iPod creator unveils thermostat

25 October 2011 Last updated at 12:49 GMT The thermostat is able to "learn" and adjust itself The man known as the "godfather" of the iPod has invested his energy in a home appliance: a thermostat.

Tony Fadell caused surprise when he quit Apple in 2008 after heading its music player division. Fortune magazine once tipped him as a successor to former chief executive, Steve Jobs.

Mr Fadell has now revealed his efforts went into the Learning Thermostat.

The smart device adjusts the temperature based on the presence of people and their habits.

It can "learn" about a house's cooling and heating patterns to optimise its performance, and adjust itself to the weather conditions.

Mr Faddell said the device could cut 20 to 30% off the average household's energy bill.

He said it is also possible to control the $249 (£156) thermostat remotely via a smartphone app.

The price is around fifteen times the amount that basic thermostats sell for in the US.

Smart gadgets There are also alternative "smart" models on the market.

A Canadian firm Ecobee produces web-connected programmable "green" thermostats.

But according to Mr Fadell's company, Nest, the Learning Thermostat is more user-friendly, and has the advantage of being able to "observe" household members and their surroundings.

Using a motion sensor, it can detect whether or not anyone is home - and if the house or flat is empty, it goes into the energy-saving mode by turning down the heater or air conditioner.

Beyond thermostats It is possible to adjust the temperature remotely, from a computer or a mobile device

Smart thermostats are just one kind of the growing number of "intelligent" devices that are connected to the web and able to interact with humans and among themselves.

Smart meters and smart grids are among the best known ones, but companies are also experimenting with smart parking places, smart tags at retail stores and even a so-called Urban operating system aimed at controlling devices of a future smart city.

The tech website CNET, which interviewed Nest's co-founder Matt Rogers, says the start-up is likely to move beyond smart thermostats in the years to come.

"You don't hire a crack team to build a product. You hire them to build a company," the site quoted Mr Rogers as saying.

View the original article here

Read More

Rafael Nadal Unveils his New Emporio Armani Underwear Ad

Rafael Nadal has been stripping down once again for his second campaign with Emporio Armani.

The above photos are for Emporio Armani’s Fall/Winter 2011 campaign, featuring Rafael Nadal for the second time in underwear.

View the original article here

Read More

Dyson unveils fanless room heater

15 September 2011 Last updated at 12:02 GMT Dyson claims the direct flow of heat provided by the AM04 warms a room faster Dyson has unveiled its latest air blowing gadget - a room heater.

The AM04 is a follow-up to the company's high-end bladeless fan, that was launched in 2009.

The £269 price tag of the AM04 suggests that the device is unlikely to find the mass market appeal of its bagless vacuum cleaners.

However, Dyson claims that the device does a better job of warming a room than traditional electrical fan heaters.

"We've tested a lot of products and often the heat will come out and rise very quickly towards the ceiling so you have to sit pretty close to them to feel they are working," said Tom Crawford, head of product development for environmental control at Dyson.

The company has again made use of the air multiplier technology that was first developed for its bladeless fans.

Using the well known physical properties of inducement and entrainment large amounts of air can be drawn into a stream using relatively small amounts of blowing power.

To heat it, the fast moving air is passed over "hot stone" elements, shielded by the device's plastic aerofoil.

Although Dyson believes the technology to be more efficient at warming a room, its actual heating elements have a power draw of up to 2KW - comparable to conventional machines.

The Wiltshire-based company launched its environmental control division in 2009, with the creation of its bladeless desk fan.

Back then, the roll out of a fan during October raised some eyebrows, as the UK was heading into winter.

The company explained that was a consequence of it launching the product all round the globe at the same time.

View the original article here

Read More

VW unveils an ultra-efficient car

25 January 2011 Last updated at 18:23 GMT By Jorn Madslien Business reporter, BBC News Improved aerodynamics and weight reductions enable the car to use a smaller engine Volkswagen has made a car it says can travel 313 miles on a gallon of diesel, and that emits just 24 grammes of carbon dioxide per kilometre travelled.

The XL1, which seats two adults, combines a 0.8 litre two cylinder diesel engine with an electric motor.

The car is constructed around a carbon fibre reinforced polymer monocoque to reduce the weight to just 795 kilos.

German rival BMW is also making an electric carbon fibre car, while Mercedes is to make carbon fibre parts.

Their efforts show how the motor industry is increasingly working to improve aerodynamics and reduce weight, in order to supplement improvements in cars' engines.

On the engine front, electrification is becoming mainstream even though pure electric cars are expected to remain niche products for decades yet.

Instead, carmakers are increasingly combining conventional solutions, such as petrol or diesel engines, with battery-powered solutions.

"All sorts of mixes will come to the fore," said Jim O'Donnell, BMW North America's chief executive, in an interview with BBC News.

The Volkswagen XL1 is to be formally unveiled at the Qatar motor show on Tuesday night.

The carmaker says it can accelerate from nought to 100 kilometres per hour (60 miles per hour) in 11.9 seconds.

View the original article here

Read More

BMW unveils electric car division

29 July 2011 Last updated at 15:55 GMT By Jorn Madslien Business reporter, BBC News, Frankfurt BMW is making its first foray into the world of electric cars German carmaker BMW has unveiled two new models to launch its electric motoring division BMWi.

The i3 is an all-electric small city car, while the i8, a powerful sports car, combines an electric motor with a three-cylinder combustion engine.

To reduce weight, the cars have been constructed with light-weight aluminium under structures and bodies made from strong and light carbon fibre.

That means their batteries can be smaller without compromising on range.

"We wanted to show the carbon fibre in the raw," Ian Robertson, group sales and marketing director, said in an interview.

German jobs

The i3 city car, which will hit the road in 2013, will have a range of 150km (95 miles) on one charge.

Both the batteries and the motor lie below the floor of the car, which maximises space inside. The car seats four and has a 200-litre luggage space.

The less spacious but more aerodynamic i8 sportscar is a prototype, though a production version will go on sale in 2014. Its electrics-only range is more limited, at only 35km.

BMW will create 800 jobs at its Leipzig factory in Germany, where the cars will be built.

Flexible production

BMW is cautious about predicting how strong demand for electric cars will be in the future.

"We will make tens of thousands of these vehicles during the first few years," is all Mr Robertson is prepared to say at this stage.

Much depends on regulation, which is beyond the company's control, he insisted, such as in cities where many expect authorities to restrict access for cars that pollute.

However, the relatively simple production process for its BMWi models, which does not involve a press shop or a welding shop and keeps paintwork to a minimum, means "it is much easier to ramp up production than with conventional production", Mr Robertson insists.

BMW is hoping to launch several more similar models in the years to come, and as a number of other carmakers are thinking along the same lines, we can expect light-weight carbon-fibre cars to become a prominent part of electric motoring in the future.

Volkswagen, for instance, recently unveiled a model it calls XL1, which seats two adults, combines a 0.8 litre two cylinder diesel engine with an electric motor.

The car is constructed around a carbon fibre reinforced polymer monocoque to reduce the weight dramatically when compared with conventional cars. A monocoque design doesn't use an internal frame or chassis.

McLaren's recently launched sportscar, MP4-12C also uses carbon fibre to reduce its weight. The car is built around a single carbon fibre monocoque.

View the original article here

Read More