While we were jealously hung up on South Korea's working electric bus system, Christmas apparently came early for a couple of lucky US fuel cell bus research projects -- in the form of $16.6 million in Federal Transit Administration grants. Pasadena based Calstart snagged almost $10.2 million and will funnel 70 percent of the funds to developing the first phase of a low-cost, longer lasting fuel cell power system. Calstart will then spend its remaining $2.9 million in partnership with the Chicago Regional Transit Authority to develop and test the viability of fuel cell bus fleets in cold climates. The Center for Transportation and the Environment in Atlanta was the other project to hit the federal money gravy train. It received a hefty $6.4 million to spread across six different projects that dabble in everything from developing fast-charging 35-foot fuel cell buses, to similar lithium ion versions, to improving existing hybrid bus platforms. Federal pork for fuel cell DSLR development regrettably missed the cut.
FTA Program Promotes Advanced Fuel Cell Technologies to Power Cleaner, Greener Transit Buses
WASHINGTON – Pursuing new technologies to let fuel cell buses operate in cold climates is among the research projects to receive money from the Federal Transit Administration's (FTA) National Fuel Cell Bus Program, U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood announced today.
The Center for Transportation and the Environment in Atlanta will receive $6.42 million and CALSTART in Pasadena, CA will receive $10.17 million to coordinate research among fuel cell manufacturers, engineering firms and transit agencies throughout the country.
"The Obama Administration is proud to partner with researchers who are exploring greener, more efficient ways to power buses," said Secretary LaHood. "Adapting fuel-cell technology to buses will result in a cleaner environment and quieter streets for everyone."
"The transit industry must continue to be at the forefront of creating green jobs and establishing globally competitive technologies right here at home in the United States," said FTA Administrator Peter Rogoff. "As we move clean, fuel-efficient bus projects from the drawing board to the street, we move the nation closer to energy independence and a cleaner environment."
Other projects being funded this year include an effort to develop a smaller, less costly and more durable fuel cell power system that will enable commercialization of U.S. fuel cell buses, and an effort to develop and demonstrate a lightweight highly efficient bus that incorporates an improved hybrid-electric drive and enhanced bus design.
The purpose of the program is to facilitate the development of commercially viable fuel cell bus technologies and increase public acceptance of the fuel cell vehicles. The program is one of three environmentally friendly FTA grant competitions whose winners have been recently announced. The others are the Transit Investments for Greenhouse Gas and Energy Reduction (TIGGER) and the Clean Fuels programs.
Hybrid cars have officially jumped the shark, boring drivers from coast to coast as they smugly hypermile wherever they're going. Meanwhile, those with big trucks have been relatively out of luck, having to stop frequently for gas -- and to scrape the remains of those little hybrids out of their fender wells. That's changing soon, with Via Motors taking its rebranded Chevy trucks (dig that flying V on the grille) and offering them to fleets in 2011, with sales to individuals coming two years later (you can get in line now for $1,000 down). Big companies like, apparently, PG&E will be able to roll in these so-called E-REV trucks that offer either 20 or 40 miles of electric range, augmented by an onboard generator. Yes, it's a series hybrid layout similar in theory to the Volt, with the internal combustion engine charging the batteries which, in turn, send juice to the 268hp motor. Interestingly, though, that generator can power other things as well, providing 120 or 240V to tools, lights, maybe even hot tubs if you're a super cool contractor. No word on anticipated vehicle cost nor efficiency, but we're not expecting miracles on either front.
Did the world's tech giants just discover they have lawyers on retainer? That's certainly how it seems, ascompany after company has decided 'tis the season to target the competition with patent infringement allegations. Sony, the latest, is aiming squarely at LG, claiming that the Korean manufacturer's violating eight patents with its mobile devices -- including the LG Fathom, Xenon, Neon, Remarq, Rumor 2, Lotus Elite and VL600 LTE modem -- claiming that these devices transmit variable-bandwidth audio streams, live-preview camera snapshots, hand off cellular calls and more in ways that infringe Sony's intellectual property. Sony's now filed both an ITC complaint in an attempt to ban new product shipments from the US, and a lawsuit in federal court that will no doubt seek monetary damages. Now, if recent history is any indication, LG will turn around and smack Sony with a patent stack of its own, and we'll all go back to dreaming about LG devices we'd actually care to purchase.
If you live in a technophile city like Taipei, you'll have been enjoying underground 4G for a long time now, but in London the rule is that you have to bid adieu to your mobile connectivity when diving into a tunnel. The city's Mayor has been active in encouraging (forcing?) the major British carriers to install the necessary equipment to provide coverage on the Tube, and now we're hearing that ambition has stretched beyond the nation's borders as well. The Daily Telegraph reports that Vodafone, O2, Everything Everywhere, and Three from the UK along with Orange, SFR and Bouygues from France have agreed to share the cost of putting together a £20 million ($30.8m) project for making cellular coverage possible while traveling through the 31.4-mile Channel Tunnel between the two countries. The goal is to get things up and running by the Olympics in 2012, though we've no indication as to what speeds those wireless data transfers will reach. Still, having some bars is better than none, right?
