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Toyota will launch 21 new hybrids before the end of 2015 and an all-electric compact car, the Toyota eQ, in Japan and the US later this year, as part of a significant investment in eco-friendly transportation. The roll-out will start with a new 2.5-liter gas engine which, Toyota claims, achieves a world-record setting thermal efficiency of 38.5-percent, and be followed by a smaller capacity, turbocharged version, a Prius that can power your fridge in an emergency, and then a fuel-cell system in 2015.

“Thermal efficiency” is how much of the energy produced by fuel combustion actually gets converted to mechanical work, and is something traditional gasoline engines are particularly bad at. Toyota says its new 2.5-liter engine should appear in hybrids in 2013, followed by a 2.0-liter turbocharged version for even better efficiency in 2014.

Meanwhile, the existing Prius PHV plug-in hybrid which launched at the start of this year, will soon get an accessory that will allow the car to provide power to external devices in an emergency. The system will be positioned as a way to use the Prius PHV as a standby battery during power-cuts, though it’s unclear what limits there might be on what can be plugged in.

Toyota will also begin wireless battery charging trials in Toyota City come 2013, using wireless coils embedded in the road and in the chassis of the car, to see whether they’re efficient enough.

As for the Toyota eQ, the all-electric vehicle is based on Toyota’s gas-powered iQ city car, with seating for four and a range of up to 100km (62 miles) on a single charge of its new 12 kWh Li-Ion battery. The updated power pack delivers the best electric power consumption rate in the world, Toyota claims, keeping bulk low but still delivering usable range.

It also charges swiftly, the company says, with a complete rejuicing in around three hours from a 200V AC outlet. That extends to 8hrs if you’re stuck with a 100V AC connection, however, though a quick DC charge up to 80-percent can be achieved in just 15 minutes.

Toyota doesn’t talk speed or acceleration for the eQ, which doesn’t exactly bode well for urban racers, but the car isn’t really intended for consumer use. When it hits Japan in December it will be priced at 3,600,000 yen (the equivalent of $46,000 in the US, where it will launch as the “iQ EV”) and be targeted at fleet customers rather than individuals.

Finally, Toyota says it is on-track to launch its own fuel-cell vehicle around 2015, powering the FCV (“Fuel Cell Vehicle”) initially, and then showing up in a bus on track for a 2016 debut. The new fuel-cell has the world’s highest power output density, Toyota claims, and can deliver 3 kW/L which is double what the company’s current prototype can deliver.

That’s despite being half the size and half the weight of the existing prototype. It’s in part down to a new boost converter, which increases voltage and thus allows for fewer fuel-cells and a smaller motor: cost and bulk goes down, while performance goes up.

Greener Toyota: 21 hybrids by 2015 and $46k eQ EV in December is written by Chris Davies & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

If you’re a fan of PC shooters or the Medal of Honor franchise, you probably already heard of the coming entry for the franchise called Warfighter. EA has announced that it will offer player’s entry to the open multiple player beta world of Warfighter in early October. The multiple player shooter allows players to choose from some of the most elite soldiers in the world.

Available fighting units hail from 10 different nations and gamers can choose from 12 different Tier 1 units, including the British SAS, German KSK, Russians Spetznaz Alpha Group, Korean UDT, and the U.S. Navy Seal. The game is powered by the Frostbite 2 game engine. EA says that Medal of Honor Warfighter is the only shooter that lets players choose from the best fighting units available in the world, then battle it out in a multiple player environment.

Gamers who participate in the beta will also be able to unlock a music video from Linkin Park called Castle of Glass. EA promises to release the video five days after the beta launches. However, gamers will be of the unlock video earlier if the beta download reaches 3 million units.

The music video will feature a mix of live-action footage edited with game play recordings taken from Warfighter. Gamers who participate in the beta will also get 60 minutes of Double XP when the full game launches. EA says that Warfighter was written by actual US Tier 1 Operators while they were deployed overseas, and the game will be the most authentic military shooter of the year.

Medal of Honor Warfighter multiple player beta launches in early October is written by Shane McGlaun & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

It wasn’t too long ago that after all the rumors, Canon officially introduced the EOS 6D which seemed a bit of an in between the EOS 5D and the EOS 7D. That being said, we’re sure that there are Canon fans out there who are curious as to what the camera manufacturer could put out next. Granted it’s a bit early, plus Photokina has since passed, but according to some early rumors, it seems that come 2013, we can expect to see Canon introduce the 7D MK II, EOS 70D and the 700D. According to the rumors, these new cameras are expected to make use of a new sensor that will be introduced to Canon’s APS-C lineup which also means that the EOS 7D MK II will not be an APS-H camera as many had initially hoped for or thought of. Canon is rumored to be make the announcement in the first half of 2013, but given that we’re pretty far off, we suggest you take this with a grain of salt for now and be sure to check back with us at a later date for more updates!

By Ubergizmo. Related articles: Canon EOS 4D referenced in video?, Canon PowerShot G15 revealed, Canon’s “fastest and brightest” compact camera to date,

LG has announced a new product for mobile users called the Tone+ stereo Bluetooth headset. The new headset is a follow-up to LG’s previous LG Tone HBS-700 headset. LG promises that the new Tone+ provides richer and clear sound with an improved all-around audio experience.

The new headset also supports voice over LTE calls enabling the user to talk in high-definition sound using VoLTE networks. The new headset promises an extended bass register compared to the original. The Tone+ uses a professional-grade audio codec called aptX used by broadcasters and manufacturers around the world thanks to a CD-quality sound.

The headset connects to two different smartphones or a smartphones and other Bluetooth equipped devices at the same time. Audible Pairing Assistance speaks the connection status to the wearer when the device is connected, and the headset has a Vibrating Call Alert to notify of incoming calls. The headset also has an Audible Battery Status Alert and Mic Mute feature.

A feature that might be the most interesting to people considering purchasing the Tone+ is the ability of the headset to work with LG’s Android application to monitor incoming SMS messages and read them aloud to the headset wearer. The headset has talk time of 15 hours per charge and a standby time of 500 hours per charge. The headset will be offered in Korea, the US, and China by the end of September, in blue-black or white-pearl colors. Pricing is unannounced.

LG announces Tone+ Bluetooth stereo headset is written by Shane McGlaun & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

She’s been nicknamed The Vampire Woman, but there was a time when Maria Jose Cristerna was simply known as a lawyer. She’s also been dubbed the world’s “most modified” female, and it was certainly easy to see why when “Taboo” showed her story. Now 35-years old, Cristerna has tattooed nearly 100% of her body, has implanted multiple horns into her head, has embedded implants on her chest and arms, and even implanted teeth to give herself vampiric fangs.

Cristerna admitted to The Sun that she was in an abusive relationship, and that “tattoos were a form of liberation from me.” She was married at 17 and has trained as a lawyer, but she gave all of that up as she reinvented her physical appearance.

Now, Cristerna is a mother of four who says she lives a “normal life,” while running a tattoo shop. “The strongest criticism that I’ve gotten is that I’m incapable of taking care of my children,” she said on the show, though there’s no clear reason to associate her aesthetic choices with her parenting skills.

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