The Google Flight Search gives users the ability to search and book air travel using its native search engine. Now, users will be able to search for flights by keying in keywrds like “flights from San Francisco to New York.” A tab will then appear in the left-hand side, or users can search for flights by going to google.com/flights.

Users can also filter results through airline, price and route to find their flight of choice. Clicking on the “book” button redirects the page to the website of the airlines to purchase the flight.

The tool is currently available for major destinations in the United States in economy class. Google also only displays flights from a couple of airlines, so it is not yet 100 percent completed.

“This is just an early look: the takeoff, not the final destination! You may notice that at the moment we include a limited number of U.S. cities and show results for round-trip economy-class flights only. We’re working hard to improve this feature and look forward to sharing more updates,” said engineering director Kourosh Gharachorloo in a blog post.

The company has slowly entered the travel market with its hotel search feature and its acquisition of Zagat, a popular restaurant review and guidebook publication.

You can watch the video to see the Google Flight Search in action.

via: T3

Google reveals its Flight Search feature is a post from: Gadgets and gizmos

Designers from Yacht Island Design created a design of what a yacht should be. The new yacht, called the “Tropical Island Paradise,” is a superyacht that was created for the luxurious needs of billionaires.

The Tropical Island Paradise is designed to fit at least 10 guests and has a diesel electrical power plan that propels the ship to a speed of 15 knots.

The biggest feature of this superyacht is its design. It includes a volcano-like structure and cabanas on the deck. A white sand beach with a huge pool in the center, with palm trees scattered all throughout. Instead of spewing lava, the volcano releases water that goes straight to the pool.

“For this design the theme centers on a secluded island paradise, with elements inspired by the islands of the Caribbean, Indian Ocean and Polynesia,” explains Rob McPherson, studio director of Yacht Island Design. “The exterior was designed to give the impression of waves breaking around a volcanic island, whilst maintaining the look of a contemporary yacht design.”

The most unique feature of this vessel is the deployable beach deck at the back that enables access to the ocean for water sports and relaxation. This luxurious yacht also includes a spa, gym and a movie theater, so guests will have everything they need.

For more information about the Tropical Island Paradise superyacht, visit its official website.

Superyacht concept design features a built-in tropical island is a post from: Gadgets and gizmos

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has given the Terrafugia Transition Roadable Aircraft, the world’s first “flying car,” permission to operate on roads.

The NHTSA decided that the car must have some design changes before it can be allowed operate on road and in air. One of the design changes is the use of airplane-style plastic windows, as it is lighter and is less prone to shattering than glass windows used in cars.

The flying car’s maker, Terrafugia Inc., said it will be available at the end of 2012, and a price tag of $250,000 can be expected.

Terrafugia’s Richard Gersh said: “This is an aeroplane first and foremost. The idea is you can drive it to and from a regulation airport. Fully fueled, you can fly it for a range of 400 to 450 miles.”

Gersh also said that the company has received as many as 100 orders in February and it targets to sell 200 units in one year.

The company said that it only takes 30 seconds for the vehicle to switch from a car to an aircraft and vice-versa.

“A lot of people said they never thought it would fly. But we have a vehicle right here, right now that drives and flies, and converts between the two in 20 seconds,” said Carl Dietrich, chief executive officer of Terrafugia.

Do you think it’s cool to have your own flying car? I do.

via: Cnet

Terrafugia flying car approved for US roads is a post from: Gadgets and gizmos

Liu started working on the project in July 2009, doing all the work including the assembly and welding of parts. He moved forward on the project without consulting a professional mechanic or an aviation specialist.

He was inspired by an enlarged photo of a concept plane he saw in a magazine. The custom sea plane is made with an aluminum body with stainless steel pipes. It has a single seat cockpit that has no more than 3 meters in total area. The cockpit features all the necessary gear.

