Subscribe:

Tuesday, July 26, 2011

Shops Online

Shops Online

Ford using Facebook as Focus Electric soundboard

Posted: 26 Jul 2011 03:34 PM PDT

Ford using Facebook as Focus Electric soundboard


Ford using Facebook as Focus Electric soundboard
Filed under: EV/Plug-in, Ford 2012 Ford Focus Electric - Click above for high-res image gallery Electric vehicle can't be silent. So says the U.S. House and Senate and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). To please the powers-that-be in Washington, D.C., Ford turned to Facebook with hopes of gauging public opinion on what sound is most fitting for its upcoming Focus Electric....

Bird's Eye iPad app lets you use Twitter while looking down on it

Posted: 26 Jul 2011 03:34 PM PDT

Bird's Eye iPad app lets you use Twitter while looking down on it


Bird's Eye iPad app lets you use Twitter while looking down on it
Spending more and more time on Google+ these days and looking for something to draw you back to Twitter? Then you might want to consider giving the new Bird's Eye app for iPad a whirl. As you can probably surmise, it promises to let you "see Twitter from new heights" or, more specifically, view nearby tweets from high above on a map....

Garmin confirms its acquisition of Navigon is complete

Posted: 26 Jul 2011 03:03 PM PDT

Garmin confirms its acquisition of Navigon is complete


Garmin confirms its acquisition of Navigon is complete
Mergers and acquisitions can sometimes take some unexpected turns, but that's not the case with Garmin's purchase of former rival Navigon. The company said last month that the acquisition would be complete by "late July" and now, on July 26th, it's announced that the deal is in fact done. There's still no financial details being disclosed, but execs from both companies are expectedly tossing around words like "excited" and "pleased," and...

Video: Motorola Triumph Screens Flicker Black And White, Owners Seeing Red

Posted: 26 Jul 2011 03:03 PM PDT

Video: Motorola Triumph Screens Flicker Black And White, Owners Seeing Red


Video: Motorola Triumph Screens Flicker Black And White, Owners Seeing Red
The Motorola Triumph — a pretty snazzy-lookin' little beast (especially for a pre-paid device!) if I may say so — seems to have just hit a bit of a hurdle in its first week on the market: a number of new owners are hitting the forums with complaints of a flickering screen. Not-so-proud new owners have reported that the screen starts to flicker after a couple successive taps at the lock button,...

Antonov develops 3-speed transmission for electric vehicles

Posted: 26 Jul 2011 02:31 PM PDT

Antonov develops 3-speed transmission for electric vehicles


Antonov develops 3-speed transmission for electric vehicles
Filed under: Emerging Technologies, EV/Plug-in Electric motors offer a wider torque curve compared to internal combustion engines, but their efficiency reduces significantly outside of the "sweet spot," says innovative transmission specialist Antonov. For this reason, a multi-speed transmission could take electric vehicles to the next level, according to Antonov. The trans specialist claims the benefits of multi-speed transmissions include: The electric motor operates in its most efficient speed range The vehicle range is increased...

208 hybrids set world record in "quietest parade ever"

Posted: 26 Jul 2011 02:31 PM PDT

208 hybrids set world record in "quietest parade ever"


208 hybrids set world record in "quietest parade ever"
Filed under: Hybrid, Toyota, USA On Sunday, hundreds of hybrid vehicles - mostly Toyota Priuses - converged on Madison, WI to attempt to set a Guinness World Record in Smart Motors Hybrids On Parade 2011 event. In total, 208 hybrids banded together, shattering the existing record for hybrid vehicle parades, set at 140 vehicles back in 2010 in Belgium....

Verizon LTE Push Hits Laptops, Tablets, And Networks

Posted: 26 Jul 2011 02:31 PM PDT

Verizon LTE Push Hits Laptops, Tablets, And Networks


Verizon LTE Push Hits Laptops, Tablets, And Networks
You could be forgiven (and are) for skipping over the LTE news of the last six months: the roll-out of the new 4G standard has been spotty and few consumers actually have any idea what it means, or whether they have it. But Verizon's next big investment is starting to show up in more than small-run hot spots and high-end smartphones. Today was a big day for LTE — the vanguard of...

