Author: Serkadis

Casi no hemos tenido tiempo para asimilar la gran carrera de Fernando Alonso en el pasado GP de Australia cuando ya esta de nuevo toda la diversión y emoción de un nuevo Gran Premio. Esta vez la cita tendrá lugar en el GP de Malasia, recordado por el gran diluvio de la temporada pasada que obligó a suspender la carrera sin apenas completar el 75% de la carrera.

Este año se presenta del mismo modo ya que todas las predicciones auguran lluvia tanto para la sesión de clasificación como para la carrera. Nuevamente, la escudería Red Bull se presenta como los principales favoritos, seguidos de cerca de los Ferrari aunque ya ha quedado patente que el equipo de la marca de bebida energética carece de algo muy importante en este deporte, fiavilidad.

A continuación os dejo con la programación para que no os perdais ni un segundo:

Viernes, 2 de Abril

• Libres 1 – 04:00 h
• Libres 2 – 08:00 h

Sábado, 3 de Abril

• Libres 3 – 07:00 h
• Clasificación 10:00 h

Domingo, 4 de Abril

• Previo: 08:00 h
• Carrera GP Malasia: 10:00 h

Related posts:

1. GP de Australia 2010, agenda del evento
2. GP de Singapur, agenda del evento
3. GP de Italia, agenda del evento

• Key Competitors: Lexus RX 450h, BMW ActiveHybrid X6.
• Power: 333-hp 3.0L supercharged V6 gasoline engine mated to a 47-hp electric-motor. Total output – 380-hp / 427 b-ft of torque.
• Availability: Fall of 2010.
• Pricing: TBA.

The 2011 Porsche Cayenne made its stateside debut at the 2010 New York Auto Show today but the highlight of the new SUV’s premiere was the Cayenne S Hybrid, which allows the same performance level of a V8 engine while increasing fuel-economy by 20 percent.

Like many hybrids, the Cayenne S Hybrid can cover short distances on electric power alone, free of emissions and noise up to 40 mph. When you need to stomp on the accelerator, the motor also provides an extra ‘boost’ to the gasoline engine.

The North American Cayenne model range will include four models including the base 300-hp Cayenne, 400-hp Cayenne S, 500-hp Cayenne Turbo and the Cayenne S Hybrid.

2010 New York: 2011 Porsche Cayenne S Hybrid:

All Photos Copyright © 2010 Ari Klots – egmCarTech.

2011 Porsche Cayenne:

– By: Ari Klots

A Mercedes-Benz apresentou oficialmente no Salão do Automóvel de Nova Iorque 2010 o redesenhado Classe R 2010, que chega com um visual mais atraente e seguindo os padrões de design atuais.

Sua dianteira foi a parte que recebeu as mudanças mais significativas, com uma nova grade dianteira, faróis remodelados com bi-xênon e que ainda conta como auxilio de luzes diurnas em Leds. Contudo, sua traseira também recebeu um novo para-choque traseiro, lanternas traseiras e ponteira de escapamento. Complementando o face-lift, o novo Mercedes Classe R 2010 ainda recebeu novos retrovisores externos e ainda contará com uma nova gama de rodas que varia de 17 a 21 polegadas.

Com capacidade de transportar até 7 ocupantes e de levar até 2.385 litros de bagagem em seu porta-malas, o interior do crossover também estará recheado de vários itens de conforto como o sistema DisTronic de controle de cruzeiro, Blind Spot Assist no controle dos pontos cegos nos retrovisores, VoiceTronic que recebe comandos de voz, além do sistema de ar condicionado de ultima geração ThermaTic que oferece climatização independente para os passageiros traseiros.

