Sanyo is quite environmentally-friendly these days, committed to businesses that use water circulation and recycling technology applications. During Sanyo's product studies, they estimated that the overall demand for washing machines in Japan to be 4.57 million units. So, they put their heads together and designed the AQUA: the world's first Drum-Type Washing Machine with an Air Wash function. Not only does it recycle water, but it lets you deodorize and disinfect clothes without the need for water. Why is this a good idea?

Well, say you wore PJs to bed, or put on a sweatshirt to walk the dog. Your clothes aren't really dirty, since you didn't use them much. Well, with the Air Wash feature, this is possible. It works by injecting air into the machine's drum, and is able to disinfect and deodorize your clothes for 30 minutes without the use of water. This process also seems useful for clothes that are dry clean only. 

And what if you own a washer in your home or apartment? You probably don't realize how much water, let alone electricity, you are using. The AQUA can reuse water so you don't waste it. This works by storing water used in final rinsing in a storage tank and very fine air bubbles disinfect and clean the water.

The AQUA also features a 'Lift up baffle' (which prevents the clothes from leaning to one side inside the drum), a 'Non-detergent course' (to remove light dirt from clothes without detergent), and a 'Mold guard course' (to guard against black mold). The washing machine comes in two colors: Pearl White and Metallic Brown. It will be available in Japan (for now) starting March 11th for 262,500 Yen ($2,200 USD).

[Thanks to FarEastGizmos.com for the scoop.]

Did you know that playing your music too loud can hurt your ears? Evidently this is news to a bunch of folks that are suing Apple because the iPod is just too loud. According to this story in the MercuryNews:

The suit notes that in 2002 France required Apple to limit the iPod's sound output to 100 decibels. The iPod sold in the United States is capable of producing music with decibels between 115 and 130 -- about the sound level of an air raid siren, the suit said.

Do the French not know how to use a volume control? What is next, suing Wusthof for selling knives that are too sharp? (Clearly, there are none of those in France.)

Anyone remember when the dumb and disgruntled just sued Microsoft? Those were the days.

BMW and Mercedes-Benz are rolling out night-vision cars this spring that use competing infrared technologies. They'll let you see up to 500 to 1,000 feet down the road (5 to 10 seconds of driving time at 60 mph).

Night vision is a generic term and is also part of many products' names (as in BMW Night Vision, shown at left, and Mercedes-Benz Night Vision Assist, right). It works via an infrared camera that sees in the dark and provides a black-and-white image on a dash-mounted display. Previous systems employed far infrared (FIR), also called passive IR, using the heat emitted by objects themselves -- say, pedestrians out for a late night stroll on unlit highways, Bambi bounding across the roadway, Corvette twin exhausts, or parked cars still exuding engine heat an hour later.

That's what BMW uses in the Night Vision, available in March in 5 Series sedans and wagons and in the 6 Series coupe and convertible. The image displays on BMW's center-mounted LCD control panel, used also for navigation and entertainment controls; a split-screen mode lets you do two things at once. In Europe, pricing was set at 1,950 euros, equivalent to $2,400.

Mercedes' new flagship S-Class employs a near infrared (or active) system with an IR illuminator (a light filtered to emit only the infrared spectrum) that bathes the roadway ahead. The image is displayed in a large LCD panel in the middle of the S-Class instrument cluster.

Both automakers could have used head-up display technology to create a virtual image that appear (to the eye) to float just about the front edge of the hood. But research indicated some drivers wanted to steer using the virtual image, to the exclusion of the real thing. (Perhaps having seen Star Wars, drivers wanted to try first-hand the-force-be-with-you driving.) Instead, the displays are placed so it's easy to glance at them, but they're not directly in the driver's forward line of vision.

Whose is better? Passive has more range; BMW claims 300 meters, while Mercedes claims 150 meters for its active system. (Either is better than the range of low-beam headlights.) The active IR image is more detailed and lifelike. Passive IR is fuzzier, because heat forms an aura around the emitting body (and not just for Stevie Nicks).

BMW says a simpler image may be easier to understand at a glance, and the new system is better than earlier systems. The BMW display can zoom in on distant objects when you're traveling faster. Also, passive IR isn't "dazzled" by bright oncoming lights that emit some infrared. (Think what happens when two active IR cars bear down on each other.) Siemens VDO provided the technology for the BMW system and Automotive Lighting does this for Mercedes-Benz.

Others have tried night vision with mixed success. GM unveiled a Raytheon/Delphi-designed passive, head-up-display Night Vision system in Cadillacs in 2000 with modest success (and later offered it in Hummers). The initial Cadillac system was on the frumpy DTS, which perhaps positioned Night Vision as a visual prosthesis for aging drivers instead of a cool toy for Corvette-driving investment bankers. Lexus sells the Night View system ($2,200) on its high-end LX SUV. And in Japan, the Honda Legend has had night vision since 2004, but it's not available here on the Acura RL (which is the same car).

Hallelujah. Verizon today told me that they're now going to let people use their phones as modems on Verizon's high-speed EV-DO network.

The new phone-as-modem plan, available today, will cost $59.99/month for existing voice subscribers, for unlimited use (the same as Verizon's PC Card plans). It'll work with the Motorola RAZR V3c (shown at right), Motorola E815, LG VX8100, LG VX9800 and Blackberry 7130e, but not, as far as I know, with the Palm Treo 700w or Verizon XV6700.

Up until now, if you wanted to "tether" any Verizon Wireless EV-DO phone other than the Blackberry 7130e and the old Audiovox XV6600 to your PC, you'd have been violating your service contract. Sprint has $25/month 40MB and $59.99/month unlimited phone-as-modem plans for all their EV-DO devices.

The way Verizon described it to me, they want you to use USB rather than Bluetooth to tether, but I think that's a minor concern (and USB connections are faster, anyway.) This is a great step forward for Verizon and for anyone who doesn't want to have to carry around an extra PC Card to enjoy broadband speeds on the road. Read a little more in my story on PCMag.com.

Vrooooom, rumble, rumble, rumble, rumble!  Think Tank PCs take customized computers to a logical conclusion.  Custom chopper fans have reached the mainstream with shows on the Discovery Channel like American Chopper and Monster Garage.  If you said "Did you see that bike Mikey built?" in your last water cooler conversation, you may be a candidate for a Think Tank PC.

The guys at Think Tank stuff Celeron and Pentium 4 powered small form factor PCs into an enclosure shaped like a motorcycle gas tank.  Like custom chopper tanks, each PC is a work of art, and can be painted to match your real (or fantasy) ride.  Fans of Easy Rider will be happy to see a tank similar to the one on Peter Fonda's chopper.

Think Tank PCs start at $1,125 for a basic PC, and go up from there depending on options and custom paint work.

Most likely it'll be expensive, but instead of dressing up your laptop with stickers and decals, you might try having it done professionally. Smooth Creations is a company that specializes in off-the-hook paint jobs.

The owner's name is Smooth, or at least that's how they refer to him. He has over 15 years of experience painting muscle cars, and he's bringing his skills over to your lackluster PC. I checked out his work, and some of the designs look pretty amazing.

Smooth Designs are not limited to PCs. They've done some pretty incredible things with iPods, LCD panels, keyboards, and mice. I'm guessing Smooth will paint anything, if the price is right. His work is featured in Maximum PC Magazine and several gaming publications.

[Thanks to notebookreview for the link.]