Review: Sea-Doo Spark, the jet ski that might save the industry

Marine Review: Sea-Doo Spark, the jet ski that might save the industry Half the price, half the weight and half the power of a regular midrange jet ski, the Spark delivers 90% of the fun of a more expensive PWC in a way that's much more accessible and attractive to newcomers. It also burns nearly ten times less fuel than the big boys. Loz and Noel ride the new Sea-Doo. read more Automotive LiquidPiston unveils X Mini engine Back in 2012, Gizmag looked at LiquidPiston's X2 rotary engine and now the company is back with the 70 cc X Mini engine, which LiquidPiston's President and Co-Founder, Dr Alexander Shkolnik unveiled on Wednesday at the SAE International/JSAE 2014 Small Engine Technology Conference in Pisa, Italy. read more Space Marshall Space Flight Center: A tour through NASA's hidden gem It may not get the same attention as the Kennedy Space Center or the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, but Marshall Space Flight Center, in Huntsville, Alabama, is responsible for developing much of the complex inner-workings of rockets, satellites, and future technologies. read more Science Tagging fish can alert predators to their whereabouts Tagging fish offers scientists new ways of learning about their movements and methods of survival. While this helps in conservation efforts, research suggests it may in fact be having an adverse effect, with the sounds emitted by the tags alerting predators to where to hunt for their next meal. read more Science People trained to experience an overlap in senses also receive IQ boost Not a great deal is known about synesthesia, but a new study conducted at the University of Sussex has suggested that specific training of the mind can induce the effects of the condition – and even boost a person's IQ. read more Mobile Technology 2014 Smartphone Comparison Guide We've seen so many great smartphones this year, it isn't easy to pick just one. Let Gizmag try to help with your decision, as we compare the features and specs of some of the best smartphones of 2014. read more Children DynePod taps into the Internet of Toys Dynepic understands something every small child does: toys can, and do, talk to each other. And you can talk to them, too. Dynepic is aiming to develop an architecture where toys and their controlling devices – the DynePods – are connected and controllable via an open source cloud system. read more Around The Home Plantui Plantation gives the smart garden room to grow Developed by a team of Finnish entrepreneurs, the Plantui Plantation is aimed at giving urban green thumbs the capability to raise almost any kind of plant indoors, up two meters (6.6 ft) in height. read more Computers What's new in the latest Windows 10 build 9879? As Microsoft continues development of its new desktop operating system, it recently released a new build of Windows 10 for members of the Windows Insider program. Here's how to get the the latest build (9879) and a look at the most notable new features you can expect in the upcoming final version. read more Digital Cameras SnapJet prints photos straight from your smartphone's screen Do you like having photos that you can actually hold onto or tack up? The SnapJet is a small device that scans a photo displayed on your smartphone's screen, and reproduces it on Polaroid or Fuji film. read more Automotive Golf R Wagon combines space with pace Volkswagen's Golf R hot hatch has been given a practical, wagon makeover for the Los Angeles Auto Show. The Golf R Wagon will sprint from 0-100 km/h (62 mph) in just 5.1 seconds, but still has space for the family in the back – and their dog in the boot. read more Automotive Prototype electric car made with a 3D printer It looks like Local Motors is getting some company in the 3D-printed car arena. German electric vehicle manufacturer StreetScooter recently completed the prototype of its C16, most of the exterior components of which were created using a Stratasys Objet1000 3D Production System. read more Science Organovo now selling tiny 3D-printed human livers When a medication enters the bloodstream, it ends up being concentrated in the liver. It would follow, therefore, that if a pharmaceutical company wanted to test the safety of its products, it would be nice to have some miniature human livers – which is just what biotech firm Organovo is selling. read more Around The Home Wrap aims to make any desk a dry erase board Dry erase boards are a great way to jot down ideas, schedules, or anything else that's going to be temporary. Wrap aims to take that concept and apply it to an entire desktop, but without requiring users to purchase an entire new desk. Instead, it simply covers the top of an existing one. read more Wearable Electronics Asus ZenWatch review: Fashion and function start to find balance Apart from the Nexus 7, Asus isn't exactly a household name in mobile. But if the company's new Android Wear smartwatch, the Asus ZenWatch, is any indiciation, it could make a name for itself in wearables. Read on, for Gizmag's review of the most pleasant smartwatch surprise of the year. read more Military BAE proposes smart countermeasure system to protect US airborne forces BAE Systems has submitted a proposal to the US Army's Common Infrared Countermeasure (CIRCM) program. Once operational, the system will safeguard rotary and light fixed-wing aircraft, increasing survivability against the threat posed by infrared missiles. read more Automotive Mercedes' self-driving cars will be a place to relax It wasn't so long ago that self-driving cars were seen as the stuff of some distant sci-fi future. All of a sudden, that future is upon us, but we don't yet know what these cars will look like. New concepts from Mercedes suggest they'll be a place for relaxing or working, but not driving. read more Mobile Technology Jolla turns to the community to fund and help develop its new tablet Jolla has thrown its hat into the tablet ring, announcing a brand new device that it plans to develop and fund with the help of a community of crowdfunding backers. The device offers both a competitive price point and specs in line with small tablet heavy hitters. read more Architecture Floating off-grid greenhouse can feed two families Italian design office Studiomobile has teamed up with the University of Florence's professor Stefano Mancuso, the director of the International Laboratory of Plant Neurobiology, to produce a prototype floating greenhouse which it hopes could improve food security in areas with a lack of arable land. read more Home Entertainment JVC's biggest 4K TV promises best color reproduction on the market JVC has thrown its hat into the "huge UHD TVs" ring with the announcement of the Diamond Series DM85UXR. With an 85-in screen, it's the company's largest UHD TV to date. JVC also claims that it delivers the most precise color reproduction on the market. read more Around The Home Eva smart shower head saves water by gamifying your showers Eva, a Bluetooth-connected shower head that just hit Indiegogo for crowdfunding, aims to cut shower water consumption in half by making sure water only pours down when you actually need it, paying for itself in just one year in the average household of four. read more Aircraft The Mind4 could take auto-tracking drones to new heights The Mind4 promises to take the automatic tracking feature that is becoming popular in consumer drones to new heights. Rather than relying on GPS to pinpoint the user's location, it uses computer algorithms to identify subjects through its camera, a function claimed to offer unparalleled accuracy. read more Around The Home Smart light bulbs developed by Tesla alum Stack Lighting embeds smart technology directly in the bulb, enabling the device to read room conditions and adjust its lighting accordingly, with little to no effort by the user. read more Space Why didn't the universe collapse after the Big Bang? It's a question of gravity Current knowledge of physics suggests the universe should have collapsed into nothing after the Big Bang, but new research makes a case for interactions between gravity and Higgs particles providing a stabilizing effect. read more Aircraft Martin Jetpack closer to takeoff in first responder applications The goal of using the Martin Jetpack for emergency response services is closer to reality with the Martin Aircraft Company announcing a partnership with US company Avwatch to develop air-based, first responder solutions for the US Department of Homeland Security and Department of Defense. read more Advertisement Inside Windows 8.1 - Microsoft's Newest Operating System Update - FREE eBook! (Offer Ends 11/25) You may be reading this guide because you just purchased a new computer and found that your Windows Operating System (OS) looks different from the way it used to. Or perhaps you are just curious about the changes to Windows 8.1 and are wondering whether you should upgrade your own system. read more UNSUBSCRIBE You are receiving this email because you signed up for our daily newsletter at http://www.gizmag.com. Copyright Gizmag © 2014