It's baaack. We've gone well over half a year without hearing a peep from black magic makers LucidLogix, but here on the doorstep of CES 2011, the company has resurfaced just in time to ride on the coattails of Intel's forthcoming Sandy Bridge platform. Sandy is expected to take over CES when companies start to introduce new PCs in just a few days, and thanks to Lucid's virtualization software, we wouldn't be surprised if a few are served with NVIDIA and AMD GPUs. This here technology enables the two to play nice, making the outlandish fantasy of using a multi-GPU, multi-vendor setup a reality. DirectX 11 is also supported, with the only real requirement being to "connect the display screen directly to the motherboard's Sandy Bridge display output." We'll be taking a closer look at the peacemaker once we land in Vegas, but for now, go ahead and prepare yourself for a beta version of 'Virtu' -- it'll hit at some point next month.
Man, who needs to go to CES anymore? Intel's frailly maintained secrecy around Sandy Bridge processor identities has been blown to smithereens today by Italian systems integrator Santech. The company lists a now familiar Core i7-2630QM (quad-core, 2GHz) alongside an i7-2720QM (2.2GHz), an i7-2820QM (2.3GHz), and an i7-2920XM (2.5GHz), confirming once and for all that Intel has completely lost its mind when it comes to naming chips. Other specs include up to 16GB of DDR3 RAM, up to 750GB of magnetic storage or 160GB of the solid state stuff, a pair of USB 3.0 ports, and a 15.6-inch display that can be either glossy or matte, with a resolution of either 1366 x 768 or 1920 x 1080, depending on your preference and budget. Deliveries are said to start on January 27th and prices range between €1,200 ($1,577) and €3,000 ($3,943).
Straighten up and salute the Big Bang Marshal, MSI's attempt at redefining the term "overkill." This XL-ATX board packs a total of eight PCI Express lanes (though it only has the bandwidth to simultaneously feed four x16s or eight x8s -- relevant if you're crazy enough to think about using more than four GPUs),three separate BIOS chips, extra 8-pin and 6-pin 12V power intakes, and a thoroughly excessive set of power regulation components. The less extremely minded among you will appreciate having a full array of eight USB 3.0 ports on the back, though we can't get over the measly four DIMM slots on offer. Word is that features might change before the Marshal goes to market in the first quarter of next year, so let's hope more room for your RAM sticks is among the tweaks between now and then.
The writers over at Busy Mommy Media have run the Nissan Leaf through a special battery of 'family' tests to produce the kind of review of the EV that we don't see every day around here. Still, the family perspective is an especially interesting one for the electric vehicle, since widespread adoption will largely depend on how it fares in just such lifestyles. So how did the Leaf fare? Exceedingly well, it turns out, getting high marks for performance, cargo space, and interior space. The only problem raised was the fact that the reviewer could not fit all three of her required car seats into the back seat, but was able to change them out for slimmer models which did, in fact, fit. Check out the video after the break for the full mommy (and daddy) treatment.
Yes! Another reason to write about the darling and awesomely-named Wheego Whip LiFe! This time, it's good news indeed, as the all electric micro-car has received EPA certification. The cars, which are priced at a reasonably affordable $32,995 (or $25,495 after the Federal tax credit), are now simply waiting for final approval from the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration before they can roll into dealerships. It looks like the cars will ship at the beginning of the year now, with production well underway for the past few months. We'll take two, please.
Looks like the AMD Fusion netbook strategy may be to supplant Intel's Atom wholesale in the leadup to CES, as Toshiba has just become the second manufacturer to swap out an Atom chip for a 1GHz AMD C-50 Ontario APU while leaving the rest of the design practically untouched. Notebook Italia just spotted this 10-inch Toshiba NB550D having a grand old time on the company's German website, leisurely flexing its Harman Kardon speakers and newfound HDMI port, all the while dreaming about ways to upgrade its scant 1GB of DDR3 memory and 250GB of magnetic storage. Interestingly, Toshiba's actually forecasting only 9.5 hours of battery life for the AMD version (compared to 10 hours with Intel's 1.5GHz Atom N550 CPU), but we suppose that's the price you pay to have Radeon HD 6250M graphics on board. We'll try to get pricing and availability when we inevitably spot it at CES next week.
We'll openly admit we never knew what African Blackwood was until Gresso started applying the stuff to its line of extremely luxurious cellphone mods, but now we can't imagine a new product from the Russian company without the 200-year old timber making an appearance. And sure enough, the Gresso iPad's rear is composed almost entirely of Dalbergia melanoxylon, broken up only by the insertion of an 18-karat gold Apple logo. Strangely, in spite of its extravagant constituent materials, this design is a very restrained, dare we say, classy, affair. It goes on sale on New Year's Eve at an unannounced price, but you know what they say: if you have to ask or you have to work for a living, you probably can't afford it.
