The recently released 2009 edition of Guinness World Records covers a whole host of inspiring, intriguing and amazing records in the fields of technology, science, gadgets and video games.
Lightest mobile phone
The world’s lightest mobile phone is the modu, which weights 40.1 g. It is manufactured by modu of Israel and was launched at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona on February 11 2008. The modu is just 72.1 mm tall, 37.6 mm wide and 7.8 mm thick. It has a full-colour screen and 1 GB of internal memory for music and photos.
Best-selling smartphone
According to analyst firm iSuppli, the original Apple iPhone outsold all other models of smartphone in the USA in July 2007, its first full month on sale. In the last four months of last year, Apple sold 2,315,000 iPhones, making the iPhone the fastest-selling smartphone yet. "Records are being broken all the time," says Craig Glenday, editor of Guinness World Records. "And the iPhone is the nicest, sexiest bit of kit out there."
Best-selling video game
In 1985, Nintendo released Super Mario Bros on the NES console. The game’s large, complex scrolling levels changed 2D platformers forever and it remains the best-selling video game of all time, with over 40 million copies sold. "It has that kind of unending appeal," says Craig Glenday, editor of Guinness World Records. "It's somehow reassuring that all these oldies and classics are still with us."
Most-played online game
Since January 21 2008, Call of Duty 4 has been the most played Xbox Live game, according to unique user statistics, consistently beating Halo 3 into second place with more than 1.3 million people playing the game daily. High figures are also reported for the PlayStation 3 edition of the game. "Everyone has this idea that the most-played online game is World of Warcraft," Guinness World Records editor Craig Glenday told Tech & Gadgets. "But the amount of variation in Call of Duty 4… makes it the record holder."
Strongest genetically modified mouse
In November 2007, American scientists announced the creation of a genetically modified mouse with extraordinary physical abilities. In tests, the mouse ran nonstop at 20 m per minute for five hours. It is described as being 10 times more active than a normal mouse.
Most powerful laser
The world’s most powerful laser by output in terms of wattage is the Texas Petawatt Laser at the University of Texas. On March 31 2008 it achieved an output of one petawatt (1,000,000,000,000,000 Watts) when it was fired for a tenth of a trillion of a second (0.0000000000001 seconds).
Fastest production car
The world’s fastest production car is the Ultimate Aero TT, manufactured by Shelby SuperCars of the USA. The Ultimate Aero achieved two-way timed speeds in excess of 256 mph on Highway 221, Washington, USA, on September 13 2007. "Everyone remembers the Bugatti Veyron as being the fastest - but now it's the Aero TT," Guinness World Records editor Craig Glenday told Tech & Gadgets.
First fully submersible sports car
The first fully submersible sports car is the Rinspeed sQuba car, manufactured by Rinspeed of Switzerland. It was presented to the public at the Geneva Motorshow on March 6 2008. This open-top car can be driven on land, float on the surface of water and steered to depths of 10 m – by a driver wearing breathing apparatus. The sQuba, inspired by James Bond’s underwater car in The Spy Who Loved Me, is also environmentally friendly, powered by lithium ion batteries.
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