Motodays 2012: tutto pronto per la nuova edizione

Motodays, importante kermesse motociclistica che si tiene presso la Fiera di Roma, sta scaldando i motori per la sempre più vicina apertura dell’edizione 2012 che proporrà una tre giorni (8-11 marzo) di grande motociclismo grazie alla presenza di aree tematiche capaci di soddisfare le passioni e le esigenze di tutti i centauri che decideranno di visitare l’imperdibile evento romano, ormai non solo fiera più importante per l’Italia centro-meridionale ma anche punto di riferimento a livello nazionale ed internazionale.La prima area da segnalare si chiama Days on the Road ed è dedicata al moto turismo, attività che sta crescendo in maniera sempre più rapida: allestita in collaborazione con il magazine Mototurismo, proporrà un’ampia panoramica del settore, a partire dal contatto diretto con i grandi viaggiatori e fino alle più belle destinazioni disponibili nei cataloghi dei più importanti tour operator.Per chi preferisce le moto custom non mancherà l’appuntamento con Kromature, area dove saranno esposte le migliori personalizzazioni di noti tuner italiani ed europei e dove si terrà il consueto Bike Show, diviso nelle tre categorie Harley Davidson Modified, Radical Chopper e Café Racer.Gli amanti delle moto d’epoca troveranno il loro personale paradiso presso Motodays Vintage, dove saranno esposti moltissimi modelli dal passato glorioso; all’interno di questa area ci sarà inoltre l’esposizione Queens of Motodays, che metterà in mostra le migliori motociclette prodotte in Inghilterra fino agli anni’70. Completerà infine il quadro la Mostra Mercato (10-11 marzo): organizzata su un’area di circa 2000 metri quadri, metterà a disposizione dei potenziali acquirenti moltissimi mezzi ed accessori storici.Motodays 2012 infine sbarcherà anche su Facebook e Twitter: i profili sui due social network serviranno soprattutto per restare aggiornati sulle ultime novità della fiera e conoscere altri centauri, mentre il sito internet sarà dedicato soprattutto alle informazioni di carattere istituzionale. Fonte | Motodays.it

<a href="http://www.nextmoto.it/articolo/motodays-2012-tutto-pronto-per-la-nuova-edizione/19229/tag:news.google.com,2005:cluster=http://www.nextmoto.it/articolo/motodays-2012-tutto-pronto-per-la-nuova-edizione/19229/Wed, 18 Jan 2012 08:04:17 GMT">Motodays 2012: tutto pronto per la nuova edizione

Demon's Cycle Launches New Custom Stretched Gas Tank for Harley-Davidson Baggers and Dressers

Pompano Beach, FL (PRWEB) January 16, 2012 Demon's Cycle Inc., a custom motorcycle builder and custom motorcycle parts supplier, is pleased to announce the release of its new custom stretched gas tank for the Harley-Davidson FLH Bagger. the key feature is the large 6.6 gallon gas capacity which allows for longer non-stop trips. The one-piece stretched unit has a custom steel dash and fits the 2008 to 2011 Harley-Davidson Touring FLHT/FLTR models and it can be fitted, with minor modifications to the 2003 – 2007 Touring Dresser models. “We are very pleased with our new custom stretch tank for the Harley Baggers,” said Thomas Steinbacher, owner of Demon’s Cycle. “It is similar to the Paul Yaffe's Originals / Bagger Nation gas tank, but its greater fuel capacity and better build quality makes a better choice for custom bike builders.” Gas tanks are part of the cool design and style of a motorcycle and as such the new wider custom tank from Demon's Cycle provides flowing and elegant lines that perfectly compliment the stance of the Harley-Davidson Bagger. with custom stretched low profile steel dash, chrome pop-up gas cap, rubber trim and all the necessary mounting brackets, this 28 inch long, 19 inch wide tank provides custom style, beauty and long range. About Demon's Cycle Demon's Cycle is a multi-million dollar international custom motorcycle wholesale company that sells direct to the public. Based in Pompano Beach, South Florida, Demon's Cycle was started more than nineteen years ago by Tom Steinbacher and has a reputation as a pioneer of radical motorcycle designs, Euro style bikes and custom chopper concepts. Demon's Cycle is an international custom motorcycle wholesale company that sells to the public direct . As well as building custom motorcycles and selling rolling chassis, Demon's Cycle specialize in the sale of custom parts for Harley-Davidson motorcycles. They offer a wide range of parts including gas tanks handlebars and all the necessary auxiliary components like air cleaners and wheels. Contact Demon's Cycle Inc. 1407 SW 10th Ave. Pompano Beach, FL 33069 Telephone: 954-943-0000 Fax: 954-943-0377 Email: sales(at)demonscycle(dot)com Web: demonscycle.com ### Read the full story at prweb.com/releases/Demons_Cycle/harley_bagger_gas_tank/prweb9111495.htm

<a href="http://www.digitaljournal.com/pr/550034tag:news.google.com,2005:cluster=http://www.digitaljournal.com/pr/550034Mon, 16 Jan 2012 20:24:39 GMT">Demon's Cycle Launches New Custom Stretched Gas Tank for Harley-Davidson Baggers and Dressers

This is somewhat embarrassing, isn’t it?

