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Tesla's latest zero-emission ride is a $1,500 surfboard
Good news: you won't have to wait until 2020 to try a new Tesla-branded ride. However, you may want to learn how to hang ten first. Tesla has quietly introduced a limited-run (just 200 units) surfboard that matches the company's vehicle aesthetic to a tee, including its red-and-black coloring and hints of carbon fiber (in this case, to reinforce the deck). Naturally, it'll fit inside the Model 3 and Tesla's other existing cars. And this isn't a casual effort -- Tesla had the help of Lost Surfboards and professional board maker Matt Biolos, so this design should carve the waves quite nicely.
ICYMI: Electric surfboard, '80s video app and more
#fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-143496{display:none;} .cke_show_borders #fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-143496, #postcontentcontainer #fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-143496{width:570px;display:block;} try{document.getElementById("fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-143496").style.display="none";}catch(e){} Today on In Case You Missed It: If Jaws has kept you out of the ocean, there's another way to experience surfing. Just pay $4,000 for the Onean Electric Surfboard and cruise lakes and rivers instead. And you can re-live the glory days of Saved by the Bell and Zumba pants with an iOS app that turns captured videos into vintage gems. And an art installation lets you sing to it and vibrates back with its own song.
BMW's concept motorcycle carries your surfboard
Like surfing, but would rather not strap your board to a big, stuffy car for the trip to the coastline? BMW's Concept Path 22 motorcycle might just let you travel lighter and enjoy the open road. The retro-inspired scrambler (a bike meant for off-roading) has a surfboard holder, so you can hit the waves at just about any beach without worrying about having the space to drive and park a four-wheeler. You might like the bike even if you're content to remain on terra firma, for that matter. The stripped-down look will trigger more than a few 1950's flashbacks, and there are modern touches like a digital dash and turn signal indicators built into the handlebars. There's no talk of whether or not the Path 22 will go into production, but we could see it being just the ticket if you regularly hang ten.
Engadget giveaway: win a Slingbox 500 and Motorola-ARRIS SURFboard
While "hanging ten" may be out of the question for those in the Northeast this time of year, it's still a great time for a SURFboard. ARRIS, the telecommunications company that acquired Motorola Home early last year, has jumped in to offer a Motorola-ARRIS SURFboard SBG6782-AC Gateway, along with a new Slingbox 500 to help make some waves in one lucky Engadget reader's home media center. The SURFboard is the first retail cable modem that also offers blazing fast WiFi 802.11AC, and it has MoCA networking for sharing multimedia across compatible smart devices. With the Slingbox 500 and its My Media feature, your movies, videos and photos will be accessible to you even when you're away from home. All you need to do is head on down to the Rafflecopter widget below for your chance to win. Winner: congratulations to Jacob G., Telluride, CO
Sensor-laden surfboard collects gnarly statistics, finally quantifies 'tubular, dude!'
Oh, sure -- it ain't the first time an array of data-collecting sensors have found their way into a surfboard, but the goal with this one is quite different than the one crafted last year at UC San Diego. Tecnalia and Pukas have cooperated in order to build a board with a downright astounding amount of sensors within: there's an embedded PC, gyroscopes, accelerometers, a compass and even GPS, all of which combine to generate a ridiculous amount of data from a ride and its rider. Every ounce of the collected information is stored in a flash memory stick, and after a session is wrapped, all of those bits and bytes are beamed over WiFi to a more potent computer for analysis. The software system to visualize and process the data has been developed in ROS, and with that, researchers can not only judge performance, but also see which techniques were superior. There's a video of the board in action just past the break, but sadly, no pre-order page has emerged just yet. Hint, hint.
Researchers use sensors to find the perfect surfboard, Gidget still looking for that perfect bikini (video)
Surfing and science are something of an odd mix, but we've seen time and time again that the two subjects to together like, well, salt and water. The latest high-tech stick to hit that briney mix comes from a team at UC San Diego, who outfitted a board with eight sensors on the bottom that measure the speed of the water as it rushes beneath. All are controlled by a waterpoofed computer embedded in the nose, which transmits data wirelessly to an Eee PC left sadly on the beach while its partner splashes around in the waves. The goal is to attempt to determine what level of flex is optimal and, once determined, to create the ultimate board and rule the world... the surfing world, at least.
