Hasta La Gadget!

The previously Kickstarter-funded games console has launched its pre-order page, powered by Amazon. You’ll have to stump up the same $79 premium which nets you the same GameStick that those crowd-funders are getting. Pre-orders will ship once those early orders are fulfilled. However, anyone ponying up today can expect theirs to arrive a good few months before the global retail launch later this year. You also order those dock and case peripherals, priced up at $25 and $10, respectively. Pick any color (as long as it’s white) at the source.

Filed under: Gaming, HD

Comments

Source: GameStick

Diesel-powered automobiles aren’t all that common in the United States. There are a few automakers that offer cars that have diesel engines inside, and more are coming in 2014 model year cars. Where diesel power has been common for a number of years in the United States is in the truck market. Diesel-powered trucks are extremely popular in the United States.

Ram has announced that it will be building the industry’s only light-duty diesel-powered pickup. Diesel engines in trucks in the United States are limited to heavy duty vehicles designed for towing and other needs. The 2014 Ram 1500 will have an optional 3.0-liter EcoDiesel engine mated to an eight-speed TorqueFlite automatic transmission.

RAM promises that the engine will offer best in class fuel efficiency, best in class torque, and impressive overall capability. The V-6 engine is a turbodiesel and promises to produce 60% less emissions than was produced by diesel-powered trains of 25 years ago. The engine will be manufactured by VM Motori, the company who has provided the Chrysler Group with diesel engines since 1992.

The available EcoDiesel engine marks the first time that an American truck manufacturer has offered diesel power in a light-duty half-ton pickup. Ram didn’t offer horsepower or torque specifications for the new engine at this time. You can bet it will have a huge amount of torque and an impressive towing capacity, hallmarks of a power in the truck market.

[via Ram Trucks]

2014 Ram 1500 to get new EcoDiesel engine is written by Shane McGlaun & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

Over the last several months, there has been some talk of mandating event data recorders or so-called black boxes inside of new vehicles to record information about accidents before and after they occur. Some of the push behind the drive to integrate black boxes and all automobiles came when Toyota was plagued with stuck throttle issues that led to several hoaxes from people simply looking for money. What you may not know is that Event Data Recorders (EDR) have been installed in some vehicles already on the market.

If you want to keep any data recorded by your vehicle private, a product is available called the AutoCyb. This device isn’t software that scrambles data or alters the way the EDR inside your vehicle operates. The AutoCyb is a low-tech lock device that you plug into your vehicles Diagnostic Link Connector

Those connectors are more commonly known as OBDII are typically found underneath the steering column in the lower dash area. You plug the AutoCyb into the port of that connector and then lock it preventing anyone from connecting devices to the port without your permission. If you happen to have your vehicle serviced a local dealership that’s always out to deny warranty claims, this could be a great device to prevent them from reading any codes from your car that they might use against you.

The lock ships with two keys and is easy to install and remove when needed. The manufacturer says that will fit most cars and light trucks built after 1996. The device is available to purchase online right now for $30.

[via AutoCyb]

AutoCyb promises to keep the black box data your vehicle records private is written by Shane McGlaun & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

Livescribe and BSkyB have settled their differences in Europe, after the satellite telecoms company took issue with the name of the Sky WiFi smartpen launched last year. British Sky Broadcasting Group (BSkyB) had filed a trademark complaint about the wirelessly-enabled notetaking system – which we reviewed back in October – forcing Livescribe to pull it from shelves while the two companies argued. Now, the case has been settled, but only with Livescribe agreeing to rebrand the pen itself.

From March 1, 2013, the gadget will be known as the Livescribe WiFi Smartpen, dropping the contentious “Sky” name altogether. The name change will only take effect in the European Union; elsewhere, the smartpen will continue to be branded as “Sky”, such as in the US.

The decision, although a welcome clear-out of the litigation, is likely to have a significant impact on Livescribe’s financial performance with the smartpen. BSkyB has allowed the company to sell off existing stock already in the market in the EU, branded Sky, but the company has also been forced to recall “a quantity of stock” bearing the trademark.

“While Livescribe does not offer any goods or services similar to those of Sky and had no intention of infringing Sky’s rights,” a company spokesperson said in a statement, “Livescribe is pleased to reach a settlement with British Sky Broadcasting.” Back at the launch of the smartpen in the UK last year, Livescribe told SlashGear that they didn’t expect the similarities in branding to cause an issue because the products on offer differed so considerably.

Livescribe and Sky settle trademark spat with rebranded WiFi pen is written by Chris Davies & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

If you have a hard time understanding why people would want a high-performance SUV, I’ll try to explain it to you. Sometimes performance car fans needed vehicle that will tow something along the lines of the boat, a racecar, or haul a bunch of people around. This is the perfect target market for hotrodded factory SUVs such as the 2014 Audi SQ5.

Audi unveiled the SQ5 at the Detroit auto show and it’s a rather impressive vehicle. The outside is rather subdued, but it certainly attractive and it has very impressive performance for a big and heavy SUV. A diesel version of this SUV exists already in Europe, but this version is aimed at the American market swapping the diesel engine for supercharged V6.

The V-6 engine displaces 3.0-liters and is mated with an eight-speed automatic transmission. The engine produces 354 hp and 347 pound-feet of torque. Despite the bulk of the SUV, the engine can push the SUV to 60 mph in only 5.3 seconds according to Audi.

Audi has been offering a similar SUV in the United States called the Q5 and it has been a sales success. I would expect the more potent SQ5 to be a success with affluent owners looking for sporty SUV packing impressive performance.

[via Edmunds]

Audi unveils 2014 SQ5 performance SUV in Detroit is written by Shane McGlaun & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.