Try looking in the monthly archives. Select Month January 2012 December 2011 November 2011 October 2011 September 2011 August 2011 July 2011 June 2011 May 2011 April 2011 March 2011 February 2011 January 2011 December 2010 November 2010 October 2010 September 2010 August 2010 July 2010 June 2010 May 2010 April 2010 March 2010 February 2010 January 2010 December 2009 November 2009 October 2009 September 2009 August 2009 July 2009 June 2009 May 2009 April 2009 March 2009 February 2009 January 2009 December 2008 November 2008 October 2008 September 2008 August 2008 July 2008 June 2008 May 2008 April 2008 March 2008 February 2008 January 2008 December 2007 November 2007 October 2007 September 2007 August 2007

<a href="http://www.antiquetrader.com/antiques/antiques-americana/the-milhous-collections-extraordinary-music-machines-and-antique-automobiles-offered-feb-24-25-2012tag:news.google.com,2005:cluster=http://www.antiquetrader.com/antiques/antiques-americana/the-milhous-collections-extraordinary-music-machines-and-antique-automobiles-offered-feb-24-25-2012Tue, 10 Jan 2012 00:43:08 GMT">This is somewhat embarrassing, isn’t it?

Copter dropped coffee cups to warn Rainier campers

Copyright ©2010. the associated Press. Copyright ©2010. the associated Press. All rights reserved. this material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. this material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.   SEATTLE (AP) — as scores of heavily armed officers scoured the woods south of Mount Rainier, hunting for the man who gunned down a national park ranger on New Year's Day, Natalia Martinez Paz and three friends were enjoying a glorious long weekend of snowshoeing and camping. It wasn't until coffee cups dropped out of the blue Monday morning sky that they realized the danger they'd been in.A Bellingham-based U.S. Customs and Border Protection helicopter crew searching for 24-year-old Benjamin Colton Barnes spotted the campers as they slept under their tarp near Reflection Lakes, not far from where Barnes headed into the woods after killing Ranger Margaret Anderson. Unsure whether the group could understand what they said over a loudspeaker, one of the pilots reached for a paper cup from a drive-thru espresso stand, swilled the rest of his coffee, scribbled a message and dropped it down."A ranger has been shot. Shooter at large," it read. "Call on cell if able to Pierce co sheriff."As the campers gathered their gear, the chopper dropped another cup: "Take road to falls and sheriff deputies. we will keep an eye on you. Do not drive from Paradise w/o armed escort."As promised, the helicopter escorted them down a road — flying just ahead of them — to a team of camouflaged searchers armed with assault rifles. just as Paz's group arrived, the search team received a radio call: Barnes had been found dead, face-down in a stream, Paz wrote in a posting on the nwhikers.net message board.Barnes, an Iraq war veteran who was kicked out of the Army following a drunken-driving arrest and other issues, headed for Mount Rainier National Park early Sunday after fleeing the scene of a shooting that wounded four people 100 miles away, near Seattle. He had several guns and a bulletproof vest in the car, authorities said.Barnes blew through a checkpoint used by rangers to ensure cars are equipped with chains for winter driving. Anderson, a 34-year-old mother of two who was married to another ranger at the park, then set up a road block to stop him.She didn't have a chance to get out of her sport-utility vehicle before she was shot to death.Barnes also fired on a ranger who tailed him — putting four bullets through the ranger's windshield — and on other law enforcement officials who arrived at the scene. no one else was injured, and Barnes fled on foot into the woods, prompting a massive manhunt.Paz's group, which included her partner, Brian Vogt, noticed a number of planes and helicopters flying over the area Sunday afternoon, including one that hovered over their tarp. They figured someone was missing.But the next morning, while they were still in their tents, another helicopter came just overhead — and stayed. a garbled message came through a loudspeaker, and the group thought they heard it say "ranger shot and killed, shooter at large," Paz wrote.The helicopter's pilots, CBP air interdiction agents Chris Rosen and David Simeur, told the associated Press on Thursday that they had been concerned the gunman might make a target of the campers because of the survival gear they carried. When they flew over the campers' tarp using their heat-sensing technology, they knew the campers were OK."This is kind of creepy, but we knew they were alive because they were warm," Simeur said.The pilots also knew Barnes had made no tracks leading toward the campsite.Vogt released a statement on behalf of the campers, thanking law enforcement and noting the tragedy of Anderson not only being killed, but being killed in a place that carried so much meaning for Anderson and her husband."We were shocked to find out the full extent of this tragedy once we were out of the park," the statement said. "It wasn't clear to us at the time how much had been done to keep an eye on us and protect us."After escorting the campers to safety, one of the pilots, Rosen, shook their hands and spoke with them briefly."I asked them, 'Hey, did you guys pack out our trash?'" Rosen said.Indeed, the campers kept the coffee cups. They told him they would plant seedlings in them, and return the trees to the park as a memorial to the murdered ranger.___(equals)Johnson can be reached at https://twitter.com/GeneAPseattle News Photo Galleriesview all