Mass Effect 3 N7 replica gets real world debut for your Spacer pleasure

Posted: 26 Jul 2011 01:59 PM PDT

Mass Effect 3 N7 replica gets real world debut for your Spacer pleasure


Mass Effect 3 N7 replica gets real world debut for your Spacer pleasure
If you're the type to stock your walls with Lord of the Rings-style elvish daggers (or, you know, build full-scale Portal gun replicas), then you'll love this official Mass Effect 3 mockup commissioned by the folks at Bioware. Arduously crafted by self-proclaimed graphic design dork Harrison Krix, the N7 assault rifle replica made its facsimile debut at this year's San Diego Comic-Con....

Kingston Wi-Drive for iOS hits stores today, lets you create your own portable m...

Posted: 26 Jul 2011 01:59 PM PDT

Kingston Wi-Drive for iOS hits stores today, lets you create your own portable music server for $130


Kingston Wi-Drive for iOS hits stores today, lets you create your own portable music server for $130
Services like Spotify, which had an anything but subtle launch last week, help solve the evergreen issue of limited local storage by streaming millions of tracks to your devices. But streaming services require cell reception to operate (unless you've elected to store music locally), and often carry monthly fees. We've spent a fair amount of time testing Kingston's Wi-Drive, which lets you access music, videos, and other files from a handful...

Nissan prices 2012 Leaf at $56,535* in Denmark, sales slated for mid-November

Posted: 26 Jul 2011 01:28 PM PDT

Nissan prices 2012 Leaf at $56,535* in Denmark, sales slated for mid-November


Nissan prices 2012 Leaf at $56,535* in Denmark, sales slated for mid-November
Filed under: EV/Plug-in, Nissan, Europe/EU 2011 Nissan Leaf - Click above for high-res image gallery Nissan will open the order books for the 2012 Leaf in Denmark in mid-November. At 290,690 Danish Kroner ($56,535 U.S. at the current exchange rate) including VAT, Nissan says the 2011 World Car of the Year will cost about the same as a typical compact hatchback in that country....

Chinese government to track users of free WiFi, small businesses react with serv...

Posted: 26 Jul 2011 01:28 PM PDT

Chinese government to track users of free WiFi, small businesses react with service cutoffs


Chinese government to track users of free WiFi, small businesses react with service cutoffs
Thought Google had a mountain-sized stack of your up close and personal online habits? Think again, because the omnipresent search king's all-seeing eyes are nothing compared to the Chinese government, which recently enacted stricter regulations to identify free WiFi users. The government-issued monitoring software will cost the cafes and restaurants it targets $3,100, putting small business owners in a sticky situation -- pay up, or shut down the free surfing....

Report: White House lowers 2025 CAFE target to 54.5 mpg

Posted: 26 Jul 2011 12:56 PM PDT

Report: White House lowers 2025 CAFE target to 54.5 mpg


Report: White House lowers 2025 CAFE target to 54.5 mpg
Filed under: MPG, Legislation and Policy, USA What's the difference between 56.2 and 54.5 mpg? Way more than 1.7 mpg, that's for sure. The Detroit News is reporting that the Obama White House is dialing down the proposed 2025 fuel economy requirement to 54.5 mpg. Earlier, we had heard that 62 mpg would be the new target for 2025 - then that got slashed to 56.2....

Leaked memo slates Xoom 4G upgrade for September, early adopters weep

Posted: 26 Jul 2011 12:56 PM PDT

Leaked memo slates Xoom 4G upgrade for September, early adopters weep


Leaked memo slates Xoom 4G upgrade for September, early adopters weep
To say we've been patiently waiting for the Xoom's promised 4G upgrade would certainly be an understatement. It looks like those of you counting on blistering speeds this summer are flat out of luck, as the LTE overhaul apparently won't begin until fall. Droid-Life's got a snap of a seemingly official Verizon memo, which alleges that the FCC-espied gratis upgrade will apparently land sometime in September....

Chrysler Posts $370 Million Net Loss

Posted: 26 Jul 2011 12:56 PM PDT

Chrysler Posts $370 Million Net Loss


Chrysler Posts $370 Million Net Loss
The 2Q loss was tied to the repayment of government bailout loans.

Amphicars Invade Ohio!

Posted: 26 Jul 2011 12:56 PM PDT

Amphicars Invade Ohio!


Amphicars Invade Ohio!
Don't laugh. Restored Amphicars sell in the mid-five figures.