NorhTec Gecko Surfboard is neither gecko nor surfboard (it's a keyboard PC)
It's still a bit early to call it a full-on trend, but it looks like there will be at least a few keyboard PCs on hand at CES next month, including this newly announced Gecko Surfboard form NorhTec. While it doesn't pack a built-in screen like ASUS' Eee Keyboard, it does have a considerably lower $99 price tag, which certainly makes it quite a bit more attractive as a second (or third) PC. Of course, that price also means quite a few more trade-offs, but the 1GHz Xcore86 processor and 512MB of RAM will at least let you get the basics done, and NorhTec boasts that the PC consumes just 5W of power. No word on storage just yet, but the Surfboard will boot from either an SD card or a 2.5-inch hard drive, and it even includes a composite video out to let you hook it up to your TV for a proper 1982 experience (don't worry, it has a VGA port too). You'll also be able to get it loaded with Windows XP, but that will cost you an extra $50 over the $99 Linux version. Head on past the break for a video.
VIA unveils its 1080p-playing SurfBoard NetNote, we'll still call it a netbook
The world needs more tiny notebooks able to fling out high-definition video without flinching. However, the world doesn't need more arbitrarily named categories of devices. So, it's with mixed feelings that we bring news of the finalization of the SurfBoard platform from VIA, pledging to bring 1080p playback to the netbook category -- or rather to the NetNote category, which is what VIA would like us to call it. We won't, but we will be happy to see the VX855 media processor start showing up in little laptops soon, as its support for H.264, MPEG-2/4, VC-1, and WMV9 sounds quite a bit more inclusive than we've found NVIDIA's ION to be. We're not particularly fond of the burnt umber hue applied to the initial recipient above (we liked the looks of the clear prototype much better), but if it means watching high def content in coach class without breaking our backs, killing our batteries, or melting our CPUs, we'd rock it. It certainly would go with the fall fashions. Full press release is below.
Motorola debuts world's first retail DOCSIS 3.0 cable modems
You'll still need the love and support of your dear cable provider, but if you're within range of DOCSIS 3.0 service, you can bypass at least one aspect of dealing with your local monopoly ISP. Starting this week, Motorola is launching the planet's first retail DOCSIS 3.0 cable modems, which enable speeds up to four times faster than DOCSIS 2.0. The SURFboard SB6120 DOCSIS 3.0 eXtreme cable modem will soon be cluttering up shelves at Fry's Electronics, presumably just beside the incredibly deceiving Monster Cable demonstration area. There's no word on price just yet, but don't expect such a luxury item to run you cheap, okay?
Video: Via announces Surfboard netbook with 1080p graphics
Via Technologies has announced its new Surfboard C855 mainboard reference design directed at the netbook market. This guy is built around the company's new VX855 chipset and promises 1080p Full HD video playback, 8-channel HD audio, hardware decoding for H.264, MPEG-2/4, VC-1 and WMV9, and support for Bluetooth, WiFi, GPS and 3G connectivity. According to the company, the thing will play HD video with under 40 percent CPU use, supporting up to 1366 x 768 internal display resolution (1920 x 1440 external). What do you think? Are you a would-be netbook developer looking for "a complete, ready-to-build solution," that offers "a superior multimedia entertainment experience?" Be sure to check out that video after the break.
Lenart Studios kicks out GPS / LCD-equipped surfboard
Granted, the Light Wave was snazzy in its own right, but Lenart Studios has certainly gone the extra mile with its iteration of the intelligent surfboard. Simply dubbed the Surf Radio, this board reportedly packs a built-in display that utilizes "radio and GPS technology" in order to "give surfers updated information about their location, rip currents, and building swells," and even doubles as a walkie-talkie for chatting it up with fellow riders. Moreover, the unit features an integrated sensor that can detect if you've wiped out a bit too harshly, and then triggers the internal communications system to send out an emergency beacon with your exact location. Unfortunately, there's no word on if this design will ever go mainstream, but a board so stacked ain't likely to run you cheap if it does.[Via Core77]
Light Wave Surfboard alerts tugboats of your presence
Now that it's been made possible to surf in bitterly cold waters without freezing up, we're sure more than a few daredevils would like to cut up after hours. Santa Cruz Light Wells' latest contraption takes the worry out of surfing beyond dusk, as the Light Wave Surfboard features headlights, a rail light, and fin lights to keep you lit up whilst carving those murky waves. Additionally, the rail light is controlled by a left or right handed dimmer switch, the headlights are activated by lifting the nose, and the tube lights / headlights can be "programmed to run from 10 to 45 seconds" at a time. The whole kit is powered by "two replaceable batteries" that should keep things bright for at least a night or two, but considering the $2,950 pricetag attached to this thing, we were definitely expecting it to run off hydroelectricity.[Via ShinyShiny]
