Whatever happened to buying a phone just so you can make and take calls from virtually anywhere?
These days, it’s all about the glitz and the panache. People today have been configured to believe that the more applications they can store on their phones, the cooler they become. It’s a product of the rapid pace at which technology is morphing our lives.
Lost in the whole idea of owning a mobile – apart from its simplest and truest function of making calls – is finding a phone that can last the test of time. After all, what good is your week-old iPhone if you accidentally drop it on the toilet because you were so engrossed in chatting up your friends?
Sometimes, it’s better to choose function over style and in some cases, durability over style.
The Land Rover S1 mobile phone is all about durability. We know what you’re thinking – What on earth is a car manufacturer doing making mobile phones?
With the rapid advancement in technology, more and more cars are coming up with state-of-the-art features to attract customers. It’s a pretty solid strategy considering that people are becoming more and more tech savvy as the years go by. But then again, you can’t go against human nature because while drives are welcome to technological advancements in their cars, it does come with a catch – they like it so as long as they can afford it.
Research company J.D. Powers ran a recent survey of car buyers with hopes of finding out receptive they are in having new features available on their next car purchase. With over 19,000 respondents, Powers concluded that consumers are well-versed in new car technology and are appear to be enthusiastic about having some of these technological gadgets in their new cars. The thing is, while these drivers are voiced their interest with new car technology, Powers also discovered that their level of excitement correlates to the price tag of these new car features.
In the past Ferrari reserved forced induction for the most spectacular of super cars, like the F40 and the vehicle that the Italian automaker used to develop it, the 288 GTO. Just like prancing horse brand is preparing a hybrid 4x4 system, to get the most out of their stable, it now appears that Ferrari is working on a new turbo V8 unit that will boost performance and efficiency.
The future power plant is a "turbocharged internal combustion engine with V arrangement." What is interesting, at least judging by the diagram, it looks like the new boosted V8 has two equally sized turbochargers mounted in the middle of the two banks of cylinders, just like BMW did when they introduced the X6. This layout, although unconventional, makes for a much more compact package, and the shorter runner lengths means even less lag.
This is Ferrari’s first step to produce smaller engines that make the same amount of power as today’s naturally aspirated units. There is no word as to where the Italian sports car maker will mount the new V8 in their vehicle’s chassis, but it should make for an all new super car experience.
You would think that an oil company would be all for gas-guzzlers and oil burners, vehicles that would keep the cash flowing and allow those companies to maximize profits. However there is one member of the crude retailing community that is more focused on getting the most out of every drop, as opposed to selling every last one.
The Hague based operation, Shell Oil, is committed to making the most out of the limited fossil fuel, that is why they have partnered with the Scuderia Ferrari in order to push the boundaries of both performance and efficiency. The pair work together to develop fuels that burn more proficiently on the racetrack and lubricants that allow the rotating parts of the highly sophisticated Formula 1 car to move with less friction and be less of a (parasitic) drag on the machine, allowing it t to be even more fuel efficient.
Shell’s efforts at conservation are not limited to the F1 circuit.
The oil company is also the title sponsor for the Shell Eco-Marathon, a competition whose record holders have achieved the equivalent of over 7800 MPG from their fuel-efficient forward thinking machine. The Shell Eco-Marathon is held in various locations around the globe, and invites students to design, build, and test their unique vehicles, all with the same goal, use the least amount of fuel to travel the farthest distance possible. The student design teams develop vehicles that run on conventional fuels like gasoline, ethanol and diesel, as well as futuristic concepts like solar power, hydrogen and other bio-fuels.
The Italian automaker, Ferrari, has just filed a series of patents for a new four wheel drive hybrid propulsion system. Their new design is designed to work with both their front and mid-engine models. The idea is to have the traditional internal combustion engine drive the rear wheels, while some sort of electric motor would power the additional rollers. The system is designed to primarily increase the handling capabilities of the super cars with increased fuel efficiency being an added bonus.
Ferrari says that "the aim of the present invention is to provide a four-wheel - drive vehicle with hybrid propulsion…and being at the same time easy and inexpensive to produce.” This made possible due to motors mounted inside the front wheels. This way there is no need to develop a new drive train layout that would ultimately be more expensive and add unnecessary weight to the vehicle.
As stated on the application, Ferrari is trying to develop a kind of "four-wheel drive that can be engaged enables the driver of the automobile to decide whether to use the rear drive or the four-wheel drive; in this way, the driver can use the rear drive in optimal conditions of adherence and can use the four- wheel drive in poor conditions of adherence." Who would have ever thought that the first hybrid Ferrari’s would also be their first four wheel drive model.
Check out the gallery to get a look at the Ferrari diagrams.
It is said that 25% of fuel savings depend on the driver’s right foot, but one thing is for certain, when idling at a stop light or sitting in traffic, all cars get zero miles per gallon. That is why the German luxury car builder Mercedes Benz is planning on incorporating the fuel saving start/stop technology in their E200 CGI model by the middle of 2010. The E200 already has an economic four cylinder gas engine, but without wasting gas while standing still, the vehicle’s fuel efficiency is that much greater.
According to Christoph Spengel, head of engine development for Mercedes, the start/stop technology will be standard in every model. In a recent interview with AutoCar Spengel said: "I won’t name a year when we will achieve this goal, but it is a priority for Mercedes. We are pushing hard, and there is the possibility to jump ahead of BMW."
Sony Computer Entertainment is developing a remote controlled car that uses a PSP portable gaming device as the vehicle’s controller. The unit will be made up of a camera mounted on top of the r/c car that transmits the image back to the screen of the PSP that creates a racetrack out of the real world obstacles surrounding the miniature racer. Very clever Sony!
Have you ever wanted to be a race car driver, but are a little hesitant about the inherent dangers associated with hitting a wall at 200 MPH? The designers at Elite Sim Design have just what you are looking for. The problem with traditional simulators is the high cost of ownership. The Elite Racer Pro, is a fully functional racing simulator at a fraction of the price.
Lotus has developed an alcohol-fueled single-cylinder engine its going to bring to the Geneva Motor Show. While this may be taking the idea of "adding lightness a little too far, it would be pretty cool to have my lawnmower have an "Engineered by Lotus" sticker on it.
Because Bentley owners can’t be the only ones flaunting their purchase, the computer company Acer has released a new Ferrari "inspired" model. The Ferrari 1200 will be the fourth Acer computer with Ferrari stickers slapped on it. The computer features an AMD Turion X2 Ultra dual-core processor, wide-aspect 12.1 Acer CrystalBrite LCD display, 4 GB of dual-channel DDR2 memory, and enhanced graphics package.
Acer’s has a tendency in the U.S. to find its way into the bargain bin at Wal-Mart, so that may be the reason this laptop is currently only offered in U.K. markets. Once it does come to America, Acer can put you behind the keypad of this prancing horse today for an almost reasonable price (Acer’s Ferrari 1100 goes for about $1,800). But unlike the car, this one is guaranteed to depreciate quickly.
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