May 27
Car-shaped House: I Call Shotgun
Posted in: Today's ChiliThis car has lots of trunk space, it’s own parking spot and it is roomy. It’s everything that you want in a car, except for actually moving.
May 25
One of the better tactics that publishers use to entice gamers to pre-order is by creating special bundles that include real goodies. The notable ones include the PIP-Boy 3000 clock from a Fallout 3 bundle and the loot chest from a Borderlands 2 bundle. But no bundle can compare with the Grid 2 BAC Mono Edition. It comes with an actual car.
And not just any car, mind you. The BAC Mono is a street-legal race car. It has a 2.3L 280hp engine and a carbon fiber body, for starters, allowing it to go from 0 to 60mph in just 2.8s, with a top speed of 170mph. The popular British car show Top Gear named it one of their top picks in 2011. It should come as no surprise then that the Guiness World Records hails the bundle as the “Most Expensive Video Game Commercially Available – Special Edition.”
And yet for some reason the car isn’t on the game’s cover. The bundle is a one-time offer and costs £125,000 (~$190,000 USD). In case you were wondering, the car alone costs £96,495 (~$146,000 USD). That means the game on its own will retail for $44,000. Just kidding. The deep-pocketed gearhead who claims the Grid 2 BAC Mono Edition also gets a PS3, a racing outfit (a helmet, a suit and a pair of gloves) and a day at the BAC Mono factory. The buyer will meet with BAC personnel to tour the factory and personalize his new ride.
Ask your assistant’s assistant’s secretary’s butler’s falcon breeder’s son’s geeky friend to contact BAC at sales@bac-mono.com to order the bundle. But just for kicks, check out UK store GAME’s pre-order page for the game as well. The six-figure tag is just sitting there as if it were a pre-order for any other game. Deadpan humor at its finest. Seriously go to the page and get a screenshot of it.
[via BAC Mono via Gear Diary]
May 25
We joke that most people don’t like QR codes, but those codes link to a lot of information through one snapshot — and Mercedes-Benz may just use that efficiency to save lives. The automaker is putting the symbols on vehicles so that emergency crews just need a phone camera scan for easy access to rescue sheets, which are schematics that show where to cut into a wrecked car when recovering trapped passengers. With such immediate knowledge, rescuers don’t have to wait for a model confirmation or else risk cutting wires and fuel lines. While we’ll initially see the QR codes only in Mercedes-Benz cars made this year and beyond (placed inside the fuel door and on the opposite side B-pillar), the company isn’t being selfish: it’s refusing to patent its method in the hope that every vehicle manufacturer will quickly embrace the technology.
Filed under: Cellphones, Transportation
Via: Autoblog
Source: Mercedes-Benz
May 24
While we like our collector’s edition games, there’s no question that even the better bundles are full of knick-knacks we’ll use just once or twice. No one will say the same for Codemaster’s GRID 2: Mono Edition, though. The UK-only bundle includes the GRID 2 racing game, a PS3 to play it on… and a very real BAC Mono supercar. Whoever buys the £125,000 ($188,700) kit will get to both pick up the 280HP single-seater as well as customize it at the BAC factory, including the racing suit for those inevitable track days. With just one instance available for GRID 2‘s May 31st release, the Mono Edition bundle is more of a promotional stunt than a business strategy — but it might be the only special edition where the extras are more exciting than the game itself.
Filed under: Gaming, Transportation
Via: Pocket-lint
May 23
While Pioneer did announce at CES 2013 that its AppRadio 2 smartphone-powered in-dash unit would support the iPhone 5, the company was hush on any additional updates. Now, however, it has finally unveiled AppRadio 3, which is set to arrive in two models oh-so-descriptively named SPH-DA110 and SPH-DA210. Both retain the same functionality as the AppRadio 2 but add compatibility with MirrorLink enabled devices, thus expanding AppRadio‘s repertoire of supported products. Other notable features include integration with Siri Eyes Free for iPhone 4S and iPhone 5 owners, Google Voice Search for those with compatible Android phones, Bluetooth audio streaming and an enhanced touchscreen interface that allows easier access to smartphone features like apps, music and making calls.