Maybe this is wishful thinking and maybe we're optimists, but maybe, just maybe, Porsche could be ready to unveil to the world the final version of its supremely hot hybrid. We already know the company has given the 918 Spyder plug-in hybrid a green light for a run down assembly lines, a legitimate supercar with a 700+ horsepower on tap despite achieving near 80mpg. But, we don't know the when nor the all-important how much. With Porsche promising to give "a new model its world debut" at the North American International Auto Show we can't help but hope that this is it. Want to be the first to find out? When the time comes you can watch the unveil yourself, live streamed at www.porsche.com/detroit.
Last year Nokia made something of a telematics coup, partnering with just about every major European manufacturer and doing everything it could to get its Terminal Mode in-car smartphone integration into more autos. Mercedes was one of those partners and now we're getting a glimpse of the result in the new C-Class. Merc has made some minor exterior updates to the car (not necessarily for the better, in our opinion), but on the inside comes an updated Mercedes COMAND infotainment system that, for the first time, offers full internet access. Using Terminal Mode the car interacts with a smartphone to provide the data, allowing dashboard surfing (while stationary) and the transmission of Google Maps points and directions right to the vehicle. There's also Bluetooth for streaming your tunes through the car's sound system and a USB port in the armrest to keep things charged while you decimate that slab.
AT&T has promised to launch several new WiFi spots in the coming months, and it's starting off with new zones of connectivity in New York's Times Square, Rockefeller Center and St. Patrick's Cathedral -- all major tourist traps. Times Square already boasts free AT&T WiFi (lauched in May) but it's making the area larger as part of its new initiative. The company has also announced that it plans to launch free WiFi spots in San Francisco as well, starting with the Embarcadero Center, sometime later this year. The embellished Times Square WiFi and the two new zones will launch "in the coming days," which we know isn't very specific but hey: it's the best we can do.
ASUS is already down with Sandy Bridge on the desktop side, but you had to know the company would be finding room for Intel's latest in it's mobile offerings, too. Notebook Italia has what looks to be solid confirmation of four separate models, starting with a big honkin' gaming rig, the G73SW. It has an Intel Core i7-2630QM processor, 8GB of DDR3, Geforce GTX 460M graphics, USB 3.0, dual storage bays (enabling mixing and matching of SSD and platter), and a 17.3-inch LCD that manages the full 1920 x 1080 resolution. Price looks set to start around $2,500. Also unveiled are four somewhat less gamer-oriented but still might fast models, grouped in the N53SV and N73SV series. All feature the same 2GHz processor and all have the new GeForce GT 540M processor that was recently seen rocking Acer's5742G, which will drive either a 15.6-inch, 1366 x 768 display or the larger 17.3-inch, 1080p display depending on which model you go for. Prices on this series are said to start at just $1,200 and go way up from there when they ship in January.
With Nissan's Leaf rolling into the driveways of a lucky few early birds we're already getting a better look into what the little thing can do. Now we're getting a better idea of when everyone else might get theirs. In a Mercury News story Nissan spokesman Tim Gallagher indicated that the company is working hard to fill those driveways, saying "By the end of summer, our goal is to have everyone in their car." That is, of course, just a goal, and we all know how these goals can go when it comes to delivering cars on time. But, it is at least more or less in line with the company's earlier goal of 25,000 cars shipped to here by the end of next year. Good news for those who have ordered? Yes, mostly, but it's also bad news for anyone who's thinking of signing up for one now: with Nissan's initial batch of orders filled it's anyone's guess when we'll be getting more.
We weren't actually expecting to see any Zacate-based machines until CES 2011 kicked off in earnest, but it looks as if MSI is hoping to snag a little wind from the sails of its competitors. In a small Taipei-based event, the outfit quietly snuck out a machine that we can only assume will become official in the coming days -- the Wind U270 netbook is an 11.6-incher with a 1.6GHz Zacate processor, 4GB of RAM, a 320GB hard drive and no optical drive to speak of. Other specs include a VGA output, two USB 2.0 ports, a single USB 3.0 socket, a Kensington lock port, 4-in-1 card reader, Ethernet jack and an overly glossy 1366 x 768 resolution panel. Courtesy of Netbook News' hands-on, we've spotted a traditional chiclet keyboard, a split mouse button (huzzah!) and a trackpad that may very well not exist if it were any smaller.
HP's disregard for Intel's officially scheduled Sandy Bridge launch continues today, with the news that Singaporean malls are already stocking Pavilion dv6 laptops with the new Core i7 silicon lurking within. It's the same quad-core i7-2630QM chip that popped up on a dv7 spec sheet not too long ago -- it runs at 2GHz by default, but dynamic overclocking and disabling of cores can take that up to the 2.8GHz mark. Keeping it company inside HP's 15.6-inch laptop are 4GB of RAM and AMD's Radeon HD 6570M GPU. The entire machine is described as indistinguishable, in terms of construction, from HP's current crop of dv6s, leaving the precious internals to justify a price of 1,899 Singapore dollars (about $1,460)
LG swore up and down that it would be bumping its smart TV investment to kick-start 2011, and lo and behold, it looks as if this is one New Year's resolution that'll be kept. The aforesaid company has just revealed that it'll be bringing the planet's largest LED-backlit 3D LCD HDTV to CES 2011 next week, with the LZ9700 handling both 2D and 3D content and offering TruMotion 400Hz to smooth out Cam Newton's faster-than-fast evasion techniques. As you'd expect, this set is also outfitted with the company's Smart TV functions, giving owners access to TV apps, games, language classes, etc. The company's also talking up its Magic Motion Remote Control -- a diddy we'll definitely be anxious to put to the test once we land in Vegas. There's no mention of an expected price, but it'll be available starting in "early 2011" for those who passed on HDI's 100-incher.