<a href="http://newsok.com/copter-dropped-coffee-cups-to-warn-rainier-campers/article/feed/332767?custom_click=pod_headline_usnational-newstag:news.google.com,2005:cluster=http://newsok.com/copter-dropped-coffee-cups-to-warn-rainier-campers/article/feed/332767?custom_click=pod_headline_usnational-newsThu, 05 Jan 2012 17:39:37 GMT">Copter dropped coffee cups to warn Rainier campers

MMA News & UFC News

(What Xenophon did over the holidays)- Franca Pleads Guily, Sentenced to 42 Months in Prison (OregonLive)- Toughest MMA Tattoos on the Weakest Fighters (Complex)- Louis C.K.’s Million Dollar Online Experiment (TheRugged)- Leticia Zuloaga is a Bikini Model You should Know (Guyism)- MMA Training Misconceptions and how to Correct Them (MuscleProdigy)- HBO is Totally Cock-Blocking NetFlix (ScreenJunkies)- how to Recycle your Xmas Tree (MadeMan)- 13 Fighters who never Disappoint in the Cage (BleacherReport)- 5 Movie-Themed Rides to Replace Jaws at Universal Studios (HolyTaco)- Who’s Dated who: the 2012 NFL Wildcard Weekend Edition (WorldWideInterweb)- Okami Returning to Team Quest (FightersOnly)- King Mo Calls Mousasi Boring, Calls for Media Ban of him (LowKick)- Unnecessary Sequel Alert: Horrible Bosses 2 (FilmDrunk)- Who’s the best at Dramatically Reading Awful Pop Songs? (WithLeather)- 10 Real Survival Guides for One very fake Apocalypse (Cracked)- 7 Unappetizing Movie-Inspired Junk Foods (Clutch.MTV)- Crazy Women You should Stay away from (AskMen)- Mayweather’s Jail Sentence Pushed Back Until may (TerezOwens) Read More ADD COMMENTS (12) DIGG THIS

<a href="http://www.cagepotato.com/last-minute-holiday-gift-guide/tag:news.google.com,2005:cluster=http://www.cagepotato.com/last-minute-holiday-gift-guide/Wed, 14 Dec 2011 02:05:24 GMT">MMA News & UFC News

East Lancashire motorcyclist’s death crash was captured on handlebar video camera (From Lancashire Telegraph)

East Lancashire motorcyclist's death crash was captured on handlebar video camera 12:14pm Wednesday 23rd November 2011 Skip social links Print Email Comments(1) a MOTORCYCLIST who died in a collision on a country road had a video camera attached to his bike which filmed the final moments before his accident. Dean Walkden, from Haslingden, died at the scene on Fell Road, at the junction of mill Lane, Waddington, in the Ribble Valley on July 24. An inquest at Clitheroe Town Hall heard the 39-year-old had been riding his Kawasaki motorcycle alongside friend and fellow bike enthusiast David Morley between Waddington and Slaidburn. Minutes before the accident, the pair had pulled over in Waddington, where mr Walkden had attached his phone to a custom-made bracket on his motorcycle in order to film his friend on the journey ahead. PC Stephen Burgess, who led the police investigation, stressed that the bracket and phone would not have been a contributing factor in the incident and there was no evidence that speed was an issue. PC Burgess said the phone had been recovered from a ditch and the video footage had been painstakingly retrieved by the force’s technology department. mr Morley said they often travelled on the roads around Ribble Valley and the conditions were dry and sunny. mr Morley, who was travelling in front of mr Walkden, said he had noticed a silver Mondeo car, ahead of the pair travelling in the same direction on a straight section of road. he said he had seen the car slow down and indicate to turn right so he slowed, only to see mr Walkden’s bike go past and move to the outside, as if to overtake. a “split-second” later the collision occurred, spinning the car round. mr Walkden, a sheet-metal worker, who lived in Heys Street, was thrown from his machine. he was pronounced dead at the scene. the footage showed the silver Mondeo was indicating to turn right just before the impact. PC Burgess, said: “The conclusion of our investigation was that mr Walkden failed to appreciate the intentions of the Ford Mondeo and attempted to overtake when it was unsafe to do so.” the inquest heard there were no road signs or changes to road markings to indicate a junction on the stretch of road in question. mr Walkden, who worked at East Lancashire Fabrications in Accrington, also ran a DJ company called Platinum Presentations. he often DJed at the Plough, Oswaldtwistle, the Masons, Ramsbottom, the Queens, Rawtenstall, the Roebuck and the Commercial, in Haslingden. Recording a verdict of accidental death, Blackburn and Ribble Valley coroner Michael Singleton said he would send a report to the relevant highways authorities about road signs and markings on the road, a move which police said would be welcomed.

