worldrecord
Latest
LG Optimus 2X scoops up Guinness World Record for being first dual-core smartphone
LG's Optimus 2X just scooped up official recognition from the Guinness World Records crew for being the very first dual-core smartphone, which sounds like a good thing, but really it kind of isn't. In its rabid pursuit of the "First!" badge, LG neglected to polish up the 2X's software, leaving a lot of early users feeling high, dry, and in need of a good custom ROM. On the other hand, that very same phone's US variant, the T-Mobile G2x that came a couple of months later, arrived with a nice and shiny stock Android build that really showed off the underlying hardware's true capabilities. So yeah, kudos on another Record, LG, but next time let's have less haste and more awesome, mmkay?
Microsoft Kinect shatters hyper-specific Guinness world record
Microsoft's Kinect is clearly gunning to grab the Guinness record for most Guinness records. Back in March, the hands-free peripheral nabbed a certificate naming it the "Fastest Selling Consumer Electronics Device," and now the Xbox Live and Kinect Sports teams are the joint owners of the record for "The Largest Online 100 Metre Sprint" -- after Microsoft managed to convince 10,539 of its closest pals to help it run in place via Xbox Live earlier this month. According to Redmond, the long-winded accomplishment is under consideration for inclusion in a Guinness volume -- though admittedly only the Gamer's Edition spinoff, itself a shoo-in for "most superfluous record book."
Chip Yates goes 190MPH on an electric motorcycle, takes you along (video)
It's amazing what an electric motor and some lithium-ion junk in the trunk can do. For the SWIGZ team, which earlier bested some internally-combused competition on the track, the results are 190MPH from a standing start, completed at the Mojave Mile event. As you can see in the video below the 241HP bike wasted no time in getting up to that speed -- also wasting no time getting into an unsettling head shake and speed weave. Thankfully it was all over in less than 30 seconds and the new (unofficial) record was recorded: 190.6MPH. Fastest for an electric bike in a standing mile -- and pretty darned quick for any bike.
Microsoft wants you to help set a Guinness world record for the biggest ever virtual sprint
Microsoft's Kinect has already claimed one Guinness world record, and the company's now asking for your help in setting another -- don't worry, though, you don't have to buy anything else. It's asking folks to take a bit of time during the free Xbox Live Gold preview weekend later this month to set a record for the "most people running a virtual 100m dash at one time." To take part, all you have to do is download a free Xbox Nations gamer pic that will automatically register you for the record attempt, and then load up the sprint mini-game in Kinect Sports and start running at the time specified below. Everyone that takes part will get the snazzy Guinness World Records avatar tee pictured above for their trouble -- actual Guinness certificates still have to be earned the hard way. The Guinness World Record attempt will take place at: • 6pm UK Saturday 23/04 • 7pm CET Saturday 23/04 • 10am PDT Saturday 23/04 • 1pm EDT Saturday 23/04
Cox breaks return cable upload record with Motorola's help, subscribers still waiting for their cable guy
There's a somewhat narrow category here, but Cox Communications just set a benchmark for bandwidth on its Las Vegas network thanks to an RX48 DOCSIS 3.0 receiver from Motorola. That rate is 356Mbps on a 5 - 85MHz return path, which correlates to upstream performance on a cable modem. The company says the tests "demonstrate that Cox's HFC networks are much more future proof than many have believed" and that they "have the capability to support much higher data speeds than today without the need to replace any of the amplifiers, taps or cables." That will naturally leave Cox subscribers with just one question: how long until my uploads are that fast?
China has built the longest bridge in the world... so you don't have to dig that hole
Yes, in addition to being one of the coolest and largest nations in the world, China now has the distinction, at least for the time being, of having the longest bridge in the world. The Qingdao Haiwan Bridge -- at 26.4 miles long -- in Shandong Province is almost three miles longer than the Lake Pontchartrain Causeway in Louisiana, which was the previous record holder for the longest bridge over water in the world (the longest bridge in the world period is also in China). The bridge took four years to build -- lightning fast by American construction standards -- and cost around $8.5 billion dollars. It was designed by Shandong Gausu Group and built by about 10,000 workers.