If you can't tell your DRAM from your STT-MRAM, you'll need to bear with us for a sec: IBM's figured out the math required to read and write data from the spaces between magnetic fields, racing across a nanowire, at hundreds of miles per hour. IBM's been plugging away at the so-called racetrack memory since 2004, calling it the perfect hybrid of magnetic storage and flash, but until recently scientists didn't know whether the magnetic domain walls (where data will live) had any mass to speak of. As it turns out, they do, and thus have to obey the tiresome laws of physics as they move along the nanowire "track," but also accelerate and decelerate the exact same amount, more or less canceling out the effect. Long story short, IBM can use this knowledge to precisely position those 1s and 0s in their newfound data bank, and someday we'll all reap the benefits of dense, speedy and reliable memory. You know, assuming PRAM, FeRAM, ReRAMand memristors don't eat IBM's lunch.
Apple said last week that it expected its new Apple TV to cross the one million mark in sales before Christmas, and it's now quietly confirmed that it's managed to do just that. For those keeping score, that means it's sold a million in three months, which is certainly impressive for something Apple still describes as a "hobby," although that description does have the peculiar tendency to lower expectations somewhat. As you may recall, Roku also announced last week that it expected to sell a million units before the end of the year, and its CEO noted that the introduction of the new Apple TV actually seems to have led to a spike in sales of its own media streamers.
From shooting product demos, to producing the Show, if we shot the video, it was likely done with one of these single-lens cameras: they're convenient and capable of beautiful moving images but often leave much to be desired by way of form factor when it comes to video. While Canon and Nikon are slapping on articulating LCDs and calling it a day, Panasonic has upped the ante with its new AG-AF100 camera.Teased way back in April, Panny just dropped a press release announcing that its newest piece of video hardware is now being delivered, making a nice late holiday gift for any wannabe filmmakers that you really, really like.
Basically, the AF100 is what happens when you stuff the innards of a DLSR into the body of a video camera and slap some interchangeable lenses in front of it. Listing at $4,995, the AF100 rocks a Micro Four Thirds sensor that records to dual SD cards in AVCHD and outputs 8-bit uncompressed 4:2:2 video to an external recorder via an HD-SDI connection. It also attempts to solve the audio issues plaguing DSLR video shooting (namely, the difficulty of getting pro-level audio to play nice with a camera designed only for imaging) with its two phantom-powered XLR audio inputs and built-in stereo microphone. Panasonic is also claiming to have lessened aliasing and the dreaded "jellycam" found in DSLR video with an optical low pass filter and faster scanning, while still boasting the wide viewing angle and shallow depth of field that movie-makers (and Vimeo users) know and love to death.
Xbox Live and the Achievement system kind of reinvented the high score list, letting you compete against your friends even when you're roaming solo through a stark, barren wasteland. It looks like Nissan is doing much the same with the Leaf -- but minus the bloatflies and the supermutants. As the cars are now rolling out to eager owners we're learning more about just what its Carwings system can do and another neat trick is the "Regional Rankings" page, where one driver's driving efficiency is rated against others in the area. There are bronze, silver, and gold medals up for grabs but, if you cover the thing with speed tape and only commute downhill, you might just be awarded the platinum award. What does that get you? Why, a little picture of a trophy, of course. What were you expecting?
We're hesitant to file this one in the folder marked "Awesome Things That'll Never Happen," but it's definitely on the watch list. A new prototype solar device has been concocted to convert sunlight into fuel, much in the same way a plant does. Eco-minded folks will probably understand that conventional photovoltaic panels "must use the electricity they generate in situ," and thus, cannot deliver energy at night; this here device takes a rather unorthodox approach, using the sun's rays along with ceria (a magical, marvelous metal oxide) to "break down carbon dioxide or water into fuels which can be stored and transported." In theory, at least, the device could be used to create hydrogen and / or carbon monoxide, with the former being obviously useful for fueling up hydrogen-based cars of the future. Sadly, the existing prototype is horribly inefficient -- only around 0.7 percent of the solar energy can be converted into fuel -- but researchers are adamant that they can boost that to nearly 20 percent in time. We'll check back in a decade or so to see how things are progressing.
