CrankyRants.com

CrankyRants.com - Apple may be going all Sony on some of it’s third-party vendors. It’s long been known that Sony drops a special digital hand-shake in it’s OEM batteries to ensure that anyone wanting a little extra video recording umph from their Sony camcorder or a fresh new battery for their Sony camera will in fact be required to purchase a Sony replacement or run the risk of it not playing nice and receiving a digital time-out in the corner.

Apple like’s that idea. On top of their “exclusive” demeanor with carriers, word comes to us from a source inside a respected battery manufacturer that something similar may be done for the iPhone and possibly the iPod touch. But instead of fouling up the interior battery… the plan is to rig the Apple connector port to only accept power from a computer connection or Apple-certified wall-wart.

According to the source, it’s not being done to gain an edge in the market, but rather to better regulate the juice that flows into the Imperial Body and Soul of the Apple devices. Nothing but the finest for our Great and Holy Devices… and so forth.

While this certainly seems evil enough for Apple to attempt, and may make sense from an engineering standpoint, one has to question the logistics of a move like this. If put into action, would this immediately out-mode all existing Apple USB wall plugs? Many US households are littered with these, and it would be a shame if they have to hit the trash once your 3rd gen iPod takes a dive.

But then… these are the same guys who required everyone to buy the special “iPod Video Cable” that was nothing more than a standard video cable with the yellow and white cables reversed. So… yeah. Anything goes in Cupertino.

CrankyRants.com - No, that’s not a new super round fun robot toy for the kids this holiday season… it’s a car. A vehicle with which you can weave about the highway and swap paint with massive trucks and SUV’s and mini-vans that would gladly eat this little morsel for brunch. 

The Pivo 2, recently unveiled by Japanese manufacturer Nissan, is a battery-powered concept car with a fully rotating cabin that makes going backwards obsolete, since the driver can turn to face the direction they need to go.

Its wheels also turn 90 degrees, making parking easier. In fact it’s practically small enough to bypass parking altogether and simply drive it into your office, onto the elevator… rotating the cabin to discuss the days agenda with co-workers, before pulling out into the hallway and down towards your cube. 

Granted most concept cars rarely make it into production resembling their predecessors, you need only look at the Smart Car on any European street to see that micro-cars like this would do well. Just keep in mind that most truck drivers will register only minor annoyance at the spilled coffee resulting from the slight kerkunk of your mobile speed-bump passing cleanly beneath their 18 wheels of steel.

Passenger-side airbag though. So that’s a plus.