Only a few months since the first electric vehicle from Audi was unveiled at the 2009 Frankfurt Auto Show, the Germans from Ingolstadt took with them to Detroit a new version of the sports EV (a more good looking one, we might add), with the car boasting a wider body, as well as a wheelbase shorter than on the R8 by 22 centimeters (8.66 inches).
As with the version showcased in Frankfurt, this one too boasts high-torque power units driving the rear wheels. Together, they develop a… (read more)
The Wrooom – Press Ski Meeting 2010 officially kicked off this week in the Dolomites, with the Ducati Marlboro Team introducing their 2010 riders lineup. The two riders, Casey Stoner and Nicky Hayden, arrived at the Madonna di Campiglio ski resort in northern Italy via helicopter, alongside the Scuderia Ferrari Marlboro Formula 1 team which included the presence of Fernando Alonso, for the first time in Ferrari clothing.
As reported by the Ducati Corse official site, the Wrooom 20… (read more)
The online music landscape is becoming more diverse, at least in terms in companies vying for a spot even as the number of different types of services seems to be shrinking. One of the few free services available in the US, and everywhere else for that matter, Grooveshark stands out not only through its vast catalogue or the site itself, but also for ques… (read more)
While all eyes are focused on the 2010 North American International Auto Show in Detroit, General Motors rolled out in China the 2010 Chevrolet New Sail sedan, the first passenger car created in China by a joint venture. Developed by Shanghai GM and the the Pan Asia Technical Automotive Center (PATAC), the New Sail will also be sold in other emerging markets, according to an official statement.
The car will be sold in five versions, with pricing to start at $8,800. The range will … (read more)
Although the majority of the championship’s big guns have already announced that their car launches will take place prior to the Valencia testing on February 1st – so they can have their 2010 challengers ready for test drives in the early days of February – the one team credited with the highest chances of battling for the 2010 title revealed they’re likely to miss the Valencia meeting.
Red Bull team manager Christian Horner admitted that the new regulations for the 2010 season ha… (read more)
|
Wonji, a town in Oromia region, located 100km to the east of Addis Ababa, is going to host an industrial zone built by Elsewedy, a giant Egyptian cable firm. Elsewedy requested MoTI’s approval of two million square metres of land for the construction of the industrial zone three months ago. The company began its operations in Ethiopia three years ago in partnership with the Ethiopian Electric Power Corporation to jointly produce a digital electric meter. This project led it to realise the country’s huge electric cable demand and construct Elsewedy Cables Ethiopia Plc, an electric cable factory built at a cost of 200 million birr in Dukem, a town 35 km east of Addis Ababa in Oromia Regional State. Following this, it intended to build an industrial zone in Dukem, however, the ministry was not willing, owing to its desire to spread industry around the country. With this intention, the ministry recommended Elsewedy opt for Kombolcha, a town located 376 km north east of Addis Ababa in Amhara. However, the town’s distance from the capital made Elsewedy reject the proposition, according to ministry sources. Finally, a deal has been struck for the zone to be established in Wonji, which is another industrial town near Dukem. The investment office of the region and the company are now looking for plots suitable for the site that is expected to host 40 companies. Elsewedy International, established in 1981, is the leading integrated manufacturer of cables in Egypt and one of two cable manufacturers in the Middle East with production facilities in nine Middle Eastern and African countries. A Chinese company was the leader in establishing an industrial zone in Ethiopia, recently followed by a Turkish firm. |
American manufacturer GM once again tapped into federal money, as it received a $7.7 million grant from the US Department of Energy to "accelerate development of four technologies to improve the fuel economy of light-duty vehicles" by some 25 percent. The research is needed for GM to be able to meet the stricter emissions and consumption requirements which will come into effect in future years.
The DOE grant helps accelerate our efforts in bringing breakthrough technolog… (read more)
A new 305 HP 3.7-liter V6 will provide the power for the fresh 2011 Lincoln MKX, all you have to do is drive and enjoy the new interior, especially the promising MyLincoln Touch.
As you can see, the 2011 MKX shows a new split-wing front grille, fresh taillights (LED technology included) and bespoke 18- or 20- inch rims.
On the interior, the most important feature is the MyLincoln systems, a dynamic interface with LCD and multi-purpose buttons, one that we have alrea… (read more)
By Nate Anderson, Senior Editor, Ars Technica
Who has the ear of the White House when it comes to tech issues? Judging from the White House visitor logs, President Obama and his team have a soft spot for FCC Chair Julius Genachowski, who visited 48 times between June and September. Not that it was all business; Genachowski checked in to use the White House bowling alley and to attend a poetry reading.
Read the rest of this post on the original site
Buy This Item: [Click here to buy this item]
By Stephanie Clifford, Reporter, New York Times
Print may be a flat medium, but that has not stopped magazine publishers from trying to add dimension to their pages. For at least a decade, they have been experimenting with bar codes and icons that could take readers to Web sites, trying to add a bit of Internetlike interactivity to their pages.
But the average consumer did not own a bar-code reader — until now.
Read the rest of this post on the original site
Buy This Item: [Click here to buy this item]
By Andy Updegrove, Contributor, Consortiuminfo.org
Think of the words “standards war,” and unless you’re a standards wonk like m…oh, never mind…you’re likely to think of the battle between the Betamax and VHS video tape formats. That’s because videos are consumer products that just about everyone uses, and therefore the bloodshed in that standards war was not only shed in public view, but the some of the blood that was shed was shed by the public (i.e., those that bought video players supporting Betamax, the losing, but arguably superior, format). Fast forward (pun intended) to the present, and the trademarks “HD DVD and “Blu-ray” may ring a bell – and that’s no coincidence.
