Hasta La Gadget!

In April of 2011, we spent some time in the driver’s seat of the Tesla Roadster 2.5 Sport. Its throttle response and dashing good looks earned high marks, but the range anxiety left a bit to be desired. Now it’s the winter of 2013, and in the latest issue of our weekly, we settle in behind the wheel of the Model S to determine if Tesla’s refined offering has the chops to lead the EV fleet. Of course, these vehicles need a place to recharge, so Eyes-On visits one of the aforementioned outfit’s Superchargers that look to make roadtrips a reality for electric vehicles. Aside from the automotive features, OUYA devs sound off on the pros and cons of the console while we put both the HP Spectre XT TouchSmart and Microsoft’s Surface Pro through their respective paces. There’s much more than we can pack into a single paragraph, so visit your weekly access link to grab a copy.

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Filed under: Announcements, HD, Mobile

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Source: iTunes, Google Play, Windows Store

Tesla has released a beta version of its Tesla Model S app for Android in the Google Play Store. With this app, Model S owners can communicate with their vehicles via their mobile unit no matter where they are located, doing such things as checking out its charge status or warming it up on a cold night. Owners can download it now.

The Model S app for Android gives users quite a bit of hands-off control of their car. Aside from the aforementioned ability to remotely warm it up or cool it down by turning on the heat or AC, users can also initiate a charge process (assuming it is plugged in), or stop it if desired. As the app’s description notes, this can even be done when it’s parked in the garage, thanks to the lack of dangerous fumes.

The app allows owners to keep track of the car’s location and its movements via an on-display map, particularly useful if you’re letting someone else borrow it and want to keep an eye on where they’re going. There are also some features that are good for security, such as the ability to honk the horn from your smartphone or tablet when the car is parked.

Drivers can also use the Model S app to flash the lights, which is useful for locating the car in a large parking lot or scaring away someone who might be trying to get into the vehicle unnoticed. The car’s panoramic roof can be set to vent or to close via the app’s controls, and, of course, the locks can be controlled. For those who download the app, keep in mind that is a beta version, and Tesla notes that there are some glitches with the user interface.

[via Google Play]

Tesla releases beta Tesla Model S app in the Play Store is written by Brittany Hillen & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

Tesla‘s Model S isn’t only just a beautiful car, but it’s also completely electric. And just recently, it completed the quarter mile in just under 12.4 seconds, beating out a Dodge Viper SRT10, which makes the Model S the world’s fastest production electric vehicle by the National Electric Drag Racing Association.

According to DragTimes, the The Model S Performance edition managed a 12.371 quarter mile at 110.84 mph, going 0 to 60 mph in just 3.9 seconds, winning handsomely over a Dodge Viper SRT10 without any problem. Granted, the 12.371-second run was the best out of several runs, and the car was on a full charge. Still though, even without a full battery, the Model S ran 12-second runs regardless.

Even after a 78-mile trip driving at 70 mph, the Model S ran back-to-back 12.6-second runs at 108 mph. The car as roughly a 350-mile range on a full charge, so the battery wasn’t low by any means, but after a quick road trip, the car can still pump out torque like it’s nothing, which is impressive to say the least.

The Tesla Model S features a 416HP engine, and the entire car weighs in at 4,700 lbs., so it’s fairly surprising that it was able to go from 0 to 60 mph in less than four seconds. Back in November, the car was named Motor Trend’s 2013 Car of the Year, beating out the Cadillac ATS, Toyota Avalon, Porsche 911, BMW 3 Series, Ford Fusion, and the Subaru BRZ.

[via DragTimes]

Tesla Model S sets world record for fastest production electric vehicle is written by Craig Lloyd & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

You might say the week is never really done in consumer technology news. Your workweek, however, hopefully draws to a close at some point. This is the Weekly Roundup on Engadget, a quick peek back at the top headlines for the past 7 days — all handpicked by the editors here at the site. Click on through the break, and enjoy.

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This week Google‘s own CEO and co-founder spoke about subjects ranging from the company’s future with Motorola to the importance of “moon shots” in the tech industry, keying in on how Google’s ability to sell the products they make is beyond vital to the market’s future. In his conversation with Wired, he revealed first his admiration for Tesla Motors (a company he’s invested in since 2006), then how he came to understand the life story of Nikola Tesla (the inventor and all-round excellent fellow), this understanding changing his whole life’s path.

Page described how investors “always” speak to him about how they’re “going to spend too much money on these crazy things”, this referring to one-thought-crazy projects like YouTube, Chrome, and Android. Page continued, “Those are now the things they’re most excited about. … If you’re not doing some things that are crazy, then you’re doing the wrong things.” Continuing on with talk of Tesla Motors, Page praised their focus on commercialization.

“Take one company I admire, Tesla. They’ve not only made a really innovative car, but they’re probably spending 99 percent of their effort figuring out how to actually get it out to people.” – Page

With Tesla on the brain, Page spoke about the inventor whose tragic story may have incidentally made Google a possibility by turning its co-founder towards not just invention, but the marketing of inventions.

“When I was growing up, I wanted to be an inventor. Then I realized that there’s a lot of sad stories about inventors like Nikola Tesla, amazing people who didn’t have much impact, because they never turned their inventions into businesses.” – Page

Have a peek at the timeline below to see more of the musings of Larry Page over the past few weeks and months. Also have a peek at the Nikola Tesla Museum story from August of 2012 to get a better idea of what Nikola Tesla really did for our modern world, and see one more connection between the Tesla motor company and the inventor by the same name.

Why Google may have never been if not for Nikola Tesla is written by Chris Burns & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.