As with its predecessor, the AppRadio 3 has a 7-inch WVGA (800 x 480) capacitive display, a built-in AM/FM tuner and dual pre-amp outputs. The SPH-DA210 model also includes a CD/DVD mechanism if you still have those dinosaur age discs lying around. The SPH-DA110 and SPH-DA210 will be available in July for around $399 and $499 respectively, while smartphone connectivity cables range from $30 to $60. If you’re thinking of making an upgrade to your current head unit, have a closer look at the gallery below or check the press release after the break.
Gallery: Pioneer AppRadio 3
Filed under: Transportation
May 22
With a wire transfer of $451.8 million, Elon Musk has finally made good on his promise to repay the hefty loan Tesla received from the Department of Energy well ahead of its 2022 due date, beating even Musk’s own five-year estimate. This comes on the heels of a very profitable first quarter, and is yet another sign the electric car maker is doing quite well on the greener side of things, despite a touch of bad press earlier this year. For more on what Tesla has to say about this milestone, check the press release after the break.
Filed under: Transportation
May 16
Porsche isn’t about to let the LaFerrari steal the hybrid spotlight: it just unveiled the finished design of the 918 Spyder, which is expected to ship as a 2015 model. The look won’t shock anyone keeping up with their spy videos, although Porsche’s formal unveiling helps firm up the specifications that customers will get if they’ve dutifully shelled out $845,000. The performance is even more intimidating than it was in 2011, we know that much: there’s 887HP of combined V8 and plug-in electric power, a 0-62MPH time of 2.8 seconds and up to 18 miles of gas-free driving. About the only disappointment (price notwithstanding) is the lack of options beyond a weight reduction package. We doubt many Spyder buyers will complain when they can even outrace a 911 GT3.
Filed under: Transportation
Via: Autoblog
Source: Porsche
May 16
Anyone who’s visited Hong Kong within the last few years has probably experienced the city’s thick soupy smog. Sure, things aren’t as bad as they are in Beijing, but pollution from the mainland often wraps the metropolis in a humid haze — and we’re not sure an all-electric taxi rollout is going to do anything to alleviate that. Just 45 of the BYD e6 cabs are now on the road, so the release is mainly symbolic — only a few dozen lucky drivers will be cruising up to 300 kilometers (186 miles) of city streets between charge breaks at one of nine area stations. Private citizens, for their part, can take ownership of the e6 Premier sedan — the civilian version just began shipping as well.
Filed under: Transportation
Source: BYD (Business Wire)
May 14
Continuing its long tradition of creating vehicles that mere mortals can’t even dream of affording, Lamborghini has unveiled the Egoista concept, shown off at a private birthday party to celebrate Lambo’s 50th birthday. The Egoista concept has room for a single wealthy occupant and is powered by a 5.2-liter V10 engine with 600 horsepower. Vroooom!
The styling looks pretty awesome, but on the other hand some are comparing the front end to an N64 controller, even though it is said to be inspired by an Apache helicopter.
Its driver-centric cockpit is made completely of carbon fiber and aluminum, keeping the driver safe and secure – and the vehicle’s weight down. Think of a jet aircraft integrated into a road vehicle.
That’s all you really need to know. You couldn’t afford it anyway. It’s just the stuff of dreams. So daydream about this beautiful beast and then get back to work, so you can spend the next hundred years saving up for it.
May 13
Lamborghini Egoista Concept centers entirely on its very fortunate driver (video)
Posted in: Today's Chili
Many automakers talk of building driver-focused machines; for its 50th birthday, Lamborghini is taking that idea to its logical extreme through the Egoista Concept. The commemorative supercar centers on a cabin that only allows room for the driver and a bare minimum of instruments, eliminating pesky distractions such as passengers and stereos. Lamborghini isn’t exaggerating when it likens the interior to a jet fighter’s cockpit — the pilot gets a heads-up display as a matter of course, and has to climb over the car body just to crawl inside. We’d certainly like to give the narrow-purpose vehicle a spin when there’s a 600HP, 5.2-liter V10 involved, although that’s sadly unlikely. As hinted by the self-centered name, the Egoista Concept is built to let the company toot its own horn, and won’t be sold — anyone who gets a test drive will be part of a very exclusive (and likely ecstatic) club, as you might gather from the video after the break. We’ll just have to make do with an Aventador, then.
Filed under: Transportation
Via: Autoblog
Source: Lamborghini
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