CrunchGear |  |
- Video Test Drive: Audi R8 E-tron
- Olive O6HD: An Audio Streaming System That Costs Quite A Bit
- First Look At The Jolibook: Cloudy With A Chance Of Lightning Speed (Video)
- Sony Japan’s Super-Cute Walkman S Disney Christmas Edition Box
- Bell & Ross compass watch – complicated and cool
- Daily Crunch: Chug Edition
- The Archos 101 Be Shippin’, Me Hearties
- Android Ties iOS In Ad Impressions
- Suppliers Named For Q1 2011 iPad Refresh
- Portal 2 Delayed In Shortest Delay In Valve History
- Mitsubishi Rebrands Its i-MiEV The i, Plans For Fall 2011 Rollout
- Wanna Watch TV? Don’t Cut The Cord, Get Cable
- LaCie’s FastKey Does USB 3.0 And 120GB
- Billions And Billions Served: Call Of Duty Black Ops Makes $650m In First Five Days
- TJ Maxx Selling iPad For $399
- Colorín, Colorado: Barnes And Noble Debuts NOOKbooks En Español
- Fundraiser Aims To Save Papers And Notes Of Alan Turing
- Razer’s Nostromo, For WASDers Who Don’t Need The Rest Of The Keyboard
- DODOcase Now Available For The Kindle (Finally!)
- CrunchDeals: Watchismo Picks 10 Coversation-Starting Watches
| Video Test Drive: Audi R8 E-tron Posted: 19 Nov 2010 05:57 AM PST
There are four electric motors, one for each wheel, combined to offer a peak output of 313 hp and 3319 lb-ft of torque and will propel this futuristic transport to 100 km/h in 4.8 sec–not bad for an electric. Not only is the acceleration fast and linear, but the E-tron R8 keeps all the driving character that made the gas R8 so fun to drive. The Quattro system is a bit more relaxed on this car versus something like an A4, keeping the torque balance at 30/70 front to rear means more fun if you have the skills. The battery weighs in at 1212 lb and stores 53 KWh of energy. It can be charged in 6-8 hours on 220V, and with a higher voltage charge time can decrease to just under 3 hours. With a fully charged battery you expect to take the R8 E-tron about 150 miles. The sounds of the acceleration is very electric-car-like, even more than that it places you in the future–think iRobot Audi for sound. There’s no doubt that something like this will sell, it’s such a one-off. Check out the video of the first drive, and look for more videos of other electrics I drove in Germany later.
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| Olive O6HD: An Audio Streaming System That Costs Quite A Bit Posted: 19 Nov 2010 05:56 AM PST
Olive makes really nice, fairly expensive audio gear for audiophiles who still haven’t gone digital. While this is a shrinking market, I guess there are enough oldsters out there who still haven’t ripped their copy of A Farewell to Kings so this is for them. It’s basically a 2TB hard drive with built-in optical drive. You pop in a disk, it records the audio, and then plays it back at lossless quality. You have a full touchscreen on front for selecting the music. How much does the pleasure of listening to Dark Side Of The Moon in digital form cost? $4,999. Bam. How’s that for money, grandpa music lover?
Yeah, heck if I know what any of that means either. All I know is that we had the previous version at the house a few months ago and it was pretty cool. This model plays HD audio and includes iPad and iPhone controls for those so inclined. As we all know, high-end audio is 8 parts truth and 2 parts snake oil, but these guys usually keep the ratio down to fifty-fifty.