<a href="http://www.lancashiretelegraph.co.uk/news/9379969.East_Lancashire_motorcyclist_s_death_crash_was_captured_on_handlebar_video_camera/tag:news.google.com,2005:cluster=http://www.lancashiretelegraph.co.uk/news/9379969.East_Lancashire_motorcyclist_s_death_crash_was_captured_on_handlebar_video_camera/Wed, 23 Nov 2011 12:19:51 GMT">East Lancashire motorcyclist's death crash was captured on handlebar video camera (From Lancashire Telegraph)

Newswire / Hornig Introduces Latest BMW Motorcycle S1000RR Customization – Motorcycle/Bike/ATV – Motorradzubeh?r Hornig GmbH

BMW Motorcycle Accessory Hornig presents their latest BMW S1000RR customization from 2011. the aim was to supply race optic and race sound possible for street use for your BMW S 1000 RR. because of this they developed a GRP front fairing, GRP side fairings, a GRP front fender and a long GRP bellypan which fits also to the original side fairing. all the GRP products have a material homologation and are legal for street use. to save weight they used many carbon fiber parts and the necessary is produced by the black AC Schnitzer Stealth exhaust. to be protected when a crash happens they use the approved Gilles crash pads. the whole design in completed by a black MRA racingscreen and a black LED tail light. Lots of extra BMW Accessory products show what's possible. they used the following products of their product range: GRP front Fairing GRP Bellypan GRP Side Fairing GRP Badge Holder GRP front Mudguard AC Schnitzer STEALTH Exhaust Change front & rear seat Petrol-Cap-Pad 3D-CarbonLook Carbon Fiber Tail two parts Carbon Fiber Rear Hugger Carbon Fiber Numberplate Holder Carbon Fiber Upper Tankcover Synto brake- and clutch lever Mirror Caps Crashpads cooler screen Footrest System Oil Filler Plug Strap Holder Fork Adjuster Racingscreen Black LED Rear Light about Motorradzubeh?r Hornig GmbH since 2001 the company has been developing and producing special accessory for BMW motorbikes made of aluminium, high-grade steel, GRP and Carbon Fiber. because of their passion for riding motorbikes they came to this and since that time, they have been upgrading their range of products with new specific products as well as with the new BMW models. in 2010 they moved to their new building to Cham, Germany, in order to ship their BMW Motorcycle Accessory even faster to all their customers in the whole world. they have about 2.000 sqm space in our new building and next to a state of the art logistic they offer to their customers delicious Bavarian food in their own caf? after a twisting tour in the Bavarian Forest.

<a href="http://www.newswiretoday.com/news/101516/tag:news.google.com,2005:cluster=http://www.newswiretoday.com/news/101516/Fri, 18 Nov 2011 01:17:23 GMT">Newswire / Hornig Introduces Latest BMW Motorcycle S1000RR Customization - Motorcycle/Bike/ATV - Motorradzubeh?r Hornig GmbH

