I know this clip is old, but I stumbled on it and it was too cool to pass up posting. This dude, Yves Rossy, created a wing he could wear on his back and strapped four small jet engines to it. I know the result sounds like something you’d see in the turn of the century silent films where the dude takes a header off a pier, but oh no. This guy actually flies. A real like jet-man. He uses only his body movements and position to steer himself. At first the clip sort of looks like a controlled free fall, but keep watching. The jet engines offer lift and he’s able to control where he’s going. Pretty damn cool.
Watch the clip here

Design student Joonas Saaranen has created a backpack that is actually a speaker system. The hardshell pack contains both speakers and an amplifier for on the road use. (And I’m assuming a metric ton of batteries as well?). Pretty cool concept though I’m not sure I’d walk my streets rocking one. But bonus points for designing it to look like it came right off the back of a Stormtrooper. Just wonder, is there storage built in for an iPod? Or a six pack?

Maybe the best thing to come from the launch of the iPhone less than a year ago is not the iPhone itself, but the pressure it has put on other mobile phone companies to actually deliver better phones. HTC thinks it has the next challenger to the iPhone in the Touch Diamond.

LONDON — May 6, 2008 — Born from a unique heritage of innovation and a deep desire to blend design with simplicity, HTC Corp., a global leader in mobile phone innovation and design, today unveiled its new flagship phone, the HTC Touch Diamond. Delivering unmistakable style and meticulous craftsmanship the HTC Touch Diamond is defined by its compact size, game-changing Internet and its new captivating 3D touch interface called TouchFLO 3D. The result is an uncompromising mobile phone that sets a new benchmark for phone sophistication and shapes consumer expectations for how a phone can be used.

“Today we mark a new era in mobile phone evolution, an era where beauty and size integrate with uncompromising innovation at broadband speeds,” said Peter Chou, president and CEO, HTC Corp. “The HTC Touch Diamond will make browsing the Web and using Web-enabled applications just as practical and easy to use as making calls.”

A New Dimension To Touch
HTC has taken a great leap forward in touch screen innovation with the introduction of its new 3D touch interface called TouchFLO 3D. TouchFLO 3D provides animated access to people, messaging, email, photos, music, weather and more. In addition, HTC is introducing a new innovative touch-sensitive control for interacting with Touch Diamond.

Making The Mobile Internet Fun
With the introduction of the Touch Diamond, HTC delivers an entirely new mobile Internet experience that utilizes broadband-like speeds with HSDPA 7.2 Mbps and HSUPA wireless connectivity. Committed to improving Web browsing, HTC provides a new customized mobile Web browser that enables easy viewing and effortless navigation of Websites in the way they were designed. As part of this browsing experience users can zoom and pan Websites with one-hand and automatically view optimized content that has been specially created to fit the display. Turning the device sideways automatically rotates the web page view from a portrait to landscape view.
In addition to Web browsing, the Touch Diamond includes a customized new, HTC-developed, YouTube application for watching a variety of user generated video content as well as utilizing Google Maps for mobile for mapping and traffic data.

Unmatched Style and Size
The Touch Diamond is crafted with precision to fit comfortably in a user’s hand without compromising on features or functionality. Blending contrasting design elements of metal and unique geometric facets, the Touch Diamond complements a user’s personal style.

Bursting with Innovation
The Touch Diamond delivers an unrivalled combination of features and functionality that set a new standard for integrating mobile phone innovation into a small package. The 2.8 inch display provides near-print quality viewing that enables beautiful Web browsing and viewing of photographs. The built-in camera includes an optical auto-focus lens that ensures the photos you take will be clear and consistent. Advanced wireless and auto sensor screen pivoting are just a few of the features that make the Touch Diamond experience a stand out.

Availability
The HTC Touch Diamond™ will be available to customers across all major European carriers in June. It will be available later this quarter in Asia and the Middle East. The North American and Latin American versions of the Touch Diamond will be available in the second half of 2008.
“Our long-standing relationship with HTC meant they shared their phone concept and worked with us from the earliest stage. This early collaboration is important to us because at Orange, we know that the right multimedia experience is about more than just the phone,” said Olaf Swantee, EVP of Orange’s global mobile operations. “Our approach is to select and test the best phones and integrate our applications, combining them with access to the Orange World portal, the best tariffs, integrated billing, a user-friendly interface and excellent customer support. With the Touch Diamond from Orange we have created a unique phone which has taken advantage of our latest service innovation to build upon the consistently rich experience customers expect from Orange.”

