25 Most Promising New Products

Watch out for these products, coming in stores near you!!!!

25 Most Promising New Products for 2010

2010 is a promising year for bring you the most functional, promising, and novel of the batch. If youre tired of waiting for flying cars and voice-controlled sunglasses, this just might be youryear.

25. nPower Personal Energy Generator

The PEG harvests one of the biggest energy hogs on earthyou. Place the little device into your bag or briefcase, plug in your cell phone, GPS, or iPod, and let your kinetic energy power up your gadgets while you walk. You can get an 80% charge in one hour through your own energy alone. Green and brilliant.

24. Flying Car: Terrafugia

Even though were well into the 2000s, nobody has come up with a Jetsons-style flying car.Until now. The Terrafugia Transition is more of a driving plane than a flying car, but its apromising first step. The worlds first street legal plane hits runways and highways in 2010.

23. Sony 3D-360 Hologram

No glasses needed! Just turn on your tabletop unit and enjoy a 360-degree view of images and possibly video through this stereoscopic display. Sony isnt yet sure what to use it for, but ads,video games, and medical visualizations are just a few ideas.

22. Xeros Waterless Washing Machine

The waterless washing machine isnt as sexy as some of the other gadgets arriving in 2010, but its conservation qualities should be applauded. It uses nylon beads and a spin cycle to clean your clothes, saving water while potentially reducing the need for dryers.

21. Recompute: The Cardboard Computer

Cardboard is the new black. Legions of product made primarily of corrugated cardboard are hitting the market. This little beauty will benefit anyone who has ever broken that little sticker while changing out a sound card or adding memory to a CPU.

20. Powermat Wireless Battery Charger

If youre tired of carrying around one charger per electronic toy, youre in luck. The Powermat lets you charge your iPhone, Blackberry, Nintendo DS, and most other gadgets on the same mat. One mat, one plug.

19. Samsung Water-Powered Battery

Sure, one mat, one plug is cool. But what if you didnt have to plug in at all? Samsung is speeding past the AC plug, around the solar charger, and directly into the water faucet. Its new micro-fuel cell and genereator rpowers your cell phone through water alone. Jurys still out on whether it will work long-term.

18. Camaro: Tranformers Edition

Love muscle cars? Have you seen Transformers more times than all your nieces and nephews?
Then this head-turner is for you. Note that the car does not actually transform, nor does it come with any multi-weaponry.

17. Apple Tablet

It has always been tough to determine what Apple will put out in the next year. But this time, the anecdotal evidence seems to add up. Its safe to say you will see a touchscreen- based tablet Apple product that will both fight with Kindle for books and netbook manufacturers for small computing.

16. The Honda Bicycle Simulator

As part of a universal quest to replicate outdoor activities without actually going outside, Honda has unveiled a new kind of bicycle. It doesnt actually go anywhere, but it does simulate real-life situations riders may face on the way to work or the store. Think of it as defensive driving for bicyclists.

15. Panasonic 50-inch 3D 1080p Plasma TV

Image: Slashgear

Have you noticed the slew of new movies coming out in 3D? This new kind of TV could be the reason. Once you spring for specialized glasses, a new Blu-ray player, and a bunch of 3-D DVDs, youll be ready for this TV.

14. Gibbs Quadski

Heres the scene. 007 is in the middle of an ATV chase, 4-wheelers spewing mud all around him as he speeds toward the sea. He looks like hes done for. Then, suddenly, he plows into the ocean and hits a button. The wheels on his ATV fold as he speeds away, spraying water on the bad guys. This ATV/Jetski can be yours next year, in the form of the Quadski. Bad guys not included.

13. Space Elevator

Image: Spaceward Foundation

You cant actually buy one of these, but you might be able to help build one and then own it. The Space Elevator, formerly the stuff of science fiction, will become reality in 2010, when building teams will compete for cashand bragging rightsto actually get it done.