Oh, sure -- gas is bound to hit $4 a gallon before 2020, but you can buy an awful let of petrol with the money you'll save from dodging Fisker's increasingly expensive Karma. 'Course, those looking to blow 100 grand on an eco-friendly automobile are probably doing so just to throw Ma Earth a bone, but still -- money matters. Originally teased way back in the fall of 2007, Fisker's first plug-in hybrid still hasn't ended up anywhere near mass production, but it has managed to see two rather significant upticks in price all the while. Right around two years ago, we saw the $80,000 MSRP boosted by $7,000, and today, prospective customers are being notified via email that the Karma's base price is now sitting at $95,900 before a $950 destination fee. Granted, the company insists that this includes an integrated solar roof panel (valued at $5,000), and it still starts at $1,400 less than a Panamera S. And yeah, that base price does shrink to $88,400 after you include federal tax incentives. That said, we're doubting high-rollers that were dead-set on handing over $73,000 or so after tax breaks are currently stoked about an increase this large, particularly when there's still no definitive ship date. To Fisker's credit, we've seen General Motors go through similar trials and tribulations surrounding the Volt, and even at $95k, you'll be hard pressed to find more sexy than this on four (street legal) wheels.
It's been awhile since we've heard any news from the Adamo camp, but for those looking to blow a bit of that Santa cash on something thin and light, the timing here couldn't possibly be better. Nearly 1.5 years after the 13-inch ultraportable was let loose -- for $1,999 and up, no less -- a new low-cost configuration has emerged at Dell's website. These days, $899 gets you a 0.65-inch thick machine, complete with a 13.4-inch WLED display (1366 x 768 resolution), 2.1GHz Core 2 Duo SL9600 processor, a 64-bit copy of Windows 7 Home Premium and 4GB of DDR3-800 memory. You'll also get a 128GB SSD, 802.11n WiFi, Bluetooth 2.1+EDR and a 40 WHr Lithium Polymer battery, and if you're down for spending a bit more, you can grab an internal mobile broadband module as well. Or, you know, you could wait and see what kind of treasures CES brings. Your call.
It's a sure-fire bet that Toyota will unveil its upright Prius MPV at the North American International Auto Show in a couple of weeks, a rather more roomy and practical version of the hybrid that really started it all. And, of course, the plug-in model we tested in October will be surely rocking the floor. Now we're hearing that another as of yet unreleased Prius will be on display, simply referred to as a "Prius concept vehicle." Concept cars of course range from the mundane to the insane, and knowing Toyota we're guessing this one will fall squarely into the former category. Just the same we're hoping for a tire-shredding, slalom-eating, RWD hybrid Prius Supra model. We'll be there in Detroit when the unveil happens and we'll be sure to bring some tissues to wipe away our tears of disappointment.
Remember the electric car with the ingenious hook of a reserve battery that can only be accessed in the case of an emergency by texting or calling the car's manufacturer? Well, it appears that the project is having a bit of trouble getting off the ground in the US, though it shockingly doesn't have anything to do with that flagship feature. As the story goes, upstart Bannon Automotive signed a deal with the car's manufacturer, India-based Reva Electric Car Company, that gave it the exclusive license to manufacture and sell the car in the US, but Bannon is now alleging that Reva broke its agreements and says it's been left with no choice but to take legal action. Ill-conceived feature aside, the stakes in the lawsuit are fairly high, as Bannon Automotive was actually formed with the sole intention of bringing the Reva electric car to the US, and it had hoped to bring as many as 250 jobs to Onondaga County, New York.
et's just call it what it is: the best Christmas ever. Why? Well, for starters, it's December 25th. Secondly, it's a Saturday in much of the world. How often does that happen? The technology outfits 'round the globe have managed to deliver a rather insane stack of wares to consider this year -- from terrifically desirable goods to rubbish that we wouldn't wish on our worst enemy's enemies -- and now it's our turn to pry into your business and find out what Santa Claus dumped (or didn't dump) under your tree overnight. Hit us up with your scores in comments below, and be sure to cast your vote as to whether or not the kid on the right is feigning excitement over his newfound laptop. Oh, the kid in the video just past the break -- that's probably useful information.
So, are you confused about the presence of two MPG numbers on your newly delivered Volt? Fear not, the folks at GM are doing their best to educate the huddled masses about the Volt's industry-leading fuel economy, and just how the EPA arrived at the car's previously released 93MPG (electric equivalent) and 37MPG (straight gas, homey) ratings. No word on plans for a film explaining where the missing 137MPGwent.
In many ways, Volvo's C30 is the perfect blend of modern styling and retro sensibility with its aggressive front-end and that oversized glass hatch on the back. Now, with the EV model, it's looking better than ever. Okay, so we could do without the obligatory graphics up the side, but the wing on the back (shown below) gives it a smooth profile and, oh yeah, did we mention it's an EV? The car has been graced with a 110hp equivalent electric motor and 24kWh battery pack that's expected to deliver an average of 100 miles worth of range along with performance that, according to The Truth About Cars, matches the current petrol-powered version's. Handling too is said to still be taught despite a 260lb weight disadvantage. Volvo is pledging the car will be making an appearance as a 2012 model, though we're guessing lucky Swedish drivers will be getting a first crack at this one.