Mercedes Benz Classe R 2010

O modelo receberá uma nova gama de motores movidos a diesel e a gasolina que atuarão em conjunto com a transmissão automática de sete velocidades 7G-Tronic, que ainda oferece o sistema de trocas por borboletas atras do volante. Movidos a gasolina o Mercedes Classe R terá os motores V6 de 3.0L de 231 cv e o 3.5L de 272 cv e a versão mais potente adotada de um V8 de 5.5L e com uma potencia de 388 cavalos. Eles terão um consumo médio de 9, 8,6 e de 7,6 km/l respectivamente. A sua versão mais apimentada com o motor V8 é capaz de fazer de 0 a 100 km/h em 6,3 segundos e atingir a velocidade máxima de 250 km/h.

Fonte: AutoBlog.it

At his keynote address at the New York International Auto Show, Ford CEO Alan Mulally outlined his company’s plan for delivery of green vehicles, but warned that the U.S. is falling behind in the race to develop new battery and powertrain systems.

He placed an onus on world governments, saying that incentives will be needed to help consumers afford the emerging technologies and that the global playing field remains a level one. He said that although his company plans to roll out more hybrids and electric vehicles, there is much room for improvement with internal combustion engines.

He also mentioned that although Ford is developing hydrogen technology, a major commitment is needed by world’s governments to build the infrastructure necessary to support it.

– By: Stephen Calogera

Source: Detroit News

Update: Obama administration to buy first 100 Chevy Volts – Free Press

Showing his commitment to fuel efficiency, President Obama announced today a government purchase of over 5,600 hybrid vehicles for the federal fleet. This move more than doubles the amount of hybrids in use by the government. The government, Obama said, “is doubling the number of hybrid vehicles in the federal fleet, even as we seek to reduce the number of cars and trucks used by our government overall. We’re going to lead by example and practice what we preach: cutting waste, saving energy and reducing our reliance on foreign oil.”

The Government Services Administration will use existing funds to replace 5,603 of the least fuel-efficient vehicles in the fleet with hybrids, and has committed to purchasing approximately 100 plug-in hybrids in 2011. The Energy Department also is replacing 753 vehicles with hybrid ones, bringing their total to 888. The plan across all government agencies is to not only increase fuel-efficiency, but also to decrease total fleet size.

The NHTSA and EPA will finalize on Thursday their joint rule establishing greenhouse gas emission standards and corporate average fuel economy standards for light-duty vehicles for model years 2012-2016. The measure will cost the industry $60 billion over five years while boosting fleet-wide efficiency to an overall 34.1 mpg by 2016. 23 percent of U.S. greenhouse gases are from vehicles. The plan set to be finalized Thursday will conserve 1.8 billion barrels of oil over the lifetime of vehicles sold in the next five years, while adding an average of $1,300 to the purchase price of a new car. The news isn’t all bad however, as buyers of those vehicles can expect about $3,000 in fuel-savings over the life of the vehicle.

2011 Chevrolet Volt:

– By: Stephen Calogera

Source: Detroit News, Free Press

Filed under: New York Auto Show, Hybrid, Sedan, Kia

At the New York Auto Show today, Kia officially introduced its new 2011 Optima mid-size sedan and, as we expected, it shares much with the recently launched Hyundai Sonata. In spite of the same wheelbase and almost identical dimensions, however, this is no case of badge engineering. The Optima has completely different styling from its corporate sibling with a crisp, modern look that is in keeping with other recent Kia introductions.

What it does share with the Hyundai is its complete powertrain lineup, including a naturally aspirated 2.4-liter Theta II inline-four, a turbocharged 2.0-liter version of the same engine and the new 2.4-liter hybrid powertrain. The latter two configurations were both announced by Hyundai yesterday for the Sonata. Each of the engines features direct injection and variable valve timing with the non-hybrids being rated at 200 and 274 horsepower, respectively. All the powertrains are mated to six-speed transmissions, with the base model being available with a manual and the others being all automatic.

Three trim levels will be offered: LX, E, and SX, with the two upper trim levels receiving Kia’s new Uvo infotainment system as standard equipment. The Uvo system, you may recall, is based on the same Microsoft Car operating platform that underpins Ford Sync.

