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That Naked-Eye 3D TV From Toshiba Goes On Sale Tomorrow (In Japan)

Posted: 21 Dec 2010 04:54 AM PST

Do you remember those spectacular glasses-free 3D REGZA TVs Toshiba announced back in October? Two models, a 12- and a 20-incher, were announced for a December release (in Japan), and tomorrow the smaller one (pictured) will finally go on sale.

Buyers should be ready to pay a whopping $1,430 for the TV, which features just 466×350 resolution, LED backlight, an HDMI interface, a USB port, LAN, an SD card slot, REGZA Link, and a 1Seg module for Japan's digital mobile TV standard. The recommended viewing distance for 3D pictures is 65cm.

Toshiba will start selling the 20-inch model (pictured on the left) on Saturday (price: $2,870).

Here’s a video we’ve shown you a few weeks back that features both models:

Via AV Watch [JP]

A. Lange & Sohne Richard Lange Tourbillon “Pour le Merite” Watch

Posted: 21 Dec 2010 04:32 AM PST

2011 will experience the release of this new fusee and chain transmission watch from Glashutte, Germany based A. Lange & Sohne. To be honest, fusee and chain movement watches excite me a lot more than tourbillons. Not that they are mutually exclusive, but I really love the idea that there is a tiny hand-made (bicycle style) chain in a watch helping to move power from the mainspring to the movement. Plus, a fusee and chain is a lot more useful for accuracy and rate reliability than a tourbillon is. Today there are only a few brands that offer watches with fusee and chain complications. The three that I can think of off the top of my head are A. Lange & Sohne, Breguet, and Cabestan. Who am I missing?


Battlefield Bad Company 2 Vietnam Now Available

Posted: 21 Dec 2010 02:59 AM PST

Finally! The latest DLC for Bad Company 2, Vietnam is now available. I was really looking forward to transform you guys into bacon with my flamethrower. And now I can. The add-on costs 1200 MS point or 13€ on Steam. Go get it!

5 Multiplayer Maps.
Phu Bai Valley, Hill 137, Vantage Point, Cao Son Temple, and Operation Hastings. All game modes from Battlefield: Bad Company 2 (Conquest, Rush, Squad Deathmatch, and Squad Rush) are playable on all 5 maps.

15 Vietnam-era Weapons.
Everything is unlocked from the get go (this is also true for the launch version). One of our biggest new additions is the flame-thrower (see below). We have also made sure to give the weapons a rusty and tarnished look and feel..

60′s Soundtrack.
2 hours of time-typical soundtrack on the radios in the American vehicles. Fly to the sound of Ride of the Valkyries, Fortunate Son, and more.

6 Vietnam War Vehicles.
Skim the treetops in the iconic American Huey helicopter. Drive the sturdy Russian T54 tank and the nimble US PBR “Pibber” patrol boat, plus three more vehicles immortalized in the Vietnam War.

New Voiceovers.
All-new voiceovers for both American and Vietnamese forces, based on authentic communication from the Vietnam War.

New Trophies/Achievements.
Collect 10 new achievements/trophies (see list below). Earn new weapon proficiency stars specific to your skills with the weapons in this expansion.

Daily Crunch: Lost at the Expo Edition

Posted: 21 Dec 2010 12:00 AM PST

This Super Mario Bros 3 Furniture Set Will Really Impress The Princesses

Posted: 20 Dec 2010 10:30 PM PST


The sad thing is that I love SMB3 more now than I did when I was of an age to successfully rock this setup. One of these days I’ll have a man cave, but really it’ll be a manchild cave. And I’ll keep it a secret because it’ll be got up like this picture, and also because manchild cave sounds pretty creepy.

[via Tiny Cartridge and Go Nintendo]

Beta Shell Lens Cases Will Protect Your Precious Glass From Bear Attacks

Posted: 20 Dec 2010 08:30 PM PST


If you think bear attacks aren’t a major cause of scratched or otherwise damaged lenses, you’re obviously not serious enough a photographer to require the Beta Shell lens cases. These are for the photographer who does a lot of interplanetary travel, or likes to pepper his luggage with buckshot. What, you don’t believe we do it? BLAM! Get outta here or the next one’s in your tuchus!

