Video: Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG E-Cell in motion (and German)
Filed under: Coupe, Performance, Videos, Mercedes-Benz, Electric
We got our first look at the Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG E-Cell prototype yesterday and now we can see it in motion. The German magazine Bild has a video of their first drive in the electric supercar. Unfortunately, our conversational German isn’t up to snuff, so it’s hard to decipher the commentary and driving impressions. However, we do get a good look under the hood, where the 6.2-liter V8 has been replaced by a several cubic feet of electronics, motors and high-voltage cabling. Inside, we get a glimpse of the new instrument cluster, including a display that can toggle between the battery’s state of charge and power flow or the navigation information.
If and when Mercedes-Benz let’s us have a crack at the prototype, sunglasses will be a necessity. Check out the retina-searing video after the jump.
Gallery: Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG E-Cell prototype
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Report: Next-generation Nissan GT-R to go alt-fuel?
Filed under: Coupe, Hybrid, Performance, Nissan, Electric, Diesel
2010 Nissan GT-R – Click above for high-res image gallery
Rumors of a hybrid-drive next-generation Nissan GT-R have been floating around since late 2009. And given Nissan CEO Carlos Ghosn’s wholesale commitment to electric vehicles, it should come as no surprise that the automaker is seriously considering adding some form of battery power to the next iteration of its sports car. Speaking at an event in Australia, GT-R chief engineer Kazutoshi Mizuno confirmed that an alternative powertrain will be a necessity to keep the GT-R relevant and meet future emissions and fuel economy standards.
Both Mercedes-Benz and Audi have already announced plans to build electric versions of the SLS AMG and R8 respectively. According to Mizuno, Nissan is considering a straight battery variant, a hybrid or even a diesel version, although the latter is unlikely. A battery version is certainly possible, but Mizuno also says a hybrid would be easy to do thanks to the GT-R’s front engine/rear transaxle layout. The Leaf and other EVs will give Nissan some breathing room on regulations, so a new GT-R is still a ways off. At this point work has yet to start on the new model and no decision has been made on the powertrain.
Gallery: Review: 2010 Nissan GT-R
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“Find My iPad” and MobileMe – Is It Worth $99 A Year?
Apple’s Find My iPhone service is pretty nice, and is a cool way to track your iPad if it goes missing (just like this guy). The service works via a dedicated app you can install on any iOS device, or via the web.
Besides being able to find out where your device ended up, additional nice features are offered, such as the ability to remotely:
- make your iPad ring so you can find it quickly
- display a message on your iPad screen
- lock your iPad with the password of your choice
- completely wipe your iPad’s memory, to make sure any sensitive and/or private data does not fall into the wrong hands
Problem is, even if the app is free, the service is not, as it requires a MobileMe subscription to work, something that will cost you $99/year. So is it worth the price tag? Unless you happen to use MobileMe for other features such as Storage, Address book, Calendar, Gallery or iDisk, purchasing a MobileMe subscription just for the “Find My iPhone” security features is simply way too expensive.
If you are a bit paranoid, a decent alternative is GadgetTrak, an iPhone app that works on the iPad. It’s not as fancy as Find My iPhone, but it’s free. After you set it up, GadgetTrak installs a fake browser icon on your iPad, so that your iPad’s GPS location is recorded when the person who found/stole your iPad tries to go online. GadgetTrak can be a bit hit or miss, as the app needs to actually be launched to record your iPad’s location, but it’s not much of a stretch to think that your average Joe may try to hit the icon, especially if located on your dock.
Samples of Droid X camera leak
Another leak involving the Droid X, this time with it’s camera. We have samples taken with the Droid X’s 8 megapixel camera. This is a vast improvement over the original Droid’s camera, leaked photos of the 1st Droid’s photos before release date were just awful, here is one of the pictures taken with the new Droid X. The Droid X has a little hump on it, the large camera justifies that, more size, more quality. There has been some dispute though whether the leaked images were really taken with the Motorola Droid X. Another theory is that one picture was taken with Android 2.1 and another taken with Android 2.2 [ via BGR] ) View full post on Android Community
Verizon Droid X possibly set to release July 2nd
More Easter eggs about the Droid X have been uncovered in a Droid X teaser analysis. It’s been confirmed the screen size is 4.3″ WVGA screen, an 8 megapixel camera and the release date in July. The interesting part of the commercial is when the picture morphs into 7.2.2010, leaving us to assume that the release date is July 2nd. The extra 2 could just be a part of the flickering effect used in the video, but the series of numbers has an extra dot that could make it a legit date, and therefore the release date was given on this ad. One way or another, Verizon and Motorola are adding more and more hype to the Droid X. [ via Brief Mobile] ) View full post on Android Community
Droid Eris has been retired, Droid Incredible next?
Android 2.1 may be the last official update to the Eris from Verizon. They have decided to end support of the Eris, it was the launch partner of the original Droid. It’s still possible that HTC may choose to still support the handset but that is highly unlikely. If you want 2.2 on Eris you might want to root it or be satisfied with 2.1. We’ve actually known about the short life span of the Eris a month after it was released. But what’s surprising it the fact the Incredible may be joining the Eris in an early retirement. Recently there has been an internal document leaked from Verizon that has every device in their inventory that is on the chopping block. You can clearly see that the Incredible is on this list with the Eris. If you’re a BlackBerry fan, you’re already aware that the Tour was replaced with the Bold. And now the Eris is gone, so if this isn’t a mistake the Incredible might not make it past the fall. This is a tough one to swallow, the Incredible has been one of the hottest selling phones and it has been sold out almost every time it’s back in stock. Do you believe this document is real? [ via droidlife] ) View full post on Android Community
Samsung Behold II OTA’s Are Rolling Out
The lack of support from everyone involved with this phone has been the focal point of many people losing faith in Samsung. It’ll probable never see Android 2.0+ even though there is a petition going around to make this happen. Regardless, we are hearing word that the OTA to 1.6 has started to arrive on a few Behold ll’s.
Android 1.6 offers a whole world of possibilities for the Behold ll. along with this update to 1.6, Samsung is including Google Voice, Google Maps with navigation as well as the Swype keyboard. There are other various bug fixes thrown in also. Even with these extra goodies being tossed in, I still don’t see many users being happy about this whole situation.
[via tmonews]
) View full post on Android Community
iPhone 4 lands at Walmart, iPhone 4 pre-orders due day early, Apple location tracking
Engadget has received a pic of the iPhone 4 in the cardboard flesh. The handset spied in the pics is on hand at Walmart stores according to the tipster. Some who pre-ordered the iPhone 4 are getting emails from Apple that show the handsets landing on the 23, a day before expected . This will have hoards of geeks waiting for the deliveryman like kids at Christmas. Privacy advocates are up in arms after it was discovered that Apple is able to capture and share information about the location of an Apple computer or device with partners. An opt out for iAd was also discovered. View full post on iPhone Buzz
