CNET Top 5: Real-life 'Star Trek' gadgets Video
CNET Top 5: Real-life 'Star Trek' gadgets Video Transcript
[ Music ] ^M00:00:05
>> Welcome to CNET Top Five. Each time we meet we count down another hot CNET list, I'm Tom Merit. And my friends, you may not realize it, but we are living in the future. We have gone boldly where no one has gone before. Star Trek is real. Today things that were only imaginary when Star Trek launched in 1966 are now in your hands in some cases. So let's count them down. At number five, the Tricorder, a real, working tricorder is in fact already obsolete. Mark 1TR 107 from Vital Technologies was unveiled in 1996. Unfortunately, they went out of business and the only place you can one now is sometimes on eBay. Coming in at number four, voice activated computers. The Enterprise's computer was very chatty. Well, now speech recognition comes standard on Windows Vista. And it works pretty well. Well, what do you say to Vista? Hello computer. Can you suck less? Thanks. And it doesn't respond in Major Barrett's voice either. Up to number three, the phaser. Sure, it's not quite deadly yet, but the U.S. Air Force has something called the Personnel Halting and Stimulation Response System, or PHSR. It uses light to halt oncoming people. So essentially all we have so far is stun. Sliding in at number two, big screens. That's right. The big wall-sized screen from the Enterprise is definitely a reality called HDTV. A projector can take any image you want from the TV, the net, remote cameras, and put it to the screen. So fun to say. Before we get to number one, let's check in on the top five Star Trek technologies that are really close to becoming a reality. They're not quite there yet. All right. Let's get to our number one. Our top Star Trek technology that you can carry around with you every day. At number one, it's the communicator. The old flip-phone device from the original series. Remember that? Think Razor as but one example, and then [Inaudible] little ear thingy is easily seen on any city street. It's a Bluetooth headset. And yet, there's still no intelligent life down here. What gives? Well, that's it for this edition of CNET Top Five. Please, pop in with your own suggestions at our blog, blog.cnettv.com. I'm Tom Merit, beam me out of here.
Related Videos
A German inventor has built a DIY jetpack. We get a first look at "Star Wars" pinball for iOS and Android, and "Star Trek" fans win a major space battle when they vote to name a Pluto moon "Vulcan." All that and more on this week's episode of Crave.
'Star Trek' lives at WonderCon 2007
A new Star Trek movie is on the horizon, and Trekkies worldwide are eager to discuss the possibilities. Will the 11th installment bring Trek fans (and revenue) back to the Starfleet franchise? CNET News.com's Neha Tiwari talks to members of the "Trek Lives" panel at WonderCon 2007 in San Francisco.
The Green Show: Intergalactic ecobattle
On the Green Show this week, Google is working on a greenhouse gas map, California is testing offshore wind farms, and "Star Trek" alumnus William Shatner is spearheading an intergalactic battle for greener gadgets.
Rafe spills the beans on the "Star Trek" book he wrote as a kid.
'Second Life' becomes real life
What happens when you combine San Francisco, music, drinks and real-life avatars? You get the second annual Second Life Community Convention kick-off party. CNET's Neha Tiwari spoke with Philip Rosedale, CEO and founder of "Second Life" publisher Linden Lab, as well as event organizers and members of the community, about their experiences with the social-networking site.
From phasers to warp, the sound design of 'Star Trek'
Much to the delight of Trekkies and science fiction fans everywhere, "Star Trek Into Darkness" zooms into theaters this weekend. Moviegoers will see big names such as Chris Pine and Zoe Saldana in the credits, but may miss another key role: that of sound designer. CNET's Kara Tsuboi brings us this behind-the-scenes listen of how the sound effects were created in a studio far from Hollywood.
Hollywoodland is a uniquely compelling exploration of fame and identity, inspired by one of Hollywood's most infamous real-life mysteries.
Ep. 1102: Where we've spared no expense
Bridget Carey is filing in for Justin Yu on a show where we weigh the pros and cons of an actual real-life Jurassic Park -- because there's an Austalian billionaire who's noodling the idea. We'll also check out some of Jeff's interview with Broken Lizard stars Jay Chandrasehkar and Kevin Heffernan about their new film, The Babymakers.
The 404 podcast crew go to the New York opening of the film 'Star Trek' and talk to fans of the series about the new reboot.
Google e-mails money; Hangouts with ponies
Gmail adds the option to transfer money, Hangouts have a hidden Easter egg, and Bing beams you to the Star Trek universe.