AutoExtremist pulls no punches when it comes to the Chevy Volt

Posted: 26 Jul 2011 12:25 PM PDT

AutoExtremist pulls no punches when it comes to the Chevy Volt


AutoExtremist pulls no punches when it comes to the Chevy Volt
Filed under: EV/Plug-in, Hybrid, AutoblogGreen Exclusive, At Witz End 2011 Chevy Volt - Click above for high-res image gallery De Lorenzo is a name well-known in auto circles. When I was a rookie writer in the early 1970s, Anthony De Lorenzo was GM's public relations vice president. He apparently believed his responsibilities to be wining, dining and schmoozing a handful of top reporters while ignoring the rest of us and trying to make...

Microsoft signs off on Windows Phone 'Mango' RTM build

Posted: 26 Jul 2011 12:25 PM PDT

Microsoft signs off on Windows Phone 'Mango' RTM build


Microsoft signs off on Windows Phone 'Mango' RTM build
We still don't have a launch date any more specific than "this fall," but Microsoft announced a fairly big milestone for Windows Phone 'Mango' today. It's just signed off on the Release to Manufacturing (or RTM) build of the operating system, which now leaves things in the hands of the handset makers and carriers, while Microsoft says that it will turn its focus to the update process....

'This American Life' tackles patent trolls, lives to broadcast about it

Posted: 26 Jul 2011 12:25 PM PDT

'This American Life' tackles patent trolls, lives to broadcast about it


'This American Life' tackles patent trolls, lives to broadcast about it
The financial crisis, DIY cryogenics, the love songs of Phil Collins -- This American Life has taken on a lot in its 15-plus years on public radio. This week the Ira Glass-helmed show tackles a matter close to our hearts: the patent wars. The show has devoted the entirety of episode 441 to the seedy world of patent trolling....

How Appropriate, Pampers Mobile Ad Promoted On Sex App

Posted: 26 Jul 2011 12:25 PM PDT

How Appropriate, Pampers Mobile Ad Promoted On Sex App


How Appropriate, Pampers Mobile Ad Promoted On Sex App
There is a lot of mobile ad inventory out there and sometimes brands can't be sure where their ads will appear. Just like on the Web, automated ad placements can sometimes turn up in the darndest places. Take a look at the Pampers ad at the bottom of this screenshot for a popular app called 300+ Sex Positions....

Sprint To Finally Retire The Evo 4G?

Posted: 26 Jul 2011 12:25 PM PDT

Sprint To Finally Retire The Evo 4G?


Sprint To Finally Retire The Evo 4G?
It's looking like Sprint has signed off on death warrants for a few of its handsets, including our nation's first-ever 4G smartphone, the Evo 4G. According to a leaked screenshot of this internal Sprint document (discovered by SprintFeed), at least 10 phones are getting the ax. First up on the chopping block are the pink Samsung Seek and the blue Sanyo Innuendo, which will both get their EOL (end of life) branding...

New Xbox 360 Bluetooth headset unlocks business casual achievement (video)

Posted: 26 Jul 2011 11:53 AM PDT

New Xbox 360 Bluetooth headset unlocks business casual achievement (video)


New Xbox 360 Bluetooth headset unlocks business casual achievement (video)
The new Xbox 360 wireless headset has a form factor that ought prove familiar to anyone who has ever watched a businessman chew out his secretary while ordering at latte at Starbucks. The peripheral connects wirelessly to the console via its standard radio frequencies -- its similarities to a non-gaming Bluetooth headset are more than just skin deep, however, with the earpiece doubling as just that, making it compatible with Bluetooth-ready...

Nissan to launch electric vehicle in China by 2015

Posted: 26 Jul 2011 11:21 AM PDT

Nissan to launch electric vehicle in China by 2015


Nissan to launch electric vehicle in China by 2015
Filed under: EV/Plug-in, Nissan, ChinaAt a press conference in Beijing, Nissan chief executive officer, Carlos Ghosn, revealed that the Nissan-Dongfeng joint venture - called Venucia - will build an electric vehicle in China. The vehicle - not a rebadged Nissan Leaf - will be exclusive to China and launch by the end of 2015....

Graphing calculator web browser lets you visit your favorite sine wave fan sites...

Posted: 26 Jul 2011 11:21 AM PDT

Graphing calculator web browser lets you visit your favorite sine wave fan sites (video)


Graphing calculator web browser lets you visit your favorite sine wave fan sites (video)
Graphing calculators: essential tools for math education or low-res Game Boys? The debate rages on. Advocates of non-mathematical applications for the devices have scored a major victory with the introduction of Gossamer, a new web browser for various TI graphing calculators, which lets users visit some very basic versions of webpages, using the CALCnet and globalCALCnet protocols....

