power

There is nothing new about whole body vibration technology, the Russians started using it back in the 50?s and 60?s to train their Olympic athletes and their cosmonauts. Dr. Vladimir Nazarov was a member of the soviet gymnastics team and chair of sports and biomechanics at the State college in Minsk. Dr. Nazarov started testing vibration technology in competitive sports and realized the benefits in developing strength and power.

This technology has been around in many forms for quite sometime but only now has the fitness community started to develop vibration machines that are becoming fixtures in Gym?… Read more

As I sit here and consider how I should begin telling you about this wonderful piece of machinery, I first wonder just how great it would be to see this sucker sitting in my garage. Imagine the rush you feel in knowing that you own the fastest go-cart in the world. Not bad, if I should say so myself.

The go-cart not only features a gas turbine engine that you would find in a US Navy A7 Corsair carrier aircraft, it spews some pretty serious afterburn. With a press of the fuel injection button, followed by the ignition button, the … Read more

In our remote-driven society, distance is often considered a good thing. The farther away a gadget can work, the better.

So in this sense, a new projector from Sanyo is somewhat counter-intuitive: Its biggest selling point is how close it can be positioned to the image it's projecting. The LP-XL40 has an "ultra-short-focus lens" that can project the equivalent of an 80-inch screen from just 3.15 inches away, according to Akihabara News.

Why is this a good thing? Think about all the tight spots where it can work--such as mounted on a wall directly above the … Read more

Now this is a laptop case that makes sense to us. There are PCs, keyboards and even USB drives designed to withstand all manner of assault, but our needs aren't so ambitious. In fact, given our sedentary nature, the only time we really worry about damage to our computers is when they're packed away for the car or plane. Which is precisely where RadTech's "MacTruck" comes in.

The aluminum-alloy case, which the manufacturer claims is "rugged enough to drive a truck over," has two steel latch bars to provide maximum protection for a … Read more

Amid all the fermentation in the alternative-energy sector, the historic Pearl Brewery in San Antonio is poised to become a showcase for solar power.

And it'll be a big one, to boot. CPS Energy and renovator Silver Ventures want to turn the former brewery into the largest solar energy installation in Texas: a 200-kilowatt array of panels will crown a 67,000-square-foot warehouse that's being rehabbed for mixture of office, retail and residential use as the Full Goods Building. The project will provide approximately one-quarter of the building's total energy needs, according to CPS Energy, the municipal … Read more

Gmail users who get Microsoft PowerPoint attachments in their in-boxes can now view them without having PowerPoint installed on their machines. Google appears to have flipped the switch to allow this feature as of last night. We originally reported on this last month, although at that time it appeared that only a handful of accounts had access. This option now shows up on all accounts.

Also, somewhat related: today is the unofficial "Day without Google," a challenge that asks people to try doing their searches on alternate search engines outside of the "Big 5" which includes … Read more

Today we have some pictures of a bad, bad MP3 player. So bad our editors gave it a 2.3 rating. Poor thing. It looks so sleek and spacey. We also have pics of a gigantic wide-screen PVP with built-in DVR capabilities, as well as a slide show of a good entry-level car stereo. And we have two slide shows on the Canon PowerShot S5 IS. One shows its features and design, and the other presents some image samples. Check them all out below.

Photos: Coby MP-C7082

It is a rare day indeed that we come across a piece of … Read more

MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif.--Buying a solar panel should be like purchasing a refrigerator or hot tub, according to ReadySolar.

It should be a home product that comes ready to install in one box with simplified instructions so nearly anyone can install it. Hence the company's so-called "Solar in a Box" product it's pitching here at Launch: Silicon Valley.

ReadySolar makes a modular, prefabricated solar-panel box. The aim is to bring down the cost of solar installation and components, according to Meredith McClintock, the company's founder and president. The company does that by building a proprietary … Read more

Attempts to power hybrid cars with solar panels have been around for a few years. But now a company called Solar Electrical Vehicles is producing commercially available after-market panels for hybrids, starting with the Toyota Prius.

The fiberglass, molded panels fit on top of 2004-2007 Prius models. They are attached using an epoxy glue. Unlike previous attempts, these panels fit the curve of the roof.

To maximize your sun power and driving range, you need a larger battery installed than what comes standard with the Prius, according to company founder Greg Johanson, who says that battery storage is the most … Read more