma HDTVs, multimedia projectors, A/V receivers, DVD and BD players, set-top boxes (STBs), game consoles, and PCs. The new interoperable standard also aims to facilitate flawless connections between CE devices manufactured by different vendors.

While all the above-mentioned companies will contribute to the development of the WHDI standard, WHDI still remains a trademark of AMIMON, Ltd.

The Japanese are preparing to make the jump for 22.2 surround sound systems? Forget about that. Goldmund, makers of the world’s most extravagant and technologically advanced systems for audio-video enthusiasts, is proud to bring you a new sound processor, the Goldmund U-32, which is capable of extending to an infinite number of discrete channels. All you have to do now is get enough money to buy more speakers to fill an entire room.

The Goldmund U-32 was created to meet the demands of Goldmund clients looking to build larger media rooms that can seat up to 50 guests. The new Goldmund U-32 Processor includes a set of high-power digital signal processors (DSP) capable of more than 50 times the power output of current solutions. When paired with the recently announced U-Telos family of amplifiers form Goldmund, which is capable of achieving an ideal crossover for the associated speaker with full time delay correction and a signal measurement feature to control the protection of each driver it operates, the Goldmund U-32 can reach an infinite number of discreet channels, which is necessary to properly reproduce extreme surround-sound accuracy in a very large Goldmund Media Room.

The new Goldmund Media Rooms provide unparalleled surround sound by enveloping each individual user with a higher than usual number of speakers, each being smaller and less expensive, each non-audible separately, but together capable of providing each user with sound levels up to 130dB at all frequencies. Hey, that’s more than a plane jet engine can produce!

This USB flash drive is 24k gold plated and is the world’s smallest model available. It was created by Super Talent Technology, a manufacturer of Flash storage devices and DRAM memory modules, who used the chip-on-board technology to squeeze 8GB of Flash into a 31.3 x 12.4 x 3.4 mm device.

Under the gold plate, the Pico-C Gold 8GB USB flash drive is made of steel and designed in such a way to be shock resistant and water resistant, even if it weighs just 4.7 grams.
In its 8GB storage capacity it can support up to 2,000 MP3 songs, while the transfer speeds reaches 30MB/sec.
You can even wear it as a necklace unde the T-shirt, as it comes with a cool accessory, a sturdy gold chain, which can be attached to your cell phone or other portable handset.

"Is it the speed, the ruggedness, the water resistance, the incredibly tiny size or the pure elegance that people like most in our Pico-C drive? Who knows? But, this combination of features and style is not offered in any other terrestrial storage device, which makes it a real craze," declared Super Talent Marketing Director, Joe James.



Pico-C Gold is compatible with USB 1.1 and the high-speed USB 2.0 and supports up to 10 years data retention, while it’s plug-and-play.
In addition to its cool features, the USB drive comes with a lifetime warranty at a reasonable price of $40. You can find it with capacities ranging from 1GB to 8GB.

Super Talent Technology is a Californian company with award winning memory-based products, partnered with leading computing solutions developers such as Samsung, Asus, AMD and Intel.

From the description, Beats by Dr. Dre seem to be one of the best headphones models you can find on the market, optimized to render music at the highest fidelity possible, like only professional headphones from studios are capable of. They are designed by the famous artist and producer Dr. Dre, Interscope Geffen A&M Chairman Jimmy Iovine, and Monster, the world's leading developer of connectivity solutions for high performance audio, video, car audio, computer, console and computer gaming, professional audio and sound reinforcement.

"Artists and producers work hard in the studio perfecting their sound, but people can't really hear it with normal headphones,” says Dr. Dre. “Most headphones can't handle the bass, the detail, the dynamics. Bottom line: the music doesn't move you. With Beats, people are going to hear what the artists hear and listen to the music the way they should - the way I do."

According to the press release, Beats by Dr. Dre provide the best sound clarity, deep bass and high power, based on the idea of creating a new type of headphones, capable to reproduce the full spectrum of sound that musical artists and producers hear in professional recording studios. The three specialists in sound accomplished this by using advanced materials, sophisticated construction, extra large drivers, and a powerful digital amplifier. The powered ambient noise-isolation contributes at creating the quietness of an isolated recording studio.



If you have an iPhone 3G, Blackberry or other high-end music-enabled device, you can connect the Monster’s iSoniTalk headphone cable with integrated high grade microphone and answer button.
These high definition headphones will be available exclusively at Apple, Best Buy and beatsbydre.com, the official website of the model, starting July 25, at a price of $349.95.

"Dre and I have been developing these headphones for a while and in Monster we found a partner that could work with us to crystallize his vision and develop them to the quality level he expects," said Jimmy Iovine, Chairman of Interscope Geffen A&M Records. "Beats By Dr. Dre is yet another example of Interscope's commitment to working together with its artists in developing new avenues to experience music."

According to Kevin Lee, VP of Product and Marketing for Monster, it took 3 years of hard word to develop these headphones, considered to be the best headphones ever built. They are equipped with a wide adjustable headband, soft plush hinged ear cups and the high-quality Monster cable.
In addition to its highest quality, Beats by Dr. Dre sports a stylish exterior design and come with a comfortable hip carrying case accessory.