The Optima is based on the same lightweight architecture as the Sonata, and we expect it will achieve similar fuel economy numbers when it goes on sale this Fall (early 2011 for the hybrid). That would put it in the (very impressive) 22/35 mpg range for the naturally aspirated 2.4-liter engine, 22/34 for the turbo and 37/39 mpg for the hybrid. Check out the high-resolution images below and the press release after the jump – and be sure to stay tuned, we’ll have live shots and impressions from the show floor posted shortly.

[Source: Kia]

Continue reading 2011 Kia Optima introduced with DI, turbo and hybrid

2011 Kia Optima introduced with DI, turbo and hybrid originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 01 Apr 2010 10:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The grand YouTube redesign has now gone live for everyone, like expected. By now, most people have probably already seen it, YouTube is one of the biggest sites on the Internet after all, and by the looks of it, the drastic changes are getting their fair share of critics. It was inevitable that some people wouldn’t like the changes, it happens to Facebook every time … (read more)

Orange and T-mobile UK are now one. After a long period of negation and everything, you can now call them T-orange. The deal was completed recently and it is estimated that this will save both carriers over $730 million dollars/year from 2014 and on. Till 2014 they will be spending $1.2 billion dollars  in integration costs and all before they can achieve that 730 million a year savings.

This merger means we can now expect better service from the duo. They can now spend more $$$ on better hardware and better service for us all.

What do you think? is this smart? Comment below

Via:Phandroid

Filed under: New York Auto Show, Sedan, Hyundai, Luxury

When the first Hyundai Excels rolled onto American roads in the late-1980s, it was hard to image the Korean automaker getting taken seriously as a builder of budget cars. Taking on the likes of Mercedes-Benz and BMW would have been an absurd thought. And yet later this year that is exactly what Hyundai is doing as the new Equus begins to arrive at American dealers.

Visually, the the Equus hasn’t changed much in its trip across the Pacific. For the U.S. market, the winged hood ornament had been discarded in favor of a flush mounted badge with the same logo that adorned the trunk lid of the Korean market model. The bars of the grille have been replaced with horizontal slats that make it look more like the Genesis sedan.

The Equus is equipped with all the techno-gimmickry one expects in a big luxury sedan today, including adaptive cruise control and navigation. The 4,376-pound is suspended on electronically controlled air springs and power comes from a 385 horsepower version of the 4.6-liter Tau V8 already seeing duty in the Genesis. The only thing the Equus lacks compared to a Lexus or Benz is an oversized sticker price. Hyundai says the Equus will be priced in the mid $50,000 range when it goes on sale later this year. You can check out the full press release (including a by-the-numbers comparison of how the Equus stacks up against its main rivals) after the jump, or check out the high-res gallery below (we’ll have live shots from Javitz shortly).

[Source: Hyundai]

Continue reading 2011 Hyundai Equus arrives to take on the big guns

2011 Hyundai Equus arrives to take on the big guns originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 01 Apr 2010 10:45:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Today, a little reported initiative happened at the White House. President Barack Obama has changed his stance on battery electric vehicles and has signed the “Nationwide Hydrogen Highway Initiative” into law.

The new initiative will mandate that the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) and Department of Energy (DOE) build up to 200,000 hydrogen fueling stations nationwide, not more than 5 miles apart in most regions.

The mandate will give subsidies of up to $2 million apiece for building a hydrogen fueling station from the ground up and up to $300,000 for adding a hydrogen pump to an existing gas station. It was stated that President Obama needed to “green up” his latest energy bill which calls for off-shore drilling, more coal and the building of additional nuclear power plants.

By adding wind, solar and hydrogen to this dirty energy bill it will help Congress sell it on Capitol Hill. President Obama is said to have changed his stance on battery electric vehicles being the future because of the short ranges and long recharging times for years to come. There are two words that come to mind when I think of this initiative including “April” and “fool’s”. This is just some wishful thinking on my part, so don’t take this seriously (for now).

