Hasta La Gadget!

Ford really, really wants you to know that it’s big on electric cars. Really. To that end, it’s putting $135 million where its mouth is as part of the design and production for the electrified vehicles rolling out to dealer lots this year, such as the Focus Electric. A new research building in Dearborn is also being renamed as the Advanced Electrification Center to emphasize the uniform dedication to EVs and hybrids among the 1,000 researchers that call the Center their home away from home. We already know that the company plans to triple its manufacturing capacity to make 100,000 of the cars a year by 2013, but many of the supporting aspects are getting their own lift, Ford adds: it’s hiring more engineers and doubling its battery testing capacity. The checklist of improvements you’ll find after the break reflects some braggadocio on Ford’s part, especially while it tries to stretch its jobs claims, but it’s good news all the same. If the expansion keeps the likes of GM and Tesla on their toes, drivers hopefully win as a whole.

Continue reading Ford underscores its love of electric cars, spends $135 million to make them happen

Filed under: Transportation

Ford underscores its love of electric cars, spends $135 million to make them happen originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 15 Aug 2012 23:48:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Sprint’s LTE signal is well and truly out there, but it looks like roll-out is going smoother than the Now Network had predicted, appearing (though, not “officially launched”) ahead of schedule in the San Francisco Bay Area. Tipsters have told Android Police that they’ve already managed to connect to the 4G network around both Palo Alto and Mountain View, reaching speeds of over 13MBps down and 8MBps up. Coverage doesn’t yet extend across the whole of San Francisco, but bodes well for a swift roll-out — and for Sprint fulfilling its promise of voice over LTE by the end of next year.

Filed under: Cellphones

Sprint LTE makes early appearance in Bay Area originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 07 Aug 2012 05:38:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Apple may not be doing much talking about its big Texas expansion plans itself, but we’re still getting a fair bit of information about them. Following an impromptu announcement from Texas governor Rick Perry earlier this year, the Austin Business Journal is now reporting that Apple has closed a deal with Riata Vista LP for three large plots of land next to its existing campus in Austin. That sale was reportedly finalized on June 20th, but specifics otherwise remain light, with no word yet on a sale price or the exact size of the land. As we’ve heard previously, though, Apple is investing over $300 million into the campus, which will eventually result in the creation of 3,600 new jobs.

Filed under: Misc. Gadgets

Apple snaps up land for Texas campus expansion plans originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 18 Jul 2012 11:03:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Apple is about to complete an important part of the puzzle for the new iPad’s world rollout: it just confirmed that its Retina display-packing tablet will reach mainland China on July 20th. The company isn’t specific about local pricing, but it’s promising both WiFi and cellular versions at its own stores and through resellers. The company is keen to avoid some of the mobs and scalping it’s seen in the past and will open reservations for pickup starting on July 19th — although the company is unusually limiting the reservation window to just three hours each day, between 9AM and noon. No matter how it shakes out, the official Chinese expansion is likely to keep the number of slingshot-delivered imports to a minimum.

Update: As some commenters have noted, the Chinese launch is helped mostly by the truce with Proview. The current iPad design has been certified since March; Apple isn’t about to mention Proview by name in the release, but it likely wasn’t keen on risking another store ban when it could just avoid the battle altogether.

Continue reading Apple launches new iPad in China on July 20th (update: here’s why)

Filed under: Tablet PCs

Apple launches new iPad in China on July 20th (update: here’s why) originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 10 Jul 2012 08:47:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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