Chevrolet‘s first attempt at a true hybrid vehicle isn’t going so well, and the company is boosting incentives just to get the cars rolling off of dealership lots. It turns out that Chevrolet has way too many Volts lying around, mostly due to the fact that Chevrolet is churning them off of the assembly line,
Sony has unveiled a couple new laptops this evening, among them being a new slider hybrid called the VAIO Duo 13. This laptop uses Sony’s Surf Slider design to switch from a slate into a laptop with a slider keyboard complete with a trackpad. Thus far Sony has only said the hybrid will be available
Just a short while ago we brought word that Dell had quietly announced the Dell XPS 11, an 11.6-inch Ultrabook with a hinge that folds all the way back into tablet mode, with the keyboard disabled after it passes 180 degrees. Yep, it is what it sounds like: a direct strike at Lenovo’s Yoga convertibles. As we said in our earlier report, it won’t actually be available until the holiday season, but fortunately we just had a chance to get hands-on with a prototype unit here at Computex. So, we’re prepared to share a few first impressions, even though certain minor details like price and specs have yet to be finalized. Meet us past the break for the full preview.
Gallery: Dell XPS 11 hands-on
It’s Computex week, which means the technology world is ready to talk up the PCs it’ll be pushing out between now and January. Dell’s Kirk Schell has let it slip that the company will be beefing up its mobile offerings with an 11.6-inch laptop that should arrive in time for the holidays. According to the Wall Street Journal, the Dell XPS 11 will come with a high-definition display that can be folded backwards to use as a tablet — which would have been exciting, but for the fact Lenovo got there first.
Source: WSJ
If you thought ASUS was done announcing new products here at Computex, get ready for at least one more surprise. The company just unveiled the Transformer Book Trio, a dockable tablet that can run Windows and Android. At first glance, it’s visually quite similar to the Transformer Book we just reviewed, except this time it has 11.6-inch, 1080p screen. And, you know, twice as many operating systems. If you’re wondering how that works, there’s a physical hotkey allowing you to switch OSs, similar to the setup on the Transformer AiO, which was announced last year at this same show. It’s important to note, though, that that hotkey will only work if you have the tablet latched into the keyboard dock; once you unplug the tablet it will only run Android Jelly Bean.
Spec-wise, dual operating systems amounts to dual processors, with a fourth-generation Core i7-4500U processor powering the Windows 8 experience, and a 2GHz Intel Atom Z2580 chip handling Android Jelly Bean. In fact, Intel EVP Tom Kilroy made an appearance at ASUS’ press event in Taipei to help formally introduce the product. Continuing on, dual OSs also means multiple batteries: the package includes a 33Wh cell as well as a 19Wh one. As for storage, you’ve got a 1TB HDD inside the dock, and 64GB of flash storage inside the tablet proper. If you’re looking for a price, ASUS isn’t planning on announcing that today, but a company rep did confirm the Trio is slated for a Q3 launch. For now, you’ll find a hands-on video and few first impressions after the break.
Gallery: ASUS Transformer Trio hands-on
Haswell is hardly a secret at this point: there’s been a steady drip-drip of demos and technical leaks since as far back as 2011, and just a month ago we brought you the low-down on its integrated graphics. But today, finally, we have official pricing for a number of variants, a concrete date for availability (this coming Tuesday, June 4th) and, perhaps most importantly, some detailed benchmark claims about what Haswell is capable of — particularly in its mobile form.
Sure, Intel already dominates in MacBooks, Ultrabooks (by definition) and in hybrids like Surface Pro, but the chip maker readily admits that the processors in those portable PCs were just cut-down desktop chips. Haswell is different, having been built from the ground up with Intel’s North Cape prototype and other mobile form factors in mind. As a loose-lipped executive recently let slip, we can look forward to a 50 percent increase in battery life in the coming wave of devices, with no loss of performance. Read on and we’ll discover how this is possible and what it could mean for the dream of all-day mobile computing.
Gallery: Haswell mobile slide deck
Cadillac’s first 2014 ELR hybrids have been snapped leaving the production line, though the “range-extended” car itself still isn’t expected to arrive in showrooms until early in the new year. The initial ELR cars – which borrow much of their mechanical and technological magic from the Chevrolet Volt, but wrap it up in a coupe shell with various luxury extras – are destined for further testing, similar to the cold-weather conditions tests GM put the ELR through back in February.
The photos, shared by GM, were taken at the car company’s Detroit-Hamtramck plant this week, where various Chevy and Cadillac race drivers had been invited to watch the first ELR models be completed. Among the guests was Team Chevy IndyCar driver Simona De Silvestro, shown in the photo below.
