Hasta La Gadget!

Despite apps that let a few lucky Glass owners control their Nest thermostat or unlock that Tesla Model S, one of the futuristic headgear’s most practical applications is still just the default turn-by-turn directions that come courtesy of Google. The R&D department over at Mercedes-Benz realizes that as well, but wants to take it a step further. According to a report in the Silicon Valley Business Journal, the automotive company is working on a Google Glass project that combines both pedestrian and automotive directions to take a user literally from door to door. MBRDNA President and CEO Johann Jungwirth told the publication that he wants Glass to seamlessly transition between walking and in-car navigation. Of course, not everyone has access to the pricey wearable just yet, so the project won’t likely see real-world application any time soon. In the meantime, Mercedes does have a few more down-to-earth solutions for the gadgets you might already have.

Filed under: Transportation, Google

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Source: Silicon Valley Business Journal

ASUS has enjoyed a variety of successes with its Android tablets, perhaps most notable among them being the Transformer series and the Nexus 7. Despite this, it has little presence in the US’s smartphone market, something the maker aims to change in the coming months. Speaking to the folks over at All Things D, ASUS’s chairman said the company is looking at entering the stateside smartphone market in 2014.

ASUS has been particularly active with pushing its Padfone and FonePad, the first of which features a fairly impressive 4.7-inch smartphone that docks into a 10-inch slate, making it a complete tablet rather than just a handset. The FonePad is the inverse to that gadget, being tablet-sized with cell phone functionality, allowing for users to make calls.

While both devices are nice, they’re of the hybrid variety, and overall the smartphone aspect of the maker has been slight in the United States, though other markets have seen some impressive handsets from the company. Some reports began to surface this afternoon that the company will be changing this next year, something that was collaborated by statements made by ASUS’s chairman Jonney Shih in an interview.

According to Shih, ASUS has been networking with US retailers and carriers, something it says is a necessary component for experiencing success in the market. While not impossible, the maker certainly has its work cut out for it at this point, with Samsung and Apple both having a massive presence in the market, and with LG, HTC, Sony, and other companies battling to dominate the rest of it.

The 2014 timeline doesn’t seem set in stone, with Shih saying that 2013 isn’t a likely candidate for an entrance in the market, and that 2014 is instead “more reasonable.” Whatever the company does bring to market, it could very well be a high-end offering, if its recent devices are any indication. Rounding out the interview, the chairman hinted that there’s more coming in the Transformer series.

SOURCE: Android Community

ASUS plans to enter US smartphone market in 2014 is written by Brittany Hillen & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2013, SlashGear. All right reserved.

BMW isn’t counting on brand cachet and outlandish styling to sell the new i3 EV, with the “range-extender” gas generator option getting an even more fossil-fuel-reliant companion in the shape of access to a loaner X5 SUV. The backup option, which BMW will market as an “add-on mobility” feature Bloomberg reports, will effectively offer i3 converts access to the more traditionally powered X5 for a number of weeks each year.

The package – which will be an optional extra on top of the $41,350 starting price of the i3 – is yet to be finalized, with BMW still to decide on how much it will cost drivers as well as how many days with the X5 they’ll get. Still, it’s being positioned as a way to drive an eco-friendly vehicle the majority of the time while still having the reassurance of a regular one for family holidays and the like.

The base model i3 offers between 80-100 miles of electric-powered driving in typical conditions, BMW has said, recharging through either regular household outlets or via dedicated high-voltage power points. However, as a cost option, BMW will outfit your i3 with a “range-extender”: in effect a compact gas engine that is used as a generator to recharge the car’s Li-Ion battery array.

It’s an approach we’ve seen other companies take to prolong range, albeit with a little remaining reliance on traditional fuels. Cadillac’s upcoming ELR, for instance, offers a similar system as standard, with a gas engine working to keep the batteries topped up rather than directly driving the wheels.

BMW claims that with the range-extender option, the i3 will drive more than 180 miles.

Even those who don’t opt for the range-extender or the X5 will still have ways to prolong their use of the i3, however. An ECO PRO mode trims the top speed from its already-limited 93mph to around 75mph, in addition to curtailing acceleration in the name of economy.

Meanwhile, a more draconian ECO PRO+ mode can further reduce the power demands, by turning off supplies to non-driving-essential features like the radio. BMW estimates a 30-percent boost in range with ECO PRO+ active.

As for the BMW X5, the company took the wraps off the 2014 model back in May. While it may have little of the eco-conscious features the i3 offers, the refreshed SUV isn’t lacking in technology or power, with a 3.0-liter, triple-turbocharged gas engine pushing out 381HP and 546lb-ft of torque in the M variant.

BMW i3′s cure for range anxiety is a gas-guzzler on demand is written by Chris Davies & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2013, SlashGear. All right reserved.

Do you ever get frustrated when trying to open a beer bottle? You can do it on the side of a table, but that typically hurts your hand (a lot). You can open it with a lighter, but that’s so college. You could use a regular bottle opener, but that’s so boring.

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Like a lot of organizations, NASA’s doing its best to keep up with the times and move its computer systems onto the cloud. Like only a government agency can do, it’s failing fantastically at doing so securely.

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