Growing companies need growing workspaces, and Google just bought one of the biggest possible in NYC. It's the former Port Authority Building at 111 Eighth Avenue, a massive brick establishment that, according to Wired Epicenter, set the company back an equally massive $1.9 billion. There's a helipad on top, perfect for quick getaways in the company's ROFLcopter, but more importantly a major fiber line runs through the building, giving the Googs priority access to bits flowing through the city. Google already has a presence within those crimson walls, which also houses offices of communications companies like Verizon and Level 3, companies who might just need to be finding new spaces when their current leases expire, because Google is "hiring across the board," apparently hoping to fill that thing to the brim.
Yes, it's a big old mouthful of a job title, and no, we've no idea what exactly it entails either. Rahul Sood, the originator of the Voodoo gaming PC line, has just announced he has joined up with Microsoft to perform the ill-specified role of general manager for system experience in the Interactive Entertainment division. We imagine that's an intentionally loose definition, intended to give Rahul the wide remit of influence and operation that he enjoyed with his previous employer, HP. He's already had a few choice words to dish on the topic of Xbox versus PC gaming, so it'll be most intriguing to see where and how his energies are utilized as things move forward. Most intriguing indeed.
Looks like Toshiba's Cell processor ambitions didn't quite pan out -- Japanese news sources are reporting that the company's selling its Nagasaki manufacturing plant back to Sony for 50 billion yen, or roughly $597 million in US money. Considering that Toshiba originally purchased the semiconductor facility for10090 billion yen (then $835 million) back in 2008, it seems like Sony's making out like a bandit here -- and it may have just found the perfect place to build more CMOS chips for its high-end camera lineup, too. Sony reportedly told the Nikkei Business Dailythat it may repurpose the facility to produce HD image sensors for cameras and smartphones. What will happen to the chip that launched 40 million PS3s and a graphics co-processor or two? With any luck, we'll find out at CES 2011 quite soon.
You can be as jaded as you like, and trust us we've offered our own fair share of cynicism, but let's put that aside for a moment as we learn that General Motors is pulling in about 100 miles worth of oil-soaking booms, 100,000 pounds worth that would have otherwise gone into landfills, and turning them into stacks of plastic parts that will go under the hood and in the front bumper of the Chevrolet Volt. The booms of course come from the Louisiana coasts, where oil is still being collected despite the US media having collectively forgotten all about it. These 100 miles of booms will provide enough parts to outfit the entire first-year production Volts and, while we're sure this is as much a PR move as it is a practical or environmental one, we're going to go ahead and just call it a win-win.
Curious timing, no? This morning, Cupertino's PR department has blasted out a blurb stating that thenewfangled Apple TV -- which only started shipping three months ago -- is expected to cross the one million mark in sales prior to Christmas Day. The obvious remark is hard to ignore: "That's a lot for ahobby." And yeah, it is. But it probably has more to do with trends in consumer purchasing and a delightfully low $99 price point than anything else, and if you doubt that logic, you should probably have a sit-down with Roku CEO Anthony Wood. The folks at Business Insider did, and Wood confessed that Roku media streamer sales have actually doubled since the introduction of the second-gen Apple TV. As the story goes, Jobs did the whole sector a solid by refocusing consumer attention on the set-top box realm, and with the most basic Roku retailing for just $59, it's pretty clear that the outfit drives a tough bargain. Roku's also expecting to sell its one millionth box by the close of this year, but of course it's had a lot longer than three months to do so. Still, for an up and comer, selling one million of anything (let alone looking at $50 million or more in annual sales) is quite the achievement.
Lookin' to straddle the fence with your next laptop purchase? Or maybe you're just lookin' to conserve battery life when not picking off enemies in Counter-Strike. Either way, Digital Storm's new xm15 (not to be confused with Alienware's M15x) can satisfy the yearning, as the $999 base configuration comes equipped with a 2.4GHz Core i5-520M, 4GB of DDR3 RAM, a 320GB HDD and NVIDIA's GT 425M (1GB). Naturally, Intel's integrated graphics chipset is also included for less demanding times, and if you're in need of a little more oomph, a $1,086 build jumps to a 2.53GHz Core i5-540M and a $1,367 model steps up to a 2.8GHz Core i7-640M. 'Course, far nicer editions are available if you're got the cash to customize, but we'll leave all that between you and your wallet. And whoever fills your wallet.
The panacea of glasses-free 3D displays (or content) might not yet be upon us, but Toshiba's doing its best by putting the two models in its Regza GL1 family up for sale in Japan. Tomorrow marks the debut of the smaller 12GL1, spanning a 12-inch diagonal and offering the unconventional resolution of 466 x 350. That's expected to be priced at ¥120,000 ($1,431), exactly half of the ¥240,000 ($2,863) asking price of the 20GL1, which will follow it swiftly with retail availability on December 25th. The latter display has the decency to come equipped with a more civilized 720p resolution and 550:1 contrast ratio, although, as you can see above, neither panel can be accused of being unnecessarily thin or space-efficient. Still, this parallax barrier stuff is the best we've got for the moment -- and as usual the best we've got resides in Japan only.
