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Clear security lanes storming back to airports, principled travelers high five one another
Don't call it a comeback. Or do, because that's precisely what this is. After Clear shuffled its final incorruptible passenger through a speedy security lane in June of last year, the company closed up shop and forced even the nicest of travelers to re-join the herds. Thankfully for us all, Alclear has decided that life's simply no good without a hasty security option at airports, and it has plopped down $6 million in order to acquire the assets of Verified Identity Pass out of bankruptcy protection. According to our hombres at Gadling, that purchase price doesn't include individual airport contracts, so it'll be an uphill battle getting these lanes back into the places in which they're needed. If all goes well, we could see the first Clear avenues reopen this fall, with pricing set at $179 per year for unlimited individual use or $229 per year for unlimited family use. Head on past the break for more details on reactivating old subscriptions and the full presser.
Southwest nails down in-flight WiFi partnership, whole fleet to be lit by 2012
It's about time, ain't it? Southwest -- which is easily one of the most enjoyable airlines to fly on here in the States -- has finally cemented its in-flight WiFi plans after more than two full years of hemming, hawing and testing. A fresh blog posting on the airline's website clues us in on exactly how difficult to road to this day has been, but a finalized partnership with Row 44 will allow wireless equipment to be installed into 15 aircraft per month starting in Q2 of this year. In time, the company will ramp that up to 25 per month, which should mean that its entire fleet of 540 planes will be outfitted for mile-high web access by "early 2012." We're still being kept in the dark when it comes to pricing, but Southwest assures us that it's still "testing a variety of price points on the four aircraft that currently have WiFi" and that a decision will be made in a few more months. Update: Tipster MJK just hit us up with this tidbit, and if Southwest keeps this kind of pricing in tact, it could very well start a price war with the legacy carriers who charge upwards of $13 per flight for access."I took a trip from Los Angeles to Albuquerque recently and they charged $4 for the entire trip. It's just around two hours but it was indeed fast WiFi."
Fly Mobile's B430 DS marries Bold's keyboard, two SIMs, mystery meat OS
BlackBerry users tend to be die-hard, rabid defenders of the platform, which leads us to believe that many would throw up in their mouths just a little bit when seeing their beloved Bolds get bastardized in the name of bringing an honest-to-goodness KIRF to market. Meet Indian firm Fly Mobile's B430 DS, a phone that borrows freely from elements of both the Curve 8900 and Bold 9000, but not in two fairly important places: the trackball and -- of course -- the operating system. It seems the B430 is a dumbphone that offers up integrated Nimbuzz IM, Snaptu social networking, and Opera Mini right in ROM -- all apps that stand to benefit from the Bold's classic QWERTY keyboard design. It also has support for two SIMs, a 1.3 megapixel cam (not quite up to task with the genuine article's 2 megapixel unit), and a price that's sure to be thousands of rupees below that of any real BlackBerry -- thing is, getting it on sale outside of India without meeting legal resistance might be a bit of a challenge. It's on sale in the local market now.
Mad scientists figure out how to write memories to brains, take over Earth
Call us crazy, but we're guessing one Gero Miesenböck of the University of Oxford has been watching just a wee bit too much Fringe. Gero here, along with a few of his over-anxious colleagues, has seemingly figured out a way to actually write memories onto a fruit fly's brain using only a laser pen and three-fourths of a Ouija board. We know what you're thinking, and we're thinking the same. But all terrifying thoughts aside, what if boffins could burn memories of hard lessons learned into our minds without us having to suffer through them first? You know, like upgrading to Snow Leopard.
