Herschel space telescope shuts down

All good things come to an end and the European Space Agency’s Herschel Space Observatory mission is no exception. After more than three years in orbit, the most powerful infrared telescope ever flown in space has ceased scientific operations after the last of the liquid helium used to supercool its instruments ran out.

Launched from the Guiana Space Center in French Guiana on 14 May, 2009 atop an Ariane 5 rocket, the Herschel was sent into what is called a Lissajous orbit 1,500,000 kilometers (930,000 miles) from Earth. In such an orbit, the spacecraft circles, not the Earth, but the Lagrangian point L2 – a spot where the gravitational forces of the Earth, Moon and Sun balance out.

Icona's magma-laden Vulcano hybrid sets Shanghai on fire

After weeks of teasing by boutique Chinese/Italian auto designer Icona, the high performance, hyper-red Vulcano hybrid has finally been unveiled (in front of a snack bar) at the Shanghai Auto Show. Based on initial images and

And the world's fastest car is ... the Bugatti Veyron Super Sport (again)

After having its world record for fastest production car thrown into question by a competitor and put under review by Guinness, Bugatti is back on top. Its record set back in 2010 is official all over again after a reconfirmation by Guinness.

Samsung Galaxy Mega 5.8 vs. Galaxy Mega 6.3

You didn’t think the Galaxy Note II was the last word, did you? That Samsung’s 5.5-inch phablet had filled the last gaps between smartphone and tablet? Think again. If the Note is two parts smartphone, one part tablet – the huge Galaxy Mega flips that around. Let’s see how the two versions of the Mega (Mega 5.8 and Mega 6.3) compare.

Size

If you can still classify these as smartphones, then they’re the biggest damn smartphones you’ve ever seen. The Mega 6.3, naturally, is larger than its baby bro, but it does manage to be thinner.

iPhone 5 vs. iPhone 4S vs. iPhone 4

The budget iPhone: rumormongers have obsessed out the possibility for years. Though Apple hasn't – and likely never will – manufacture a new iPhone just to tackle the economy market, the company has covered that segment nonetheless. The recipe is simple: continue selling previous years' iPhones in decreasing increments of $100.

Rather than complicating its product lineup with an "iPhone Lite," Apple is now selling last year's iPhone 4S

Mercedes presents all new, all-electric B-Class

 

To be launched first in the USA at the beginning of 2014, this new-generation electric is all electric with no hybrid elements in sight. Mercedes boasts the wee B-Class as a “premium luxury” experience, funny given the wee B is still considered a subcompact runabout to many. Based on the traditional B-Class the new electric carries with it the usual Mercedes level of build and quality.

Bamboo bee aims to bring bamboo bicycles to the masses

 

Following a solo expedition around Asia on a self-built bamboo bicycle, Sunny Chuah was inspired to create a range of bamboo bikes suitable for mass-production. Thus the company Bamboo bee was born, and now Chuah has turned to Kickstarter to help realize his ambitions, seeking to raise funds to buy equipment that will help lower production costs.