Cloud storage, hard drives, flash media – they all serve their own unique purposes, and each are valid ways to store data, presenting their own sets of pluses and minuses. The biggest problem with various storage methods is a relatively short lifespan. This isn’t an issue with Millenniata’s newest creation, the Blu-ray M-DISC, which boasts
OrCam has created a system for the visually impaired that serves as a digital eye of sorts, attaching to a pair of glasses in a way somewhat similar to Google Glass’s design. Once attached, the camera serves as a third eye, monitoring the wearer’s surroundings to offer aid when needed. The accompanying software interprets what
A teen has created a submarine using household equipment and a $2,000 budget, fully equiped with ballast tanks, pumps and safety equipment. He says creating inventions is in his blood, and wants to turn it into a business.
I recently had an opportunity to drive Buick’s new upstart crossover SUV, the 2013 Encore, and there’s a single word I’d like to use to describe my experience – pleasant. Yes, this small vehicle is comfortable, luxurious, loaded with modern-day conveniences, and well appointed for the price. It’s not going to win any prizes for speed or being a true “driver’s car”, but as an everyday ride, the Encore fires on all cylinders.
Overall I found the exterior design of the Encore to be quite pleasant on the eyes, exuding a sense of luxury, without being too showy. The first thing you’ll notice about the Encore is just how small it is compared to other SUVs. With a wheelbase of just 100.6 inches and a tip-to-tail length of just 168.5 inches, you should have no problem fitting the Encore into even the most cramped parallel parking spaces. There aren’t a lot of direct competitors to the Encore – the closest would be the Nissan Juke (less luxurious, more sporty), and the BMW X1 (more powerful, more expensive).
Despite its small footprint, the Encore seems spacious on the inside – especially compared to sedans and station wagons. It offers ample seating for four adults, and you can squeeze a fifth passenger in the back seat if you must. Speaking of the back seat, I was able to set comfortably in the back with the front seats about 1/2 way back – and I’m 6-feet-tall. The back seat also offers a flat-folding 60/40 split folding bench so you can carry more items in the back, for a total capacity of up to 48.4 cubic feet. As an added bonus, you can fold the front passenger seat flat for even more storage space. Keep in mind that in exchange for this, you sacrifice the left armrest on the passenger seat, and my co-pilot was quick to point this out.
The vehicle is packed with luxury touches you wouldn’t expect in a vehicle that starts at less than $30,000(USD). Features included on the AWD-Premium model I tested include some of the nicest two-tone leather seats I’ve ever seen, a stitched leather steering wheel, and (simulated) woodgrain trim.
It also comes with 6-way adjustable electromechanical seats for both driver and passenger. The premium model also includes a 7-speaker Bose audio system, heated seats, heated mirrors, and a heated steering wheel (pleasant!)
Other bells and whistles include rain sensing windshield wipers, dual-zone climate controls with analog dials, power windows, power mirrors, cruise control, tilt/telescopic steering wheel, tire-pressure monitoring, and a variety of high-tech safety systems. These include forward collision alert, a lane departure warning system and a rear backup camera with radar to detect and alert to potential collisions.
Technology that comes standard includes Bluetooth hands-free calling and media playback, AM/FM/SiriusXM (subscription) radio, as well as Pandora and Stitcher streamed audio integration powered by Buick’s Intellilink. You’ll also get GM’s vaunted OnStar service with 6 months of complimentary service. Navigation is optional, going for an extra $795. All media, climate, navigation and phone information is displayed on an ample 7-inch display that’s been placed much closer to eye level than many of the displays out there.
One thing to note is that the media, entertainment and climate controls are operated via a number of buttons and analog dials. While some people prefer using touchscreens for such features, I’m a big proponent of tactile controls when driving, so you can interact with them without having to take your eyes off the road. So even if it’s not the most sexy, high-tech approach, I personally agree with this decision.
I found the drive of the Encore to be quite pleasant, with a quiet passenger compartment and minimal road noise – with some of this benefit potentially coming from the Bose Active Noise Cancellation system. I also found the handling to be tight, but not overly sporty – somewhere smack dab in the middle between the disconnected feeling you’d get from a Lexus SUV, and the sporty handling of a BMW or Infinity SUV. Again, pleasant.
Under the hood of the Encore is a 1.4-liter turbocharged DOHC 4-cylinder engine, attached to a 6-speed transmission with manual override. This combination provides 138HP and 148 lb. ft. of torque. I found this power to be plentiful in city driving, though I did find it to feel a little strained when driving on the highway. It’s not that it isn’t capable of pulling along the vehicle at highway speeds – it’s just got that typical 4-cylinder whirr sound when accelerating at higher speeds. That said, you have to remember this is the same Ecotec engine in the Chevy Sonic turbo, a car that weighs almost 600 pounds less than the Encore.
On that note, fuel economy wasn’t as good as I had hoped, with city driving delivering a less-than-stellar 15MPG, though I got a much better near-sticker 29MPG on the highway. To be fair on the city mileage, I live in Chicago, which has a higher than normal amount of city stop and start traffic. That said, when I drove it on suburban side streets, I got just about 19MPG. In addition, my figures were measured with typical comfort features such as radio and air conditioning turned on.
So there you have it. If I were in the market for a starter SUV – or if I were looking to downsize from a big truck-like model, the Encore would be on my consideration list. With its perfectly pleasant styling, luxury, tech and safety features, as well as an attractive price point, it’s definitely worth a look.
Prices for the Buick Encore start at just $24,200(USD), but you’ll want to opt for the Premium AWD edition if you can – the gorgeous leather interior and heated accessories are worth it alone. Plus, if you live anywhere where it snows or is hilly, you’ll want to go with the AWD anyhow. As equipped, the fully-loaded Encore I tested had a sticker price of $32,975.