Parajet SkyCar flying vehicle evolves, now ready for pre-orders
The historians once pontificated that we'd all be cruising about in flying cars right around the year 2000, and while that whole Y2K fiasco threw us a tad behind schedule, it looks like the future may actually still be upon us. Parajet, the same company responsible for that downright unnerving personal flying machine we peeked back in '05, has now placed its long-awaited SkyCar up for pre-order. Said vehicle has evolved quite dramatically over the years, but now that dollars (er, pounds) are being dropped on it, we have to assume that the design is near final. The vehicle is completely street legal and can accelerate to 62mph in just 4.2 seconds, thus making it the world's first "usable, road-legal flying car." If you're champing at the bit to be the first on your block with one, you can drop £10,000 ($16,381) now and pay the remaining £50,000 ($81,905) just before it ships in "late 2010." Of course, we're not making any promises about it actually shipping, but that's a risk you'll have to take.[Via AutoblogGreen]
WWDC Demo (and sneak peek): SciFly 2, a dogfight app for your iPhone or iPod touch
I was shocked to discover the young author of SciFly (iTunes link) hadn't even graduated high school when he first started coding, and wrote the original game while in high school. Based on his success with the first version, he dropped out of high school and has dedicated himself to iPhone development. From what I saw of SciFly 2, it may pay off. The sequel is a massive expansion on the original, with every bit of it written by a young man who seemed to have a versatile skill set and a passion for mobile development. We'll post on Twitter and Facebook when the sequel is available on the store. You can also try a a Lite version of the original here (iTunes link).
Carnivorous Clock eats bugs, begins doomsday countdown
It's not enough that humans gave robots a place to congregate to plan our demise, now we've adapted them with the ability to extract fuel from the very nectar of life. All that innocent experimentation with fuel cells that run on blood has led to this, a flesh-eating clock. This prototype time-piece from UK-based designers James Auger and Jimmy Loizeau traps insects on flypaper stretched across its roller system before depositing them into a vat of bacteria. The ensuing chemical reaction, or "digestion," is transformed into power that keeps the rollers rollin' and the LCD clock ablaze. The pair offers an alternative design fueled by mice, another contraption whose robotic arm plucks insect-fuel from spider webs with the help of a video camera, and a lamp powered by insects lured to their deaths with ultraviolet LEDs. Man, this is so wrong it has to be right.[Via Hack a Day, thanks Isaac]
Clear shuffles through its last upstanding citizen, tells the rest to fall in line
Let's face it: no one digs long security lines at airports. But if you reckoned a healthy amount of folks would be willing to pay $128 per year in order to bypass said lines at only a few airports in the world, you'd be wrong. After launching with high hopes back in 2005, Clear has quietly folded after failing to "negotiate an agreement with its senior creditor to continue operations." There's no word on what'll happen to existing paying customers, but we get the feeling they'll be directed towards a somewhat unpleasant creek sans a paddle. Or, you know, that poorly staffed lane to the left with 384 (give or take) cantankerous, shoeless travelers.[Image courtesy of Airliners]
WowWee's Lightstar flying blade reviewed: a cheap thrill
Looking for something to pass the time, scratch that robotic itch and come in at under a Jackson? Look no further than WowWee's Lightstar, the latest and greatest addition to the outfit's growing FlyTech family. The robot lovers over at RobotsRule were able to get their grimy hands around this here flying blade, and while they weren't expecting much for just $20, they came away delightfully enthralled. Essentially, there's no way to steer the chopper, but you can vary the acceleration and bounce it off of walls in order to keep your brain stimulated and a grin on your face. The real excitement kicked in when all the lights were flipped off and the Pink Floyd was cranked to 11. For a look at what we mean, check out the demonstration vid just past the break -- looks like $20 well spent from here.
Fly Mobile's E310 Attitude takes a stroll into the FCC's office
And now, a dispatch from our "we'd be gaga over it with a 3G radio" department: Fly Mobile's E310 Attitude slider has slid on through the FCC's testing process, blessing it with a sort of cheap, neo-Chocolate look and feel that'd make LG proud. Truth be told, we can't tell if that's a good thing without getting our hands on the phone, but we'll admit, there's something intriguing to us about it from the cold, clinical shots the FCC is giving us -- and the hidden d-pad below the display is still pretty trick for the low-cost segment that Fly is trying to target. It's got a 3.2-megapixel camera, integrated FM radio, TV-out, Bluetooth, and microSDHC support; on the downside, the GPRS data leaves a musty taste in our mouths, but hey, at least it's of the quadband variety.
Stanford's autonomous helicopters learn new tricks by watching
While a great many scientists are attempting to create autonomous bots for uses in surgery, a team of Stanford whiz-kids are having a bit more fun with it all. The crew in question has concocted an artificial intelligence system that "enables robotic helicopters to teach themselves to fly difficult stunts by watching other helicopters perform the same maneuvers." Dubbed a demonstration in "apprenticeship learning," the robots can actually learn by observing rather than having to be programmed, meaning that entire airshows could be reeled off by planes that simply keep an open mind when warm-ups are underway. Of course, they could also be used for more serious applications -- mapping out hot spots of California wildfires, finding land mines in war zones, etc. -- but even if none of that pans out, we're cool with inventions being used purely for entertainment.
