Hasta La Gadget!

Prius this ain’t. Take a gander at Porsche’s 918 RSR, which just rolled onto the company’s stage at the 2011 North American International Auto Show. It has a 563hp traditional gasoline engine mounted amidships, with a pair of electric motors powering the front wheels that bring the total power up to a whopping 767. The electric motors are not powered by a set of batteries, as in a traditional hybrid, rather they take their power from an inertial flywheel mounted where the passenger seat would be on a road car and spinning at up to 36,000rpm. That’s spun up by momentum when the car brakes and, when the driver hits a button, that momentum is converted to give an acceleratory boost.

That’s the same setup as the 911 GT3 RSR Hybrid, which ran reasonably successfully last year. Its styling is obviously an extension of the 918 Spyder, with a number of cues taken from the incredibly successful Porsche 917 racer of the early ’70s (dig the endplates that look like the 917’s iconic fins). At this point Porsche hasn’t indicated when this car will make its debut on the track, nor in which classes it will run, but one thing’s for clear: this isn’t for the road. So, we’re a bit disappointed we still haven’t any firm details on a production, street 918 — not that we could have afforded it anyway.

Porsche unveils 918 RSR, the 767hp hybrid originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 10 Jan 2011 07:06:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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It’s true. Audiovox, a relative no-name in terms of consumer end products in the music industry, has just signed a non-binding term sheet to purchase all of the shares of Klipsch Group and its worldwide subsidiaries. We’re told that the transaction is subject to a number of contingencies, “including satisfactory completion of due diligence, negotiation and signing of definitive agreements and requisite approvals,” but we can’t imagine anything popping up to stop the inevitable. No hard financial terms were revealed, and there’s no estimated closing date for the deal. Oddly enough, Klipsch was here at CES unveiling a smattering of new products, and Audiovox was also here showing off far, far less interesting gear. We’re hoping and praying that Audiovox allows Klipsch to continue working as its own entity rather than swallowing ’em whole and stifling innovation with corporate bureaucracy (similar to how Disney lets ESPN run its own show), but we’ll be honest — we’re feeling a little uneasy about it. Klipsch is definitely one of our favorite audio companies around, and the last thing we’d want is to see a good company get hit with an undue amount of heavy-handed corporate control. Here’s hoping for the best!

P.S. – If you missed our Klipsch headquarters walkthrough from a year ago, feel free to have a peek.

Continue reading Audiovox to buy Klipsch, we can’t help but worry

Audiovox to buy Klipsch, we can’t help but worry originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 07 Jan 2011 18:43:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Well, here we are: the Wall Street Journal says Verizon will indeed announce the iPhone at its mysterious Tuesday event, according to “a source familiar with the matter.” That’s all the info the Journal has, but we’d say that all but seals it at this point — and you know we’ll be there live when it happens.

P.S. And just like that, Apple’s managed to once again be one of the biggest stories at CES with zero presence here. That’s what, five years in a row now?

Update: All Things D has it on good authority that Apple CEO Steve Jobs will be making an appearance at this here event. Of course, even they can’t confirm it 100 percent, but where there’s smoke…

Wall Street Journal: Verizon to announce iPhone on Tuesday (Steve Jobs to appear?) originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 07 Jan 2011 17:43:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Ford just made some tire marks on the stage at CES unveiling its Focus Electric, the first new major vehicle announced at the show. We of course knew it was coming, and we have all the details right here of both the car itself and the MyTouch Mobile app, but we were given an opportunity to get up and close with them both. Click on through for some impressions — both in visual and textual formats.

Continue reading Ford Focus Electric and MyFord Mobile hands-on (video)

Ford Focus Electric and MyFord Mobile hands-on (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 07 Jan 2011 14:02:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Looks like Verizon is shopping for ways to get its brand spanking new 4G airwaves loaded, because Sling’s just announced an unusual subscription-based deal with them that should kill the upfront cost normally associated with buying a Slingbox and a $30 SlingPlayer Mobile app. Monthly pricing hasn’t yet been announced, but if you’ve got one of Verizon’s new LTE phones, you’ll have the option of getting some dollar figure tacked onto your monthly bill and a box will get shipped to your door on loan; cancel the subscription, and you’ll presumably have to return it or pay a fee. It’s an interesting shift in Sling’s business model, but from Verizon’s perspective, it’s also got an air of anti-net neutrality to it — especially if the $30 SlingPlayer option in the Market goes away. Here’s hoping it doesn’t! Follow the break for the full press release.

Continue reading Sling hooks up with Verizon to rent Slingboxes to LTE customers

Sling hooks up with Verizon to rent Slingboxes to LTE customers originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 07 Jan 2011 13:54:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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