Chinese passenger train reaches 302mph, claims speed record for unmodified trains
Did you find the 262mph record that China scooped up only two months ago impressive? Well, add another 40mph to that number as today Xinhua News has revealed China's claim to the new speed record for unmodified commercial trains. The new line presently being tested between Beijing and Shanghai has delivered a mind-warping 302mph (486kph) top speed, which is projected to help cut down travel times between the two cities in half, down to a mere five hours. As with the Shanghai-Hangzhou connection that held the record previously, speeds with actual passengers on board will probably be limited to more moderate levels when this connections opens up in 2012, but the Chinese government's goal is still that magical 312mph (500kph) mark -- at this pace, they should be there by Tuesday.
World's longest railway tunnel sees completion, should be zipping beneath the Alps in 2017
While a few nations in Asia battle it out for the world's fastest maglev train, some cool cats in Switzerland are cutting up the Alps in order to make North America's railway system look even more inadequate. According to AlpTransit, the longest railway tunnel in the world has just been completed, with the final drilling of the Gotthard wrapping up today. Miners drilled 30km from the north and 27km from the south, with the breakthrough point being just over 6km south of Sedrum. Granted, these miners aren't getting nearly the attention of a crew in Chile, but transport officials in Europe are still pretty stoked about this here accomplishment. In fact, it's also being described as the most deeply set rail tunnel in the world (there's a rock overburden of up to 2500 meters), with the Gotthard base tunnel aiming to provide a level track through the Alps that should become operational by 2017. When it's humming along, it'll shorten the Zurich-Milan journey time from 3 hours 40 minutes to 2 hours 50 minutes, not to mention make every rider feel as if they've truly traversed the ultimate Bat Cave. And that, friends, is worth the seven year wait. [Thanks, Fabrice]
Bobby Cleveland goes 96mph on a lawnmower, mows down world record (video)
In the world of motorsport there are many legends, and American driver Bobby Cleveland has just cemented his place among them. Bobby Cleveland is the world's fastest lawnmower driver, achieving an average speed at the Bonneville Salt Flats of 96.529mph. That's on a riding mower that, from a distance at least, still looks like something you might find at Sears next to the tents and bikes. And yes, it will still cut grass, though we have doubts about its efficiency at that task. The team behind this beast had hoped to hit 104mph to correspond with a sponsoring octane booster of the same name, but didn't quite manage to crest the century mark. Still, 96 was more than enough to break the existing record of 87.833mph. Why engage in such frivolous behaviors? If you have to ask you'll never understand.
Nokia pairs N8 with world's largest cinema screen
Say what you will about the Nokia N8, but it sure has prompted Nokia to get creative in its efforts to market the phone. Following up an attempt earlier this month to create the world's smallest stop motion animation, the company recently (temporarily) erected what's apparently world's biggest cinema screen -- at 1,428 square meters, it just barely edged out the previous record holder that measured 1,338 square meters, although that screen was wider. Of course, the N8 wasn't able to project the Prince of Persia movie all by itself, so Nokia took advantage of the phone's HDMI output to connect four 140-kilogram XLM HD30 projectors -- no doubt another first for a cellphone. Head on past the break for the video.
IBM claims world's fastest processor with 5.2GHz z196
Remember when a 1.4GHz processor was deemed the world's fastest? Man, that was ages ago. Recently, IBM has laid claim to that very record, with its 5.2GHz z196 processor being the focal point. Of course, we've seen a number of consumer chips hum along at speeds well beyond that (thanks to sophisticated cooling systems, of course), but this here enterprise chip does it without any liquid nitrogen-based assistance. It's a four-core slab that was manufactured using the outfit's 45 nanometer technology, boasting 1.4 billion transistors and the ability to handle more than 50 billion instructions per second. Interestingly, Fujitsu's Venus CPU is said to handle a staggering 128 billion calculations per second, so we're guessing that IBM won't be snagging this crown without any debate from the competition. At any rate, there's a very convincing video waiting for you after the break, and no, you won't find this thing in your next Alienware anytime soon.