3D tech adds art, design to custom prosthetics

Triathlete Sarah Reinertsen poses for her 3D scanning at Bespoke Innovations in San Francisco. the record-setting triathlete lost her leg when she was seven and is now working with Bespoke on a custom fairing to cover her prosthetic left leg.(Credit:James Martin/CNET)SAN FRANCISCO--For people like Sarah Reinertsen, one of the many downsides of having a prosthetic leg is that there's never been a fashionable way to dress it up. But for Reinertsen, a record-setting triathlete, and others including a growing number of combat veterans, a startup called Bespoke Innovations is forever changing the way they feel about themselves and how the world looks at them.Bespoke was founded by industrial designer Scott Summit and orthopedist Kenneth Trauner. the company's initial products are what are known as fairings--3D printed prosthetic leg covers that are each one-of-a-kind and designed for and with each of the company's customers.According to Summit, the idea behind the fairings is to give each customer something that is tied to their personality and enhances their individual sense of style, but which is also light-weight yet structurally sound. And that's possible, he explained, because of Bespoke's proprietary scanning system, a process that creates a digital 3D model based on each customer's specific physical specifications. It's also possible because the high-end 3D printing process the company uses is able to generate a final product that is both structurally sound, intricate, and unique. To look at one of Bespoke's fairings, you wouldn't necessarily know what it's meant for. some look more like Maori or Aboriginal art pieces than something someone would wear every day. But for people like Reinertsen, a Bespoke fairing may well be a way to say to the world that having a prosthetic leg doesn't mean that they can't strut their stuff."I'd like to create something beautiful and something that's different," said Reinertsen, who's currently in the process of having her fairing designed. "I want to have what we create be something totally different and unique and in some way pushes [Summit] to think a little different--something that keeps him inspired. he certainly inspired me."The scan although there's a lot of artistry behind each of Bespoke's fairings, there would be no way for the company to tailor each one to the individual customer if not for its scanning process (see video below). the system incorporates two cameras that are offset from each other and which, when activated, read the shape, contour, and form of the customer's body.The scanner projects a grid pattern at the customer--and against a wall behind them--and is able to triangulate and get a contour using a technology called structural light scanning. the system incorporates the two photos taken by the cameras, "does a whole lot of trigonometry and then meshes them" together into the 3D digital model.Once that process is done and Bespoke has the digital model, the real work of differentiating each customer's fairing from the others begins. "The difference between designing for a fit soldier and a tall, [slim] woman and grandma versus any other personality and body type," Summit said, means "communicating the morphology in the design so it belongs, and that has to do with artistry and design."While there's no typical Bespoke customer, the company is clearly interested in working with combat veterans, particularly because it has established relationships with several of the Veterans Administration facilities around the country. Summit said that the U.S. military has often been supportive of some soldiers' wish to get a Bespoke fairing--which can cost several thousand dollars--because "if someone lost their leg for the country, they should be treated well."Summit said that Bespoke has generated a lot of interest from soldiers because its fairings take "prosthetics from being generic and utilitarian into something cool as hell, and that really works for a soldier."From man-hole covers to Banksy At any given time, Bespoke, which received $3.2 million in venture funding, has about 10 customers' fairings in the works. All told, it takes between one and three days of work to create a fairing, but that may be spread over a much longer amount of time as the customer and the design team bat ideas back and forth. What's most important, Summit said, is making sure that what the customer walks away with is something that suits their individual personality. "This is like a tattoo," he said. "We don't want it to be too spontaneous."Indeed, Summit explained that he often suggests his customers sleep on a design concept before settling on what they want. he also encourages them to send in their own ideas, which can sometimes be rather abstract, and which can come fromcar or even motorcycle design. "It's about creating something dynamic and in motion," Summit said. "What's more dynamic than a leg."But really, the ideas can be as personal or varied as people themselves. one customer, for example, sent him photos of a man-hole cover. Another was inspired by the Bruce Willis film "Surrogates." Still another found ideas for his fairing in his customized Volkswagen GTI. But Summit may be most excited about an upcoming commission which may feature a drawing by the famous graffiti artist Banksy.For the 36-year-old Reinertsen, who has appeared as a contestant on [CNET parent CBS'] "The Amazing Race" and featured in a Nike ad, getting a Bespoke fairing is a way to get past a lifetime of having to deal with a prosthetic that didn't do anything for her sense of personality. "It's unique and it's such a forward-thinking concept," Reinertsen said, "to create this covering for the prosthetic, but [which] doesn't adhere to the traditional ideas of what an amputee might strive for."Reinertsen lost her leg to a medical condition when she was seven and has spent her whole life contending with prosthetics covers that were usually little more than "a foam leg with a flesh-tone stocking." the standard, she said, has always been "pretty low."But now, though her insurance won't pay for her Bespoke fairing, she has a chance to get something that she can feel proud of when she goes out into the world. "As an athlete, I've been pushing boundaries, especially in endurance, and proving that a woman with a disability can do something as extreme as Ironman," she said. "And I want to be part of a cultural shift that changes your idea of what is beautiful as we rebuild the human body in the modern world."

