BMW Lovos Feeds On Solar Energy, Human Corpses

The BMW Lovos—a beautiful solar-powered car from hell—is one of those concept cars that looks as amazing as it is probably useless. And dangerous. Just imagine those metal scales slicing through a pedestrian's body.

Top 12 unusual luxury wrist watches

Individualists demand excellence, exclusivity and choice, and for the very same reason, luxury watchmaking firms are always busy creating some unusual, out of the world wrist watches for the elite individuals. A luxury watch usually says a lot about the monetary and social status of its owner. If you love to spend your hard earned money on an unusual luxury wrist watch, we present to you some of the most extraordinary watches of all time.



The $1 million Caviar Bang comes festooned with a 18k white gold case and clasp with hundreds of precision cut black diamonds, totaling to 34.5 total carats. There are 322 diamonds on the case, 179 on the bezel, and 30 on the clasp. The one million dollar watch has only one visible feature, which is the black and deep tones of the diamonds, shining in their harmonious alignment. The watch features a special Hub Solo T tourbillon movement that symbolizes the fusion between watchmaking and jewelry.



The Day and Night watch, which doesn’t tell the time but just day or night was snapped up within 48 hrs of its launch by watch fanatics. The Day and Night watch uses the complicated tourbillon movement, invented to overcome Earth’s gravity that used to affect the accuracy of watches, which lures watch connoisseurs as well as fashion aficionados.



Created by master watchmakers Christophe Claret, Peter Speake-Marin and Roger Dubuis, Chapter One is a world first combination of complications comprising a tourbillion, mono-pusher chronograph, retrograde date, retrograde GMT and two idiosyncratic rolling bars, indicating the day of the week and phase of the moon. The laser-pierced moon and stars on the outer roller of the moon phase indication add to its stellar elegance.



There are two stunning Horological Machines No3 (HM3) watch designs named Sidewinder and Starcruiser. Both the models have some visual distinctiveness and each presents its own angle while telling the time. Hour and day/night indicator is on one sapphire cone and the Minutes indicator is on the second cone. The most striking feature of these two MB&F models is the movement with automatic rotor, which is upside down. It means you don’t have to turn your wristwatch over to boast its most appealing element.



The “Moon Dust-DNA” collection includes watches made from moon dust, parts of the Apollo 11 rocket and bits of spacesuits. The dials of the new watches will feature tiny craters, with dust in them from the moon rock. Steel from the Apollo 11 space shuttle will be used for the case while the strap will use fibers from a spacesuit that was worn during the ISS mission.



The $1 million Big Bang boasts a fully invisible setting that makes the material disappear and the only thing revealed are the diamonds. The credit goes to the craftsmen who accomplished the tedious job of making this exclusive watch, which was not feasible a few years ago. Startlingly, the tourbillon movement of the watch is veiled under 493 Top Wesselton baguette diamonds of dissimilar sizes.



The Titanic-DNA watches have been made from the hull of the doomed Titanic. The metal has been mixed with contemporary shipbuilding steel to make the casing of the timepieces. The black dials have been made by mixing the recovered coal burned in the Titanic’s furnaces with ceramics.



Dubbed the Quai de I’lle, the watch features invisible UV marking, laser perforations, high-security inks, and other techniques employed to secure passports and currencies. Some of the models available in this watch collection tout tiny text on the dials, which can be read only with the help of a magnifying glass.



Depending on which part of the globe you live, you can order a Ulysse Nardin Tellurium J. Kepler showing Earth as seen from the North or South Pole. Sitting in any part of the world, you can know which part of the Earth has daylight and which is wrapped in darkness. The watch is divided in two parts where one part rotates once in a year and the other shows when there will be a solar or a lunar eclipse.



This gothic pirate spaceship of a watch does set new standards for steampunk artifacts with its expanding riveted case, flying tourbillon, five barrels and a 21 day power reserve. The flying tourbillon has been employed to counteract the force of gravity and keep the watch accurate.




The Steampunk-ish Cabestan Winch Tourbillion Vertical Watch is such a stunning creation that you’ll forget that it actually tells the time. It has 1,352 components all working together, driven by a 450 link chain and nickel silver drums. Two rotating drums indicate the time, while further drums show power reserves.