HTC Touch Diamond Key Specifications
Size: 102 x 51 x 11.33mm
Weight: 110 g
Connectivity: WCDMA / HSPA: 900/2100MHz. HSDPA 7.2 Mbps and HSUPA
Operating system: Windows Mobile® 6.1 Professional
Display: 2.8-inch VGA touch screen
Camera: 3.2MP, with video calling
Internal memory: 4 GB Internal Storage, 256 MB flash, 192 MB RAM
Bluetooth: 2.0 with EDR
Wireless: WiFi 802.11b/g
GPS: GPS/AGPS
Interface: HTC ExtUSBTM (mini-USB and audio jack in one; USB 2.0 High-Speed)
Battery: 900 mAh
Talk time: GSM: up to 4 hours
Standby time: GSM: up to 300 hours/100 hours with push email
Chipset: Qualcomm® MSM 7201ATM 528MHz
About HTC
Founded in 1997, HTC Corp. (HTC) designs, manufactures and markets innovative, feature rich smartphone and PDA Phone devices.

Since its establishment, HTC has developed strong R&D capabilities, pioneered many new designs and product innovations and launched state-of-the-art PDA Phones and smartphones for mobile operators and distributors in Europe, the US, and Asia. These machines are available as HTC devices and as products individually customized for operator and device partners.
HTC is one of the fastest growing companies in the mobile device market. The company is listed on the Taiwan Stock Exchange under ticker 2498. For more information about HTC, please visit www.htc.com.

With rumors running rampant that a new 3G iPhone is eminent, Samsung has quietly released what they believe is an iPhone killer. There have been others before, but the new Samsung 3G Instinct has the most promise of the bunch. Running on Sprint’s 3G “EV-DO Rev. A” data network the Instinct looks a lot like the iPhone, but has 3G, a replaceable battery, and haptic feedback for the touchscreen. The Instinct is due to be released in June and by that time there is no telling what form or features will grace the iPhone, but it’s good to see some competition that might actually be competition.

[via Yahoo]

A small company from Mojave, CA is poised to bring space travel to the general public. Well, the rich public. XCOR Aerospace recently announced that it’s Lynx suborbital spaceship will be ready for flight in 2010. The Lynx is the size of a small private aircraft and will carry two passengers to a height of 200,000 feet above the earth’s surface.

The Lynx Mk. 1 is a single stage suborbital spacecraft. I can reach Mach 2 on it’s ascent and will give passengers about 4 minutes of ‘micro-weighlessness’ on the edge of space before gliding back to earth. The entire trip only lasts 30 minutes and goes for about $100,000 USD. No word on if the TSA makes you take off your shoes before getting on board.

A new accessory for iPhone users promises clean smudge free screens. The only drawback, you look like a freak wearing them. Phone Fingers cover, well, just that, your ‘phone fingers’ so that you don’t dirty up that shiny glass iPhone or iTouch screen with your grimy finger tips. They are apparently made of latex, so they’re essentially like little black condoms for your digits. I’m baffled and bewildered on every front. Is latex going to slide naturally across the glass iPhone screen? Who in the hell would stop and put these things on before using their iPhone? And what do you tell the parents of the children who run screaming in horror when you wave at them with your bizzaro phone hand? Couple more picts after the jump.

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What started out in Sydney, Australia in 2007 has now become a global event. On March 29th, at 8pm the second annual Earth Hour event will take place. If you haven’t yet of heard the buzz, basically the goal is to get people across the world to ‘un-plug’ for a full hour on the 29th. Turn out the lights, turn OFF that computer, tv, dvr, fire up a candle and chill for an hour. Not only does the event aim to make a small (very small) dent in the global carbon footprint, it’s also an effort to raise awareness energy usage and conservation. Hit up EarthHour.org for a full run down on how you can participate. (Aside from just flipping switches).