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Daily Roundup: Honda and Toyota's human transporters, Valve's Steam Machine specs, Siri's voice actress and more!
You might say the day is never really done in consumer technology news. Your workday, however, hopefully draws to a close at some point. This is the Daily Roundup on Engadget, a quick peek back at the top headlines for the past 24 hours -- all handpicked by the editors here at the site. Click on through the break, and enjoy.
Honda UNI-CUB vs. Toyota Winglet: the battle of human transporters at CEATEC (video)
For the first time, this year's CEATEC in Tokyo dedicated one big hall to demo some electric vehicles, which include Nissan's autonomous Leaf and a couple of human transporters: Honda's UNI-CUB and Toyota's Winglet. While neither mobilizer is totally new, we just couldn't pass up this opportunity to give them a test drive, especially when they are still not yet street legal -- not even in Japan. The good news is we survived to tell the tale, so do read on to find out what it feels like to burn these tiny wheels at 6km/h.
Toyota begins public testing of its Segway killer, reminds us Segway was a thing (video)
Originally teased five years ago, Toyota's Segway-killing Winglet is finally taking to the streets of Japan for public testing. While the original device was designed to be steered by users' knees, the revamped edition now contains a familiar steering pillar-and-wheels combination. The trials are due to run through March 2016 with the aim of proving that the Winglet is safe, functional and will save shoe leather on your commute to work. Those curious to see what the Japanese version of infamous Segway fan George Oscar Bluth Jr. (or, you know, Justin Bieber) looks like, head past the break for the video.
Toyota's Winglet aims to usurp Segway, why we don't know (updated with video)
Prepare to step aside Segway, you had your chance to revolutionize personal transportation. Introducing the Toyota Winglet. Still under development, Winglet's body has a 10.4 x 18-inch footprint and stands 1.5-, 2.2-, or 3.7-feet tall (depending upon the S, M, or L model chosen) and features an electric motor capable of a max 6km/h cruising speed for up to 10km a jaunt (only 5km for the S model). Like the Segway, the user controls the Winglet by shifting his weight to move the transporter forward and back or to make tight turns. Winglet will begin consumer testing at the Central Japan International Airport near Nagoya and Laguna Gamagori resort this Autumn with further testing in more crowded environments planned for 2009. It's planned to hit a production stride in 2010. Hey Toyota, here's a hint: you'd better start lobbying for sidewalk legalization ASAP if you're hoping for global success. All three pictured after the break in order of S, M, and Large.Update: Video added to show just how nimble the handle-less S and M versions can be.[Via Akihabara News]
