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Items by Leander Kahney
Wired: Top Stories
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As America Implodes, the Bike Industry Booms
Posted: September 26th, 2008, 7:31pm EDT by Leander Kahney
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Global warming, rising fuel prices, rampant obesity -- it's all good news for the bike biz, which fills Las Vegas for the biggest Interbike trade show in recent memory.
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Carbon Road Rockets, Latticework Frames and Batman's Bike: Baddest Bikes at Interbike
Posted: September 26th, 2008, 12:00am EDT by Leander Kahney
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: Photo: Jim Merithew/Wired.com LAS VEGAS, Nevada -- Bike nerds and Sin City make strange bedfellows at this year's Interbike conference. Perhaps for the first time in the city's history, the bodies being caressed and ogled this week were not made of flesh -- though they were still expensive. Instead, spandex-clad gear heads went carnal for carbon composites and supped-up suspensions. Check out the baddest bike's on display in what we like to think of as the swimsuit issue for the two-wheel crowd -- including wicker-basket frames, cherry wood finishes and bikes fit for Batman himself. Left: French bike giant Time's brand-new carbon road rocket, the RXR UL Team, will likely cost Yung upwards of $15,000, but what do you expect for a bike handmade in France? This state-of-the-art, top-of-the-line RXR UL is equipped with Campagnolo's Super Record 11 groupset. Read more about Time's RXR UL on Gadget Lab. : Photo: Jim Merithew/Wired.com Delta 7 Sports' Ascend road bike draws a crowd thanks to its distinctive wicker-basket carbon frame. The Ascend's frame is a lattice of carbon fiber that Delta claims is ten times stronger than steel (by weight). Incredibly, the bike's frame weighs just 1.8 pounds and costs about $12,000. Read more about Delta 7 Sports' Ascend on Gadget Lab. : Photo: Jim Merithew/Wired.com Frame builder Jeff Jones of Medford, Oregon, shuns conventional wisdom when it comes to building mountain bikes. There's no suspension or super trick gadgets, just strikingly original design and gigantic tires -- 26x3.7 to be exact. "It's fun," said Jones. "It's like driving a monster truck." The huge tires do the work of the missing suspension, and there's no unnerving forward lurch when the rider hits the brakes. The frame and fork of this ride, which Jones calls "Space," cost about $5,500. A complete bike reaches up and past $10,000. Read more about Jeff Jones's Space bike on Gadget Lab. : Photo: Jim Merithew/Wired.com "The Mob" is a 26-inch wheel badass bike from Black Market Bikes. The Mob is finding favor among the aging BMXer crowd, according to Black Market. The Mob is sold only as a frame and fork for about $600, but a trick rig like the one pictured runs for about $2,500. Read more about Black Market Bikes' Mob on Gadget Lab. : Photo: Jim Merithew/Wired.com Independent Fabrication's high-end XS road bike is a wonder of titanium, carbon fiber and of all things -- cherry wood. The XS features titanium lugs, carbon...
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Gallery: From Mind-Blowing to Mockery -- The iPhone 2 Mocked Up
Posted: June 7th, 2008, 12:00am EDT by Leander Kahney
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: The creative types that make up Apple's fan base have been busy dreaming up the ideal iPhone, Version 2. (Steve Jobs is expected to introduce the real thing on Monday.)
The release of a new Apple product is an opportunity for Apple fans to dream big -- and make fun of the company they love.
This collection of iPhone 2 mock-ups runs the gamut, from the mundane to the mind-blowing. Check out the iPhone Pico -- a mini-iPhone that's smaller than a pinkie fingernail. We wish!
These mock-ups were designed by the readers of iLounge, which held a competition to find the best ideas for the new iPhone. The full list of winners are included in iLounge's free iPod + iPhone Book 4.
iPhone See-through
Left: This mock-up by Robert Davis of Cornelius, North Carolina, is thin, lightweight and crystal clear. It runs a full version of Leopard (not a stripped-down one) and has a 5-megapixel camera. Not very realistic -- or practical -- but pretty.
: iPhone Pro
The iPhone Pro by A. Berio of Los Angeles is an iPhone for well, the pros. Boasting a 1024x768 display, the iPhone Pro also has Intel's latest Atom processor and runs OS X Leopard. Dream on!
