Posted by Benjamin Roudenis on May 30, 2011
In the past few thousand years, the way we pay has changed just three times—from coins, to paper money, to plastic cards.
Now we’re on the brink of the next big shift.
Google Wallet is an Android app that makes your phone your wallet. It stores virtual versions of your existing plastic cards on your phone. Simply tap your phone to pay and redeem offers using near field communication, or NFC.
Google Wallet has been designed for an open commerce ecosystem. It will eventually hold many if not all of the cards you keep in your leather wallet today. And because Google Wallet is a mobile app, it will be able to do more than a regular wallet ever could, like storing thousands of payment cards and Google Offers but without the bulk. Eventually your loyalty cards, gift cards, receipts, boarding passes, tickets, even your keys will be seamlessly synced to your Google Wallet. And every offer and loyalty point will be redeemed automatically with a single tap via NFC.
Google Wallet
Posted by Benjamin Roudenis on May 30, 2011
What if you could run, sprint and climb hills every day and never be sidelined by impact-related injuries? It’s like running on air! Get your fun cardio workout without the jarring impact of running or the discomfort of traditional cycling. The 3C is the perfect fitness solution for everyday fitness enthusiasts or cross-training athletes who will ride on relatively flat terrain and only require a basic range of workout resistance levels. The 8S is the premier outdoor fitness device for fitness enthusiasts or cross-training athletes who will ride on flat and hilly terrain and desire a wide range of workout resistance levels.
ElliptiGO 3C, ElliptiGO 8S
Posted by Benjamin Roudenis on May 2, 2011
Altaeros’s blimp, technically called an “aerostat” since it is tethered to the ground rather than free-flying, is designed to hold a wind turbine in its hollow center and fly at nearly 2,000 feet, where the winds are more consistent and powerful. A thick mooring cable will carry the electricity generated by the turbine to a ground station.
. . . . .
Altaeros believes its aerostat design could produce two to five times as much power as a pole-mounted, 350-foot-tall turbine in the exact location. Initially, the company is developing what you might call “wind power in a box,” packing the balloon, helium tanks, rotor, generator, and related gear into a shipping container. The container would then be sent to a remote oil field, island, or military post that would typically rely on a diesel generator for power. Altaeros’s aim is that the aerostat will be flying after just a day of set-up and will only need to descend every three or four months for a helium top-off and a maintenance check.
A generator that’s lighter than air — and relatively light on the wallet [The Boston Globe]