Filed under: New York Auto Show, Sedan, Performance, Japan, Subaru

For the first time in three years, Subaru is offering up a four-door sedan version of their performance icon, the WRX STI. This is the first time that Subaru has ever offered an STI in two body styles. That’s right, you can also buy the five-door STI. And while we love hot little performance wagons, you have to admit the wing is pretty sweet. Or at least admit that the four-door Impreza body is so… awkward looking (we know, we know) that the looks are actually improved by a 14-inch wing.

New for the STI(s) this year is an improved suspension consisting of stiffer bushings, stiffer springs, and thicker anti-roll bars at both ends of the car. The 2011 STI also sports less unsprung weight than the 2010 model due to lighter 18-inch wheels that are a combined 17.6 pounds less heavy. While power is unchanged (305 horsepower and 290 pound-feet of torque), high-speed stability of the four door is greatly improved, as is at the limit handling, by – you guessed it – that mega wing.

Since the sedan is marginally lighter than the five-door, 0-60 mph times might improve. However, since there’s less weight over the rear wheels (and since the STI’s diff is slightly rear-biased) they might be a bit slower. Also, the sedan STI features two mufflers (still has four pipes) as opposed to the wagon’s one giant muffler (and four pipes). Subaru claims that while this has no bearing on horsepower or torque, it makes the car sound, “Meaner and louder.”

We mentioned to Subaru that we dig the new wing, but really think the wheels should be gold like the classic STI/BBS marriage of years past. Even the optional 18 x 8.5-inch BBS wheels are silver. Our Subaru PR pal smiled at us and said, “Glad we gave you something to bitch about.” Also, a quick PSA for those of you thinking about buying a new STI and deleting the wing: Subaru highly recommends you also change the trunk springs, because minus the weight of the wing, the trunk will smash in the rear window.

Update: The 2011 STI is also available in Limited trim, meaning leather seats plus a sunroof.

Live photos by Drew Phillips / Copyright (C)2010 Weblogs, Inc.

Continue reading New York 2010: 2011 Subaru WRX STI sedan has wing, needs gold wheels

New York 2010: 2011 Subaru WRX STI sedan has wing, needs gold wheels originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 01 Apr 2010 10:28:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: Hybrid, Marketing/Advertising, Videos, Hatchback, Lexus

Taking a page from BMW’s 2001 playbook, Lexus is launching a suspense-ish thriller on May 13th that’s predicated on “the darker side of green,” all in order to promote the brand’s upcoming CT200h to that unicorn-like “young, progressive, energetic and tech-savvy buyer.” They’re calling it a film, though based on the sneak preview trailer after the jump, no celluloid appears to have been harmed in the making of “Lexus Dark Ride.”

The plot is that some opposition group is trying to swipe hybrid technology. The CT200h needs to make it to Los Angeles before dawn. Tony is the crack wheelman, you’re the navigator who’s tasked with also keeping our boy Tony from avoiding sloppiness. Go.

It may be a way for Lexus to generate buzz among a group of potential buyers that’s far younger and hipper than the normal ES350 buyer, or it may just be a way to add excitement to a car that’s… not. You decide. Watch the trailer after the jump.

Photos by Drew Phillips / Copyright (C)2010 Weblogs, Inc.

[Source: Lexus]

Continue reading New York 2010: Lexus CT200h debuts with Darker Side of Green campaign

New York 2010: Lexus CT200h debuts with Darker Side of Green campaign originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 01 Apr 2010 10:21:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Last year, we wrote about the decision by Turbine to turn its formerly fee-based Dungeons & Dragons Online MMO into a free offering, that had reasons to buy built into the game. At the time, we noted that the early results looked good, but over time they’re looking even better. Reader Murdock alerts us to the news that DDO was able to get 1 million more users and boost revenue 500%… all by going free.