Limited edition LP 710 Audigier is the fastest Lambo ever made

Pictured above is truly something we should expect when some famed celebrity fashion designer like Christian Audigier does a Lamborghini. Edo Competition joined hands with Christian Audigier to create this stunning, limited edition Murcielago called the edo LP 710 Audigier. You can clearly see Audigier’s work in the matte black exterior and the interiors, with a pirate theme and the sparkling skull. The car has been rebuilt with new aerodynamics, wheels, tires and a new exhaust. Based on the Lamborghini Murciélago LP 640, the LP 710 features a stainless steel high performance exhaust system and 19-inch light alloy wheels. With the modifications, the modded car delivers 710hp of power and 700Nm of torque with its 6.5L V12 engine. The car does 0-62mph in just 3.2 seconds, reaches 124mph in just under 10 seconds and touts a top speed of the 223.7mph (360km/h).

Rumors swirling around new iMacs

It seems that an upgraded iMac is a shoe-in at Macworld Expo in January. It's a consumer show, and the iMac is Apple's consumer desktop. Plus, it hasn't received a significant change in a while, so it's due. Now that the winter holidays are just about over, the Expo rumors have begun to circulate.

AppleInsider has posted a few iMac rumors. First is mention of a new "...magnesium-aluminum alloy chassis," as well as a "cooling module." That's all the details there are, folks, so your guess is as good as ours if the current fan system will be replaced. We all know Steve and Jon Ive like quiet machines.

The more solid rumor is about the new 65W, low-power, quad-core desktop chips Apple is expecting from Intel. Along with Acer, HP and Dell, Apple has decided to make use of these chips, according to DigiTimes, though their target machine has not been identified. DigiTimes claims that these chips are suited to small form factor and all-in-one PCs.

PS3 teardown: 30% fewer parts, $300 cheaper

When the gang at iSuppli first tore open a PlayStation 3 back in November 2006, they pegged the cost to build the $500 model was $805 in materials. Now they're back and looking inside the $400 version, which they estimate is $448.73 in parts -- still a loss leader for the company, but only by about one Ulysses S. Grant this time. The number of components has also dropped from 4,048 to just 2,820, and both the Cell processor and NVIDIA GPU have slimmed down from 90nm to 65nm. They suspect Sony might be able to lower costs and turn a profit sometime in 2009, but while you may be rooting for this generation's underdog, don't get your hopes up for a price drop any time soon.

How would you change Sony Ericsson's XPERIA X1?

Sony Ericsson's XPERIA X1 hasn't been the easiest handset to procure here on US soil, despite being "available" since Black Friday. Still, we know hardcore HTC / SE fanatics have figured out a way to get their palms in touch with the X1a (or X1i for international users). You already heard our spill on the handset, but now we're interested in finding out how you'd tweak things if given the all-important keys to the design lab. Would you keep everything the same and just add Android? Would you rework the keyboard? Swap out the touchscreen with a capacitive replacement? Make it available only in turquoise and lime? It's a pretty safe bet that this isn't the last Xx smartphone you'll see from SE, so your thoughts on the matter may actually prove beneficial in time. And... go!

EBay offers the fastest car for $595,250

If any of you are still not aware of the fastest production car tag being snatched from the Buggati Veyron, it now belongs to the SSC Ultimate Aero. I do not want get into the intricacies of how the record was toppled, but would prefer revealing here that one of the variants of the car is available for a grab on eBay. It isn’t the fastest car tag which should make you go for the starting bid, the amount of carbon fiber this car uses makes it special even in the way it looks. It would only make the spoiled rich brats worse, for they would be seen breaking the speed limit more often, and if the government wants to scare them by ticketing, well, they have money enough to get ticketed a thousand times a day!

Casio intros the blemish-zapping EX-Z300 digicam with a slew of likeminded friends

Casio, clearly not wanting to be left behind in the compact digicam market, has introduced what might be described as a treasure-trove of cameraifical excellence. Heading up this line of unstoppable goodness is the £229.99 ($429) EX-Z300, a 10-megapixel shooter that carries the company's in-camera touch-up mode called "Make-up" which allows you to clone away "blemishes" or "people you hate to look at." The electronics-maker is also introducing the £129.99 ($242), 9.3-megapixel EXILIM Card EX-Z19, the £149.99 ($280) 9.1MP EXILM Zoom EX-Z85, and a slightly less robust version of the EX-Z300 called the EXILM Zoom EX-Z250 -- at £199.99 ($373) -- also with a 9.1MP sensor. Exciting stuff, right? Right.

