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Filed under: Wearables

If you hadn’t heard by now, Speedo’s new LZR Racer swimsuit has caused a respectable amount of controversy for itself in the run-up to the Olympics. The innovative, NASA-aided design cinches up on a swimmer and reduces drag by as much as 10 percent, and detractors claim Speedo has thrown a bit of buoyancy in there for good measure. FINA, who has the last word on such matters, has approved the suit, says that buoyancy claims are unproven, and has pointed out that all major manufacturers have suits available to all athletes free of charge, removing any concerns that the $500 suits — which only last for 10 uses — will pose an obstacle to poorer countries. Unsurprisingly, some of the biggest criticism of the suit has come from countries tied up in sponsorships with other suit manufacturers, while a good many countries and athletes have broken from lucrative deals to swim Speedo. So, what’s the actual damage? 48 world records were set this year before the olympics, 44 of those wearing the suit. Since the olympics have started, 8 records have fallen, and that number is certain to grow. A large number, to be sure, but we’d say the time for crying over Speedo’s awesmazingness is over, and the time to watch really muscular people with large feet break world records is upon us.

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Source: Paul Miller

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Filed under: Cellphones, Wireless

We’ve been hearing that China Mobile would have its act together and get TD-SCDMA ready well in advance of the 2008 Beijing Olympics since last November, and with merely months to spare, it seems things just may work out. Reportedly, the carrier is all set to begin commercial trials of the home cooked 3G standard on April 1st, where it will be tested in Shanghai, Tianjin, Shenyang, Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Xiamen, Qinhuangdao and of course, Beijing. Initially, China Mobile Group will provide 20,000 lucky souls with free TD-SCDMA phones and subsidies of 800 yuan per month, while folks outside of that group can also walk into retail outlets and pick up discounted handsets on a whim. Maybe it’s just us, but we’d probably hold off until those guinea pigs gave everyone else a heads-up of the network quality before we went dropping our own change on it.

[Via mocoNews]

 

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Source: Darren Murph

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Filed under: Laptops

In celebration of the “one-year-out mark for the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games,” Lenovo has just announced that it will be conducting a series of back-to-back, week-long auctions to gift high bidders with its svelte Olympic-themed machine. Beginning on February 8, 2008, a “Cloud of Promise” laptop will be available for bidding each week leading up to the Olympic Games, and a number of them will even be “autographed by athlete ambassadors.” Reportedly, “100-percent” of the proceeds will be distributed through the Lenovo Hope Fund to select philanthropies, including Right to Play, and the auctions will take place at the currently unavailable www.lenovohopefundauctions.com website.

[Via TechDigest]

 

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Office Depot Featured Gadget: Xbox 360 Platinum System Packs the power to bring games to life!

Source: Darren Murph

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Filed under: GPS

It looks like the city of Beijing was suitably impressed with Nissan’s still-in-development transportation safety system, as the city’s now tasked the company with installing the system in time for the 2008 Beijing Olympics. According to The Wall Street Journal, the system, dubbed Star Wings, will rely on an existing Beijing system to collect traffic data, which Nissan will then turn around and transmit to drivers via an unspecified wireless network. That’ll allow drivers to determine the quickest route to take which, in theory, should reduce congestion in the city, something Beijing’s been trying to get under control in time for the Olympics. While that’s not all that far away, Nissan seems confident that it can make a difference, saying it hopes to put the technology into a fifth of Beijing’s 3 million cars by August of 2008 — an ambitious goal it believes in can achieve in part by working with rental car companies and taxi fleets.

 

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Office Depot Featured Gadget: Xbox 360 Platinum System Packs the power to bring games to life!

Source: Donald Melanson

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