This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| First Look At The Jolibook: Cloudy With A Chance Of Lightning Speed (Video) Posted: 19 Nov 2010 05:25 AM PST
France-based Jolicloud‘s Jolibook will reportedly hit the (UK) market starting today at a £279 price point (roughly $380). I’m one of the first to have received a review unit, which runs the all-new version of the company’s eponymous Linux-based cloud OS, Jolicloud 1.1. I’m not much of a hardware reviewer, unlike the CrunchGear team, but fortunately there isn’t all that much to review when it comes to the hardware. All in all, it’s a pretty standard package for a small-sized computer at a fairly steep price considering it doesn’t include Windows, which many, far cheaper netbooks with the same configuration do. Still, Jolicloud 1.1 is the reason I’d recommend some people – not everyone, and mainly people who travel a lot and have made the switch to Web-based applications for most of their work-related or personal activities already – to purchase a Jolibook, over any netbook that comes with Windows in that – rumored – price range. We already noted some of the hardware specs, but here’s the full rundown: - Intel Atom N550 processor (1.5 GHz, dual-core) As I said, the hardware isn’t really what makes the Jolibook truly shine, at least as the perfect travel laptop in my experience. It’s the software. Jolicloud 1.1 makes this netbook load fast, lets you interact with friends and share and discover applications, enables you to easily access cloud-based services at the speed of light and simply never gets in your way (courtesy of the underlying technology, Chromium and HTML5, and the Facebook integration). You can run Jolicloud on pretty much any netbook alongside Windows, but I don’t understand why anyone wouldn’t just make the switch. I don’t have anything against Microsoft products, but Windows simply doesn’t play nice with netbooks, and hinders people at exploiting the advantages of using a lightweight notebook rather than the other way around. If you have a netbook, go download Jolicloud (its free) and give it a whirl right now. And if you don’t but you’re thinking of getting one, the Jolibook is worth considering, especially if you’re into speed, nicely designed software that just works and not afraid to try out a slightly different type of computing device. Mediocre-quality pictures:
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| Sony Japan’s Super-Cute Walkman S Disney Christmas Edition Box Posted: 19 Nov 2010 02:23 AM PST
Christmas time, limited edition time. In Japan, Sony today announced [JP] the so-called “Walkman S Series Disney Character Christmas Box”, which contains the Walkman NW-S750 big S released earlier this year. Not too surprisingly, buyers get the player with a Christmas design (showing Mickey and Minnie Mouse) and a limited edition wallpaper. Sony also throws in a silicon case (also a limited edition) and a Minnie Mouse strap. There’s also a second version of the box (NW-S750K), which comes with a speaker/cradle but is otherwise identical to the NW-S750 version.
The Christmas Walkman S box will go on sale in Japan in early December (prices: $216 for the NW-S750 and $252 for the NW-S750K). It will be Japan only, so contact Tokyo-based online sales service Rinkya in case you want a box but live outside this country.
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| Bell & Ross compass watch – complicated and cool Posted: 19 Nov 2010 12:25 AM PST Bell & Ross watches are notorious for being designed after aircraft instruments, including this rather sexy compass watch, which is limited to a run of 500 units. Each watch will set you back $5500, but let’s be honest, it’s worth it.
The Bell & Ross Compass from Hodinkee on Vimeo. [via Hodinkee]
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| Posted: 19 Nov 2010 12:00 AM PST |
| The Archos 101 Be Shippin’, Me Hearties Posted: 18 Nov 2010 07:19 PM PST
What, do you think Froyo grows on trees?! Avast!
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| Android Ties iOS In Ad Impressions Posted: 18 Nov 2010 07:01 PM PST
I actually wouldn’t be surprised if this indicates a larger majority by Android, since (though all I have is anecdotal evidence) iOS users are bigger on using the web on their phones. That could just be my own bias, though.
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| Suppliers Named For Q1 2011 iPad Refresh Posted: 18 Nov 2010 06:33 PM PST
Digitimes reports that Ibiden, Tripod Technology and TTM Technologies will start shipping PCBs to Apple in December and other companies will be added to the lineup in February, when sales start picking up. Unfortunately, nothing was revealed other than the above, which admittedly wasn’t much in the first place, but this is just the first chatter surrounding the new device, and paying close attention to these reports may allow us to glean a little info here or there on what the update might bring.
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| Portal 2 Delayed In Shortest Delay In Valve History Posted: 18 Nov 2010 05:21 PM PST
If you remember, the game was soft-launched early this year with a freaky viral campaign, then fully announced in a big reveal in Game Informer. I saw their presentation myself at E3, and the game is real, and looks great, but I had the feeling that it wouldn’t make its stated ship-by date. Guess we won’t be pre-ordering it for Christmas presents, then. Ah well. Such is life. Such is Valve.