Uhh, to return to the cases. They’re made of super-rigid plastic, and the screw-down top forms a waterproof seal. No, not the animal. Besides, all seals are waterproof. The animals, I mean. Anyway. Inside the case is some nice foam, which I’m sure is very fancy. Visco-elastic foam, they call it. Well, all foam like that is visco-elastic, that’s why we call it foam. You put your lens in there and it holds it with its little foam grippers, and it’s as safe as safe can be.

See?

You can get different sizes for different lenses here. Most of the popular lenses from Canon and Nikon have cans, and Pentax and Sony and such lenses will almost certainly fit in as well, but no guarantees.

[via Gizmodo]

Ultra-Thin Notebooks From The Majors To Hit At CES

Posted: 20 Dec 2010 07:30 PM PST


I wouldn’t say this comes as much of a surprise, since cute little notebooks debut every year at CES, but Digitimes reports that Acer, Asustek, and Lenovo are all planning some MacBook Air-like ultra-thins for the first quarter of 2011. We’ll almost certainly see them in January, but don’t get too excited. They tend to just be… well, thin notebooks.

2010 In Review: Toys, Lots And Lots Of Toys

Posted: 20 Dec 2010 06:59 PM PST

Sorry, we like toys around here and we don’t care what you think. Tonka trucks, robotic spiders and portable gaming systems should make everyone smile. These things are just for young kids anymore. Just think about the rage you can unleash on your office with a motorized Nerf gun.

CrunchGear saw plenty of new toys in 2010 but the following video reviews were our favorite. Join us on a look back at the year’s best toy videos.

Parrot AR.Drone

From the review: But the AR.Drone has renewed my faith in gadgets. It is, in short, the coolest thing I've seen in a long, long time.

Hexbug Spiders

From the review: They should provide you with enough cubicle entertainment to more than justify the $24.99 price tag. Be warned though, there are only two discrete IR channels, which somewhat limits the size of your spider army to just a pair of marauding robots.

Nerf Stampede ECS-50

From the review: Seriously. This is a monster. I've never seen a Nerf gun like this one. It makes you feel like freaking Rambo with a gut.

Wowwee Paper Jamz Guitar and Amp

From the review: I'd recommend them for someone a bit older, though, because my son is four and didn't quite get the my "None more black" jokes.

DSi XL

From the review: Should you buy a DSi XL? Sure, if you don't already have a DSi.

Rubik’s Slide

From the release: What good is a Rubik's Slide if you can't take off all the stickers and convince your mom that you're a super genius? Interestingly, however, the Rubik's Slide doesn't use stickers and it's actually much harder than it looks.

Fisher Price Bigfoot

From the release: Who doesn't like Bigfoot. Nobody, that's who. I got a chance to look at Mattel's singing, dancing, and rolling Bigfoot robot. He can even throw balls at you and sleeps when he gets tired. Very, very cute.

Tonka Ricochet RC Car

From the review: I haven't been a big fan of remote control cars simply because they're usually cheaply made and the remote is often separated from the controller and lost, rendering the toy useless. While I'm not about to say that this $79 car will suffer the same fate, but it is very solidly built and the remote is rugged enough that you don't have to throw it away immediately. Generally it's a Tonka truck with a big battery, which should guarantee a few years of play.

Noise Cancelling Headphones: Denon, Able Planet, & AKG Models Compared

Posted: 20 Dec 2010 06:18 PM PST

Noise canceling headphones are a must. A must, I say. There is no way I’m riding in a disease-riddled airliner and listening to the guy behind me hack up tuberculosis. Hells no. I sit down, don some noise canceling headphones and pray the Almighty makes it painless. Any of the following three headphones feature noise cancellation that’s more than adequate but each one fails in another aspect, resulting in three different recommendations based on the planned usage. So click through, fellow traveler. Your next pair of cans could be found after the break.

Denon AH-NC800 — $349 MSRP

Pros:

  • Super-duper comfy
  • Great noise cancellation

Cons

  • Sound quality lacks range, definition
  • Pricey
  • Large travel case

I’m pretty sure that Denon employed angels when they designed the AH-NC800s. These are without question the most comfy set of headphones I’ve ever worn. Too bad they don’t sound all that great.

The lows are non-existent and the highs are a tad flat. And that’s that.

I want to love these headphones because they feel like fluffy summer clouds are piping music directly into my head, but said music is as sad as Eeyore’s little black rain cloud. It doesn’t really matter that the noise cancellation is the best of the bunch if the audio quality is just okay where there’s a $350 price tag. Buy these headphones if comfort is more important to you than music sound quality. Watch movies or TV shows while on a plane? Yeah, buy these. They’re perfect for that task. Music enthusiasts should elsewhere, though.