Read the rest of this post on the original site
Buy This Item: [Click here to buy this item]
With Android and Nexus One, Google claims to have “improved” the rate and pace of innovation in mobile phones and the manner in which they are distributed. Sadly, it doesn’t seem to have done much for the way in which they are supported.
Not a week after the device’s debut, Google’s support forums are rife with complaints from Nexus One owners who are clearly not getting the level of customer support they expect.
Like most other Google (GOOG) offerings, Nexus One support is self-help driven–FAQs, troubleshooting guides and email forms offered with this earnest caveat: “in most cases you won’t receive a personal response.”
That might fly with folks availing themselves of free Google services like search and email, but it doesn’t with those who’ve just spent between $179 and $529 on a new superphone. Buyers expect their devices to work properly out of the box, and if they don’t, they expect their complaints to be approached with at least a modicum of urgency, preferably by a human.
But that’s not the experience Google is currently offering Nexus One users. As PC World pointed out earlier today:
If you buy a Nexus One manufactured by HTC, directly from Google’s Web site, and use it with T-Mobile’s wireless network–who do you call when you have a problem? Google is only accepting support requests via e-mail, and users are getting bounced between T-Mobile and HTC as neither seems equipped to answer complaints, or willing to accept responsibility for supporting the Nexus One.
So while Google’s new Nexus One distribution paradigm might excel in versatility and simplicity, it fails when it comes to support. Which isn’t all that surprising, I suppose. Google was never really set up to provide customer service. That said, you’d think that a company that takes great pride in improving things and making them accessible and useful, would have made more of an effort to do the same for Nexus One customer service.
Did Google launch the Nexus One with a half-assed customer-service solution? I put a variation of this question to the company and here’s what I was told:
What, exactly, was your customer support solution at launch? I’d assumed that you would initially pay the carriers to handle support, but that doesn’t seem to be the case.
We developed a dedicated, comprehensive Google customer support team for the Nexus One. Our support site can be found at google.com/phone/support, which has pointers to our help center, where there is lots of troubleshooting information. HTC provides telephone support for device troubleshooting and warranty, repairs, and returns. Google also offers self-help through our help center, user-to-user help through forums, and email support to customers who are unable to find answers to their questions online. We promise to answer email inquiries within 48 hours. T-Mobile USA fields calls regarding their service (including service billing inquiries).
Why was this solution chosen?
Solving customer support issues is extremely important to us, because we want people to have a positive Nexus One experience. Therefore, we felt this was the best approach to quickly resolve any customer support inquiries.
We felt this was the best approach to quickly resolve any customer support inquiries.
Really? Hard to believe that “we promise to answer email inquiries within 48 hours” is “the best approach.” Clearly, it’s not.
Google VP of Engineering Andy Rubin conceded as much during an onstage interview with Walt Mossberg last Friday at the Consumer Electronics Show: “We have to get better at customer service,” Rubin said. “We have to close that three-day gap [in response time] to a couple of hours.”
That’s great to hear, but it doesn’t really explain why the gap exists in the first place or why Google felt comfortable launching with it.
So what’s the plan going forward? Says a Google spokesperson: “We are working quickly to solve any customer support issues as they come up, and we are trying to be as open and transparent as possible through our online customer help forums. We’ll continue to address all issues in as timely of a manner as possible, and we’re flexible and prepared to make changes to our processes and tools, as necessary, for an optimal customer support experience.”
Doesn’t sound like much of a plan to me. You?
Buy This Item: [Click here to buy this item]
Yesterday, BoomTown posted on the mess created by NBC over its late-night talk show wrangling.
It involves Jay Leno, Conan O’Brien and seemingly every dude who sits behind a desk and kisses up to celebrities for a living at the GE (GE) television network that was just bought by Comcast (CMCSA) .
But, as I noted: “I do love the roundelay of online videos this Tinseltown mess has created.”
And here are more, from Leno, who is really irked by the meltdown that has tarnished his reputation, as well as day-time talk show queen Ellen DeGeneres, who mixed the NBC stew in with Simon Cowell announcing he was leaving “American Idol” right before she gets there as a judge.
The laughter through the tears keeps on coming:
LENO
DEGENERES
Buy This Item: [Click here to buy this item]
By Simon Dumenco, The Media Guy, Ad Age
Facebook and Twitter are, of course, increasingly trying to prove that they can be real, self-sustaining businesses with meaningful revenues, and maybe even consistently positive cash flow. Good for them!
But what about the rest of us — the great unwashed masses of social-media addicts?
Read the rest of this post on the original site
Buy This Item: [Click here to buy this item]
By Jim Manzi, Contributor, National Affairs
The United States is in a tough spot. As we dig ourselves out from a serious financial crisis and a deep recession, our very efforts to recover are exacerbating much more fundamental problems that our country has let fester for too long. Beyond our short-term worries, and behind many of today’s political debates, lurks the deeper challenge of coming to terms with America’s place in the global economic order.
Read the rest of this post on the original site
Buy This Item: [Click here to buy this item]
By Eric Savitz, Blogger and Columnist, Barron’s
Cirrus Logic (CRUS) late Monday said it now sees revenue for its fiscal third quarter ended December 26 of $65 million, above previous guidance of $58 million to $62 million. The company said the better-than-expected results reflected strong demand for a range of audio products, and modest improvement in demand for energy products.
Buy This Item: [Click here to buy this item]
The BBC – Formula One’s broadcaster for the UK – managed to escape any penalties after 2009 world champion Jenson Button swore during a live broadcasting at the end of the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.
The Brawn GP driver finished the race in 3rd place and was caught conversing with his fellow podium finishers Sebastian Vettel and Mark Webber. During the conversation, Button told the Red Bull drivers F*ck, I should have waited, which left some viewers totally dissatisfied with what they’v… (read more)