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| Mitsubishi Rebrands Its i-MiEV The i, Plans For Fall 2011 Rollout Posted: 18 Nov 2010 04:02 PM PST
The i will be available next fall, with pricing “around $30,000,” and certainly less once you apply the EV credit. Interestingly, they’re not going big, and only plan to sell 20,000 of the things over the next few years. A Mitsubishi spokesman told Autoblog that “the main purpose of this car for us is to get us in as a stakeholder in the electric vehicle game and to help pave the way for our future products.” Meaning that the i is just a prototype, essentially. Better and more consumer-oriented cars will likely follow in 2012. It shares some of its DNA with the i-MiEV, which we heard would be rolling out to US markets in 2011, as the i is. But some body changes have been made, and of course the MiEV has been dropped from the name. I’m guessing because they did focus groups and only 15% of consumers know how to pronounce “i-MiEV”. I’m sure I don’t. The name seems to live on in their electric bike series, though. Some specs on this little guy:
No info on top speed or 0-60, since really, as long as it goes 60 at some point, that’s all you really need to get around the city. Here’s the press release: Mitsubishi Unveils North American Version Of New “i” Electric Vehicle At The 2010 Los Angeles Auto Show Wed, Nov 17, 2010 – LOS ANGELES - Building on the company’s more than 35 years of involvement in advanced electric vehicle development, Mitsubishi Motors has unveiled its first all-electric production vehicle bound for the North American market. Based on the very popular gasoline-powered “i” minicar in the Japanese market, this roomy and practical four-door 2012 model serves as the basis for the new 100% battery-powered Mitsubishi “i” for the North American market. The zero tailpipe emission “i” will be the first North American production vehicle to be powered by Mitsubishi innovative Electric Vehicle (MiEV) technology – cutting edge drivetrain engineering that will serve as the basis for future ultra-environmentally-friendly vehicles from the company. Gone are conventional automotive systems including a gasoline engine, transmission and a fuel tank, having been replaced by advanced components including a lithium-ion battery system, electric motor and an efficient battery charging system in the all-new “i”. This electric vehicle has already proved itself a viable and reliable form of transportation as Mitsubishi has been selling the car in its home market since the summer of 2009; production has already commenced for the European-spec i-MiEV, with deliveries beginning later this year. Mitsubishi anticipates an initial roll out of the “i” to its dealership network in the western United States (specifically California, Oregon, Washington and Hawaii) in November 2011, with entry into the northeastern market to follow by March 2012 and nationwide availability by the end of 2012. The vehicle’s MSRP is expected to be around $30,000, not including Federal and available state financial incentives. The new production Mitsubishi “i” bound for the North American market further differentiates itself from its Japanese- and European-spec versions with a retooled, larger body to provide even more interior comfort for four adults, along with new North American-spec bumpers front and rear for enhanced protection in the event of a collision. Other noteworthy safety measures on the North American-spec vehicle include airbags that protect passengers and control deployment force, Active Stability Control (ASC) and a Tire Pressure Monitoring System (TPMS) – all included as standard equipment. Easier on the Environment Thanks to its extremely efficient all-electric powertrain, the Mitsubishi “i” produces zero on-road CO2, making it a zero emissions vehicle. What’s more, when factoring in the CO2 emissions produced by the power plants that generated the electricity that provides the energy for the “i”, this revolutionary Mitsubishi production car only produces about 30% of the CO2 emitted by the 660cc gasoline engine that powers the non-electric-version of the car in its home market. And the reduction in CO2 becomes even more statistically significant considering that the 660cc gasoline engine found in the Japanese market is only about one-third of the displacement of the typical four-cylinder gasoline engine powering cars in the North American market. Additional energy efficiency can be wrung from the “i” model’s electric powertrain thanks to Eco (Economy) and Brake driving modes that supplement the vehicle’s standard Drive mode. The Eco mode limits excessive power usage from reaching the motor while the Brake mode increases the resistance of the regenerative braking system (especially when driving downhill) to feed even more energy back into the car’s bank of lithium-ion batteries. Low Cost “Fuel” Source The operating cost per mile of the electrical-powered Mitsubishi “i” is significantly cheaper than that of a comparable gasoline-powered vehicle. In Japan, the operating cost is only 1/3 that of the 660cc gasoline engine-powered version of the car, and the operating cost can drop even more significantly than that of its internal-combustion sibling by taking advantage of reduced electricity rates by recharging during nighttime or off-peak hours*. Clever Design = Spacious Accommodations, Outstanding Safety Thanks to the vehicle’s excellent packaging and engineering in relation to its size, this uniquely styled automobile provides an excellent level of safety, ample room for four adults plus handy cargo space. How can a small car possess such ample interior volume? Mitsubishi engineers have cleverly placed the high-capacity lithium-ion batteries beneath the floor, and the electric motor, inverter and battery charger have been located behind and below the rear passenger area. This setup also has the added benefit of lowering the vehicle’s center of gravity. Along with the wheels being placed at the farthest corners of the vehicle, this gives the “i” exceptional stability along with surprisingly agile handling. Advanced Electric Powertrain The power system consists of a permanent magnet synchronous electric motor and a high energy density lithium-ion battery pack that consists of 88 cells (22 modules, 4 battery cells per module) for a maximum battery capacity of 16 kWh. The battery modules can be installed either transversely or vertically; this packaging flexibility allows them to be stored underneath the cabin floor. All 88 cells reside within an extremely sturdy stainless steel capsule to provide maximum protection. The “i” also features a groundbreaking three-way battery