Sitting all day at a computer could take years off your life
GadgetsAre you sitting comfortably? Bad news, I'm afraid: sitting down all day in front of a computer and all evening in front of the TV is killing you.
That's according to new research, which reveals that those who sit for longer have a far greater chance of dying than those who don't sit as long. Continue reading...
Doctor Who sonic screwdriver and Star Trek tricorder are real
GadgetsScientists have boldly gone where no-one has gone before this week -- while shouting "Geronimo!" Probably. Separate teams have developed working gadgets similar to Doctor Who's sonic screwdriver and the tricorder seen in Star Trek.
Backroom boffins at the University of Dundee have developed an ultrasound array that can lift a 10cm rubber disk and spin it around without touching it, a bit like the Doctor's famous sonic screwdriver. Continue reading...
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I, Robot to be first 3D Blu-ray conversion from Fox
Gadgets20th Century Fox is stepping out on a mission to convert a heap of its movies into 3D Blu-rays, beginning with I, Robot -- bringing the Fresh Prince into your living room like never before.
Fox is planning to to convert a "series of legacy movies" from flat, old 2D into slap-you-in-the-face 3D, Home Media Magazine reports, with the 2004 Asimov adaptation leading the charge. Fox isn't forthcoming on exactly how many movies will see the conversion or what other titles we should expect, but I'd like to assume they'll go ahead and do everything Will Smith has ever been in. Continue reading...
Kindle Touch out in the UK tomorrow, ahead of schedule
GadgetsAmazon's Kindle Touch is out in the UK tomorrow, a week earlier than the online book-flogger had originally planned.
If you point your browser at Amazon.co.uk, both the Wi-Fi only and 3G editions of the touchscreen Kindle are available to buy now, priced at £109 and £169 respectively. Continue reading...
James Cameron and Google execs plot asteroid mining project?
GadgetsA spacefaring project backed by Aliens director James Cameron and Google head honchos is tipped to concern asteroid mining, and promises to "create a new industry and a new definition of 'natural resources'".
The news comes via a press release unearthed by MIT's Technology Review, detailing a new company called Planetary Resources that even has a cool space-age logo, and will officially lift-off next Tuesday, 24 April. Continue reading...
Porn filters need to be improved and possibly opt-in say MPs
GadgetsCurrent porn-filtering measures are unsatisfactory, according to a group of MPs in a parliamentary inquiry who recommend the government takes further steps to protect the innocent eyes of children.
Seventeen MPs across various political parties were involved in the inquiry, which came up with a set of recommendations, the BBC reports. One key point called for greater communication between the government and Internet service providers (ISPs) in order to better educate parents on the measures they can take to protect their children online. Continue reading...
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Philippe Starck's big Apple project is a Jobs family yacht
GadgetsThe Internet went into overdrive when renowned French designer Philippe Starck (him of the pointy kettle) he was working on a "revolutionary" new Apple product. In a radio interview with France Info, he claimed it'd be revealed soon too: "Indeed, there is a big project together which will be out in eight months," he said.
He wouldn't elaborate on what this product was, citing Apple's "religious cult of secrecy." What then could it be? The much-rumoured Apple TV set? Some new-fangled remote for it? Well no, it's a yacht for the Jobs family -- and don't expect it to pop up on the shelves of the Apple Store anytime soon. Continue reading...
Tim Cook spotted at Valve HQ, rumour mill implodes
GadgetsThis is the stuff geek dreams are made of. Apple's CEO Tim Cook was reportedly spotted at game company Valve's HQ in Washington State this week, CNET reports. Nothing too extraordinary about that, you might think. But this is the very same week that Valve advertised it was looking to hire people with hardware experience.
That sound you hear? It's the Internet falling over under the weight of conjecture. Continue reading...
Pebble E-Ink watch for iOS and Android drums up nearly $2m
GadgetsKickstarter, the website where ordinary folks can throw money at crazy inventions, has a new darling. Meet Pebble, an E-Ink wrist watch for iOS and Android that's already raised nearly $2m in funding.
The device itself reminds me a little of the chic, glossy styling found on Nokia's Lumia 800, and the idea behind it is to fill your wristwatch with apps and nifty phone features. Continue reading...
Best gamer chairs of the Gadget Show Live in video 
CNET UK's own Andrew Hoyle has been bringing you all the news from the Gadget Show Live in Birmingham this week, but all that racing around the NEC in search of the best techy toys and narrowly avoiding death by car-crash gets tiring after a while.
Fortunately, there was a chance for respite when the time came to test out the best gaming perches. Park yourself somewhere comfy and take a look at all the chairs in (in)action in the video above. Continue reading...