Able Planet Extreme Noise Canceling Heaphones — $149 MSRP

Pros:

  • Very good noise cancellation
  • Great price
  • Compact

Cons:

  • Travel case doesn’t offer protection
  • Look cheap and flimsy

Put these Able Planet models right next to the Denon ones above and you would swear that they were the same thing besides the obvious style make-over. They’re probably from the same mold, really. Everything from the battery door, to the power button, to the cup and arm design looks the same. But surprisingly, these sound better than their brand name counterpart and seem to have very similar noise cancellation ability although just a notch below, which could be more to do with the foam surrounds than the actual circuity inside.

Where the Denons seem to bottom out more than they should, the Able Planet model are able to handle low-end frequencies just fine. I wouldn’t say they reproduce a better sound when they’re both riding in their respective comfort zones, but the Able Planet model simply has a better range.

It’s just too bad that they don’t fit the same or look as nice. They fit like standard headphones, but the Denons are supremely comfortable. The Denons also feel like a premium product with high-quality construction and a great carrying case. The Able Planet ones are cheap in materials, but also price.  They’re nearly a steal with a $150 MSRP but a $90 street price. This is where I would have put a Highly Recommended declaration if they weren’t constructed out of cheap material.

AKG K 480 NC – $299 MSRP

Pros:

  • Tiny
  • Great sound definition
  • Good noise cancellation

Cons

  • Small headphones, but large travel case. It’s odd.

Straight from the Harman group, the small AKG K 480 NC are an oddity. These ‘phones do not wrap around your ear like traditional noise canceling sets. Instead, they sit flush on your ear and with the help of clever padding, seem to form a tight fit around the ear canal, therefore achieving the same effect as the more traditional style. This as an advantage. Not only do they not mess with glasses, but wearing them with earrings should be a non-affair. They just kind of sit on top of your ear, filtering the outside world while filling your head with music.

The sound quality is great, too. The clarity and definition is more than adequate and are actually somewhat surprising from the small cans.

It’s their small size that makes them stand apart in our test though. They have nearly the same level of noise cancellation as the other two, but do so in a lot smaller physical package. It’s too bad that their carrying case is just so large that it almost nullifies their small stature. The case does however provide a great deal of protection with hard sides and a hefty zipper.

There you have it: three different noise canceling headphones. So which one should you buy? Well, the Denons are really, really comfy, but sound flat. The Able Planets look like something you would buy at a bowling alley, but have decent sound and noise canceling abilities for the price. That leaves the AKGs, which are tiny, filter out a good amount of background noise, and sound better than the other two.

But wait, I never listen to music when I’m in need of noise canceling headphones. I watch movies on the planes, so with that in mind, the Denons heavenly feel trumps slightly better sound reproduction for me. If music is your time waster of choice when soaring the friendly skies, opt for the AKGs. But if money is an issue, the Able Planets work great; they just look and feel cheap. Three different headphones for three different shoppers.

This Scooter Plays MIDIs, But Why?

Posted: 20 Dec 2010 05:32 PM PST


Actually, I guess if you’re asking “why” when someone makes a scooter that plays MIDI songs, you’re barking up the wrong tree. It’s not about why. It’s about dee-deedeedee-doo-dee-doo.

What’s happening here is, apparently, there is a motor driven by the wheel, and by changing the pulse width modulation, the audible sound of the motor can be made to hit different notes. Have some converted MIDI information streamed wirelessly to the motor’s control board, and…

Yay!

[via Make]

Roku Sales Double Following Apple TV Announcement

Posted: 20 Dec 2010 05:09 PM PST


I wonder if we might be getting a little causation mixed in with our correlation here. Roku’s CEO has noted that when the Apple TV launched at the beginning of September, Roku sales saw a jump. I mean, not like day-of (though maybe a little, since we gave the little box a big plug at the time), but since that time, sales have actually doubled.

They’re actually planning on shipping their millionth item this month, which I’m sure will be followed by no small amount of celebration. And although Apple deserves some credit for raising the profile of devices like the Apple TV and Roku, let’s not forget that this is the second Apple TV, and devices like these have been around for years now. I’d say the popularity of streaming services like Netflix’s have hit the tipping point recently, and that’s more what we’re seeing.