The sea plane was created to function like the Bell-Boeing V-22, which uses a propeller to lift off from water and to provide stability and momentum. The size of the propeller came short as it doesn’t enable the aircraft to stay in the air for a short while. The reported weight of the aircraft is 250 kilograms.

Liu plans on improving his sea plane, installing a longer 1.6-meter propeller that he said will be enough to lift the aircraft. The craft has two 100-horsepower engines to power the propellers, which will lift the plane off the water surface. There are no news yet on the matter but we hope to see this home-built sea plane fly soon.

This isn’t the first time we have seen home built projects, a few weeks ago we wrote a story about a man who built a replica Lamborghini Reventon from sheet metal, we love nutty inventors and hope people continue to build things. What do you think of the plane?

Via: Mac-gadget

Chinese man makes a sea plane that doesn’t fly is a post from: Gadgets and gizmos

After reading up on the design its of no surprise that Pete is a fan of Star Wars, in particular the Phantom Menace which is where he drew inspiration from.

Under the uber-cool skin lays not one, but three engines. One biofuel engine does most of the hard work whilst two smaller electric engines on each of the wheels provide a bit of extra grunt. As with a traditional chopper the suspension stretches out in front of the bike with the rider positioned three-quarters of the way back. Subtle lighting follows the lines of the Honda Chopper, this makes it look sic-fi whereas the grey paneling makes it look clinical and menacing.

The dual exhausts are further split into four which gives the appearance of quad afterburners protruding from the rear of the Chopper. It’s safe to say the design is not built for function but awesome looks, can you imagine seeing this tearing down the highway?

via

Honda Chopper Futuristic Motorcycle Concept is a post from: Gadgets and gizmos

So you love jetting off to sunny beaches and exciting cities and you also love your gadgets? Here are a few tips for getting the most out your technology during this year’s summer holidays.

Download some apps.

If you are planning on taking your smart phone with you then you can stock up on apps to help you with the language, check out flight information, see the weather where you are going and a lot more. You don’t even need to bother with the once obligatory trashy paperback novel, as sticking some games or an eBook reader onto the phone will keep you entertained during the flight and on the beach.

Take tiny digital scales with you.

These micro weighing machines are brilliant for making sure you ease that dreaded moment when they put your suitcase on the airports scales and find yourself coughing over a huge lump of cash because of all those porcelain donkeys and seashell covered ashtrays you just couldn’t resist taking home.

Pack a portable power pack.

These little devils can be used to charge up phones, gaming consoles, cameras and MPs players among other devices.

Check out Wi-Fi coverage.

If you are going to travel with a Wi-Fi enabled device then you could be lucky and find that the beach or local park has a free service. Otherwise you might need to go to a bar or restaurant to hook up. A quick internet search on your destination should tell you your options and let you plan ahead.

Use cloud storage.

This can work a couple of ways. Firstly, if you want to access lot of documents while you are on holiday then instead of cramming everything onto your device you can put them onto a cloud based storage service like Dropbox. The other approach is to keep the photos you take on holiday safe by popping them onto the cloud storage site.

Take powerful mini speakers.

You might want to party on the beach or chill out in your hotel, but in either case you will find that after a while the audio performance on most phones and tablets lacks a bit of oomph. Nowadays there are amazing speakers which come in tiny packages, such as the WoWee One models. You just plug it in and put in any sort of surface and your funky holiday disco begins.

How to Travel Better with Gadgets is a post from: Gadgets and gizmos

The £9 million pound floating palace measures a staggering 34 metres and is capable of housing 10 guests and five crew members over three luxury decks. In fact the five man crew and the new owner were in Poole to acquaint them with the yacht before taking delivery later this month. The fire started at 11PM on a relatively quiet evening which soon drew vast crowds and even prompted a few amateur videos which are now firmly seated in today’s YouTube most watched videos.

