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Solar Impulse 2 starts historic round-the-world flight in March
The Solar Impulse 2 team has revealed the route and schedule for its audacious attempt to cross the world powered only by the sun. It'll launch from Abu Dhabi around early March and stop in spots like Chongqing, New York City and Southern Europe before returning to Abu Dhabi. If solar-powered-anything doesn't sound thrilling, let's put things in scale: the 72m (236 foot) aircraft is wider than a Boeing 747, but at 2,300 kilograms (5,000 pounds) weighs less than an SUV. Suffice to say, an aircraft that light won't be terribly comfortable for pilots Bertrand Piccard and André Borschberg, who will often fly for days at a time in an unheated, unpressurized cockpit.
Around the world Tesla Roadster tour back on track after swift repair job
While we might not have enjoyed the full story arc just yet, we came within an electric whisker of seeing the electric Roadster's around the world trip derailed completely. The team at Tesla service in Munich, however, obviously love a fairytale ending -- which is why they pledged to fix-up the car in the fastest time possible. Just four days after that show-stopping accident, de Mestre is back in the game, and heading south to Barcelona. The journey won't end there though, as to make up some lost miles on the French Citroen team, he'll travel back up to Strasbourg, and in turn roll over the virtual 25,000 km finish line. Assuming no other problems along the way, we'll be mentally cheering the him along.
Tesla driver fails to complete world tour after crash on the home straight
An unfortunate traffic accident brought Rafael de Mestre's electric trek across the globe to an abrupt halt today, stopping his Tesla Roadster a scant 600 miles from the finish line. "Game over," the world traveler wrote on Facebook and Twitter, posting a picture of the damaged vehicle and assuring readers that he survived the ordeal. Since then, he's only offered a small update, lamenting the loss of his faithful electric carriage and sharing a short video of the accident's aftermath. Lend the dejected driver some moral support (or just engage in digital rubbernecking) at the source links below. Update: We initially reported that Rafael was just a kilometer from the end of his race when he crashed, but he in fact wiped out 1,000km from the line -- still very unlucky considering he'd traveled 24,000km unscathed.
Tesla Roadster driver now halfway around the world, catching up with Citroen team (video)
Human antagonists can bring far more stress to a journey than a ticking clock. Phileas Fogg learned that, and now Tesla Roadster owner Rafael de Mestre is discovering it too. He wants to be the first to drive a standard EV (i.e. not solar- or hydrogen-powered vehicle) around the world, and just like Jules Verne's hero he intends to do it in 80 days -- but he's not alone. Two Frenchmen in a little Citroen C-Zero (a sibling of the Mitsubishi i) have the same ambition, and although they've budgeted a comfortable eight months for their trip, they already have a three-month head start over de Mestre. As things stand, the Roadster is on a ship bound for China, while the Citroen duo are trundling up through Malaysia. Fortunately, de Mestra's figured out another bit of racing wisdom: the importance of demoralizing your enemies with YouTube clips like the one after the break.
Around the world in eight days: A journey in Wurm Online, part two
My journey around the world of Wurm Online continues on today through the second half of the trip. In yesterday's story, we explored the eastern and southern shores of the map's mainland, and now we get to see the western and northern shores in all their glory. Although that southwestern-most tip of land is heavily populated, you're back to desolation when you make your way up into the cliff faces of the western shore. I spent one night in the side of a rocky mountain, only slightly protected from the elements as I chiseled my way into the rock just enough for a fire and shelter for the night. I decided to roleplay a bit during the trip, setting up proper shelter before I logged out of the game for the day. What's funny about this particular shelter is the fact that I discovered a very rare diamond only three squares into the cave. I've dug entire mazes of underground mines and never found a diamond before, so this was a sure sign that the rest of the trip was going to be bountiful. And it was! Follow along below for more.%Gallery-120997%
Around the world in eight days: A journey in Wurm Online, part one
Wurm Online is a unique MMO. I can't think of many other games that allow the freedom of Wurm, which may be why I still consider it my favorite online game to this date. For anyone who hasn't tried the game or heard me yammer on about it on the Massively Speaking podcast, I'll explain the basics. Wurm Online is a sandbox game created to allow players unbelievable freedom. If you've played Minecraft, you have the basic premise of Wurm, but multiply that experience by about 100. In fact, Markus "Notch" Persson was the co-founder and co-creator of Wurm before moving on to Minecraft and world fame. Wurm Online starts you off as a fairly inanimate and uncustomizable character whose goal is to simply build. Find a spot of unclaimed land, throw down a settlement token, and build to your heart's content. You cut down trees for wood, mine stone for ore, forage and fish for food, and use it all to create the world that lives within your imagination.
NintendoWare Weekly: Chick Chick Boom, Around the World
The Flashy-looking Chick Chick Boom headlines this week's WiiWare releases, as a pair of Neo Geo titles comes to Virtual Console. On DSiWare, there's a virtual slots game and the sequel to DodoGo! (the exclamation being part of the game title). Check out the full breakdown of digital Wii and DSi releases for the week after the break. %Gallery-104897%
Solar boat crew heading out on a fantastic voyage around the world
A group of engineers, scientists and sailors have banded together to form a team they call Solar Planet. The group are now building a 98-foot-long solar-powered boat, for the express purpose of sailing all the way around the world using nothing but the delicious power of the sun. The $13 million dollar vessel -- which is currently in construction in Kiel, Germany -- will have 5,059 square feet of photovoltaic cells, and should be able to circumnavigate the earth in about 120 days, at a rate of about 10 knots. The project is being funded by Swiss company Rivendell Holding AG, that has committed to investing in green technology. The group hopes to set sail sometime next year from Marseilles, France, with various stops off along the way. They will undoubtedly tire of hearing that Daft Punk song long before they ever leave the shore. Check out a sweet render of the boat after the break.
International iPhone pricing guide
On July 11, 2008, the iPhone 3G will be launching all over the world. As the release date draws near, we have been inundated with tips from readers about international 3G launch dates and prices. In an attempt to try to keep the information organized in one place, I (stupidly, perhaps) volunteered to create a table containing the data from every country that is releasing the iPhone 3G on July 11 (plus France, which is launching on July 17). I did my best to provide the most accurate information, although some carriers have yet to release official information.If you see any errors, please let me know -- I can update the table and the results will correct themselves immediately on this page.Update: Thank you for all the helpful feedback! I will be out of town for the 4th of July, but will try to get information updated/corrected later today. I am also considering putting together a different chart comparing the final price at the end of contract, to determine who gets the "best" and "worst" deals respectively on the iPhone 3G. Thanks to everyone who sent in links that helped contribute to this information!
Engadget around the world
We know you've been watching closely all week, but there's more going on out there in the world of Engadget than just what we're writing about here in the States. Check it out, this is Engadget around the world.Engadget Japanese au's EZ-Navi walk got 3D map Willcom introduces location based services Docomo Music Porter X satelite radio musicphone Daimyo CF Card and Munch MiniSD NEC's VoToL delayed Sony's LocationFree for Windows Mobile under way PSE: government-approved Vintage gear list Engadget Spanish ATI's FireGL V7350 video card with 1GB of memory Nokia's 4G mobile prototipe The 2-in-1 Wallaby mouse VMD, another format to compete against Blu-ray and HD DVD Engadget Chinese Asus new camera phone:ASUS M307 Engadget CN @ Shanghai Dopod 818 Pro Mozart edition PDA phone Engadget CN @ SNDA Ezmini review Viewsonic announce 1ms & 19inch Vx931 LCD in China