There are some important fine details, of course, which make this story even more notable. With content in the game that you can buy, the fear is always that this gives the game developers incentive to make the free part annoying or very limited to try to drive more people to the paid part. But that’s the wrong approach. That focuses on putting up barriers and limiting usage to try to encourage buying, rather than demonstrating value and offering positive reasons to buy. DDO took the smarter route:

Currie said that the store was intended to be mainly for convenience. The free-to-play genre is notorious for games that are nearly impossible to enjoy without pumping money into them — many Korean import games fall into this trap. Yes, you can play for nothing, but you can’t have fun or compete. “We wanted to make sure that the play experience wasn’t cheapened by the store being there. Nothing you can buy gives players a concrete advantage over others in terms of progression.” I pointed out that not many free-to-play games follow this model and he agreed that Turbine was in a rather unique position in the genre.

“Everyone can play through the content without ever getting anything from the store, and they’ll have a fine time of it. What we’re pretty proud of with the whole system is the fact that the player owns any content they buy.”

I pressed for a bit of clarification. He obliged by likening most subscription-based games, like WoW, to renting something. When you buy an expansion pack for WoW, you only have access to that content, or any content, while your subscription is active. If your subscription lapses, you can’t play what you bought anymore. “If you buy a content pack from the DDO store, on the other hand, it’s yours forever, regardless of whether you’re currently subscribed or not. If you’re normally a VIP and have a rough month financially, you can go back to the free-play model and still play what you purchased in the store,” Currie said.

And, it appears to be working. What a concept. Using free to your advantage, giving people a reason to buy, and seeing your user base and revenues shoot upwards. Who would have thought it was possible?

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The HTC Incredible is very… well you get what I am saying. The device was announce with many other at MWC this year, and already Verizon’s database has it ready to go and is just waiting for the all clear to ship out to all stores.

The image below shows the amount of devices in stock as 156,709 units. That number is not too much, but with all those great Android devices on Verizon’s network… its a little hard to sell a lot of this devices.

I am quite excited for this new device. I will not buy it, but will get it for about a month to see how awesome it is, how fast it is, and how not awesome Windows Mobile is next to it.

What do you think, aren’t you excited for this device?

Via:Engadget

INVITATION TO SUBMIT A CONCURRENT SESSION PROPOSAL

Submission Deadline:  April 15, 2010 (extended from April 1)

We invite your participation in the Regional Campus Compact Conference on Civic Engagement, September 22-24, 2010, in Tulsa, Oklahoma.  This conference will bring together individuals from across the nation to explore different perspectives on service-learning and civic engagement alongside colleagues from Kansas, Missouri, and Oklahoma and provide an opportunity for service-learning professionals and community partners to share program models and best practices and network with one another.

Please send a separate proposal for each activity (i.e., you can submit a proposal for more than one session/roundtable) for the following:

• A concurrent session presentation.
• Facilitate a roundtable discussion.

CONFERENCE AUDIENCE

Conference participants will include learners and educators from diverse constituencies: faculty, students, administrators, and service-learning coordinators; VISTA members; and government, community agencies and partners.

CONFERENCE GOALS

• Demonstrating evidence of effectiveness for student and community outcomes;
• Celebrating successes, rejuvenating, and connecting to the broader service community;
• Enhancing practical service-learning skills and deepening philosophical understanding of participants;
• Exploring engaged scholarship and community-based research;
• Communicating ideas and practical solutions to service-learning challenges;
• Offering provocative, inclusive and interactive conference sessions;
• Providing time for informal discussions and networking; and
• Building a regional network of service-learning colleagues.

You can download more information and a complete application here.

It’s April 1st, which means in addition to playing pranks on your boss, March sales numbers from automobile manufacturers are in.

We’ll update the numbers as they’re released here, so be sure to check back:

-GM: Sales up 43% to 185,000 units.

-Hyundai: Sales up 15.4% to 47,000 units.

-Ford: Sales up 39.8% to 184,000 units.

-Porsche: Sales up 9%.

-Fiat: Italy sales up 20% to 80,600 units.

-Chrysler: Sales down 8% to 92,600 units.

-Mercedes Benz: Sales up 28% to 20,000 units.

-Honda: Sales up 22.5%.

-Nissan: Sales up 43% to 95,000 units.

-BMW: Sales up 2.6% at 21,600 units.

