TOP 10 TECHNOLOGY THIS WEEK

TOP 10 TECH THIS WEEK
By Charlie White, Mashable, 29 January 2012.

If you scanned across the tech and gadget world this week, you’d think the future had already arrived. We found so many great products and devices, it was difficult to narrow them down to our Top 10 Tech This Week.

But we persevered, finding conveyances that roll on the ground and fly through the air, a gaming mouse that looks like it might take off at any moment, new software from Google that makes us feel like were flying in space and a bulbous car that was once fiction that’s now reality. We even found a brand new view of a scary, lethal and stealthy weapon for your perusal.

Even everyday objects didn’t escape the futuristic treatment, including a USB cable that shows you which direction its data is flowing, a 55-inch OLED TV that seemed like a fantasy just a couple of weeks ago but now has a more well-defined arrival date, and then there’s the craziest-looking lamp we’ve ever seen - built by a printer, of all things.

So strap yourself in and prepare to be impressed, amused, amazed and perhaps even filled with want - as we bring you the latest edition of our Top 10 Tech This Week.

1. Northrop X-47B Stealth Drone

This stealthy X-47B unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) is the size of a fighter jet, and will be taking off and landing from the deck of an aircraft carrier. This is an unusual overhead view of the scary looking plane, which was mistaken for a UFO last month. When will it be ready for battle? Unknown. It's a concept plane so far, but as you can see, it's in the midst of flight testing. [via Gizmodo]

2. Cocoon Lamp, Built by a Printer

Thomas Edison (or Nikola Tesla) wouldn't recognize this organic-looking lamp, created with a polyjet printer. Its nozzles apply a liquid photopolymer, and then the plastic is hardened under ultraviolet light. 

Maybe when the Voxel Studio learns how to mass-produce these gorgeous creature-like luminaires, we'll all be able to own one. For now, it's in the experimental stage. [via Yanko Design]

3. Motorola Droid Razr MAXX

Smartphone aficionados will recognize this Android-packing Motorola Droid Razr, but now the company's taken it to the max. The Motorola Droid Razr MAXX (Verizon, $299 with a new 2-year contract) has a similar form factor to its older brother, but its battery life is much longer, offering "up to 21.5 hours of talk time," according to Motorola.

At 8.89mm thin, it's slightly thicker than the original Droid Razr. I've had the MAXX here for the past few hours and like the absence of that ugly chin that plagued its predecessor - now there's a graceful curve in the back, under which resides a high-capacity 3,300mAh battery, versus the original Droid Razr's 1,780mAh.

Too bad it's running the old Android OS version 2.3.5 (Gingerbread), but that should be updated to the superior Android 4.0 (Ice Cream Sandwich) soon (Motorola's not saying when just yet, only that it's "upgradeable"). The longer battery life is a welcome sight, given the phone's power-hungry 4.3-inch screen, 4G LTE connectivity and dual-core 1.2GHz processor. 

Smoother profile, longer battery life? Sign me up. I like this Droid Razr version a whole lot more than its predecessor. [Motorola]

4. LG 55-inch OLED HDTVs Are On the Way

When we saw those spectacular 55-inch OLED HDTVs at CES, their arrival date was nonspecific, but now LG says it will start cranking out 48,000 of the devices per month this July. That doesn't mean we'll be watching them in our home theaters that month, but they'll probably be available soon thereafter. 

What we really want to know now is, how much will these things cost? That's still top-secret, but my guess is around $8,000 to start, with prices coming down as mass production proliferates. [via OLED Display]

5. Dash Smartphone Car Stereo

The Dash looks like the ideal car stereo. Slide an iPhone 4 or iPhone 4S into the system's faceplate, and you'll be able to immediately enjoy all the handset's functions as if they were permanently installed in your car. You'll have the advantages of a built-in car stereo and navigation system without having to buy a new screen, apps, or awkward car kits.

The system comes in two parts: the body that contains all the electronics to power the speakers, and the faceplate that holds your smartphone, which can be swapped out if you get a different one.

Will it be built? It's a Kickstarter project, so maybe, if people pledge a total of $45,000 by March 21. At this writing, there was $4504 pledged, and to pre-order the system, it's $250. [via Kickstarter]

6. Star Wars: The Old Republic Gaming Mouse

Aiming for the release of the new game Star Wars: The Old Republic, Razer offers a mouse, mouse pad, keyboard and headphones to match the game. If you've seen other Razer gaming mice, this one will look familiar with its 12 buttons on the right side and beautifully backlit Star Wars insignia where your palm rests.

You can configure those buttons for whichever functions you like, giving you such quick reactions that it almost seems unfair. The mouse can either be wired or wireless, and in our testing, both worked admirably well, without any lag in wired and wireless mode.

The software driver lets you store your settings for the mouse in the cloud, so you can use the mouse anywhere with any computer, logging into your account and retrieving the exact settings you've programmed. We found the login process to be a bit awkward (there's a crucial check box that's invisible), a lame situation we're hoping Razer will fix soon. [Razer]

7. Self-Balancing Unicycle

If a Segway and a unicycle had a baby, this would be the result. This self-balancing unicycle has sensors, gyros and accelerometers to keep it upright, and a 1000-watt motor to propel it at speeds of up to 10mph for a range of 12 miles. Looks like tons of fun for $1,499. [via Gizmag]

8. Dexim LED USB Cable

Now you can impress (or distract) everybody at the coffee shop with your Dexim LED universal USB charge and sync cable. The three-foot cable has a universal USB connector that lets you hook it up to smartphones and tablets from Blackberry, HTC, Samsung, Nokia and Motorola. 

Plug this $26 cable into your mobile device and computer, and the LEDs show you a graphical representation of where those electrons are flowing. Might go over well in a place where distractions run rampant - say, Las Vegas. [via Digital Trends]

9. Google Earth 6.2

If you like Google Earth as much as I do, you'll love this new Google Earth 6.2 update. Gone are those patchwork quilt-looking maps, replaced by smooth visuals that are simply spectacular.

You'll also like version 6.2's improved search facilities and the ability to share screenshots from within Google Earth, directly to email or your Google+ account. It's available now as a free download. 

10. CityCar

The aptly-named CityCar is perfect for the cramped confines of the modern metropolis, getting you where you need to go and then folding up into a small package after you've arrived.

A pipe dream until now, the car's developers at MIT are rolling out 20 of these bulbous conveyances in Spain, where they've renamed the car "Hiriko," which means "from the city" in the Basque language.

MIT's plan is to offer residents a membership in a car-sharing program. These electric cars can travel 60 miles on a charge, and eventually will be available to everyone for about $12,500. [via DVICE]

[Source: Mashable.]