OSU Buckeye Bullet 2 sets new battery-powered speed record
Ohio State's Buckeye Bullet 2 has just set a new battery-powered vehicle record after hitting a speed of 291 mph averaged over two separate runs done back-to-back in opposite directions. Yes, it's technically slower than the two-way land speed record of 300.992 mph the original Bullet set back in 2009, but that car was powered by hydrogen fuel cells. This year's model instead was developed in partnership with boutique Monaco-based electric car manufacturer Venturi and replaced the fuel cells with lithium-ion batteries from A123 Systems. It's also apparently a testing prototype for a new car that's coming in 2011. Will that car hit these kind of world record speeds? Probably not, but we're not letting that dash our newly formed geek fantasy of seeing it drag against a Tesla.
Pi counted to 5 trillionth digit, 90 days and one spec'd out custom rig later
Remember that girl in your high school math class who would always get extra credit by memorizing more digits of Pi? Well, if you ever hear her utter "9484283852," well, you've probably already finished your college applications (and maybe even earn a degree or two). That ten-digit string is the lead-up to the 5 trillionth number, reportedly a new world record calculated using special software from Alexander Yee (y-cruncher) and a pretty awesome custom-built rig by Japanese Pi-pusher Shigeru Kondo -- a pair of 3.33GHz Intel Xeon X5680, 96GB DDR3 RAM, about 39TB of storage, and Windows Server 2008. All in all, the computation and verification took about 90 days to accomplish. Full, fascinating details at the source link.
China's maglev trains to hit 1,000km/h in three years, Doc Brown to finally get 1985 squared away
Look out Japan -- your neighbor to the west might just steal your thunder. Years after the Land of the Rising Sun proudly boasted plans to create a maglev train that could soar along at 500km/h, China is now claiming that they'll have similar ones ready in just three years. Oh, but they'll travel at twice the aforesaid speed. According to the laboratory at Southwest Jiaotong University, a prototype is currently being worked on that'll average 500km/h to 600km/h, with a far smaller train to hit upwards of 1,000km/h in "two or three years." The trick? Tossing the maglev train inside of a vacuum tube, enabling greater velocity due to decreased friction. If you're scoffing at the mere thought of how much such a setup would cost, you're probably not alone -- it's bruited that the tunnel would cost "10 to 20 million yuan ($2.95 million) more than the current high speed railway for each kilometer." Pony up, taxpayers!
Nonstop gaming world record has been shattered, victors sleep right through their parade
Prior to this past weekend, the world record for nonstop gaming stood at 40 hours. As of today, you'll need to rock 'n roll for 51 hours in a row if you'd like to claim this crown. A half dozen lunatics managed to game for 50 straight hours over the weekend in Rotterdam, playing Red Dead Redemption on Sony's PlayStation 3 until their eyes gave way. Of note, they utilized the TwistDock in order to keep their controllers juiced the entire time, and they walked away with €1,000 for their trouble. Last we heard, though, they're all in hibernation for the foreseeable future. Plenty of Dutch celebration awaits you in the video.
Modu, world's lightest cellphone, lands in UK
Another day, another... oh wait, what's this? The Modu phone has been an enigmatic figure in the mobile world, treading the precipice of vaporware for a while before finally launching in its home market of Israel last year and in a few more places around the world since then. Aiming to shake up the apparently stale mobile market, this minimalist take on the phone is no larger than the standard battery in your modern smartphone and gets its name from the modular "jackets" it can slip into. They furnish it with added functionality and buttons, while also sprinkling a bit of extra style on top as well. Slide past the break to learn more about this handset, the Modu 1, together with a few teasers about the upcoming touchscreen-based Modu 2.%Gallery-97442%%Gallery-97441%
Large Hadron Collider to search for God Particle using 7 TeV proton collisions, via live webcast (update: first collisions, video!)