Walmart brings Vudu into the fold, still can't stream you tube socks

Posted: 26 Jul 2011 11:21 AM PDT

Walmart brings Vudu into the fold, still can't stream you tube socks


Walmart brings Vudu into the fold, still can't stream you tube socks
Roughly 18 months after plunking down the cash for Vudu, Walmart has finally made the streaming media service an integrated part of its web store. Fans of digital video can now stop by the discount retailer's site and rent flicks for between $1 and $5.99 or purchase them $4.99 and up....

Burt Rutan designs hybrid flying car

Posted: 26 Jul 2011 10:50 AM PDT

Burt Rutan designs hybrid flying car


Burt Rutan designs hybrid flying car
Filed under: Emerging Technologies, EV/Plug-in, Hybrid There have been a lot of tries at making a functional flying car over the years, but things haven't really gotten off the ground yet, considering we aren't all bopping from place to place like George Jetson. Burt Rutan from Scaled Composites has taken a new stab at a workable flying car with the Rutan Designs Model 367 "Bipod." It's a bi-pod airplane with a 31-foot wingspan...

HTC Puccini tablet shots leak out with AT&T branding, may sport stylus functiona...

Posted: 26 Jul 2011 10:50 AM PDT

HTC Puccini tablet shots leak out with AT&T branding, may sport stylus functionality


HTC Puccini tablet shots leak out with AT&T branding, may sport stylus functionality
Is this the fabled HTC Puccini tab we recently saw fly through the FCC's embrace? Only time will tell for sure, but BGR has some leaked shots that show the purported tab cozying up to a Flyer-like stylus, in addition to its AT&T branding. A glimpse of this Honeycomb-based 10-incher's backside also reveals an 8 megapixel rear-mounted camera accompanied by what looks like a dual-LED flash....

T-Mobile G2X Finally Gets Its Much-Needed Gingerbread Update

Posted: 26 Jul 2011 10:18 AM PDT

T-Mobile G2X Finally Gets Its Much-Needed Gingerbread Update


T-Mobile G2X Finally Gets Its Much-Needed Gingerbread Update
T-Mobile G2X owners have really gotten the short end of the stick. Granted, dual-core processing and top-notch cameras probably comfort this disgruntled hoard on long, lonely nights, but a 1080p video does nothing to stop the phone from randomly rebooting for… no reason at all. Plus, the phone shipped with Froyo in an increasingly Gingerbread world, which kind of peeves the living daylight out of anyone who truly hearts Android. Anyways, the...

DARwin-OP does the up, down, left, right DDR shuffle (video)

Posted: 26 Jul 2011 10:18 AM PDT

DARwin-OP does the up, down, left, right DDR shuffle (video)


DARwin-OP does the up, down, left, right DDR shuffle (video)
Some robots like to help around the house, others fulfill your Pixar fantasies, but this one's just training to boogie. Part of a summer long research project, DARwin-OP is taking a master class in Dance Dance Revolution from its amateur roboticist Geppetto. Perched atop a homestyle-DDR pad, the batman-like doppleganger bot does more of a slow shuffle step than full-on Running Man thanks to a slight bout of vertigo -- hence...

1811 Bottle of Wine Breaks Record, Sells for $177K

Posted: 26 Jul 2011 10:18 AM PDT

1811 Bottle of Wine Breaks Record, Sells for $177K


1811 Bottle of Wine Breaks Record, Sells for $177K
A French wine expert paid $117,000 for a legendary bottle of 1811 Chateau d'Yquem, making it the most expensive bottle of white wine ever sold, The Wall Street Journal reported Tuesday.

Plug-in vehicle sales slip in UK

Posted: 26 Jul 2011 09:46 AM PDT

Plug-in vehicle sales slip in UK


Plug-in vehicle sales slip in UK
Filed under: EV/Plug-in, UK 2011 Nissan Leaf - Click above for high-res image gallery According to figures published by the Royal Automobile Club (RAC) Foundation, second quarter sales of plug-in vehicles in the UK slipped to just 215 units. That's down from the 465 plug-in vehicles sold in the UK during the first three months of 2011 and way below the 1,708 Nissan Leafs sold in the U.S....