The Professor: Cellphone mind control, robotic fly eyes, lab-on-a-chip meets papercraft
The Professor rounds up a handful of interesting and informative gadget-related science stories from the week and presents them in an easily digestible liquid form. Having trouble keeping your fingers, thumbs, or eyeballs on the pulse of modern science? Do you find yourself in the throes of panic due to misunderstandings in molecular goings-on? Did the latest aircar, split atom, or robotic insectoid go buzzing over your head before you had time to ready a response? Don't worry friends, The Professor is here to help. Though not an actual scientist, professor, or even a college graduate, he can help guide you through the cascading, complicated, and spasmodic visionary vistas of human invention and achievement as smoothly as a hot knife descending into softened butter.
The Daily Grind: Forms of transportation
No matter what game you play or virtual world you inhabit, one of the major points is how to get around. In Second Life, you can hit a SLurl and teleport, or if you're just exploring, you can fly around the landscape and check out what people have designed and built. In World of Warcraft, you can run around on different land-based mounts in "old" Azeroth, and enjoy lots of different forms of flying mounts in Outland. In EverQuest, you could take boats, books, portals, be transformed into a wolf, or just get a speed-buff in the form of a SoW. Perfect World allows you to pile a land mount on top of a flying mount, even! It seems like with as varied as each game is, there are always preferences for one mode or another. I will admit that one of my favorite ways to get around is SuperJump in City of Heroes just because it's just so much fun to bounce into a group of bad guys, then bounce away. Today we thought we'd ask you what your favorite methods of getting around are? Do you have a Peep (the phoenix mount from WoW) or are you all about catching portals to save time? Do you like the city-to-city teleports offered in Guild Wars, or prefer to adventure with your noble steed in Lord of the Rings Online?
WowWee's radio-controlled Barry B. Benson flying Bee
What do you get when you cross the FlyTech Dragonfly with Jerry Seinfeld? Well, if you're WowWee and Dreamworks you get a radio-controlled Barry B. Benson, star of the upcoming Bee Movie animated release. 6x AA batteries provide enough juice to propel the $50 critter "close to 18 miles an hour." Unfortunately, it will likely possess a range of just 30-feet like its Dragonfly cuz when it lands in October.
Harvard University's robotic fly takes flight
In a move sure to enkindle flying robotic creatures everywhere, a new species is finally ready to join the gang, as a "life-size, robotic fly has taken flight at Harvard University." The diminutive creation weighs just 60-milligrams, sports a three-centimeter wingspan, and has been developed to boast movements "modeled on those of a real fly." Notably, this isn't the first time we've seen researchers rely on the works of nature in order to craft their own mechanical beings, and given the fly's innate ability to be an excellent spy or chemical detection agent, it's no shock to hear that DARPA is reportedly sponsoring the endeavor. As expected, taking flight was simply the first step in a long line of improvements to come, as the man behind the machine is now looking to integrate an onboard battery and create a flight controller so that the robot can move in different directions.
Quanta and Dell collaborating on "Fly" smartphone?
While we aren't exactly keen on the taste of salt trickling down our throats, we're afraid a healthy dose is in order with this one. According to the always questionable DigiTimes, Quanta Computer is actually developing a "PDA handset" for Dell, and considering that it was but eight days ago that the firm's Axim hit the graveyard, the timing here is doubtlessly intriguing. Of course, this isn't the first time rampant rumors have swirled around a newfangled Dell handheld, but the outcome here could be a tad different than before considering the handset guru that just recently punched in. The project is reportedly operating under the codename "Fly," and while no design specifics were handed out, it should sport Windows Mobile 6, HSDPA, and probably a QWERTY keyboard to boot. Whatever the case, at least this thing shouldn't conflict with any Cisco trademarks if it all pans out.
