Hamburg - To meet the demands of tourists who are invariably surprised by the caprices of summertime weather, German researchers have developed a "convertible" canvas shoe that morphs into a sandal with the flick of a zipper.
And if the weather suddenly changes again (which it always does during a summer vacation), you just zip the canvas top back onto the sandal soles - while meanwhile putting up the top on your convertible rental car.
Best of all, you don't have to pack beach sandals in your luggage. You are already wearing two-in-one shoes. Arriving at the beach, you just remove the canvas tops and slip them into your backpack and - presto - you are wearing comfy sandals.
Berlin - A cell phone's ringtone can be just about anything. It can imitate the ring of an old-fashioned telephone, reproduce a snappy 1980s pop song or even sound like a frog ribbeting.
