lava

BARCELONA, Spain--Intel has unveiled a number of new partnerships and chips as the company, which is dominant in the PC business, attempts to find the same success with mobile devices.

Intel said today it is working with ZTE, Lava International, and Orange on handsets, and with Visa on a multiyear partnership to build a mobile-payment service together. It also unveiled a trio of new Atom chips to fill out its mobile-centric product portfolio.

"We're not a stranger to the mobile market," CEO Paul Otellini said during a press conference at the Mobile World Congress trade show. He … Read more

If someone sends you a link to a video of an iPad 2 being dropped in hot lava, the only sensible thing to do--once confirming the link is malware-free--is to click it.

This logic seems to be the entire basis for a new marketing campaign from California-based ZooGue, which sells accessories for iPads and other devices. The aforementioned video features ZooGue CEO Tim Angel trekking to a lava flow in Hawaii to lower an iPad 2 into the magma, watch it plead for its existence with a cute "excessive heat" warning, then burst into flames and melt.… Read more

Now you can hang wall decor that also warms your home. The LAVA Design Infrared Glass Heating System from WarmlyYours employs heat conductive glass technology that radiates heat evenly in multiple directions without combustion or forced air circulation.

The LAVA panel looks like a rectangular canvas or tile and comes in four models, ranging in heat capacity and price from 250W at $1,299 to 1000W at $2,299. WarmlyYours reps claim "homeowners may be able to lower the ambient room thermostat temperature by 2 degrees, saving up to 12 percent on their regular heating expenses."

It works with electricity, so there is some energy cost, but no moving parts means less dust and other allergy triggers. The device emits heat in three dimensions, but amazingly remains cool to the touch and therefore safe for houses with children.

WarmlyYours is presenting the panels at the ongoing 2011 Kitchen & Bath Industry Show at the Las Vegas Convention Center and positioning the panels as more than just enviro-friendly heating sources. They want to offer them up as room decor elements alongside a line of radiant electric heating solutions for any flooring surface and bathroom spas. For example, buyers can combine a LAVA panel with a LAVA bath bar (for hanging and warming towels) or a mirrored LAVA panel with light bars. … Read more

I'd normally be on the fence about the utility of an Android-based television set like the Scandinavia (above), but if it's made by a company called People of Lava it has to be pretty awesome, right? Or at least ridiculous?

Fortunately, Scandinavia looks like a little bit of both. The Swedish company's first Android 1.5-run effort will be a 42-inch, full-HD backlit LED set that'll go into beta testing this summer and go on sale in September, followed by 47-inch and 55-inch sets soon after.

It'll ship with apps like Facebook, YouTube, Google Maps, … Read more

OK. So we promised you on last week's episode that we would do a single-purpose gadgets episode this week. Turns out, promising that type of thing in advance isn't such a good idea as we actually had to work to find gadgets that fit the theme. So we made it, but admittedly by the skin of our collective teeth. It's all worth it for the segments, though. Patience, young grasshopper!

Sony responds to Kindle onslaught with Reader Touch and Pocket

Pancake machine churns 200 flapjacks per hour (thanks, Peter Lee!)

Ramen robot!

Multiblade pizza slicer guarantees perfect-sized slices

Lava Lamp returns as Mathmos Fireflow

A Propos (of) Nothing The Wall-E USB drive is too cute for even baby talk to describe

This week in hello kitty Hello Kitty limited edition Casio Exilim EX-Z2

It’s About Time Darth Vader clock radio has no patience for your sloth

PRETTY Bugatti Diva espresso machine inspires poetry

Potty Time Public urinal lets you pee into the wall

Kill Me Sony’s new “Girlz Play Too” campaign

Pink Watch (Kill Me Edition) ChicBuds “by women, for women”… Read more

Anyone who's minimally familiar with personal weather stations knows that Oregon Scientific is obsessed with these devices--which strikes us as somewhat odd, because the weather in Oregon seems fairly predictable compared with other states (rain followed by more rain). Whatever the reason, its crusade has paid off at least where design is concerned.

No longer do home forecasting gadgets look like hospital equipment thanks to the company's efforts to add an aesthetic dimension to its products. As Technabob points out, its latest offering looks more like a retro sci-fi movie prop than something used to guess whether you … Read more

Acknowledging our generational biases, we've noted our partiality to the lava lamp in its original form, or at least as close as possible. Although we've tried to keep an open mind about more contemporary equivalents, few can even approach the volcanic icon of our wasted youth (so to speak).

But Discovery has managed to come close with a USB swirling vortex that looks good enough to keep us mesmerized even without artificial enhancements. This LED-illuminated item has a practical use beyond its entertainment value as well, housing four USB ports in a 180-degree revolving hub. With any luck, … Read more

We've never quite understood the appeal of mobile phone straps and charms, but maybe that's just another sign of our advanced age. But now we've finally come across a trinket that we can relate to: a mini-lava lamp.

And this isn't just any lava-lamp charm, according to Popgadget, but one that lights up when you get a call. The "Astro Light" from British designer Mathmos is also available as a bulb, but it's the lava lamp that holds a special place in our heart. The only other icon that would be more appropriate … Read more

CARRIZOZO, N.M.--One of the great things about being on a lengthy road trip is that you tend to have time to pull off the road to check out some of the interesting things along the way.

Well, on Road Trip 2007, my adventure to discover the best science- and technology-related sites in the Southwest, I've been so busy I haven't had much of that kind of time.

But on Monday, as I was driving toward Roswell, N.M.--UFO Capital of the World, as it's known--after visiting the Very Large Array, I saw something I … Read more