The New York Times reports that a privately held bank called USAA is planning on providing customers with an iPhone app which will allow checks to be deposited using photos of the front and back of the check. Customers will no longer have to visit an ATM or bank branch to make a deposit. Once the photos of the check have been submitted electronically, the deposit is completed and the check can be voided or destroyed. In order to avoid fraud, the bank will be limiting this service to a select group of customers.

USAA is a small bank with a single branch in San Antonio, Texas. It serves mostly military personnel who may be stationed anywhere in the world. The bank has allowed checks to be deposited by scanner for the past 3 years, so deposit by iPhone is the next logical step.  If the service is successful, it may change the way that deposits are made in many other banks.

AeroVironment, an engineering firm, is designing and developing a flying robot that resembles a hummingboard. The U.S. Defense Department Advanced Reasearch Projects Agency (DARPA) has awarded AeroVironment a 2.1 million dollar contract for the robot, which has small wings that allow it to hover and fly up, down and sideways. The goal of the design is to allow the robot to conduct reconnaissance missions in urban environments.

See a demo of the company’s robotic aircraft on YouTube:

The plug-and-play Kiwi is a simple to use device which provides data to help you maximize your MPG while driving. Kiwi plugs into your vehicle’s diagnostic port (near the steering column) and obtains vehicle sensor information. Vehicle speed, RPM, engine load and oxygen sensor readings are analyzed to determine your vehicle’s maximum driving efficiency. The Kiwi’s graphics operate like a game, making it fun to drive in such a way that you get the highest possible score each day. A high score means a high MPG and greater fuel saving. On a daily basis, the Kiwi will show you how much money you’ve saved on gas compared to previous days. Users report an average improvement of 20% in MPG after only a few days of use. The Kiwi is available at the Think Geek website for $289.99.

According to Macworld, this week marked the first anniversary of Apple’s online App Store for iPhone and iPod touch apps. The App Store opened for business on July 10, 2008 with 552 applications. Today here are 58,000 apps available for download, indicative of the rapidly increasing pace of app development. In terms of downloads, the store surpassed the 1 billion mark in April. Other smartphone retailers are trying to follow Apple’s lead and have opened mobile application stores, including Google, Palm and Nokia, but they have a long way to go to catch up to Apple.

For NASCAR fans who also have a little bit of geek in them, here’s the NASCAR USB flash drive.  This officially licensed 1:88 scale replica of Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s #88 car has a 4GB storage capacity.   Best of all, it’s preloaded with some videos, pictures and audio related to Earnhardt.  You can also get this flash drive in Jeff Gordon and Jimmie Johnson models for $19.99 at Amazon.com.