12. 2010 Brabus Mercedes-Benz Viano Lounge

Tilt back in your leather lounge chair. Turn on the Sat TV. Load your Nespresso machine with the finest coffee beans in the world, then take a photo of it all with your iPhone. Load the photo and to your Twitpic from the on-board Sony Vaio laptop. Did I mention that you can do all this while cruising down the interstate at 80 mph? Classy.

11. Plasma Scalpel

Touted as a lightsaber for military doctors, the new plasma scalpel works by using ionized gas in a controlled light beam. This simultaneously slices and cauterizes a wound on the battlefield. Coming in 2010 to a war zone near you. Heres to hoping you never see one!

10. Touch Wood

Theres only one thing cooler than corrugated cardboard in technology. Its name is wood. The Japanese are leading a trend called Mori Girl (Forest girl), which aims to limit the use of plastic by using sustainable wood instead.

9. V12 Dual-Touchscreen Notebook

Canova 2.0 is working with an undisclosed US manufacturer to change the screen game. The new dual-LCD screen laptop could take the form of big iPhone-style touchscreens or, if theyre working with a different company (they wont say who it is), simply one of the neatest laptops ever to hit markets.

8. OnLive

Image: Onlive

OnLive is simple: Play the hottest video games from your TV, PC or Mac over a broadband connection. No console, no discs. Some very smart people are predicting that OnLive might be the console killer. That may be stretching it, but the technology seen at E3 is hard to argue with.

7. MyKey by Ford

Teens have a propensity for unsafe driving. Thats hardly news, but what parents can now do to encourage safe driving is. The MyKey can be set to control the vehicle by limiting speed, chiming when the gas tank is 75 miles from empty, and limiting the cars audio by as much as 44%. Kids will hate it. Thats probably why its such a good thing.

6. Tri-Specs

Image: TriSpecs

You have your phone, your iPod, your headphones, and your wi-fi headset, in case you get a call. You have your sunglasses. Youre ready to goor are you? What if you could pull on your shades and have all of the above, in one cool package? Enter Tri-Specs. They come built-in Bluetooth wireless headphones for an MP3 Player or cell phone, retractable earbuds, built-in volume control, and even voice control. For $200, you can be the coolest kid on the block.

5. Microsoft Xbox360 Project Natal

Now that Microsoft did the wireless controller right, theyre throwing it out the virtual Window in favor of Project Natal. Rumored to be coming at one of next years conferences, PN will have no controller or wires connecting you with the screen. Well see if it works.

4. Google Wave

Google has a way of inventing things that people do not know they need until they understand the product. Its latest such creation is Google Wave. Its not email. Its not chat. Rather, a Wave is a document that acts like a conversation, live and changeable on the fly. Rich media drives the experience. But you wont really know how much you need it until Google actually gives it to you.

3. The KS810 Keyboard Scan

Image: Geek.com

This keyboard with a fully-integrated scanner takes product hybridization one step further. The KS810 keyboard contains a full-color, 600dpi scanner that lets you drop scans into most online applications. If keyboard scanning isnt your thing, product creator Lifeworks is also offering akeyboard with a built-in iPod dock.

2. Corrugated Cardboard Laptop Case

Image: Inhabitat

If youre sick and tired of those cool-looking black leather laptop cases, rejoice! Giles Miller has designed a customizable cardboard box for that perfectly fits your little Netbook. You can even put your own logo on it. Take that, Targus.

1. Gocycle Electric Bicycle

Image: Mecho

Coast in electric mode for up to 20 miles in this little sucker, then fold it up and take it with you. Of course, you might want to pedal every now and then, just to make it look like youre making an effort.

10 Things You Didnt Know About China

01. China executes three times as many people as the rest of the world

China carries out almost three times as many executions as the rest of the world put together, according to the most conservative estimate by Amnesty International. In 2008, the group confirmed 1,718 executions through news reports and public documents, but many others are not reported. Some analysts say the figure may be above 6,000. The exact number is a state secret. Many executions are done on the road using vehicles called the death vans designed by Jinguan Motors. The makers of these vans say the vehicles and injections are a civilized alternative to the firing squad, ending the life of the condemned more quickly, clinically and safely. According to them, the switch from gunshots to injections is a sign thatChina "promotes" human rights now.

