Hasta La Gadget!

Here’s a tip: you should probably research the bill of materials before pricing the item you’re building to sell. In an effort to calm down potentially irate early buyers, Tesla Motors Elon Musk has issued an email confessing that it had no idea actual production costs for the $92,000 Roadster would run closer to $140,000. The automaker is hoping the changes in “manufacturing approaches, the car’s drive train, heating and air conditioning system, wiring and even the supplier of body panels” will lower production costs to somewhere between $90,000 and $100,000 soon, which certainly gives a little insight into the $128,500 starting price of the recently unveiled Roadster Sport. In order to recoup some of the losses, Tesla is asking pre-orderers to pony up an extra six large for a high-speed charging cable and custom wheels — both of which consumers were expecting to be included in their original purchase price. At any rate, the firm is aiming to get build costs down to $80,000 by summer, with profitability following close behind. And you thought the automotive problems began and ended in Detroit.

[Via Edmunds]

Filed under: Transportation

Tesla admits to underpricing Roadsters, still hopes profitability is near originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 22 Jan 2009 05:33:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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If syncing your phone with a workout routine isn’t your cup of tea, Nokia has unveiled another N79 variant, the Eco. For the same cost as the standard version, you’ll get smaller packaging, a petrol black casing with dark gray / steel gray / deep plum covers, and no charger whatsoever. The company is hoping you’ll reuse your old charger instead of throwing it out. As for the outdated phone that came with that adapter, we’re sure they’d love you to send that back for spare parts. The Eco is now available for pre-order from Nokia UK, with £4 of each purchase going towards the World Wildlife Fund.

[Via All About Symbian]

Filed under: Cellphones

Nokia N79 Eco shrinks packaging, ditches phone charger originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 16 Jan 2009 06:08:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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During the run-up to CES, we heard through the grapevine that eco-friendly and well-connected HDTVs were going to be all the rage in early January, and so far, those premonitions are spot on. Sony’s new BRAVIA VE5 line sucks down around 40% less power than many of the company’s other LCD HDTV models, and there are two main developments to thank. First, the 52-inch KDL-52VE5, the 46-inch KDL-46VE5 and the 40-inch KDL-40VE5 all tout a zero-watt standby switch, which — when flipped on — cuts power usage to “nearly zero watts.” Additionally, this Energy Star 3.0-compliant trifecta is the first from Sony to sport the micro-tubular Hot Cathode Fluorescent Lamp (HFCL), and as if that wasn’t enough, there’s even a motion sensor that can turn the set off if no action is sensed and a ambient light sensor for good measure. All greenness aside, each of the three also boasts Motionflow 120Hz technology, a USB port for loading up digital media files, the BRAVIA Engine 2, BRAVIA Sync, four HDMI inputs and 24- True Cinema. Check ’em this summer for currently undisclosed prices; full release is after the break.

Continue reading Sony’s BRAVIA VE5 series brings zero-watt standy, HCFL backlighting

Filed under: CES, Displays, HDTV, Home Entertainment

Sony’s BRAVIA VE5 series brings zero-watt standy, HCFL backlighting originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 07 Jan 2009 18:49:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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