Greenville Business Magazine 2009 December issue : Page 56
››executive lifestyle gizmos & BY PHIL YANOV Want to travel the urban landscape in something completely new, but not up for a Segway? It looks like the YikeBike offers something no one else has even come close to. The YikeBike is a folding, portable, electric bicycle that you can carry under gets For the Future your arm. Created by a New Zealand inventor, the YikeBike literally turns around the traditional bike and adds an electric motor capable of driving at speeds of up to 12 miles per hour. Although it looks a bit in some ways like bicycles of yesteryear, the snappy design, lack of pedals, and Lithium Phosphate battery that drive you around for up to 30 minutes at a time make this a thoroughly modern and urban design. The designers say the battery is rated for about 1,000 charges before replacement is needed. The YikeBike, folded and in it's case the bike weighs about 20 pounds and can be slung over your shoulder. It will be available in New Zealand and Europe in mid 2010 for somewhere between $5,000 and $6,000. And while you might be worried this is just some fanciful prototype and not a real product, you should check out the videos of the YikeBike in action on YouTube. It starts, stops, drives and turns much better than you'd think, even when presented with potholes, curbs, wet grass, loose gravel, and (yikes) cattle grates. Despite Obi-Wan's admonition, this may in fact be the Droid you are loo Powered by Google's open source Android operating system, this is the Go answer to the iPhone. And while Open Source usually means hard to use, simply doesn't apply here. In an entire week of testing, using, and abusing this phone, we never once opened the book. This very smart phone told everything we needed to know about setting it up, and configured quickly and easily. A couple of clicks and the phone seamlessly synced over 3,000 contacts and a heavy schedule into it's datebook without a hitch or a hiccup. As far as the actual physical phone, it's got a big bright display, plenty of processor power, Android 2.0, and a great network to keep the data moving. It's about the size of an iPhone, although just a bit heavier and without the iPhone's rounded edges. And while it might make the ph a little less sleek in the figure department, we wonder if it might make it a to hold on to. The phone has a built in 5 mega pixel camera with flash and autofocus and will shoot video suitable for posting to YouTube. And for those who really need to send an email or SMS text message from their phone, there's a fold out keyboard with tiny keys and a joystick like five way rocker for navigation that won't replace your full size keyboard but is completely suitable for short bursts of needed typing. 56 GREENVILLE BUSINESS MAGAZINE | DECEMBER 2009 Motorola Droid Yike Bike
>>executive lifestyle - Gizmos & Gadgets
Phil Yanov
Yike Bike
Want to travel the urban landscape in something completely new, but not up for a Segway? It looks like the YikeBike offers something no one else has even come close to. The YikeBike is a folding, portable, electric bicycle that you can carry under your arm. Created by a New Zealand inventor, the YikeBike literally turns around the traditional bike and adds an electric motor capable of driving at speeds of up to 12 miles per hour. Although it looks a bit in some ways like bicycles of yesteryear, the snappy design, lack of pedals, and Lithium Phosphate battery that drive you around for up to 30 minutes at a time make this a thoroughly modern and urban design. The designers say the battery is rated for about 1,000 charges before replacement is needed. The YikeBike, folded and in it's case the bike weighs about 20 pounds and can be slung over your shoulder. It will be available in New Zealand and Europe in mid 2010 for somewhere between $5,000 and $6,000. And while you might be worried this is just some fanciful prototype and not a real product, you should check out the videos of the YikeBike in action on YouTube. It starts, stops, drives and turns much better than you'd think, even when presented with potholes, curbs, wet grass, loose gravel, and (yikes) cattle grates.
Motorola Droid
Despite Obi-Wan's admonition, this may in fact be the Droid you are looking for. Powered by Google's open source Android operating system, this is the Google answer to the iPhone. And while Open Source usually means hard to use, that simply doesn't apply here. In an entire week of testing, using, and abusing this phone, we never once opened the book. This very smart phone told us everything we needed to know about setting it up, and configured quickly and easily. A couple of clicks and the phone seamlessly synced over 3,000 contacts and a heavy schedule into it's datebook without a hitch or a hiccup. As far as the actual physical phone, it's got a big bright display, plenty of processor power, Android 2.0, and a great network to keep the data moving. It's about the size of an iPhone, although just a bit heavier and without the iPhone's rounded edges. And while it might make the phone a little less sleek in the figure department, we wonder if it might make it a bit easier to hold on to. The phone has a built in 5 mega pixel camera with flash and autofocus and will shoot video suitable for posting to YouTube. And for those who really need to send an email or SMS text message from their phone, there's a fold out keyboard with tiny keys and a joystick like five way rocker for navigation that won't replace your full size keyboard but is completely suitable for short bursts of needed typing.
Icon A5
The Icon A5 can only be described as a Jetski that flies. In 2004, the FAA created the Light Sport Aircraft category to allow a new generation of flight enthusiasts easier access to the sky. In 2005, Kirk Hawkins, a Stanford Business School graduate, engineer, former Air Force F-16 pilot, inventor, and entrepreneur assembled a development team from Burt Rutan's Scaled Composites (winners of the X-Prize with SpaceShipOne) to create what he calls the ultimate recreational vehicle. The A5 has folding wings, a retractable landing gear, and seawing platforms allowing it to be trailered behind your vehicle and launched from land or water. The cockpit seats two and looks more like a sports car than an airplane. There is a moving map GPS display, and even a place to plug your mp3 player into the sound system. It takes off in a short 750 feet using either aircraft or automobile gasoline, flying at speeds of up to 120 mph with a range of 300 miles. For those looking for an extra measure of safety, an optional Icon Complete Airplane Parachute package is available as well. Test flights completed, and demonstrated beautifully at their website, orders are now being taken and the queue appears to have about 450 people ahead of you, including the likes of Red Bull Air Racing Champ Kirby Chambliss, Supercross Champ Jeremy McGrath, and everyone's favorite flying actor, John Travolta. Various options and paint schemes are available, but you should expect your A5 to come to about $139,000 plus delivery.
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