We've seen GM's carefully managed Volt PR campaign, but that hasn't stopped our friends at AutoBlogGreen from combing the net for a better look, resulting in these apparent snaps of the center console and the production exterior rolling along the set of Transformers 2. The shiny, rounded all white center console with touch sensitive interface? You're probably thinking what we're thinking. At least the exterior shot -- which shows off a "Volt" badge on the A-pillar -- is a bit more clear. Of course, this might just be a movie-only iteration and any number of things could change before those batteries get out of Malibus and into proper rolling stock... but we'll just sit back and keep our fingers crossed, at least until 2010.

Read - Chevy Volt Interior
Read - Chevy volt Exterior

That USB missile launcher you had to have is one thing, but a giant 4 port USB hub in the likeness of the All Spark cube the Transformers movie? Did we mention it talks, spouting off classics like "We must protect the All Spark Cube," every time you plug in a device? This surely-authorized product will run you about $35 US, although the toll on your dignity may not be calculable.

[Via Everything USB]

Michael Bay can breathe easy, Paramount (Dreamworks included) has officially gone Blu-ray. Two and a half years after announcing itself purple, and exactly five months after becoming HD DVD exclusive, this move makes all six major Hollywood studios Blu. Don't make space for that Blu edition of Transformers in your DVD rack just yet, as the company plans to "monitor consumer adoption and determine our release plans accordingly", but with PS3 sales up and BD Live on the way, we can't imagine it will take very long. The Hollywood Reporter expects to see Universal and Paramount new releases hitting Blu-ray and DVD at the same time by late spring or early summer, when we can forget this whole thing ever happened -- unless of course you picked up an HD DVD player for Shrek, in which case we have a few ideas on what to do next.

[Thanks to Robert and everyone who sent this in]

We know how you Transformers aficionados roll -- you'll spend your very last dollar just to ensure your collection stays complete. That being said, we'd probably recommend skipping right over this Autobot 1GB USB flash drive, unless you dig (likely) non-licensed gear cluttering up your pristine heap, that is. If you're still letting your heart cloud your mind, riddle us this: what legitimate piece of Transformers kit requires you to purchase 12?

[Via Coolest-Gadgets]

The Transformers' Bumblebee showed up on the CES show floor this year, though we have to say he was more than a little worse for wear. According to reports, he'd been out drinking all night with David Caruso at the Bellagio, and couldn't find his keys when he woke up... which we're sure you can imagine is a major problem for him. When we requested an interview, the alien robot claimed he wasn't feeling too well, and asked if we had a swimming pool and two gigantic Alka-Seltzer tablets.

With all of yesterday's excitement over the availability of TV converter box coupons, we totally spaced on the annual Rose Parade, featuring that crazy ASIMO-piloted, transforming Ridgeline float from Honda. Well luckily a member of the YouTube nation was able to (rather shakily) capture a full transformation sequence on home video, which you can catch in three parts after the break. Our take? Pretty impressive for a parade float, but pit this achingly-slow changer against any one of the Decepticons in a ROBO-One-style deathmatch, and Honda would have a lot of truck-plane pieces to sweep up after the carnage.

Generally we're a little too, um, preoccupied on New Year's Day to bother with such trifles as opening our eyes and watching the annual Rose Parade from Pasadena, but with Honda planning an ambitious float for 2008 that will feature a gigantic ASIMO replica riding a transforming Honda Ridgeline, well, at the very least we'll be setting our DVR. According to American Honda, which provides the Tournament of Roses with hundreds of vehicles and has won numerous awards for its entries in the past, its generators will cause "the hood of the truck to fold forward to become an aircraft cockpit, the doors and sides of the truck to unfold outward to become wings, the wheels to tuck under the body, and the bed of the truck to open and take on the form of an aircraft tail section, complete with rocket engines - and even real fire." Giant robots piloting huge fire-breathing truck-planes? If this truly is a "Passport to the Future" as Honda claims, you can sign us up! Lots more pics in the gallery below, and a full seven-part, behind-the-scenes mini-documentary after the break.