<a href="http://news.cnet.com/8301-13772_3-57319066-52/3d-tech-adds-art-design-to-custom-prosthetics/tag:news.google.com,2005:cluster=http://news.cnet.com/8301-13772_3-57319066-52/3d-tech-adds-art-design-to-custom-prosthetics/Sat, 05 Nov 2011 11:02:54 GMT">3D tech adds art, design to custom prosthetics

Easy Does It: Reviewing the World’s Most User-Friendly PCs

Are you ready for that 3 a.m. phone call? No, not the call from JSOC hoping to get approval to chopper in DEVGRU to take out a Tier 1 operative (what that means even we don't know). What we're talking about is that 3 a.m. call from your sobbing parent, sibling, or acquaintance desperately asking for your help with a computer. It. Gets. old. Let's admit it, for those computer-phobes, a personal computer with a fully featured and robust operating system isn't right for either them or you. As wonderful as a PC with a real operating system is, there's maintenance to be done, patches and drivers to be installed, and enough dials, knobs, and gauges that a computer-phobic cyberklutz can really bork things up faster than you can say right-click. But in a world where not having access to email, Facebook, and the Internet puts you as far off the grid as the Unabomber, is there a way for these folks to have an easy, trouble-free computing lifestyle? To find out, we looked at three machines-the Telikin Touch, the Samsung Series 5 Chromebook, and Apple's iPad 2-that just might be idiot-proof enough to keep even a complete computer-dufus from screwing things up. Telikin Touch The Telikin is billed as "quite possibly the world's easiest computer." and we can see why. Originally aimed at non-tech-savvy elderly folk who want a computing experience without having to dial-a-nerd every day, the Telikin offers a custom-designed OS to do just a few things, but do them easily. The Telikin Touch itself is an off-the-shelf, 18-inch MSI all-in-one with a dual-core Atom, a 320GB hard drive, 2GB of RAM, and Wi-Fi. the Telikin's performance isn't horribly slow, but it's certainly not as responsive as the other two devices we're reviewing here and can lag on occasion. the Telikin's main selling point is its ease of use and senior-friendliness. the unit comes with a USB keyboard sporting very large letters, and there is an option for a keyboard with even larger letters. the OS itself is a variant of Linux that's been tweaked to display big, friendly buttons on one side for email, browsing, and games. The buttons are large enough that the screen's touch capability works surprisingly well. the touch screen doesn't support flick-based scrolling, but the big buttons and a UI that's never hidden ensure that the newb can't get lost. The Telikin supports Skype, Facebook, and POP- and IMAP-based email systems. We did hit a snag here: We let the Telikin configure our Hotmail account, but it biffed on the outgoing mail port. We corrected it easily, but this would leave a computer-newb stumped for months. the iPad 2 got this right, while the Samsung Series 5 Chromebook didn't have native client support for Hotmail. Another big fail for the Telikin came soon after our first boot: a LibreOffice fatal error and occasional hard locks. the error message itself is enough to send a computer-phobe cowering in a closet, but the hard locks? Inexcusable. We thought it was all over for the Telikin but a call to the company resulted in a tech logging into the machine remotely and applying a quick patch. from that point on, the error messages and lockups went away. We almost wondered if the company planned this as a way to showcase its tech support-but no, that's too Machiavellian even for us. the machine comes with free 60-day VIP support, whereby you don't have to wait in the queue to have issues fixed. After the 60-day period is up, you can still get free support and a tech will still remote in, but you have to wait longer on the phone. There's also the ability to back up your data remotely to Telikin's servers for $10 a month, and that includes the VIP support treatment. Maintenance of the unit should be fairly painless, as updates are pushed out by Telikin as needed, and the company promises to offer updates for the life of the unit. In ease-of-use, the Telikin is extremely simple-perhaps easier than the iPad for some. In our attachment test, we could open PDF and Word files without issue, but Zip files confused it. The Telikin's main weakness is in gaming. there are a handful of games that come installed with the OS, but the rest will have to be Flash-based. That's not bad for a casual gamer, but the optimized iPad 2 games are far stronger. the machine has its strengths, though. the 18-inch screen is certainly easier for folks with vision issues, and the real keyboard is appreciated. In video consumption, we could watch Flash-based videos on Vimeo and YouTube, but sadly, the Telikin failed on both Netflix and Hulu. We're still a bit leery about the initial error and locks, but frankly, this isn't a bad solution for a senior who wants a bigger screen, full keyboard, and doesn't mind something that's not as polished or extensible as the iPad 2. $700, telikin.com Samsung Series 5 Chromebook Of all the devices here, people likely have the most difficulty understanding the Samsung Series 5 Chromebook. Running Google's Chrome OS, the Series 5 looks like a netbook, but it's not. the secret sauce is Google's Chrome OS. Built around a very lightweight Linux core, Chrome OS is just enough OS to talk to the hardware, run a browser, and that's it. There's no desktop and no icons to be tapped or dragged-it's all browser, all the time. Frankly, that's what we thought made the Chromebook the perfect computer-phobe tool. he or she can't get lost in some menu or goof up a setting because there are very few options to tweak, and you can't exit from the browser. even though Intel's lowly dual-core Atom powers the Series 5, the Chromebook has a responsive feel to it and will boot in four seconds-on the rare occasions that it even powers down. Most of the time it'll be in instant-on mode, which works wonderfully. With its nice, spacious keyboard (which lacks a Caps Lock key, apparently to prevent SHOUTING on the Internet), the Series 5 is a truly unique piece of mobile hardware for someone with basic needs. but will this nerdware work for a non-nerd? Yes and no. One knock against it: It's really optimized for living the Google lifestyle of Gmail, Google Calendar, and Google Docs. Yeah, it'll work for Yahoo or Hotmail, and anything else that runs in a browser, but it's got an obvious affinity for all things G. the nature of Chrome OS makes it almost entirely reliant upon Internet access and cloud storage-just a smattering of apps work offline. That cuts both ways. If the