Would you take a flight in the world’s first flying car? (Yahoo! News)

Others have tried, but the Transition may be the first flying car to enter production

Mankind has dreamt of a flying car for decades, and while most fictional examples appear to use futuristic hover technology, the engineers of Terrafugia have taken a decidedly more practical approach. The company's Transition aircraft has just received approval from the Department of Transportation and is slated to enter commercial production later this year. Taking proven aircraft technology and adapting it for road use has created a craft that performs admirably in both scenarios.

The Transition features folding wings that allow it to go from plane to highway cruising machine in just seconds. A few exceptions have been made in order for the vehicle to squeak by certain safety requirements. The craft's beefy curb weight — much of it due to road safety features — has been scrutinized, as has its polycarbonate windows which are considerably thinner than standard automotive safety glass.

Terrafugia was founded in 2006 by graduates of MIT, with the sole purpose of developing a "roadable aircraft," i.e. a flying car. The Transition is the fruit of the company's labor, and has already taken to the skies to prove its worth. The craft will be offered for sale in late 2012 with an estimated price tag of $250,000. If Terrafugia's plans come to fruition, it will be the first commercially available vehicle that can not only drive to an airstrip, but take to the skies as well.

AOPA via Engadget

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Pope sends first tweet, does so using iPad 2 (Yahoo! News)

The head of the Catholic Church also launched a new website from his tablet

When you think of the Catholic Church, you probably don't imagine the Pope tweeting about the latest church news to thousands of social network followers, but that's just what happened today. Taking to Twitter for the very first time, Pope Benedict XVI shot out a message announcing the debut of News.va, a church web portal that includes worldwide headlines and news from various church departments.

The Pope's tweet appeared on the Vatican news Twitter account, which will now provide links to articles and other features on the new site. Benedict XVI used an iPad 2 to not only send the tweet, but also to formally launch the site to the public. The new religious web destination is readable in both English and Italian, with more languages slated to be added at a later date.

This isn't the first time the Pope and social networking have crossed paths. Benedict XVI also gave online social sites his approval during a speech on the church's World Day of Social Communication in January. At the time, we doubt even he could have predicted he'd be launching a website and sending a tweet just 6 short months later, and from a touchscreen tablet no less.

News.va via AllTwitter

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Nook Color surpasses Kindle for the first time in Consumer Report rankings (Appolicious)

Even without all the bells and whistles of the Nook Color, Barnes & Noble (BKS) managed to scrape by Amazon (AMZN) in Consumer Reports’ rankings of e-readers for the first time with its all new Nook Simple Touch Reader. The bookstore’s latest black-and-white e-reader, which is the first e-ink-based reader to feature the Google (GOOG) Android 2.1 operating system, scored just one point higher than the most recent edition of the Kindle and a few points higher than other models.

Updating from previous versions that operated on Android 1.5, the new reader features additional flexibility in “rooting” or adding alternative apps and games for advanced users. The newest version of the Android operating system for the Book offers the support required to run modern day games and applications, even Angry Birds, although it has frame-rate issues, according to the blog Good E-Reader.

The newest B&N device also offers a web browser, which is only available through the search button. This feature was quietly introduced, and is accessible if you type the proper website address in the search field. The device also offers a touchscreen that the Kindle does not, as well as smoother page turns and minimized flashing, according to B&N.

Consumer Reports said the Nook Simple, which is also being called “The All-New Nook,” matches or is modestly better than the Kindle in nearly every aspect of performance, including battery life. Instead of attempting to be a tablet as it did with the original Nook and the Nook Color, B&N brought the new Nook Simple back to the roots of the e-reader, with a focus on reading with fewer extra features. The publication noted that Kindle has the potential to reclaim its top spot with upcoming firmware updates.

Although the Nook Color has given B&N a chance to compete in the tablet space, it took going back to the black-and-white basics of e-reader technology, with a few additional features thanks to an updated Android operating system, for the bookstore to edge out Amazon’s pioneer product.