[Via The Raw Feed, photos and videos courtesy of Honda]

Ha, so much for standing up to the boss-man. Michael's latest post now says that, "I drank the Kool Aid" blah blah blah "so I think I might be back on to do Transformers 2!" Whatever, wuss.

Yeah, we've got a soft spot for all things Transformers, and while Takara Tomy's Transformers MP3 player isn't the most advanced DAP on the block, the fun factor is undeniable. Thankfully, the folks over at PrimeDiary were able to wrangle one of these bad boys up for themselves and snap a few photographs. Needless to say, we're envious, but go on and click through for a couple more shots of the MP3 player fanboys just have to have.

So by now you've heard that Paramount has dropped support for Blu-ray right? Good, so has a notable Hollywood director. Michael Bay -- the man behind "Transformers," "Bad Boys," "Pear Harbor," etc. -- just threw down with Paramount in his personal blog. In a forum post titled "Paramount pisses me off!", he states, "I want people to see my movies in the best formats possible. For them to deny people who have Blu-ray sucks! They were progressive by having two formats. No Transformers 2 for me!" That's right Mike, aim your PS3 right at their coffers!

Update: Ha, so much for standing up to the boss-man. Michael's latest post now says that, "I drank the Kool Aid" blah blah blah "so I think I might be back on to do Transformers 2!" Whatever, wuss.

[Thanks, Pilam69 and Carl G.]

Pretty friggin good Bumblebee model, right? What would you think if we told you it was done in paper? We know, right? Totally a cut above the rest. Ahem.

[Thanks, Sonic]

It's one thing to create a Transformers-themed machine that doesn't actually, you know, transform, but to assemble a fully customized Optimus Prime PC case that morphs from a menacing computer into a full-fledged robotic destroyer deserves extra kudos. Pennsylvania's own John Mangus spent some 300-hours over the course of a year building his Optimus Prime machine, which amazingly stands in at six-feet, ten-inches in height and weighs 125-pounds. It's so big, in fact, that the backs of its legs actually house lockable compartments large enough to cram keyboards (and probably printers) into. Quite honestly, this thing would be impressive without a hint of PCB residing within, but be sure and click through for another angle of what's possibly the most coveted case mod we've seen in recent memory.

As some sort of sick consolation prize for not getting to appear in the new Transformers movie, Soundwave has had his cassette tape guts ripped out and replaced with a cold, MP3 playing heart. For around $100 depending on the edition and shipping, you can purchase Takara/Tomy's Soundwave MP3 player. Instead of taking clunky tapes, the Soundwave MP3 player has a slot for SD cards, along with the usual headphone jack and music controls. And yes, it does do the whole transforming bit: there wouldn't be much point otherwise, donchafink?

[Via Dosboy]

As a staff member here at Engadget can attest, you never know when someone may want your mobile a hair more than you, so we've no qualms with a cellphone that packs its very own form of weaponry to fend off thieves. Of course, this completely conceptual device is highly unlikely to hit production (at least in first-world nations), but there's still something about a transforming mobile that whips out a set of chainguns and walks on its own that would convince us to pick one up. Intrigued? It gets better -- hit the read link to see this monster in action.

Haier has created a Transformers themed notebook that on the surface could be pretty interesting for the most die-hard Transformers fans, but is really nothing more than a laptop with a big decal on the back -- hey, at least it's not a Decepticon. The specs are relatively good too, with the G70 notebook running on Intel's PM965 chipset, and featuring a 1920 x 1200 pixel 17-inch display, 2GB of RAM, a 120GB Hard Disk, and a GeForce Go 7950GTX with 512MB of VRAM. Now all Haier needs to do is to get a shipment of these within life-giving distance of the Allspark: we can almost see the "Allspark contact" CTO option on our screen right now.