-Toyota: March sales up 35.3% to 186,800 units.

-Audi: Sales up 33.5% at 8,500 units.

-Suzuki: Sales down 72% at 2,200 units.

-Mazda: Sales up 5.5% to 23,100 units.

-Volkswagen: Sales up 41% at 22,200 units.

Join the conversation about this story »

According to rumor, Samsung is as busy as bees working on a slide out QWERTY keyboard to grace their lovely Galaxy S. If you will recall, the Galaxy was revealed at CTIA 2010. It will run Android 2.1 and will have an over-the-top 4 inch “Super” AMOLED capacitive display.  But, Samsung doesn’t have a good track record as far as keypads go. Hopefully, this one shows they’ve finally got it right.

Source: Boy Genius Report

Segundo anúncio feito hoje (dia 1º), a Toyota encerrou as atividades da sua fábrica NUMMI (New United Motor Manufacturing Inc), na Califórnia. Ela foi construída em 1984 em uma perceria da Toyota com a General Motors, que já havia deixado a fábrica por causa de seus planos de reestruturação.

O motivo pelo encerramento das atividades, segundo a Toyota, foi a inviabilidade de sustentá-la sem parcerias. Esse assunto causou polêmica nos EUA, já que o encerramento da fábrica vai afetar aproxiamdamente 20.000 pessoas direta e indiretamente, e na própria fábrica, 4.500 pessoas ficarão desempregadas.

Por enquanto a situação fica sendo essa. A empresa de veículos elétricos Aurica já tentou oferecer parceria para manter a fábrica ativa, mas não deu muito certo.

Via | Carro Online

Chicago Opera Theater Announces the Third Annual “People’s Opera”

VOTING STARTS TODAY, April 1!

Opera Fans Vote with their dollars to Select an Upcoming Opera in the 2012-2013 Season!

CHICAGO (April 1, 2010)—Voting begins today for Chicago Opera Theater’s “People’s Opera” in which the public picks one of the three operas to be produced by Chicago Opera Theater (COT) in the 2012-2013 Season. One vote equals one dollar—so the people not only get to be involved in COT’s artistic decision making, but they also are making a significant contribution to the company’s operating budget.  Voting lasts only through June 11, 2010 at 5pm.  The winner of the People’s Opera will be announced later that month.

As in the previous two “People’s Opera” contest, an anonymous donor has generously offered to match contributions from this campaign up to $16,000 which doubles the people’s voting power!

For our 2012-2013 Season, we are thrilled to announce that the People’s Opera will mark the Bicentenary of Giuseppe Verdi’s birth. General Director Brian Dickie has picked three Verdi operas for which the public may cast their vote:

“Verdi’s work has endured the test of time and has been appreciated by every culture that has encountered it.  Could there be a better way to commemorate his achievements than to have the people choose?” said Brian Dickie, “Each of these Verdi operas has so much potential at COT.  I look forward to seeing what the fans decide!”

The first People’s Opera, launched during COT’s 2008 Spring Season, raised over $47,000 for the company – and the winner, Rossini’s Moses in Egypt, will open COT’s 2010 Spring Festival Season on April 17th.  The 2009 winner, Shostakovich’s Moscow, Cheryomushki, will open Chicago Opera Theater’s 2011-12 Season.

The People’s Opera campaign begins today, April 1, 2010, with votes being accepted online at ChicagoOperaTheater.org and at the Harris Theater during performances of the 2010 Spring Festival Season, April 17-May 16.

For a direct link to vote for the People’s Opera:  http://tickets.chicagooperatheater.org/tickets/peoplesopera/index.aspx

Contact:

Colleen Flanigan
Director of Marketing and Public Relations
312.704.8420, x225
[email protected]

Distributed via Chicago Press Release Services

Mozilla has released its first-ever “State of the Internet” report, something it plans to do every quarter from now on. And it’s starting things off on a very optimistic note, the open source foundation says Firefox now has about 30 percent of the web-browser market worldwide, based on several independent sources. What’s even more encouraging i… (read more)