[via 9 to 5 Mac]

The Kno Starts Shipping Tomorrow

Posted: 20 Dec 2010 04:29 PM PST


You probably remember the Kno, either from the original announcement or the demo at TechCrunch Disrupt. The monster 14.1″ screens set it apart from every other tablet on the market, and the customized Ubuntu OS makes it potentially more versatile as well. The impressive technical specs had me doubting whether this device would ever actually see the light of day, or just languish in development hell until the funding ran out.

They’ve defied my expectations, however, and are actually beginning to ship to their first pre-order customers (though many are having to wait until mid-January, and are canceling their orders). The version I got to play with was pretty much final, though I haven’t had the pleasure of hefting the (in)famous dual-display version, which I expect will turn out to be an albatross around the company’s neck.

Here’s our interview with the founders, who show off the single-screen device pretty well:

Some relevant final specs from the specs page:

  • One or two 14.1″ 1440×900 touchscreens (pen and finger input)
  • Nvidia Tegra T200 CPU (dual-core ARM Cortex A9)
  • 512MB RAM
  • 16GB or 32GB onboard storage
  • Micro USB, microphone, and 3.5mm audio ports
  • 2.6lb (single-screen), 5.6lb (dual-screen)
  • $599/$899

And a glare-resistant screen coating, thank god. It’s really quite a powerful machine, and from what I saw, it seemed very well put together, and the UI is definitely something I would have liked when I was a student. That neuroanatomy coloring book I had would have been a good match.

The problem seems to me to be volume, though, and penetration. Universities can barely pay their professors; can they afford to outfit even a single classroom with $600 gadgets? The textbook makers almost all on board, from what I was told, but it remains an expensive proposition. Of course, textbooks are expensive as hell to begin with. Kno claims the tablet will pay itself off in three semesters on average. Tell that to the guy who can either pay $200 or $900 right now to have his books for the next few months. We’ll just have to watch and see how it does, and maybe we’ll even get one to review.

At any rate, they’re rolling off the assembly line and will be shipped out over the next month. Hopefully they’re rushing the shipments so a few will get there before Christmas, a minor expense that may win them some loyalty.

CrunchBase Information
Kno
Information provided by CrunchBase

Microsoft Denies Knowledge Of Kinect Sex Game

Posted: 20 Dec 2010 03:03 PM PST

Remember that kinda creepy Kinect sex game that we told you about a few days back? Well, Microsoft has issued an official response regarding it, and they are essentially denying any involvement or approval of the product.

In an official statement, Microsoft denies any involvement with the title, calling it unlicensed and unauthorized. Here’s the official word from the big M:

“This isn’t the first example of a technology being used in ways not intended by its manufacturer, and it won’t be the last,” the statement read. “Microsoft did not authorize or license its technology for this use. Xbox is a family friendly games and entertainment console and does not allow Adults Only (AO) content to be certified for use on its platform, and would not condone this type of game for Kinect.”

Seems pretty cut and dried to me. I wouldn’t expect to see this game or anything like it on the XBox any time soon. Now on a PC with a webcam, that could be a whole different story.

[via 1Up]

Dutch Art Project Helps Prepare For Zombie Attack

Posted: 20 Dec 2010 01:58 PM PST

Not quite sure where to go when the zombies attack? Dutch designer Joep van Lieshout has just the thing for you: the Vostok Cabin. Built out of welded together plates from dead ships, what the Vostok Cabin lacks in comfort, it makes up for it security.

The cabin is somewhat portable (however I suspect you might need a crane to move it), but is quite minimalist. The only creature comforts you get are a stove, toilet, lights, and a couple of benches to sit on. No doubt you’d want to stock your Vostok Cabin with food and other items, but the designer has gone as basic as possible for the art show. If fact, if you want to see the future of zombie defense, it’s on display in Paris, at the Cite de la Science. Maybe we’ll see one of these show up in the Walking Dead.

[via Gadget Lab]

UK ISPs: Do You Have Any Idea How Difficult It’d Be To ‘Ban’ Online Porn?

Posted: 20 Dec 2010 01:00 PM PST


It’s not exactly easy to come up with a picture for this type of story…

UK Internet Service Providers have hit out at a proposal to make online pornography an opt-in "feature" of sorts. They’ve done so not because they love spending all day browsing whatever, but because, well, it shouldn’t be their job to censor the Internet before it enters your home. If you want to lock down your computer so your children don’t access such material, fine. Good on you for taking an interesting in your children’s lives, but that’s where it should stop.

