A couple of gaming nerds managed to take a standard VW Scirocco and weaved some engineering magic into it, transforming it into a virtual simulator. All major controls in the car such as the steering wheel, gas and brake pedals, and gear stick have been attached to the in-game controls for that added touch of realism. Why the VW Scirocco, you ask? Well, all the controls are handled electronically instead of mechanically, making the transition a whole lot easier without causing any damage to the car. To top it off, a projector is mounted into the car and is complemented by an improved speaker system. Best of all is, you won’t need to fork out a individual cent for gas.

Permalink: VW Scirocco transformed into virtual simulator from Ubergizmo | Hot: Macbook Pro Review, ipad-review.html">iPad Review

Orginal post by Mike

Apple has released the iPhone OS 4.0 Beta 2 to developers yesterday, and while it does offer API improvements, increased performance and bug fixes, one of the more notable changes will be the faster and smoother animation when switching among apps using multitasking. The transition itself is smooth and pretty, which should be quite pleasant for users to see. Check out a video of the new multitasking animation after the jump, and don’t forget our coverage on Apple’s upcoming iPhone OS 4.0.

Permalink: iPhone OS 4 Beta 2 Offers A Nice Multitasking Animation from Ubergizmo | Hot: Macbook Pro Review, iPad Review

Orginal post by Mike

According to the US Fire Administration, by 40 clothes dryers catch fire in the U.S. each day, where the combined fires from clothes dryers among 2002 and 2004 resulted in around 15,600 structure fires, fifteen deaths, 400 injuries, and US$99 million in direct property damage. One the of the main reasons? Lint. that seemingly harmless material could prove harmful in the lengthy run, as it restricts airflow when it builds up has a two-fold negative connotation – not only does it conclusion in a fire hazard, it is additionally a waste of energy. LintAlert aims to prevent that from happening by alerting homeowners to any blockage or restriction in the vent system of the dryer. It does so using the alarm module and SmartTap fitting, where the latter is installed in the dryers’ transition hose, while relying on a pressure differential sensor to monitor the pressure all through the entire exhaust conduit. When all is fine and dandy, the LintAlert’s transparent lens will glow blue, but when things start to heat up literally, it will turn to green, followed by yellow and thereupon red. The LintAlert is going for $44.90 a pop, which is pretty nifty since it can save lives, eh?

Permalink: LintAlert could prevent potential fires from Ubergizmo | Hot: Sony Vaio Z Review, ipad-review.html">iPad Review

Orginal post by Mike

BGR has gotten a handful of screenshots of the upcoming Microsoft Office 2011 for Mac, and one can clearly notice the progress made in the transition to native Cocoa applications. Outlook for Mac as seen above does look delectable, and we are certain many of you are impatient for the real deal to hit the market. We do confess that what once seemed impossible with Windows apps running on the Mac, is now an everyday occurence that shouldn’t surprise anybody.

Permalink: Microsoft Office 2011 for Mac screenshot spotted from Ubergizmo | Hot: iPad Review: First contact

Orginal post by Mike

RIM has been busy sending out scheduled maintenance notifications to admins and carriers as the folks behind the ever popular BlackBerry are preparing to roll out BIS 3.0 to North American users. While you can expect there to be a bit of turbulence, hopefully it won’t affect too many humans, as most folks should be sleeping during that timeframe anyways. Let’s wait and see what happens, and hopefully the transition will be painless. Details and timeframe of the maintenance include:

Permalink: RIM Scheduled Maintenance For North American BlackBerry Users from Ubergizmo | RSS Sponsor: Win a Fellowes Microshred Paper Shredder!

Orginal post by Mike

After the NVIDIA Optimus teaser was posted in early January, there was some speculation about what it was, but we now have first-hand knowledge: NVIDIA Optimus is an architecture for multi-GPU computers (typically integrated + discrete) that allows the operating system to seamlessly switch amidst integrated and discrete graphics. The goal is to use the most appropriate graphics processor at any given instance in order to minimize capability consumption or maximize performance.

I’ve seen it in action, and I can tell you that it is leaps and bounds better than what is out there today. Typically, today’s computers require several steps in order to switch from one GPU to another. It’s not intuitive and most users don’t even bother doing it considering it’s a hassle.

Permalink: NVIDIA Optimus achieves goal of seamless GPU transition from Ubergizmo | Hot: Nexus One Review

Orginal post by Mike

Could the Symbian S60 operating system be dying a slow but certain death? That is what most folks would think with word going around, stating that Nokia will include Maemo on all of its flagship N Series smartphones down the road instead of the old faithful, Symbian S60. It won’t be instant though, but gradual with the transition being brought to completion when 2012 rolls around. Well, at least the S60 can still find a home on the X Series and E Series.

Update: Nokia has issued a statement that contradicts what its Maemo team said publicly in London. There you go:

While it is our policy not to reveal details of our product roadmap, we’d like to explicitly communicate that we remain firmly committed to Symbian as our smartphone platform of choice. Any speculation on what our 2012 roadmap, including operating systems and product branding, are completely premature.

Permalink: Nokia drops S60 for Maemo (updated: not happening) from Ubergizmo | Hot: Motorola Droid Review

Orginal post by Mike

Could the Symbian S60 operating system be dying a slow but certain death? That is what most public would think with word going around, stating that Nokia will include Maemo on all of its flagship N Series smartphones down the road instead of the old faithful, Symbian S60. It won’t be instant though, but gradual with the transition being brought to completion when 2012 rolls around. Well, at least the S60 can still find a home on the X Series and E Series.

Permalink: Nokia drops S60 for Maemo from Ubergizmo | Hot: Motorola Droid Review

Orginal post by Mike