The Large Hadron Collider is about to turn useful, people. Having recently jacked up its particle acceleration power to create 3.5 TeV (trillion electron volts) collisions, the researchers are today pressing ahead with plans to go to a full 7 TeV, which -- you won't be surprised to hear -- has never been done before. Provided the requisite 3.5 TeV per beam is reached, sustained and properly channeled into creating useful collisions, CERN will finally have the data it needs to start its long-awaited physics program based off the findings provided by the LHC. Best of all? The latest world record attempt is being broadcast live over the web right now so why not hit up that link below to witness some history in the making? Update: The momentous first protonic collisions at 7 TeV have just taken place, at just past 1PM CET. Now the time comes for researchers to parse all the incoming raw data, pore over it, analyze it, etc. We'll leave that to them, it's not like you can expect the God Particle to be discovered instantly. To fill the time, we invite you to come past the break for our blow-by-blow updating adventure from this morning plus video of the big moment.
3D camera breaks world record with 158 lenses
Sure, there are viable commercial options for taking photos in three dimensions, but if you really want to capture 3D images (and you happen to be attached to a major university) you can always go the route of Associate Professor Ishino Youzirou and company. The camera that they developed at the Nagoya Institute of Technology sports 158 lenses arranged on an 18.5-inch aluminum arc frame. The school's combustion engineers will use it to study irregular flames -- all the while content in the knowledge that they've entered the Guinness Book of World Records for building the camera with the most lenses. This is certainly safer than Youzirou's other attempt to enter the Guinness book, Most Live Rattlesnakes Held in the Mouth (the record for that, by the way, is ten).
Casio trots out world's slimmest shock-resistant digicam: EX-G1 (video)
Generally speaking, having something "ruggedized" ruins the aesthetic appeal. You trade style for function, and that's been perfectly acceptable until today. The EX-G1, which becomes the first camera in the new EXILIM G line, takes a few cues from Casio's G-SHOCK line while being the planet's thinnest shock-resistant camera. Furthermore, this thing is freezeproof, waterproof and dustproof, and at just 0.78-inches thick, you'll hardly notice it shoved in your left rear pocket. As for specs, you're looking at a 12.1 megapixel sensor, intelligent AF, a dedicated movie mode (848 x 480), 35.7MB of inbuilt memory (yeah, we know), a microSD / microSDHC expansion slot, 3x optical zoom and a 2.5-inch rear LCD with a 960 x 240 resolution. We're told that the rechargeable battery should last for around 300 shots on a full charge, and the Interval Shooting function enables the camera to automatically fire at fixed points when shooting action sports. If you're foaming at the mouth right now, your cure can be found this December in black or red for $299.99. The full release and a promo video is just past the break. %Gallery-77625%
'Wink' USB flash drive: perfect for hockey moms, lipstick-laden pigs
Active Media Products isn't one to shy away from mildly ludicrous USB flash drive designs, but it may want to snag a lawyer on retainer for this one. Granted, there's at least a sliver of a chance that Sarah Palin was actually notified that her image would be used to market AMP's new "Wink" USB flash drive, but chances are she's being rudely introduced to the sobering truth just as we are. Hailed as the planet's smallest 16GB thumb drive, this waterproof slab of memory is also available in a few smaller sizes for those unconcerned with gaining political clout. It measures in at just 1.2- x 0.5- x 0.1-inches, or just marginally smaller than Little Diomede island (which you actually can see Russia from, amazingly enough). It's available now to inspire and encourage starting at $7.95 (2GB), though that 16 gigger we mentioned earlier will set you back $37.95. P.S. - We didn't Photoshop this image, this is seriously Active Media Products' pitch for this product.