Olympus trots out 8-megapixel FE-360 and FE-370 digital cameras

Look out, world -- we're not so certain you're ready to behold the greatness of Olympus' latest duo. In all seriousness, we're not so certain you'll be able to stay awake as we explain the details, but stay up and you just may run across something you're into. The FE-360 and FE-370 point-and-shoots each include an 8-megapixel sensor, face detection, image stabilization, a video mode and an xD card slot. There's also a bundled attachment that enables the use of microSD cards, but we're assuming the all-but-forgotten xD slot is kept in there to stroke a suit's ego somewhere up the chain. Anywho, the two differ in the optical zoom category (3x on the FE-360, 5x on the FE-370) and LCD size (2.5-inches versus 2.7-inches). Each shooter will arrive in a variety of hues and will hit the UK market for £129.99 ($242) / £179.99 ($334) next month.

Microsoft intros SideWinder X6 keyboard and X5 mouse

We had a hunch that Microsoft would be launching a SideWinder-branded keyboard this fall, and sure enough, the suits in Redmond are keeping the revitalized name alive with an all new September-bound input peripheral combo. The SideWinder X6 is hailed as the "first gaming keyboard created by Microsoft from the ground up, and the only gaming keyboard on the market with a switchable key pad." When not in gaming mode, the key pad transforms into a full-programmable macro pad. You'll also find two-color adjustable backlighting, mode switching and a $79.95 price tag. As for the X5 mouse, this critter packs nine buttons (five of which are customizable), a 2,000DPI laser tracking engine, six DPI settings (adjustable on the fly) and a $59.95 sticker. Full release is just after the break

DXG-595V HD camcorder does 1080p for 200 bones

We've seriously stopped trying to understand what differentiates one DXG camcorder from the next. Every release reads something like "blah, blah, 1080p," followed by a price that's simply too good to be true. The DXG-595V claims to capture 1080p (imagine that!) video onto your SDHC card for a mere $200, and the ability to snag stills / connect to your SDTV via composite or S-Video is thrown in for free. Thanks, DXG -- can't wait for you to slap a new model number on some leftover inventory and treat us again next month.

Canon's EOS Rebel XS / 1000D DSLR hits the test bench

With all the DSLR noise going on, the EOS Rebel XS managed to sneak in without too many people noticing. The proper entry-level replacement to the XTi / 400D recently took the time to cave to Camera Labs' every request, and when all was said and done, critics didn't find too many negative points to harp on. The all-important image quality ranked very highly, and the built-in live view was obviously a boon. Granted, the fixed screen and 7-point AF system (versus the 9-pointer on the XTi) were slight bummers, but it still managed to secure an 82% (Highly Recommended) rating. Care to see how it stacked up against Nikon's D60, Sony's A200 and a Polaroid 80B Highlander? Two of the three comparisons await you in the read link

Lenovo's IdeaPad S10 with X4500 graphics dubbed "Wind and Eee PC killer"

Hey friend, ready for a full Lenovo IdeaPad S10 review? Sorry, this ain't it, but Laptop's initial hands-on with this "sweet 10-incher" might be enough to help with any imminent purchasing decisions requiring $429 in cash. What if we sweetened the deal and told you that Lenovo's netbook also features that very same un-netbooky X4500 integrated graphics found in Intel's Centrino 2 chipset -- no lame GMA950 here, pal. And as oddball as it sounds, one reader discovered that the red-colored S10 also features an external CD-RW/DVD-ROM for the same price as the white S10 (but $10 more than the black model). Check the full hands-on text (laced with adjectives like "spacious," "lovely," and "stylish") and video (where it's dubbed a Wind and Eee PC killer) just beyond the read link and just for you buddy.