Series 5 eats a cup of coffee, no data is lost. buy another one and you're up and running in 60 seconds. Without Internet, though, you're SOL (a 3G model sells for $100 more, plus the cost of a data plan). Since it's really nothing but a browser, it's not surprising that the Series 5 offers excellent browsing and webmail support. We were able to watch videos on Netflix, YouTube, and Hulu without hitches, but not on Vimeo. Video chat is limited to Google Talk, so Skype lovers need not apply. Casual gaming on the Series 5 is actually pretty good. It's certainly better than on the Telikin, which is limited to a few built-in games, as well as Flash- and Java-based games. Google has been pushing more Chrome-based games, and it shows with such winners as angry Birds. Still, the selection pales in comparison to the iPad 2's rich experience. Media handling on the Chromebook is disappointing. Chrome OS can now read an SD card in the Chromebook's slot, but we could only upload the files to Picasa. People have figured out ways to creatively move files to the SSD, but that definitely ain't an undertaking for newbs. We did a simple attachment test to see how well the Series 5 could handle a Word, Zip, and PDF file attachment in a mail file when viewed from, say, Hotmail and not Gmail. the Series 5 handled the PDF just fine as an attachment download, but the Zip and Word files  threw it for a loop. to open the Word file, you'd need to upload it to Google Docs-not exactly newb-friendly. We don't discount the Series 5's usefulness, though. It's maintenance free, with updates pushed out automatically by Google, but the Series 5 is probably suited for slightly more advanced computer-phobes, if not outright nerds. $400, samsung.com Apple iPad 2 The shining symbol of the "post?PC" era is the tablet, and its most prominent representative is Apple's iconic iPad 2. That's one of the reasons we picked the iPad 2 as the tablet to test in this showdown over more feature-rich, but also more complicated Android tablets. We had high expectations that the iPad 2 would solve our computer-phobe problems. part of that comes from a user interface so easy even a Mac user can handle it. Right out of the gate we hit a snag: setup and maintenance. you don't just start using your iPad 2, you must connect it to a PC with iTunes running. What if you don't have a PC or Mac? You're SOL. Far worse is the iPad 2's need to continually run home to mommy. Updates, for example, can only be applied through iTunes, and for us that was problematic. We eventually gave up trying to download a 647MB patch, leaving the iPad open to a very serious security certificate hack. Sigh. Fortunately, Apple is hoping to fix the iPad's reliance on another computer for future updates, but at press time, no such fix was available. As is, though, the iPad 2's polish makes it a serious contender for computer-phobes. It's easy to set up for email, the browser is fairly powerful, and the extensibility through apps for just about anything you want to do makes it the most feature-rich device in this roundup. out of the box, for example, you can't open Zip files or do video Skype, but a few free apps later, and your problems are solved. the killer feature of the iPad 2 is in gaming, though. a computer-phobe may check email or browse a bit, but the games are likely to suck them in. with its vast application bazaar, the iPad 2 is one of the strongest casual gaming platforms available today. So what doesn't work for a computer-phobe? While it's a good media consumption device, you can't copy photos to it without either using a computer or paying for a special adapter. the lack of a real keyboard is also going to deter those who want an email device more than a browsing or gaming device. a Bluetooth keyboard can be added, but that increases the cost. And for the computer-phobe who wants to use a device for long stretches of time, the iPad 2 can be a bit heavy to hold and the 9.7-inch screen a bit small-although the font size scales up nicely for those with vision issues. the screen's relatively low 1024x768 resolution also offended our high-tech tastes but a computer-phobe is unlikely ever to notice. Plus, the iPad 2 has the advantage of being more agnostic when it comes to web services, unlike the Samsung Series 5. Yes, there's a lot of win for the iPad 2 here. from its super application bazaar, to its offline capability and its overly simplistic interface, the iPad is clearly the leading device for a computer-phobe-if Apple could, um, actually not require you to own a PC to use this, um, post-PC device. $500, apple.com The Easy Answer Let's be straight, there isn't a device here that we didn't find wanting in some capacity or another. from the Samsung Series 5's mediocre handling of media, to the iPad 2's requirement that you use another computer just to turn it on, to the Telikin's out-of-the-box error messages, not one of these machines is the perfect solution for the computer-phobe in your life. Let's face it, if completely trouble-free computing existed, there would be no computer-phobes. Still, these devices do get closer to trouble-free computing than a full-fledged PC, each in its own way. the Telikin Touch seems perfect for the audience it was originally created for: computer-newb seniors who want a mouse and keyboard and access to a tech who can fix any issue remotely. the Samsung Series 5 is fast, responsive, and likely impossible to break, and it's a good compromise for the phobe who wants a keyboard, mobility, and zero maintenance. the iPad 2, for its part, offers portability and the offline functionality that the Series 5 can't, and its gaming and extensible app support is superb. So can we declare a winner? honestly, we think we can. Keep in mind that each solution has serious faults, but we think the all-around computer-phobe is best served by the iPad 2. We make that decision based on its agnostic web services support, its rich gaming, and its ability to meet a computer-phobe's evolving needs-because let's face it, the more comfortable a person gets with computing, the more they tend to want to do. For example, on the iPad 2 you can edit photos and video locally; not so on either the Telikin Touch or Series 5. and let's not forget the generous functionality offered through apps. the iPad 2's extensibility (with the help of an optional Bluetooth keyboard, of course) gives it a leg up over both the Series 5 and the Telikin. the only big fail for the iPad 2 where computer-phobes are concerned is that they may have to come to your house to update their devices on your PC once every few months. Still, that's a hell of a lot better than regular 3 a.m. phone calls. Maximum PC brings you the latest in PC news, reviews, and how-tos.