Even putting aside some of the legal challenges that could be brought against such a maneuver, there’s the practical complications: it’d be quite difficult to filter such content. How would an ISP prevent someone from accessing anything, let alone pornography, on the various bits of the Internet? Will you block all HTTP traffic? What about Usenet? IRC? BitTorrent?

It would require an almost Herculean effort to accomplish anything close to a "porn ban," never mind the fact that this is the type of thing that would be enforced in a parent-child relationship rather than an ISP-subscriber relationship.


A Watch Gift Guide For The Ladies

Posted: 20 Dec 2010 12:46 PM PST

If you haven't yet got the special lady in your life a gift for Christmas yet, don't panic, you've still got time. Yes, time. A watch is a wonderful present that's sure to bring a smile. Here are some options in a range of prices, from a stocking stuffer to the star of the show under the tree.

Toy Watch
In an array of combinations and colors worthy of your favorite ice cream parlor, these fun arm accessories can complement any outfit from the de rigueur office party to the razzle dazzle of a New Year's celebration—and even your own private soiree. Price: Starting at $175


Marvin 111 Ladies
Independent Swiss company Marvin offers smart design and a mechanical movement for a price that won't make Santa choke on his milk and cookies. Festive for the season, the red strap segues smoothly into 2011. Price: $810


Frederique Constant Maxime Manufacture Automatic
A classic layout with a twist, the Maxime Manufacture Automatic locates a circular date indicator at 6 o'clock and gets its juice from an in-house produced movement. Diamond indices on the dial provide a touch of glam apropos for any season. Price: $3250


Ulysse Nardin Lady Diver
For the woman who likes a timepiece that is as durable as it is attractive, the Lady Diver fits the bill. Dressed in a white, blue or black on a rubber strap and resistant to 100 meters, it can weather a trip under the mistletoe by land or sea. Price: $5900


Jaeger-LeCoultre Reverso Squadra Lady
While it comes on a stylish articulated rubber strap or stainless bracelet, you can refashion the look of your Squadra with interchangeable straps more quickly than you can mix up a batch of spiked eggnog. Whether you've been naughty or nice, you'll "flip" over this updated classic in a square case. Price: $7950

Meehna Goldsmith, the Watch Matchmaker, matches people with timepieces that reflect their personality, lifestyle and image. She keeps her finger on the pulse of the watch industry, giving her clients unique access to the most exciting and innovative timepieces available. Follow her on Twitter here.


Computer Hardware Sales Soared This Season

Posted: 20 Dec 2010 12:28 PM PST

According to a ComScore report, computer hardware sales rose 25% this holiday thanks in part to the popularity of the iPad. This bouyed laptop and mobile tech sales considerably over the last few weeks. Free Shipping Day aka December 17 say $942 million in sales out of a total $27.46 billion sold this season.

“Free Shipping Day punctuated an exceptional week in which consumers spent more than $5.5 billion online, representing a 14-percent increase from last year," said comScore chairman Gian Fulgoni.

“While no individual days during the week surpassed $1 billion in spending, we saw strength throughout the week beginning with Green Monday and ending with Free Shipping Day on Friday. At this late juncture in the online holiday season, we have likely already witnessed the peak spending day of the year, which means that Cyber Monday should emerge as the season's heaviest online spending day for the first time in history.”

via AppleInsider


The Steam Holiday Sale Has Begun!

Posted: 20 Dec 2010 11:40 AM PST

Not to alarm you all, but Steam has just started its annual Holiday sale. There’s a new user interface going on and I have no idea how to navigate it. Exciting!

Wait, I figured it out—it’s like a book. I get it!

The sale goes on from December 20 (also known as "today") until January 2.

Highlights today include the Oddbox (every single Oddworld game) for $12.49, Battlefield: Bad Company 2 for $6.79, and F1 2010 for $19.99.

And then there’s the publisher packs. You can grab every single Valve game ever for $24.99, every Rockstar game for $39.99, and a Bethesda pack that includes Fallout 3, Fallout: New Vegas, The Elder Scrolls III and IV, Rogue Warrior, and Call of Cthulu for $69.99 in total.

Let’s not forget that Good Old Games is also in the midst of its holiday sale, so there’s no better time to build up your collection than right now.

