Heads-up displays are undoubtedly novel, and downright useful in the right circumstances. Trouble is, few of these prototypes ever make it beyond the lab, and we’re stuck using these same two eyeballs to experience the world around us. General Motors is evidently tired of the almosts, and it’s now working in concert with Carnegie Mellon University and the University of Southern California in order to concoct one of the most advanced HUD systems that we’ve seen — particularly in the automotive world. Setting out to create “enhanced vision systems,” GM’s R&D team has created a windshield packed with visible and Infrared cameras along with internal optics that keep a close eye on the driver’s retinas. In the images and video below (hit the ‘Read More’ link for the real action), you’ll see a solution that utilizes lasers in order to highlight road edges, speed limit signs and all sorts of other vital bits of data during a fog-filled commute. Best of all?

Oh hey, the Kindle app for OS X is out. It’s free, but you have to buy the books, of course. It doesn’t have multitouch, like the Windows app , though. [ Amazon via TUAW ] More

Things made of carbon fiber tend to be appealing-looking, light-weight, and durable. But sometimes we just plain wonder how on earth someone decided to choose the often pricey material for a particular piece of gear. More

We heard whispers of it yesterday , but now Verizon has confirmed it: More

Scientists have already created mini-cyborgs out of living cells and semiconductor materials, but now biological cells can also contain tiny silicon chips, which could become sensors that monitor microscopic activities, deliver drugs to target cells or even repair cell structures. More

Well isn’t that nice! Silicon Alley Insider has it on good authority that Gizmodo is one of the tech sites Steve Jobs has bookmarked in Safari on his iPad. Hi, Steve! We knew he was a fan , but I’m glad to see he’s keeping up with us tablet-style, even after letting Bill Gates’ byline run here sometime last year . How do we look on that 1024×768 screen? My email’s below.

At age 74, Bruce Maynard has decided to walk across America. But he refuses to go without creature comforts like his cellphone, let alone camping gear and food. So he’s enlisting the help of a solar-powered stroller. More

Available at AT&T stores starting in May (for an unknown price), the AT&T Zero Charger is the world’s first wall-based USB charger that draws absolutely no power when it’s not refilling a cellphone. Now follow suit, everyone else. [ AT&T ] More

It’s no TouchFLO or SPB Mobile Shell, but it turns out you will be able theme Windows Phone 7 Series … a little. Although we’ve only ever seen the classy “dark” theme with the black background, Microsoft just demoed a “light” theme with dark text on a white background. Earth-shattering, we know.

When I first read about Solar Roadways —super-tough solar panels with built-in LED signs designed to turn roads into power plants—I thought that they were never going to happen. Well, here’s a prototype. [ Solar Roadways via GadgetReview ] More