<a href="http://gizmodo.com/5853135/easy-does-it-reviewing-the-worlds-most-user+friendly-pcstag:news.google.com,2005:cluster=http://gizmodo.com/5853135/easy-does-it-reviewing-the-worlds-most-user friendly-pcsTue, 25 Oct 2011 16:54:36 GMT">Easy Does It: Reviewing the World’s Most User-Friendly PCs

The Detonator Is a Huge Science Fiction Motorcycle Brought to Electric Life

Daniel Simon designed the Light Cycles for Tron: Legacy and the vehicles for Captain America, but now one of his craziest concepts yet is coming to life in a street legal version. Let's hope no one kills themselves riding it. *UPDATE BELOW* The Detonator is an 11.5 foot electric motorcycle powered by a lithium-ion battery that gets 80-100 miles on a one-hour charge. The bike rips too—it's supposed to go up to 120 mph, but here's the thing: the Detonator probably isn't the easiest bike in the world to handle. The rider sits way in the back from where they have to maneuver a huge, elongated front-end that makes even showy custom choppers with long forks look puny. The Detonator concept was drawn-up by Simon for his futuristic vehicle design company, Cosmic Motors, and it's being built by Parker Brothers Choppers, which also produced a run of real-life Light Cycles. Simon's website calls the Detonator a "street cruiser bike built for humanoid droids." (Does this guy have the coolest job ever or what?) Admittedly, that sounds more like science fiction than anything your dad is going to be driving around on the weekends, but if you've got $100,000 lying around, you can have a Detonator of your own. [Daniel Simon and Parker Brothers Choppers via Wired: Autopia] Update November 2, 2011 We heard from Daniel Simon the designer of the Detonator concept. Turns out he's got nothing to do with Parker Brothers Choppers. he asked that we post the following statement. There is no connection between a Florida-based motorcycle company and Daniel Simon / Cosmic Motors LLC. no designs were authorized or licensed to be used and sold by that company. Daniel Simon was not involved in the development of that product and has never worked with or for that company. you can keep up with Mario Aguilar, the author of this post, on Twitter and Google+.

<a href="http://gizmodo.com/5854977/the-detonator-is-a-huge-science-fiction-motorcycle-brought-to-electric-life/gallery/tag:news.google.com,2005:cluster=http://gizmodo.com/5854977/the-detonator-is-a-huge-science-fiction-motorcycle-brought-to-electric-life/gallery/Tue, 01 Nov 2011 00:32:47 GMT">The Detonator Is a Huge Science Fiction Motorcycle Brought to Electric Life

« Previous Page — Next Page »