Cadillac’s goal with the ELR is to ween its luxury customers off of their big gas engines as well as lure a younger audience onto the forecourt. Outwardly based on the 2011 Converj concept, under the skin there’s a 1.4-liter four-cylinder gas engine that’s used solely to recharge the ELR’s batteries, rather than to actively drive the wheels.
“Cadillac ELR pre-production vehicles will be used to validate manufacturing, engineering and other quality measures before production vehicles are assembled at the end of the year for sale in 2014″ GM
Drive itself is provided by the electric motors, and Cadillac says the ELR will run for up to 35 miles on a full charge. However, with a full tank of gas, the coupe can manage in excess of 300 miles, the company claims.
Interestingly, GM leaves gearchanges to the ELR’s digital brain, and instead puts the driver in charge of regenerative efficiency. The steering wheel paddles, rather than flitting through ratios, actually adjust how much of the car’s momentum is converted back into power for the batteries. Dubbed “Regen on Demand”, when the driver takes their foot off of the accelerator and pulls one of the paddles there’s a downshift-style jump in deceleration, with the resistance of the electric motors turning speed into a useful power top-up.
That works in tandem with the regenerative braking system, which also converts momentum to electricity when the driver hits the brakes. However, Cadillac expects Regen on Demand to be more popular with sportier drivers, given it allows the ELR to shed speed more rapidly, build up a boost of energy, and keep their foot close to the accelerator, all at the same time.
VIA: Autoblog
Cadillac’s first 2014 ELR pulls off production line (but it’s not for showrooms) is written by Chris Davies & originally posted on SlashGear.
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When it comes to storage space on your computer, a couple of names would definitely stand out – for the larger capacity hard drives, you would most probably have one form of Western Digital products lying around, while those who deal with flash based storage might have a slew of SanDisk memory cards lying around somewhere. Well, we are pleased to announce that both Western Digital as well as SanDisk have come together to deliver what they deem to be the world’s thinnest 2.5” Solid State hybrid drive that features best-in-class flash memory technology from SanDisk in addition to best-in-class hard drive technology from Western Digital.
SanDisk would be the supplier of a SanDisk iSSD storage device for the Western Digital Black solid state hybrid drive (SSHD), where it makes use of both Western Digital proprietary hybrid technology and industry standard SATA IO technology. The SanDisk iSSD is there to bring about an elegant balance of performance, low power consumption, cost, reliability, and a compact form factor to this SSHD. In a nutshell, customers will not only get to enjoy ample storage space, but they do not have to sacrifice in terms of style, either.
Kevin Conley, senior vice president and general manager of client storage solutions at SanDisk, said, “I am delighted for SanDisk to team up with WD on these exciting new hybrid products. By combining SanDisk’s unparalleled flash memory expertise and technology with the hard drive know-how of WD, WD Black SSHDs offer outstanding hard drive-like capacity, and the slim form factor and the level of performance that you will only get with flash memory solutions.”
It is said that WD Black SSHDs rely on WD hybrid technology which will blend responsive, intelligent flash memory technology from SanDisk alongside high capacity hard drives from WD, and this particularly powerful combination would greatly improve the PC user experience, where in the end it allows both high capacity and a higher level of performance compared to traditional hard disk drives, and among these characteristics include an increased speed, instant-on and faster application launching.
[ Western Digital and SanDisk work together on Solid State Hybrid Drives copyright by Coolest Gadgets ]
For a while, it looked like ASUS’ Transformer Book would turn out to be vaporware: after debuting to much fanfare a year ago, it encountered numerous delays, and even missed the crucial holiday shopping season. Now it’s finally here, priced at $1,499 with a Core i7 processor, a 13.3-inch (1080p) screen and a detachable keyboard dock housing both a spare battery and a 500GB hard drive. The problem is the timing: Intel is about to launch its new Haswell chips, and here’s the Transformer Book, arriving on the scene with a lofty price and a year-old CPU.
It’d be easy enough to tell you just wait for a refresh, which is how we’ve been ending all of our PC reviews in the weeks leading up to this year’s Computex. But it’s still worth investigating whether the Transformer Book (aka the TX300) is a compelling idea. Though we’ve seen many tablet hybrids (the Surface Pro, etc.), they’ve mostly had smaller 11-inch screens. So what happens when you take that form factor and stretch it to accommodate a bigger screen — and a more spacious keyboard? And how does it compare to all those convertible options out there, like the Lenovo IdeaPad Yoga 13 or the Dell XPS 12? Let’s have a look.
Gallery: ASUS Transformer Book review
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
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