It's been a year of Flash-related drama for Adobe, but otherwise it seems like things are humming along nicely: the company just posted its first-ever quarter with a billion dollars in revenue, which is good for a $268.9 million profit. Unfortunately there's no granular data on how Flash is faring in the market -- it's lumped into the Creative Solutions group with the rest of the Creative Suite products, but with big wins on Android in the past year and a huge win on the Air-based BlackBerry Playbook coming next year, we'd say things are going well, no matter what Steve Jobs' Thoughts are.
We've already marveled at the Chevy Volt's ability to let you turn up the AC while it's still plugged in to the A/C, courtesy of its OnStar app. Now we can confirm the European model of Nissan's Leaf is getting the same sort of functionality, and it's said to be standard -- no monthly fees like you'll be stuck with on the Volt. We're still not sure who's providing the wireless connectivity in the US, but abroad it comes courtesy of Telenor Connexion, which will enable a mobile phone or PC to access the Carwings Data Center remotely, to check charging status and modify the car's climate controls. In an EV the car's heating and cooling can be two of the biggest sinks for the onboard battery packs, so this ability to get the car up or down to temp while it's still plugged in could help you spend more kW driving and less on acclimatizing.
Let us all warmly greet the Core i5-2300, the i5-2400, and the Core i7-2600, three desktop-bound members of Intel's upcoming Sandy Bridge CPU brigade. You'll note that all three are fully dressed in their retail attire in an image coming from Malaysian electronics store Compuzone, which also has a full pricing and speed breakdown for these central processing units. The 3.4GHz Core i7 part costs 939RM ($301), followed by 609RM ($195) for the 3.1GHz 2400, and 585RM ($188) for the 2.8GHz 2300. It seems like Intel's up to its old tricks again, letting some stock roll out early in distant Asian locales. At least this should mean there'll be plenty to go around once the CES 2011 launch of these chips is out of the way. Hit the source for more details and to scope out pricing for the new LGA1155 motherboards.
Is Apple looking to take it to Google and its uppity Maps app? That certainly looks to be the case, withAppleInsider noticing that the company has four new job listings which specify "Computational Geometry or Graph Theory" and "experience developing navigation software" as "valuable knowledge." The obvious implications here are that Apple's looking to craft first-party, full-fledged, turn-by-turn navigation and bring it to its GPS-equipped devices, but maybe the company's previous new hires simply got lost a lot and this is just an attempt to nip that problem in the bud. Either way, the software job market just improved by four. Giddy up, coders.
We know all about the great woes that can befall a company when it tries to integrate an antenna into the body of its product, so we couldn't resist covering Chevrolet's latest attempt to do the same -- but on a larger scale. Early versions of the 2011 drop-top Camaro found themselves rolling out and about with a rather unsightly appendage hanging off the rear, a big whip antenna that was a little too genuinely retro to go with the machine's throwback styling cues. On hardtop Camaros the antenna is integrated into the rear windshield but, given the disappearing nature of this car's roof, that wasn't possible here. For helpGM turned to two dedicated Antenna Engineers, Don Hibbard and Gregg Kittinger, who managed to find a way to bury the unsightly thing inside the svelte spoiler perched on the rear deck lid. Problem solved -- well, except that XM and OnStar require a separate shark fin that can sadly still be seen hanging out on the trunk. Maybe the 2012 model will be totally fresh and clean.
Not impressed by the Mission One? We'd bother to ask when your last mental health checkup was, but at this point, it probably doesn't even matter. If there's an ounce of warm blood left in your body, chances are you'll be at least partly invigorated by Mission Motors' latest cycle, the Mission R. Hailed as the outfit's latest electric racing superbike, this slice of highway heaven packs 14.4 kWh and 141 horsepower in a package smaller than a modern 600cc sportbike, and for the gearheads in attendance, you'll be pleased to know that the liquid-cooled 3-phase AC Induction motor conjures up 115 ft-lbs of torque at the crank from 0 to 6400 RPM. Tim Prentice of Motonium is responsible for the chassis, and the entire bike is expected to make its debut early next year in the TTXGP racing series. As for a consumer price and ship date? Keep dreaming. On both fronts.
Research swayed back and forth on the health risks associated with e-cigarettes since their debut in the US about three years ago. The faux cigs, which are essentially nicotine inhalers intended to help smokers kick the actual smoking habit while still getting their dose of nicotine, the main addictive ingredient in tobacco. In the first truly comprehensive study of the somewhat controversial nicotine replacement method, researchers at Boston University's School of Public Health has found that not only are e-cigarettes much safer to "smoke" than normal ones, they may also aid in kicking the addictive habit altogether. According to the researchers, "few, if any" of the chemicals found in e-cigarettes pose serious health risks, and carcinogen levels in them are up to 1,000 times lower than in actual tobacco. This research, of course, disagrees with the FDA's findings that essentially, the chemicals found in e-cigarettes were risky and unknowable. The FDA has yet to evaluate e-cigarettes the way that they have done with all medications and other nicotine replacement products, so we can't be sure, but it's looking more and more possible that if you just need to smoke, an e-cigarette may be a safer route... for everything but your dignity, of course.