charging system that allows the vehicle to be charged using the onboard household charger through either 110V (15A) or 220V (15A) power sources or by a quick-charger system that utilizes a three-phase 220V power supply. The charging times from a very low battery to completely full are approximately 8 hours at 220V and 16 hours at 110V. The three-phase 220V quick-charger can take a low battery all the way up to an 80% battery charge in under a remarkably fast 30 minutes. The three-phase quick-charger makes use of a special outlet that is accessible on the driver’s side of the vehicle, while the onboard household charger’s outlet is located on the passenger side of the “i”. Strategic Research and Logistical Partners The Mitsubishi “i” has undergone several years of exhaust testing and evaluation not only internally by the Japanese auto manufacturer but with several other institutions, including seven utility companies in Japan, as well as prototype evaluation programs with major United States utilities Southern California Edison, Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E), Portland General Electric and the Tennessee Valley Authority. And in an effort to help expand and improve the logistical side of the electric vehicle ownership experience, Mitsubishi has teamed with corporate titans including consumer electronics retailer Best Buy and leading power management company Eaton Corporation. Best Buy, through its 20,000-plus strong employees in its Geek Squad division, has partnered to provide site analysis and work to manage installation of a Level 2 Charging Station it will sell through its stores for Mitsubishi “i” owners to use in their own homes. Designed and manufactured by Eaton – a company that has more than 20 years of experience in developing electrical and hybrid power systems for commercial vehicles – this 220V charging station will cut the time it takes to charge the car’s batteries in half when compared to a standard 110V electrical outlet. *Note: Electricity rates can vary by region, supplier and timing. [image: Autoblog]
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| Wanna Watch TV? Don’t Cut The Cord, Get Cable Posted: 18 Nov 2010 02:50 PM PST
Google TV is a mess. Apple TV is a joke. Using a Roku is about as exciting as cleaning my gutters. I like the Boxee Box, but my wife doesn’t understand why; she doesn’t get it and that says something. Downloading torrents or NZBs is time consuming and only a small portion of the population actually has the know-how and hardware to do it. Sorry. Cord cutting is a lost cause. Listen, I’m all for canceling Comcast and joining the ranks of the cord cutters. I hate Comcast so much. If Comcast had a large, fluffy mascot, I would punch it in the face. That’s saying something if you know me. But the fact remains that there is simply no way to replicate Comcast’s or any other cable provider’s service right now. If you want to watch TV, you have to pay for it — but you can still complain along the way. Cable is damn expensive and so through various media streamers, game systems, and services, I’ve tried just about everything to replace it, but nothing gives you the same experience and service as *shock* cable — or satellite — TV. The first major media streamer for a lot of consumers was the original Xbox. XBMC converted the computer-turned-gaming system into an a full feature media box. It’s still one of the best out there, with Boxee and Plex owing most of their success to the community-developed media center. But like a lot of other media streamers, getting content on to the box is the biggest issue. Where does it come from? Is it legal? How quickly can you get new content? There are so many questions that it’s daunting for many novice users. We’ve done a couple of guides on it, but it clearly takes the aptitude of a geek to efficiently download and then watch content from the Internet. This is what the new crop of media streamers are trying to address. They’re attempting to bring the videos that are free on the Internet to living rooms. It’s a noble goal. Big media puts a good chunk of their content online as a half-assed counter to piracy, and so these enterprising folks built set-top boxes that can access the content and put it easily on your HDTV. Well, alright. But even if the media fat cats hadn’t turned off the feed to these boxes, they’re still not ready to replace cable. The interfaces are clumsy and the content online is sparse anyway. The thing I like most about cable TV is that when I turn it on, the content is there. I don’t need to scroll through screen after screen after screen, trying to figure out what episode to watch. All these new media streamers have various fatal flaws. Google TV is laggy and only a small amount of free online programming can be watched through the device. Apple TV’s available content is laughable outside of Netflix. Have you ever really used a Roku streamer? They look great on paper, but are, well, lame in practice. The Boxee Box is an awesome local media streamer, but big media could shut off access to Fancast at anytime, leaving the device with half of its original feature set. Really, honestly, the majority of media streamers are just another Netflix device. They’re all Netflix streamers with additional features because that’s about all they do right. That’s fine for some people. Some people don’t want or need live TV and so Netflix can easily fill that void, but please don’t cancel your cable and expect to replace it with one of these boxes. I can see the comments now. “I’m perfectly happy with my combination of over-the-air programming, Netflix, and HTPC fed with torrents automatically through RSS.” Or how your Kindle is enough entertainment for you. Sigh. That’s not really the point. How’s the average consumer supposed to avoid big cable bills? The cord cutting movement — is it really large enough for the movement label? — is great for the industry though. I pray that more and more reports surface showing consumers are going to try it without cable TV for a while. I’ve tried it. It’s not for me or my family, but the more people that cut the cord, the better it will be for those of us still with Comcast and the like. The whole industry needs major disruption. It’s a mess and consumers are the victims. And you can cut the cord now, but for the next six months or a year, launch jitters and licensing spats are going to make all these media boxes a mixed and difficult experience. So stick with your current 200-channel setup and three-year-old TiVo. Don’t worry, we’ll let you know when it’s safe to leave that expensive, ancient, and — let’s face it — effective cable TV connection behind.