Disclosure: Buick provided the loan of the vehicle for review in this article. However, all reviews are the unbiased views of our editorial staff, and we will only recommend products or services we have used personally, and believe will be good for our readers.
In the age of mobile devices and Google Maps, will street signs soon become obsolete? Not if they turn into Points. Points is an electronic directional sign that does more than just point to nearby landmarks. It can act as a weatherman, a news ticker, a Twitter feed and more.
Points was invented by Breakfast NY, the same organization behind the Instagram-printing machine. As you’ll see in the video below, Points has a control panel near its base. The panel has buttons that people can use to select what type of information they want to see. Points updates not just its directional arms but also the choices on the control panel. For instance, the choices in the morning will differ from the selections at night to reflect our habits.
Right now Breakfast NY is offering Points units for rent at events. They’re still working on a weatherproof version that can be sold for permanent installation. Head to Breakfast NY’s website to inquire about renting the sign, learn more about what makes Points work and even interact with a Points sign using Twitter.
I think Points is a very cool product, but I think an augmented reality sign would be more useful and practical. You can’t really expect people to form a line behind Points and wait for others to finish faffing about and gawking at the robot sign so they can use the control panel and find out where the nearest restroom is. Or. They might be prompted to do something drastic like, I don’t know, ask another human being for directions. Now imagine if you had a Points app on your Google contact lens or Apple holo-watch. You say Okay Glass Siri simply think of your question, and your device overlays the answer over the sign or over any surface for that matter.
But all this shallow brainstorming and ranting on my part only emphasizes what impresses me most about what Breakfast NY has done: Points looks like it was stolen from a street in the Tron system, but it’s here and it works.
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If you ask me, the market for wireless speakers has really reached a point of saturation. So it really takes a lot for me to write about them anymore – let alone be wowed by one. Well consider me wowed. The Wren V5 speaker is, in my opinion, the most artful wireless speaker I’ve seen so far.
First impressions are huge, and when I took the Wren out of its box and protective wrapper, I was stunned by how beautiful this thing is. This is one of those rare times where the product looks better in person than in its studio photos. Constructed primarily from veneered MDF wood, it looks and feels just so substantial. This is a speaker that would look great sitting on any table or desk, no matter what your design aesthetic is. I personally love the bamboo finish of the speaker I got to test out, but it’s also available in a darker rosewood finish. Dimensions for the Wren are 6-1/8″ (H) x 16-5/8″ (W) and 4-1/4″ (D), and it weighs a hefty 6.6 pounds.
Of course, a speaker is only as good as it sounds. Powered by a 50-watt, DSP-powered class-D stereo amp from Intersil, this thing certainly has plenty of punch to go around. Its powered by two three-inch mid/bass drivers, and a pair of 19mm soft dome tweeters.
In my experience, the Wren produced amazingly solid room-filling sound along with clean, but not overly boomy low-end, thanks to its wooden ported bass cabinet. Cranked up to 100% volume it was loud with virtually no audible distortion, and no clipping that I could hear. It doesn’t hurt that the grill cloth is acoustically transparent, the enclosure is built to minimize unwanted resonance, and it’s set onto an acoustic-damping silicone base. That said, it doesn’t provide any equalization controls, so you’ll want to keep that in mind if you like to fine-tune your speakers.
The Wren can be connected via Wi-Fi, USB or a wired analog audio connection, but unfortunately not Bluetooth. However, the added range and flexibility of Wi-Fi trumps that in my book. Yes, it takes a few extra seconds to establish a Wi-Fi connection rather than Bluetooth, but it’s well worth having the ability to control the speaker from your computer or mobile device, as well as to have multiple devices playing music at the same time. That said, Wren does mention on its website that Bluetooth support is “coming soon.” Though I’m not sure if current owners will be provided with an upgrade path. Once connected, the speaker shows up like any other AirPlay device, and playback can even be controlled via the included remote.
It should be noted that the Wren hasn’t been officially approved by Apple for Lightning Connector devices, but it’s been thoroughly tested and works on the iPhone 5, iPad 4th Gen and iPad Mini. I had a little trouble getting the simple “one button” Wi-Fi connection to work with my iPhone 5, so I had to connect it to my Wi-Fi network via a web browser instead. But that’s no big deal – it takes just a couple of extra seconds, and it’s a one-time operation. In addition, Wren is planning an app to allow for easy Wi-Fi setup as well as for loading firmware updates slated for release late this Summer.
If you use Apple devices, you’ll want to go with the Wren V5AP, which offers AirPlay compatibility – and if you’re an Android user, go with the V5PF, which is compatible with Android 2.2 and later devices, via Play-Fi. Both models of the Wren V5 sell for $399.99(USD) and are available on the Wren Sound System website. As an added bonus, Wren includes an unheard of three-year warranty, so you’re covered if anything goes wrong for quite some time. You can also swap from the iOS to the Android version or vice versa for just $99 – though you’ll get a equivalent quality refurb for that price.
Minor inconveniences aside, I loved the look and the sound of the Wren, and would be happy to have one sitting on my bookshelf.
Vending machines are awesome, in fact, people love to read about them
more than any other business idea or technological device (according to a
non-statistical, and completely subjective survey conducted by yours
truly). Now Eatwave Vending Machine is shaking up everything we thought
we could expect out of a vending machine. Vending machines have offered
hot food for a while, but not like this.
Thanks to product binning, Intel is selling you parts that have been artificially disabled so that they would work slower than they otherwise could, simply to make you spend more on server products.
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This is site is run by Sascha Endlicher, M.A., during ungodly late night hours. Wanna know more about him? Connect via Social Media by jumping to about.me/sascha.endlicher.
