Hasta La Gadget!

Alfa Romeo has pulled the wraps off the final design of the 4C compact supercar, and in a world of lumpen hybrids and feckless luxo-barges, the rear-wheel drive coupé is a blast of gorgeousness we can’t wait to see on US roads this year. Little changed from the original 4C concept first shown in 2011, the Alfa Romeo 4C wraps a curvaceous full-carbon chassis and aluminum body around a new, 4-cylinder 1750 turbocharged all-aluminum engine, which the Italian car company promises will exhibit zero turbo lag.

The power is pumped through an Alfa TCT automatic twin dry clutch transmission, with optional paddle shifting. The driver also gets a new “Alfa DNA” selector control, which steps through the four driving settings: Dynamic, Natural, and All Weather, which have already been seen on the existing 8C Competizione, as well as a new Race setting for those doing some serious track work.

Under the hood, there’s dual continuous variable valve timing and Alfa’s unpleasantly named (but very clever) “scavenging control system” to chop away at turbo lag. The focus on driving continues inside, with a pair of bucket seats squeezed into the compact 2.4m wheelbase; the car as a whole is under four meters long, two meters wide, and 1.18 meters high.

Alfa Romeo’s aerodynamics team have actually managed to achieve a negative downforce coefficient, which – just as in proper race cars – means the 4C should be more stable the faster it’s going. Exactly how fast that will be is unclear, at this stage, with the marque yet to reveal performance numbers beyond a tantalising “less than 4kg/HP” weight to power ratio.

In short, its an admirable car to mark Alfa’s return to the US market, and hopefully the company will treat us with a competitive price, too, when it shows the 4C off at the Geneva Motor Show.

Alfa Romeo 4C finalized (and it’s stunning) is written by Chris Davies & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

The Holocaust is one of the most well-known events in history, and while there are still a handful of survivors out there, that number is quickly dipping. So, in order to preserve stories from survivors of the Holocaust, USC’s Institute for Creative Technologies and the USC Shoah Foundation Institute have begun working on full-body interactive holograms that feature the survivors themselves.

The man featured in the image above and in the video down below is 80-year-old Pinchas Gutter, who spent his childhood in a Naxi concentration camp in Poland, and was about to turn 14 years old when World War II ended in 1945. Gutter was interviewed and recorded in 3D inside a 26-foot-wide dome lit by 6,000 LEDs with a green screen backdrop.

The recordings from the interview were then converted into a hologram that is meant to be shown in museums and other exhibits. The team behind the project are definitely on a time crunch, and are trying to get as many Holocaust survivors interviewed and recorded before most of them pass away. It’s an undertaking that involves a lot of fast acting.

Of course, holograms aren’t anything new. Last year, the late Tupac Shakur was turned into a hologram and performed live at the Coachella music festival back in April. However, the team putting together the Holocaust holograms say that the process is a bit different. Whereas holographic Tupac used stacked 2D images projected onto a nearly-invisible screen, holographic Gutter are projected onto open space to make it look more accurate.

[via CNET]

Holograms to preserve Holocaust survivor stories is written by Craig Lloyd & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

The Russian space freighter headed the ISS on a resupply mission that we mentioned earlier this week has now officially docked with the space station. The spacecraft launched on Monday and performed a successful automated docking procedure with the ISS early Tuesday morning. A mission control spokesman said that the docking was carried out using an automated process as scheduled.

Aboard the Russian cargo ship is water, food, personal hygiene items, medical, and photo equipment. The cargo ship also has Russian flags on board and gifts for the ISS crew. The Progress cargo ships from Russia have launched more than 130 times since 1972.

Progress class ships are described as the backbone of the Russian space cargo fleet. The Russian freighter spacecraft are also used while they’re docked with the ISS to adjust the space station’s orbit and for conducting scientific experiments. The spacecraft reportedly carried over 2500 kg of supplies and various equipment.

The freighter ship launched and docked with the ISS using a fast-track trajectory that required only six hours to reach the space station. The fast-track trajectory marks the third time that such a trajectory has been used. The typical trajectory requires two days to reach the ISS. Exactly why the fast-track trajectory was chosen is unknown.

[via Zee news]

Russian cargo spacecraft successfully docks with ISS is written by Shane McGlaun & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

We’ve long been enamored of Sonos’ musical streaming technology and its wireless speakers, whether it’s the S5 Play:5, the Play:3 or the Sub. But, what if you’re looking for some Sonos gear that can stream your favorite MOG or Spotify playlist and deliver surround sound on movie night? Well, you’re in luck, because the Playbar has arrived, packing all of Sonos’ streaming capabilities you know and love in a soundbar form factor.

It’s got nine speakers: six 8-centimeter (3.15-inch) aluminum cone mids powered by neodymium magnets and three 2.5-centimeter (1-inch) titanium dome tweeters. It connects to TVs, game consoles and cable boxes via Toslink cable and wires into home networks via Gigabit Ethernet or wireless connectivity can be had for those who own a Sonos Bridge. Naturally, it can be controlled by the Sonos app, but volume can also be toggled by your TV remote, thanks to the IR receivers on board and the remote codes stored on Sonos’ servers.

Naturally, Playbar can deliver simulated surround sound on its own, but it can also be paired with Sonos’ other speakers to deliver true 5.1 channel sound should your wallet be willing and able. Speaking of, the Playbar goes on sale worldwide on March 5th for $699, €699 or £599 depending which part of the globe you call home. We got to see (and hear) the Playbar for ourselves at Sonos HQ in Santa Barbara, California and chat with the folks who built it, so join us after the break to learn more about the company’s first foray into home theater.

Filed under: Home Entertainment, HD

Comments

This watch looks interesting, but I wasn’t surprised to learn that it was quite expensive. Apparently, fans of the Sparc MGS watch hounded Ventura to produced a newer and improved model, which is where the Sparc Sigma MGS watch comes in.

Compared to the original, the Sparc Sigma MGS watch has got a more curvy and organic design, which was created by Paolo Fancelli. The watch is still powered by a micro-generator system housed in a sapphire crystal case, and has a 12-digit LCD. There’s LED backlighting and Ventura’s iconic scroll wheel controller. It’s also got dual time zones, alarm, chronograph, timer, and a 100-year perpetual calendar which will surely outlive you.

Limited editions of the Ventura Sparc Sigma MGS Watch will be available this March, while the production models will be available for $5,400 to $5,550(USD) in April.

[via Uncrate]