London would do well to dispense with the Concept label right now and just turn these into its next fleet of people carriers. Volkswagen has unveiled the latest in a series of World Taxis it's doing, prettying up London's admittedly iconic black cabs with a sheen of new paint, an all-electric drive, and an infusion of tablet-based infotainment. Based on the Up! city car, the London Taxi Concept has an estimated range of 186 miles and takes an hour to go from zero to an 80 percent charge. It also has a grayscale version of the Union Jack emblazoned on its roof, guess that's just how VW rolls. Sadly, we doubt anyone will be in a hurry to heed our sage advice and start using this concept any time soon, particularly since it doesn't pass London's taxi regulations at present, but it's a harbinger of a future we'd like to see become real.
We've seen countless attempts to build a better lithium-ion battery, but there's been far fewer research efforts devoted solely to figuring out why lithium-ion batteries don't last longer. A team of scientists at the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory have been doing just that, however, and they're now sharing some of their findings. The main culprit, they say, are the nano-sized wires made of bulk tin oxide used in the batteries, which can expand and deform considerably over time, eventually rendering the battery useless. What's more, while the research was focused primarily on examining the cause of battery aging, the researchers do naturally have a few suggestions on how to improve them -- namely, to replace those wires made of bulk tin oxide with finer tin oxide nanowires. As lead scientist Chongmin Wang explains, that would effectively amount to winding together "thinner wires rather than making one thick rope," which is of course easier said than done.
A few weeks back we caught our first glimpse of the open source, modular DARwIn-OP developed at Virginia Tech's Robotics and Mechanisms Laboratory, also known as RoMeLa. Well, there's more information available now about the upcoming little bot, so here's what we know. Korean company Robotis is making available the bot's open source software, schematics, CAD and fabrication manuals, in addition to selling the fully assembled robots. DARwin-OP was unveiled recently at the IEEE-RAS International Conference on Humanoid Robots, and is built on a 1.6GHz Intel Atom Z530-based FitPC2i which boasts a 4GB SSD, 2GB of DDR2 RAM, 802.11n WiFi. Shipments of the 17.9-inch tall humanoid robots are being sent to universities first at a price of $9,600, and will run $12,000 at full retail.
While the military is still hashing out plans to outfit soldiers with their own smartphones, gadgets are already a part of daily life of troops in the field. Of course, more technology means more demand for power, and the Army has been evaluating technologies for flexible, lightweight photovoltaic tents and shades. "They are ideal for charging up batteries, making sure your (communications), night vision goggles and computers are powered up. You don't want a generator on top of a mountain, and you don't want to have to bring fuel to a generator or haul batteries," said assistant secretary of the Army Katherine Hammack. Among the various items being tested are the TEMPER Fly, a roughly 16-by-20-foot tent able to generate 800 watts of electricity; QUADrant, a smaller version of the TEMPER Fly that generates roughly 200 watts of power; and Power Shades capable of generating up to 3 kilowatts of exportable electrical power. Sounds like a kick-ass tent for next year's festival season!
If ever a post needed a sunglasses warning this one is it. Check out that paint job. It's a pretty hot hue for a pretty hot car, the E-Cell, a Mercedes SLS AMG that has had its internal combustion assets stripped and replaced with not one, not two, but four electric motors. That's one per wheel, naturally, and if you add them all up you get the equivalent of 528hp, a little short of the production car's 563hp, but torque is up to 649ft/lbs from the stock car's 479 -- and being electric that's all available from the start. Sadly, though, twisting force isn't the only thing that's swelled, with this car adding a whopping 880lbs to an already heft 3,571. According to Auto Express that's had a decidedly negative effect on handling, but it does at least offer a quite respectable 125 mile range. No information yet on cost or when exactly Mercedes might put this thing into production, but earlier word was we won't see it on the streets anytime before 2013. You'd better prepare yourself now by staring at the sun for a few minutes a day, and do yourself a favor: start squinting before you click "play" on the video below.
What's NVIDIA got up its sleeve for CES, you ask? A whole host of Sandy Bridge laptop and desktop machines, by the sound of its latest press release. The green giant of graphics has proudly announced a new record of 200 OEM design wins for Intel's incoming CPUs. The big draw of Sandy Bridge is that it's the first processor to include an integrated GPU embedded directly within its die, which is projected to improve power efficiency and overall performance -- though clearly it hasn't been impressive enough to get PC vendors to abandon discrete graphics chips. If anything, they seem to be going in the other direction and insisting on a discrete GPU as well.
In other news, whether with or without NVIDIA's help, the first Sandy Bridge laptops will feature quad-core parts. Such is the word directly from Intel, with one insider adding that the dual-core debutants will get their chance a month after CES, around the middle of February. Skip past the break for NVIDIA's boastful PR or hit the source for more on Intel's plans.