Update: A number of would-be buyers are reporting another case of Lenovo's retail ineptitude. The X4500 graphics appears to be just another misprint -- like those free SSDs and $200 14.1-inch laptops seen before. Hell, even the optical drive appears to be the stuff of data entry error. At this point it looks like we've got another GMA950 netbook on our hands which certainly makes more sense. Our advice? If you're ready to purchase then at least get on the horn with sales and confirm that bill of materials

Palm's Treo Pro gets official

Well you can't say you didn't see this one coming -- between the leaked shots, more leaked shots, and those -- yes -- leaked press materials, this was only a matter of time. That's right: Palm has gone and gotten all official with its latest and greatest smartphone, the now-familiar Treo Pro. The new Windows Mobile device is being sold unlocked (!), and features an HSDPA cell radio (tri-band UMTS, quad-band GSM), GPS, 802.11b/g, a 320 x 320 touchscreen display, 256MB ROM, 128MB RAM, a 2-megapixel camera, support for microSDHC cards up to 32GB... and a standard 3.5mm headphone jack! The Pro will run you $549 contract-free here in the States, while you'll be able to purchase it through Vodafone and O2 for prices ranging from €399 to nothing at all (with a contract, of course). Hit the read link and take a tour of the new device, or watch the totally radical -- and long, and detailed -- video after the break

Vivitek introduces its very first projectors, forgets to make 'em memorable

Just what the world needs -- another pair of perfectly average projectors to choose from. Vivitek has boldly gone where so many others have gone before by introducing the D326MX (XGA) and D326WX (WXGA) projectors, both of which rely on Texas Instruments' DLP engine and boast rapid start-up / instant shutdown features, HDMI / component connectors, 2,600 ANSI lumens, a 2,500:1 contrast ratio, 5-segment color wheel and a 1-watt speaker for mind-blowing monaural sound. The units weigh in at just 3.2-pounds apiece, and both should be available now for $999 / $1,199 should you remember to look within the next 15 seconds. Full release after the break.

Microsoft fesses up to a new, tweaked Xbox 360 controller

According to gamesindustry.biz, Microsoft is confirming a slight revision to its Xbox 360 controller design. Apparently, the new iteration of the gamepad includes enhancements to its d-pad, which admittedly has always been somewhat lacking. In Microsoft's words: "The new limited edition green wireless controller offers enhancements to d-pad functionality, which will add to the experience of playing games where the d-pad is the primary control mechanism." We'd like to think that this d-pad tweak will finally give us an opportunity to level up in COD4 from Corporal to Lieutenant General in no time.

Sony gets official with PSP-3000

It's not like Sony could really keep this thing under wraps for much longer, but the company finally did the deed by announcing the PSP-3000 at the Leipzig Games Convention. The unit itself will look exactly like the PSP-2000, though it will feature an "improved screen that's better outside with no glare and a built-in mic." The juicy tidbits have yet to surface, but we are told to expect the new handheld in Europe for €199 ($291) on October 15th.

Sony intros wireless keypad attachment for the PS3

The news is flying fast and furious out of the Leipzig Games Convention today (we actually just got hit in the eye with a flying piece of news). Apparently Sony is launching a wireless keypad attachment that snaps onto the top of a SIXAXIS or DUALSHOCK3 controller into the mini-USB port. The pad features a "touchpad mode" for mouse input, and can be paired with phones and other gadgets via Bluetooth. No word on pricing, but the pad launches in November, and the add-on will come in eight different languages, which should really help us with our multi-lingual training.

Sony reveals Uncharted: Drake's Fortune 160GB PlayStation 3, starts shipping new 80GB model

Well, color us surprised! Here we have yet another "limited edition" PlayStation 3 bundle, this time with Uncharted: Drake's Fortune packed in alongside a PlayStation Network voucher for PAIN, a DualShock 3 wireless controller and... a 160GB PS3 console? Yep, Sony's formally introducing us to the new king, which will start shipping to North America this November in the aforementioned kit for $499.99. Curiously, there's no word as to whether it'll be released separate from the bundle (we're guessing yes), and there's no mention of PS2 backwards compatibility (so don't count on it). In related news, the "new" $399.99 80GB version is finally shipping to retailers, so you should be able to snap one up in the very, very near future

80GB PlayStation 3 arrives early at Best Buy, Friday in Europe

Lookie, lookie, an 80GB PS3 snapped up for $400 from a local Best Buy. Although not officially due until September, reports are trickling in from around these United States of Gaming of an early release. Not too much of a surprise, we guess, what with European retailers all showing a Friday retail launch. One interesting thing to note is the SKU: at least one of these early rigs reads CECHK01, not CECHL01 as seen in the FCC... hmmm. SKU pictured after the break.