Claim: We Don’t Need Net Neutrality Because The Internet Isn’t ‘Broken’

Posted: 20 Dec 2010 10:30 AM PST

Reading Drudge and the Wall Street Journal this morning had me concerned that Julius Genachowski, the FCC chairman, was going to smash my modem into tiny pieces with a +2 mace in the name of flexing regulatory muscle. Hardly. It’s true that the FCC will vote tomorrow whether or not to implement some sort of Net Neutrality regime, but considering that it’s already stated what it means to accomplish with the vote, I don’t understand why folks are so upset. But, I’m willing to listen.

"The FCC’s Threat To Internet Freedom," written by an FCC commissioner, Robert M. McDowell, appears in today’s Wall Street Journal, but it doesn’t say anything new. The premise seems to be a defense of the argument "if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it."

The story goes that the Internet has evolved splendidly so far, and it’s done so more or less independently of government intervention. All sorts of new and exciting services have popped up, from Facebook to Netflix to World of Warcraft to Rdio to… take your pick. Why would we want to endanger the Internet, and all of that innovation, by getting the government involved?

It’s a fine enough argument, but only if you ignore a few things (which the op-ed does, of course). Who can forget, only a few years ago, when Comcast decided to throttle its users’ traffic without informing them? That sure was nice of them: interfering with your data without telling you how or why. The FCC’s new regulations would require ISPs to spell out the hows and whys traffic shaping. That alone is a win for consumers.

(Keep in mind that I don’t have a problem if an ISP wants to charge more for more bandwidth. Why you should pay the same $50 per month when you’re streaming gigabytes of video data when your neighbor only uses his $50 connection to shop online or post funny photos to his Facebook? I also recognize that bandwidth isn’t water, and there’s no reason why it should be treated as a scarce resource, but I’ll meet the ISPs halfway here. There’s nothing wrong with a little give-and-take.)

There was also the recent Comcast-Netflix scare that illustrated the danger of a world without Net Neutrality (even if it amounted to very little in the end.) "Want to use Service A on our network? Sure, you can, but it’ll cost you. Meanwhile, can we interest you in Service B instead? It’s free because they’re giving us giant sacks of money in exchange for preferred access to our subscribers."

That said, I can understand people’s apprehension with getting the government involved here. The Internet, by and large, has evolved splendidly without government intervention (putting aside things like the DMCA and the Can Spam act, which amount to government interference but not the "objectionable" kind of interference, I guess—interference is only interference when it’s inconvenient), so why would we want to change that now?

In any event, the scare tactics used by those who are (for whatever reason) against Net Neutrality don’t really do their cause any favors. If you want to explain why you think Net Neutrality isn’t all it’s cracked up to be, that’s fine. In fact, it’s encouraged: there’s nothing wrong with people with differing viewpoints communicating to each other. But let’s actually have a debate, and not reduce ourselves to silly puns like "Julius Seizure." What purpose does that serve? I’m just not sure we want to debate major policy shifts via childish name-calling.

GM To Continue Electrification With A New Cadillac?

Posted: 20 Dec 2010 09:59 AM PST

Last year at the NAIAS in Detroit, Cadillac introduced the Converj concept, a vehicle based on the Chevrolet Volt. Most of it's electronics were shared from the Volt, including GM's new Voltec power system.  While it was definitely a cool looking car and was much talked about at the auto show, nothing came of it—most concept cars rarely make it further then the tenure of a GM CEO.

GM's new CEO Dan Akerson, was in Detroit last Thursday where we heard him say that GM will be offering different versions of the Volt, not specifically a Chevy nor a car. Now the speculation is just what will be coming out. Andrew Farah, the Volt's chief engineer, has recently stated he has been picked as chief engineer for GM's next electric vehicle. Just what exactly, we don’t know.

Most rumors are pointing towards a plug-in electric Cadillac crossover based on the SRX. Similar to the research already done on the Saturn Vue, the same two-mode plug-in drivetrain will be used, according to anonymous GM sources. Also, a similar non-plugin two-mode hybrid version of the SRX is known to be undergoing testing.

This comes a time where electrification is becoming more accepted in the automakers plans for the future. Akerson is known as being a big proponent for vehicle electrification and was noted that GM is researching ways to double and triple production.

As the Volt has recently rolled off the line into showrooms, many will watch and see just how much consumers are into the whole electric thing. Our guess is that yes, now is the time. One thing is for certain; we simply cannot continue to use limited fossil fuels for energy. These steps the automakers are taking help provide a transition to renewable energy, ensuring a cleaner future.

[via GM-Volt]
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