02. There are already more Christians in China than Italy, and it's on track to become the largest center of Christianity in the world

Due to the extremely rapid expansion of Christianity in China, there are now an estimated 54 million Christians in the country, comprised of about 40 million Protestants and 14 million Catholics. Meanwhile, Italy has just 60 million people in total, of which 79% are Christian these days, which means Italy has 47.4 million Christians, that's 12% less thanChina. (Photo by Robert Reinlund)

03. Over 4000 babies in China were named "Olympic Games" while the country was getting ready for Beijing 2008

The Beijing Olympics was more than just a point of pride for China — it was such an important part of the national consciousness that over 4,000 children have been named for the event. Most of the 4,104 people with the name "Aoyun," meaningOlympics , were born around the year 2000, as Beijing was bidding to host the 2008 Summer Games. The vast majority of people named Aoyun are male. Names related to theOlympics don't just stop with "Olympics ." More than 4,000 Chinese share their names with the Beijing Games mascots, the "Five Friendlies." Chinese have increasingly turned to unique names as a way to express a child's individuality.

In a country with a population of 1.3 billion, 87 percent share the same family names.

04. China uses 45 billion chopsticks per year.

In China, an estimated 45 billion pairs of disposable chopsticks are used and thrown away annually. This adds up to 1.7 million cubic metres of timber or 25 million fully grown trees every year.

05. 200 million people in China live on less than $1 a day.

Poverty in China refers to people whose income is less than a poverty line of $1.25 per day. The poverty rate in China in 1981 was 64% of the population. Fortunately, this rate declined to 10% in 2004, indicating that about 500 million people have climbed out of poverty during this period.

06 Over 700 million Chinese people drink polluted water

China has 20% of the world's population but only 7% of global water resources. To make matters worse, 90% of cities' groundwater and 75% of rivers and lakes are polluted according to the World Bank. This means that 700 million people drink contaminated water every day.

07. Ice Cream and Pasta may have been created in China.

A frozen mixture of milk and rice was invented in China around 200 BC, giving birth to ice cream. Also, a 4,000-year-old bowl of noodles was discovered at an archaeological site in westernChina, possible demonstrating that China invented pasta before Italy.

08. Over 50% of counterfeit goods in the EU come from China.

In Europe, China was the main source country for intellectual property rights infringing articles with 54% of the total amount.CD/DVD was the top category of articles detained with a total amount of 79 million, which accounted for 44% of the entire amount, followed by cigarettes (23%) and clothing and accessories (10%).

09. China is not free from Europe's medieval plague yet.

In 2009 China ended a quarantine blockade around a remote northwestern town hit by pneumonic plague. The outbreak of the highly infectious disease killed three villagers around Ziketan Town in Qinghai province. But with no new infections reported for over a week, authorities decided to lift the blockade on the remote town of 10,000 in a heavily ethnic Tibetan area.China experiences sporadic outbreaks of the plague, which is typically spread by rodents and fleas and can pass easily between people.

10. By 2025, China will build TEN New York-sized cities.

The scale and pace of China's urbanization promises to continue at an unprecedented rate. If current trends hold, China's urban population will expand from 572 million in 2005 to 926 million in 2025 and hit the one billion mark by 2030. In 20 years,China's cities will have added 350 million people—more than the entire population of the United States today. By 2025, China will have 219 cities with more than one million inhabitants—compared with 35 in Europe today—and 24 cities with more than five million people. Also, 40 billion square meters of floor space will be built - in five million buildings. 50,000 of these buildings could be skyscrapers - the equivalent of ten New York Cities

10 Places You Never Wanted To Live

The world is a giant jigsaw puzzle, spotted with both exquisitely beautiful and potentiallydangerous places. While you may dream of spending a lifetime in some of the true paradises-on-earth, you should be equally wary of stepping up in some real hell spots for your own safety. But not everyone is fortunate enough to get a cozy and safe home and there are places on earth where people are actually living on the edge of peril.
Here are top 10 such nightmarish places on earth where you would never want to live:

Dharavi in Mumbai, India



The slums of Mumbai

Roughly half the residents of Bombay live in crowded slums such as these.
Photo from bwillen

Sprawling over 175 hectares between Mahim and Sion, Dharavi has emerged as the largest slum of Asia inhabiting a population exceeding 600,000. Dharavi has its rival in Orangi Town in Karachi, Pakistan that has a notorious filth and expanse. Dharavi presents a brighter picture as a cheap pocket in the midst of expensive Mumbai where you could stay for as low as 4 US dollars rent per month.

Dharavi, the most biggest slum of the world / Photo from sandrinecohen22

Dharavi is an abode for various small-scale industries like pottery, embroidered garments, leather and plastic goods. Unbelievably the total net income of the residents of Dharavi amounts to almost 650 million US dollars. But Dharavi is no paradise - its inadequate water supply and toilet facilities get worse during the monsoon floods and the unhygienic environment of Dharavi poses serious threats to public health issues.

Rocinha - Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

Rio de Janeiro, Brazil / Photo from Leonardo Martins

Photo from razorbern

The largest favela (basically meaning shanty town) in Rio De Janeiro. / Photo from -bos[s]-’Situated between the São Conrado and Gávea districts of Rio de Janeiro, Rocinhameaning small ranch in Portuguese is the largest slum or “favela” in South America. Posed on a hillside within one kilometer of the beach, Rocinha originated as a shanty to transform quickly into a modern slum neighborhood. You will find it better off than many shanties because of its brick buildings, sanitation, plumbing and other urban facilities.

Favela, Rio de Janeiro / Photo from dreamindly

What makes Rocinha a potentially dangerous place to live is the prevalence of a violent drug trade. This leads to endless tussles and encounters between the drug peddlers and the police, giving rise to a dangerous ambiance. The population of 100,000 has a poor economic state and high mortality rates. What is more, Rocinha being built on steep mountain slope is susceptible to landslides, rock falls and floods.

Kibera in Nairobi, Kenya



1,000,000 residents live on a mountain of Garbage. / Photo from Chicago Wedding Photographer, Wes Craft

Kibera, meaning ‘forest’ in Nubian is the home for a million people, which earned notoriety for being the biggest slum in the whole of Africa. Most of the population here are tenants with no rights living in mud-walled shacks owned by landlords who have vacated Kibera. Most of the population is African Muslims, who huddle up eight per shack, often sleeping on the floors.

Photo from alongtheway

Just 20% of Kibera has electricity and no regular supply of clean water. The dam water that people use is the root to cholera and typhoid, aggravated by poor sewage condition. There is widespread menace of AIDS and the total absence of government medical facilities. What worsens the general livelihood of Kibera is the availability of a cheap alcoholic drink called ‘Changaa’.
Faced with rampant unemployment, most of the slum-dwellers resort to Changaa early in life and grow into criminals, drunkards and rapists. The problem is aggravated by theavailability of cheap drugs and tendencies of glue sniffing. The result is the rising rate of unwanted pregnancy among girls of all ages who invariably turn to abortion. Some charities and churches are working towards the betterment of the condition.

Linfen, China



Pollution / Photo from sheilaz413

Located right at the center of Shanxi Province of China’s coal region, Linfen is one of the most polluted cities in the world. The air is thick with dust and smoke to a degree that hampers visibility. The three million people who live in Linfen take regular doses of arsenic rich water, further polluted with fossil fuels and poisonous gases through the air they breathe. You can actually catch a lasting stink when you step in Linfen with overflowing sewage everywhere.

Young coal worker in Linfen (Shanxi, China) / Photo from andi808

The river flowing by Linfen has its water thickened with oil. No wonder! The inhabitants using this water have high occurrences of cancer. When you look at the trees around the Linfen factories, they present a sad withered picture. It is the last place on earth that you would think of sending someone, even your worst enemy.

