Anyone who lives in a large metro area has experienced the trouble of finding a parking spot close to your destination. If you drive a large truck or SUV, the problems are multiplied by the fact that not all spots are made for larger vehicles. Designer Michael Brandt has a solution: the Honda Type E Concept. It’s not a car, nor is it a motorcycle. In essence, it’s a pod, a very sleek and attractive pod that looks as stylish as it looks unsafe.  While we won’t get into the practical applications of safety by wondering what would happen if it got hit by a Toyota Landcruiser, we can definitely focus on the positive…

It’s been a long time since a concept car has really sparked the imagination of tech geeks and car enthusiasts alike. When Toyota unveiled their latest concept car, the Fun-Vii, at the 2011 Tokyo Motor Show this week, everyone from Automobile Magazine to Mashable jumped in to discuss its proposed paradigm-shifting features. It’s clear what the “Fun” part of the name means just by watching the second video below. The “Vii” stands for Vehicle, Interactive, Internet. Inside and out, most aspects of the car can interact with the internet and be controlled by a smartphone. Most surfaces on and within…

As browser wars continue to heat up, Google Chrome finds itself trailing IE9 in one of its most compelling attributes – viewable web and application space. It’s a “less is more” world as speed and ease are replacing components and functionality for many (thus, the reduced market share for Firefox). To combat this, Google is considering several different options for a future Chrome browser that includes eliminating the URL bar altogether. This is currently the leading concept on the table, narrowly edging the sidebar design because of the incompatibilities with certain website types and hardware….

What do you do with a device that isn’t quite so useful? You throw it away! Okay, so you are not going to do that to your iPad, so we have an alternative: you could, quite literally, shelve it. Now we’re talking. The iBookend (again, with these “i” names), is a concept design by Dominic Wilcox that actually makes the iPad a useful device, and it is quite fitting as well. The iBookend would allow you to store your iPad in a book shelf and use it as a stand for your books. Quite handy. If only this accessory became reality… I would, only then, have a reason for buying the iPad, or not! [via LikeCool]…

Yuji Fujimura has got to get out of my head. Sometimes, I’ll be rearranging the contents of my wallet and pause for a moment, sensually caressing my credit card’s smooth plastic, and thinking: ‘Gee. I wish I could ride this thing. Y’know, like a bike.’ Enter Fujimura, who has almost suspiciously answered my cries with his Electric Bike Concept v2. A hybrid electric/pedal bike, the v2 uses a lithium ion battery, and folds into what basically amounts to a plastic rectangle…but then again, it looks like one when unfolded, as well. Possibly the saving grace of the design is that there’s a special compartment…

What’s the problem with netbooks and other portable devices these days? For starters, you can’t type on them unless you have the hands of a five-year-old. Sadly, many of us are not blessed with small hands. That said, the iWEB 2.0 Laptop Concept would laugh at all those other laptops that try to serve you a tiny keyboard. The iWEB 2.0 features a slick design (and we don’t mind the Transformers wallpaper either) that just makes us think of fancy things when we see it — businessy and eloquent. The main highlight, however, is the fold-out keyboard. It allows the user to have access to a full-sized keyboard…