The chief operating officer of Sunseeker says that the insurers have already been informed and a surveyor has been appointed to assess the damage and cause of the fire. The Yacht would have included a fully stocked bar, entertainment/cinema area and no less than ten bespoke rooms including a fully functioning galley. Gadgets would have included flat screen TV’s, surround sound, high end bathroom and cutting edge navigation equipment which has now all been reduced to ash – you have to feel for the guys who put blood, sweat and tears into building this behemoth.

Despite the ‘100% damage’ other yachts in the area where saved by the local coastguard who towed them away from the 40 foot flames, much to the relief of owners who had likely already taken delivery of their yachts. The owner of the destroyed yacht will just have to wait until a new one has been built – oh, the trials of the rich and famous:-). Watch the short video below to get an idea of what £9 million going up in smoke looks like.

On a separate note the growing trend of niche news stories being broken on YouTube continues to grow, this story was first seen on the site as was the riots in Bristol two weeks ago. Thanks to filepalex who shot the video on their phone.

£9 Million Sunseeker Yacht Goes up in Smoke as Owner Watches is a post from: Gadgets and gizmos

The holograms/projections are of two staff and take pride of place in the queue leading up to the security check area. They remind travellers about the rules of carrying liquids on to the plane and removing metal items such as belts before they get to the security scanner. The move could mean the end of ‘real’ staff needing to walk up and down the line giving them more time to concentrate on the security and safety of passengers.

Musion, the company behind the technology used in the project, have worked with the likes of The Gorillaz and even supplied a holographic version of Frank Sinatra for Simon Cowells birthday party. Musio’s founder, James Rock, said: “We’ve developed this technology for many uses but it’s perfectly suited for an airport environment where the support of recorded messages can help with passenger information.”

Julie Capper, the female holograms real life model, said “It’s strange to see yourself in virtual form and I’m hoping that I’ll be able to rely on my virtual self to carry some of my workload.

For the time being these holograms will only be seen in Manchester and Luton  with other airports reported to be interested in the technology.

Via:Sky News

Manchester Airport Replace Staff with Holograms is a post from: Gadgets and gizmos

The space shuttle can carry five independent pods, designed for comfortable orbit for two people. Once in orbit the pods detach from the shuttle to begin an independent space orbit of planet earth on their own. Obviously there are a few important aspects to think over – mainly how would the pods re-enter earths atmosphere or be re-collected by the shuttle.

The ‘honeymoon’ or ‘horny-moon’ as written on the concept drawings is the brain child of Yelken Octuri – an interior designer for Airbus. He clearly has a great idea even though the shape and name are a bit tongue in cheek.

Is this your idea of the perfect honeymoon and will it ever actually happen?

Space Shuttle Honeymoon A Reality in a Personal Pod is a post from: Gadgets and gizmos

The ASSET speed camera isn’t like you typical yellow box. For a start off it needs to be hauled around on the back of a trailer as it is far from being especially lightweight or mobile. It is mobile, but only with the assistance of a police car and large trailer.

However, the camera can see inside the vehicle. It can determine whether the driver is wearing a seatbelt, determine the distance between cars to ascertain whether a driver is tailgating, it can of course clock driving speeds, and it can automatically detect registration plates so that it can tell whether a car is being driven uninsured or untaxed.

It’s hardly a cost cutting measure, though, as when it is brought to the UK which is expected in the year 2013 it will cost £50,000 a time assuming that it passes ongoing trials successfully.

The ASSET has been developed by Finnish engineers but is being funded with £7.1m of European Commission money. It is currently undergoing testing in Finland and if successful it may be rolled out around Europe.

Campaign group speedcameras.org sounded a word of caution over the widespread use of the device saying

‘We cautiously welcome a device that can detect several potential motoring offences, but it remains to be seen how accurate it is and how fairly it will be used. It’s a pity that the main actions that cause the most accidents, namely not paying attention to the road, misjudging distances and other drivers’ intentions, cannot be detected by a device of any sort. More police patrols and better driver education are the only ways to reduce accidents.’

ASSET Super Speed Camera Catches You Committing 5 Different Offences is a post from: Gadgets and gizmos