Kabwe, Zambia

Photograph by Blacksmith Institute / Photo from nationalgeographic.com

The lead and cadmium accumulations in this former British colony have skyrocketed since their discovery in 1902 when Zambia was valued for a rich lead mine. Although the mines have closed and no smelters are operational now, Kabwe residents have faced the threat of lead poisoning through decades. Blood tests in the children have revealed lead concentrations exceeding 5-10 times the normal limit that could turn fatal any day. Only recently, the World Bank has allotted funds for tackling the problem.

Photo from livescience.com

Chernobyl, Ukraine

Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant / Photo from Ken and Nyetta

Talking of life-threatening pollution and poisoning, nothing could beat the nuclear reactor accident record set by Chernobyl that has left about 5.5 million people facing the threat of thyroid cancer. The fallout that occurred in April 26, 1986 has led to the leakage of nuclearradiation 100 times more pronounced in volume and effect than that of the Hiroshima and Nagasaki explosions. It is a horror that thousands of Russian, Ukrainian and Belarusian children living close to the damaged plant still cannot escape the radiation impact.

This used to be the public gym, back in 1986. / Photo from philippe simpson

Dzerzhinsk, Russia


Dzerzhinsk / Photo from Oleg aka Xraboy

Situated beside the Oka River in Nizhny Novgorod Oblast of Russia, Dzerzhinsk is named after the Russian leader Feliks Edmundovich Dzerzhinsky. Right From its inception, Dzerzhinsk has remained a chemical industry hub and has been producing chemical weapons for Russia. It has been labeled one of the worst polluted cities of the world with a staggering death rate.

Skyline of Dzerzhinsk / Photo from Spendruleziya

In Dzerzhinsk, the average life of men is just 42 years and women 47 years. Environmentalists attribute such high mortality rate to the ceaseless production of organic chemicals like toxic dioxins, hydrogen cyanide, lead and sulfur mustard. The phenol and dioxin contents in the Dzerzhinsk waters surpasses the normal limit by seventeen million times.

Cubatão - São Paulo, Brazil

Cubatão / Photo from Alceu Bap

The city of Cubatão extending over 142 square kilometers is more appropriately known as the ‘Valley of Death’ for its precarious living conditions. It has a high air pollution level that has led to the destruction of forests over the surrounding hills and birth of children with congenital organ defects.

sticker mundo / Photo from caio antunes

The life threatening pollution took a new dimension in 1984 when an event of oil spill burnt down the town, killing almost 200 people. Only recently extensive steps worth $1.2 billion are being taken to improve the damages caused by organic pollutants. Despite such measures, it is quite impossible to clean the soil and underground water from the spreading tentacles of pollution thus making Cubatão unfit for staying.

Bassac Apartments, Cambodia

One of the architectural jewels of Cambodia, the innovative apartment complex designed in the early 1960s by Lu Ban Hap / Photo from Rich Garella

Photo from jinja_cambodia

The 300-metre-long Basaac Apartments were built due to the town planning director Lu Ban Hap’s initiative to put up a low-cost social housing project in the 1960s. However, this government-financed housing project has been the home to 2,500 refugees since 1979, when its legal tenants vacated the property because of the onset of decay. The structure made of concrete and brick has now given way to dangerous gaps in between the reinforced concrete walls marked by the ingrowths of parasitic plants. The building can collapse any time burying alive its 2500 residents.

Mogadishu, Somalia

A rusty and bullet-ridden Coca Cola sign gives a telling welcome for visitors to the volatile city of Mogadishu. / Photo from khairi_us

Pictures from an armed convoy trip in Mogadishu / Photo from ctsnow

Mogadishu, an advanced former port has been witnessing the 17-year tussle between rival military camps since the fall of the government in 1991. It turned into the most chaotic and anarchic city of the world, marked by civil unrest and insurgencies. Such disturbances caused its original inhabitants to flee, leaving Mogadishu to be controlled by military factions. Only recently, a new federal government has taken up the reins of control and is trying to re-establish law and order.