VW Up Emergency Braking System test-driven in video
Speed demon Andrew Hoyle visited The Gadget Show Live in Birmingham this week, where he went hands-on with the VW Up Emergency Braking System. Take a look at the video above to be taught a lesson in how to aufhalten, Volkswagen-style.
The system works by projecting invisible 10m laser beams out of the front of the car. If the laser beams bump into or encounter any objects in their way, the car will automatically be brought to a full stop. Continue reading...
Best toys of The Gadget Show Live in video
The biggest kid on the CNET team, Andrew Hoyle, went on a school trip to The Gadget Show Live in Birmingham this week and discovered some tantalisingly techy toys, which can be seen in the video round-up above.
First up, Andrew clambers aboard the Razor E100 Electric Scooter to get some high-speed thrills, without having to use the power of his feet. It's ideal for those who need to get somewhere in a hurry without breaking a sweat, or who just enjoy a 10mph two-wheeled canter around an empty car park. Continue reading...
Sky showing all 22 Bond movies ad-free in HD from October
TelevisionsGood news, Bond enthusiasts, Sky has acquired the rights to show all 22 movies in HD and without ruinous ad breaks later this year -- a feat which the broadcaster reckons is a first for UK telly.
As well as showing on Sky Movies Showcase HD, the films will be popping up on Sky's on-demand service, and will also be viewable on the move via Sky Go. Continue reading...
Ikea building and renting an entire neighbourhood in London 
GadgetsIkea wants to build you a house. Not a pine bookcase, not a nice little side table, not a quirkily colourful kitchen implement -- an entire house. The Swedish furniture company is building and renting out an entire neighbourhood of homes in London.
No, really. The Ikea neighbourhood -- Ikeahood? Ikeatown? -- is to be located in east London, near the Olympic site. It will be named Strand East and filled with families and leafy pedestrian boulevards. Continue reading...
BT Infinity doubling speeds to 76Mbps for free tomorrow
GadgetsWhat's infinity times two? If you're on BT broadband you're about to find out: BT Infinity is doubling its speeds from tomorrow -- for free.
To be precise, the BT Infinity 2 package goes up to 76Mbps from the current 38Mbps, with upload speeds boosted to 9.5Mbps from 1.9Mbps. Continue reading...
Sony loses £4bn as TV business struggles
GadgetsIt's never nice losing money -- just this weekend I took thirty quid out of the cash machine and I've no idea where it's gone. So I know exactly how Sony feels, having lost a rather unfortunate £4bn in the past year.
Reuters reports the giant debit is double what was predicted, and marks a fourth year of making a loss for the Japanese giant. Most of this year's loss is down to a big tax bill. Continue reading...
Mike Daisey exposer on Foxconn factory: 'it's like college'
GadgetsRob Schmitz, the man who exposed Mike Daisey's lies about Apple contractor Foxconn's factories, has had a tour of the assembly plant himself. While his findings are mostly positive -- he compared it to a college campus -- he has aired some of the workers' gripes.
Schmitz is only the second journalist after ABC's Bill Weir to tour the factory, Fortune reports. His findings can be heard on US radio tonight, or we've got a quick summary after the jump if you don't want to wait. Continue reading...
Augmented reality experts hit out at Google's Project Glass
GadgetsGoogle's Project Glass eyewear caused quite a stir when the company unveiled it this week. But now two augmented reality experts have cast doubts on whether Google could pull off what's shown in the promo video with the hardware.
"The small screen seen in the photos cannot give the experience the video is showing," Pranav Mistry, an MIT Media Lab researcher, told Wired. If that's true, it's no wonder Google's Sergey Brin was keeping the glasses to himself at a recent charity event. Continue reading...
Front-lit E Ink Amazon Kindle incoming
GadgetsWe're still waiting for the Kindle Touch to touch down on these shores, but it looks like Amazon has something far more exciting up its sleeve. The next-generation Kindle will boast a front-lit E-Ink screen, meaning it'll glow and you can read it in the dark without needing a light, Tech Crunch reports.
The new Kindle will go on sale this year, according to the report, so we can expect it to hit Blighty sometime around 2024, if Amazon sticks to its current rollout plans. But what will it be called? We've already had the Kindle Fire, so how about Kindle Glow? Or Kindle Flicker? Kindle Spark? Continue reading...
Sergey Brin spotted wearing Project Glass Google Glasses
GadgetsThese Google boys don't hang around. Just a few hours after announcing Project Glass -- the augmented reality glasses that bring virtual options to your real-world surroundings -- Google's Sergey Brin was spotted rocking a pair at a charity event.
Tech evangelist Robert Scoble made the spot, our sister site CNET News reports. "The Google Glasses are real!" Scoble tweeted. "Here is a set on @sergeybrinn cofounder of Google @ Palace Hotel, San Francisco." He went on: "They look very light weight. Not much different than a regular set of glasses." Continue reading...
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