: iPhone Mirror
The iPhone Mirror by an unnamed iLounge reader from Boston has two touch screens and two cameras -- one on either side. This makes video conferencing very easy -- and also taking self-portraits
: iPhone Shuffle
The iPhone Shuffle by Michael Hornbek of Hornslet, Denmark, has no screen and calls random people. "Think Indifferent," Michael says.
: iPhone Pico
iPhone Pico. Smallest. iPhone. Ever.
: iPhone Classic and Mini
A lot of Apple watchers expect the iPhone line to diversify like that of the iPod: different models for different pocketbooks. Many except to see a smaller, slimmed-down iPhone -- like the iPhone Mini. By Frank Reinders, Venlo, Netherlands.
: iPhone 3-G Slider With Virtual Keyboard
This 3-G iPhone by Aaron Besson of Port of Spain, Trinidad & Tobago, is a slider with a difference. The slide-out keyboard is actually a second touch screen, and the keyboard its displaying is virtual. Clever.
: iPhone Air
The iPhone Air by Renato Ruiz of Oxnard, California, is the perfect complement to the MacBook Air. It's a clamshell and has two screens -- one for a virtual keyboard -- that are both protected when the device is closed. There's a third screen on the lid that shows what music is playing while the iPhone is being used as a media player.
: Two Trackballs
This next-gen iPhone has two home buttons, which are now trackballs for gaming and easier scrolling. It also uses the built-in accelerometers as game controls. Designed by an unnamed iLounge reader from Skokie, Illinois.
: iPhone Bio
The iPhone Bio has the usual 3-G for video calls and video chat, but also uses biometric fingerprint security to protect your sensitive data.
: iPhone Duo
The iPhone Duo is slimmer, slicker and a slider to boot. By I. Sugiharto of New Zealand.
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CNET Staffers Happy to be CBS Employees
Posted: May 15th, 2008, 4:40pm EDT by Leander Kahney
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CNET staffers are joking that CBS bought their company purely for the coveted News.com domain name. But nobody is complaining about the windfall.
"The scuttlebutt … around here is that News.com will be used for CBS' News operations and that our News.com will end up being a tab off that page," said one staffer, who asked not to be identified.
It's inconceivable that CBS paid a staggering $1.8 billion just for a domain name, but nonetheless, most of the reporters at News.com -- the tech news division of CNET -- are expecting that CBS will take the domain name for its own news operation, the staffer said.
"It does seem clear we will lose our domain name," the staffer said. "At least we have a parent that's solid and has some money -- and isn't News Corp."
Once the highflier of online media, CNET has recently been rocked by stock option scandals, hostile takeover attempts, layoffs and staff attrition. Skeleton crews run many departments and morale is low.
While CBS is seen as stodgy, the company is stable and has a solid reputation for supporting the expensive business of news.
Delighted rank and file are busy trying to tabulate the worth of their shares, which they've been told will all vest immediately.
CBS paid a premium $11.50 per share for CNET, a 44-percent premium above CNET's closing price yesterday.
"We feel it's pretty good news, and we're all pretty happy," said another employee at CNET who also asked not to be named. "It was a good price, and we're all going to make a bit of money off of it."
None of the staffers have yet been told CBS's plans but a company-wide meeting is scheduled for next Tuesday, they said.
"Me personally, my initial reaction was 'Oh, fuck, corporate media is getting to us.'" said one CNET designer, who also asked not to be identified. "Every channel of communication in this country is owned by five or six companies, and we're joining that group … I just don't know if there's a way around that anymore."
But the designer said, generally, the staff welcomed the acquisition.
"The general feeling in the small talk going around is that this is a positive development," the designer said. "We're finally going to have some money behind us, because CNET has been hurting for the last couple of months. The first two quarters have been kind of hard, so I think this comes as good news, because obviously CBS is a big company that has a lot of capital."
"The mood is light. People are upbeat about it," said one staffer. "There's no worrying or anything. I think people think it's a good thing overall for the company."
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Cult of Mac: Apple Plotting an Avon Power Play?
Posted: January 8th, 2008, 9:00pm EST by Leander Kahney
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When cosmetics chief Andrea Jung joins the Cupertino juggernaut, it raises the question: What is Steve Jobs hiding up his sleeve? Commentary by Leander Kahney.