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| LaCie’s FastKey Does USB 3.0 And 120GB Posted: 18 Nov 2010 02:30 PM PST
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| Billions And Billions Served: Call Of Duty Black Ops Makes $650m In First Five Days Posted: 18 Nov 2010 02:00 PM PST
Yeah, we know, Activision. Call of Duty: Black Ops made a lot of money. It should, being that’s it’s $60 a pop. But just because McDonalds has "billions and billions" served doesn’t mean I’m going to go out of my way to partake. In its first five days of availability, CODBLOPS made a whopping $650 million worldwide. That’s more than a few copies sold, a point I will readily admit. The game also set a record for number of people playing concurrently on Xbox Live. That would be 2.6 million players. So enjoy your Big Macs, kiddos, I’ll be dining on filet mignon.
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| Posted: 18 Nov 2010 01:24 PM PST
Could this be the forerunner to a holiday iPad sale? As cool as that would be, I doubt it. Apple isn’t the type to raise and lower the prices of their products willy-nilly for this kind of thing, as far as I remember. Plus, the thing is already topping buyers’ wish lists. Engadget’s tipster found this one in Vernon, NY, and a couple other stores have borne fruit, but say they’re holding their stock for Black Friday. Doorbuster much?
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| Colorín, Colorado: Barnes And Noble Debuts NOOKbooks En Español Posted: 18 Nov 2010 12:45 PM PST
Looks like Barnes and Noble has launched NOOKbooks en español, which, as you may have guessed, is a store that sells libros españoles. (I’ve no idea why Barnes and Noble insists on random capitalization when it comes to Nook stuff, however.) The books sold there are compatible with all makes and models of the Nook universe, including the new Nook Color. Barnes and Noble tells us that NOOKbooks en español is the first Spanish-language digital bookstore in the U.S. Feather, enter cap in three, two… One little glitch I found: I tried to search for sports books in the little search box there, so I started to spell deportes and it gave me English-language suggestions:
Here I am looking for a sports book and they’re suggesting "deported" (and, earlier, "decision points"). So that’s a little weird.
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| Fundraiser Aims To Save Papers And Notes Of Alan Turing Posted: 18 Nov 2010 12:21 PM PST
It’s an admirable effort he’s making, but I can’t help but think that when lots like this cost half a million dollars, deep private pockets are the only ones that can afford it. Even the world’s most famous art and science museums rely on loaned works and objects from private collections. I remember not long ago when a set of Leonardo’s notebooks were purchased by Bill Gates and subsequently displayed at the Seattle Art Museum. The same could easily happen with Turing’s notebooks, though I wouldn’t presume to guess the likelihood of it. That said, if you share Gareth Halfacree’s concerns, feel free to put a few bucks in the fund. If they can’t purchase the notebooks, the money will go to benefit Bletchley Park, home of Turing and his fellow code-breakers during World War II.
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| Razer’s Nostromo, For WASDers Who Don’t Need The Rest Of The Keyboard Posted: 18 Nov 2010 11:10 AM PST
The Nostromo is what it looks like: a disembodied piece of keyboard, with an 8-way rocker on it and onboard memory for storing profiles and macros. The more I think about it, the more it makes sense for a serious gamer, though for $70 (the asking price) you could get a new fancy keyboard instead, something you’ll probably use more often. Either way, the thing is available now over at Razer. Surprise the hardcore gamer in your family with one.
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| DODOcase Now Available For The Kindle (Finally!) Posted: 18 Nov 2010 09:43 AM PST
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| CrunchDeals: Watchismo Picks 10 Coversation-Starting Watches Posted: 18 Nov 2010 09:23 AM PST
To top it off, Watchismo is offering 10% off with the coupon code XXX so get cracking, little ones, and seduce women with your handsome watches.* * Actual seduction of women may be more difficult than it appears.
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