VentureOne three-wheeled hybrid does flex-fuel
We most certainly dig where this uber-green three-wheeled vehicle category is going, as just one week after seeing the Silence PT2, we've now learned that Venture Vehicles will be tossing the two-wheeled axle in the rear and calling its rendition the VentureOne. Based around Carver Engineering's tilting technology, this trike is officially classified as a motorcycle, but sports a fully enclosed body, roll-cage construction, airbags and bumpers similar to a standard car. The vehicle will hold three folks, and the company has plans for two plug-in hybrid variations that utilize a flex-fuel approach to barely sip gasoline from the four gallon tank, all while touting 100 miles per gallon and the ability to hit speeds upwards of 100 miles per hour; eventually, Venture is also hoping to release an all-electric breed that can scoot 200 miles before needing a recharge. Although production isn't slated to begin until "late 2008," that should give you enough time to save up a good chunk of the $18,000 (E50 hybrid) to $23,000 (all-electric model) that'll be required to snap one up -- and to acquire a motorcycle license, too.[Via Gizmag]
Virgin America showcases pimped out aircraft, lobbies for US flights
If you've never heard of Richard Branson before today, you just might become one of his best friends after checking his aircraft. The billionaire in charge of Virgin Atlantic wants to bring the company's "passion for innovation and technology" to America, and while we've seen glimmers of hope for air travel within the States, it seems that VA's alternatives demolish the current US-based offerings (although there's word that the Panasonic eFx system will be hitting US flights in the future). Utilizing a somewhat cheesy lobbyist website, the airline is attempting to garner public support to allow them to reverse the US DOTs decision to disallow VA from taking flight on American soil. But regardless of politics, the real news here is the plane's interior; first class riders get a plush, leather seating area with a flipout LCD, while "normal" passengers still get a fairly comfy looking chair and a seat-mounted 9-inch touchscreen LCD. Moreover, each passenger gets their own 110-volt power outlet (adapters, be gone!), USB port, and Ethernet jack. The VA-engineered RED in-flight entertainment system only rivals SIA's KrisWorld system, and delivers music, gaming, movies, and even food choices right to your screen. While some may find this tough to believe, you'll even encounter a full QWERTY keyboard, live TV via Dish Network, on-board email / IM / chat, the ability to create playlists and transfer them to connecting flights, and pretty much anything else you'd need to not want to ever reach your destination. So if you're interested in helping Mr. Branson make a few more billion, and would like to fly the friendly skies in complete and total geek heaven, be sure to hit the read link to vouch your opinion, and click on through for a YouTube demonstration of all the aforementioned niceties.[Via NewTeeVee]
Swiss daredevil cruises the friendly skies with winged jetpack
Sure, watching Wowwee's FlyTech Dragonfly buzz around the room at your command elicits quite a few positive emotions, but we can't even fathom the thrill (not to mention the feeling of impending death) that would come from cruising the skies via jetpack. Yves Rossy -- a Swiss daredevil whom we all look forward to living through vicariously -- says he has become "the first person to gain altitude and maintain a stable, horizontal flight thanks to aerodynamic carbon foldable wings." While we've seen jetpacks before, and realize that folks have taken to the air on similar devices in years past, Reuters is giving us a sneak peek at Rossy's flight, which he took on the kerosene-powered, back-strapped vehicle -- and we admit, it looks like quite the thrill ride. So if you're looking to quell your fears before picking up one of your own (hopefully) in a few years, be sure to hit the read link for a live action video (and a good reason to grin).[Via Fark]
Make your windows fly with Fentres Volantes, a 3D screensaver
For years now, I haven't really been one for screensavers. Ever since I started owning nothing but portable machines with LCDs and I found out that burn-in really doesn't happen anymore, I either opt to let my displays dim and turn themselves off to save power or I simply leave my chat and email apps front and center so I can keep an eye on what's going on. Aside from occasionally turning on Mac OS X's RSS screensaver in a coffee shop to show off a little, I just haven't been that interested in screensavers.Until TUAW reader Mark Rickert sent us a tip for the Fenêtres Volantes screensaver.This screensaver takes your idle windows and gives them something to do - by making them fly around your display in 3D space. The effect is really slick and driven by Quartz Composer, which also means the unfortunate lack of anti-aliasing is a ball in Apple's court, not the developer's. The screensaver is fairly customizable, with controls for how many windows to use, how fast to move, whether a second display is involved, and more. Mac OS X 10.4.6 is required, as is a G4, G5 or Intel CPU at 1 Ghz or faster.Fenêtres Volantes is donationware and available from the author's site at Objective Cocoa.
