Category: News

Google co-founder gets a day’s life out of his Android battery, and he thinks you should, too. Speaking at Google’s Zeitgeist forum (alongside CEO Eric Schmidt), Page said poorly written third-party apps likely are to blame.

"I have noticed there are a few people who have phones where there is software running in the background that just sort of exhausts the battery quickly. If you are not getting a day, there is something wrong."

Schmidt — who, like Page, also is way smarter than you — chimed in, "The primary consumer of the battery life on these phones is the transmit/receive circuit. SO tuning that and obviously figuring out a way to not use too much of that extends your battery life."

Sho’ ’nuff, Eric. Looks like somebody read our battery life tips post. [via Tech Radar]

Toyota is poised to recall nearly 4,000 Lexus luxury sedans in the United States, and 11,500 worldwide, to fix an issue with the car’s steering.

The recall will cover the Lexus LS, the flagship sedan of the Lexus lineup. The recall will also cover LS sedans sold in Japan, Europe and China.

Lexus owners in Japan have complained that the front wheels of the LS don’t return to the center position fast enough after making a turn. Fixing the issue will require mechanical and software changes, a Toyota spokesperson said.

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Sprint has gifted its HTC Hero owners the long-awaited Android 2.1 update, seven months after the first screenshots of a Hero running the faster, snazzier version showed up. More »










HTC Hero – Android – Sprint – Handhelds – htc

 

Palm and O2 have made it official: the Pre Plus and Pixi Plus are both coming to the UK on May 28th. Pricing isn’t great – the cheapest monthly tariff is £25 for a paltry 100 minutes and you’ll need to drop £99 on the Pre at purchase. More likely you’ll want to go with a tariff £35 or higher to get the phone free and get a minute plan you can, you know, talk on. On the bright side, all plans include unlimited text and data.

Press releases: Palm and O2. Thanks to everybody who sent this in!

There I was, thinking that knights didn’t need contracts to serve their leige they just swore fealty and stuff. But Namco Bandai’s new project, Knight’s Contract, sounds like there are signatures, medieval legal offices, and HR

COPY EDITOR CYNTHIA L. OROSCO: This was my first jaunt in an Impreza, and I must say I was a bit disappointed. I’ve come to like Subarus quite a bit, especially after a year with our long-term Forester and our new long-term Subie, the Outback. But this Impreza just didn’t seem to meet the level of quality I’ve come to expect from Subaru. The power was still there, but the interior materials and knobs/buttons are dull and the car is noisy. The exterior lines don’t do much for me, either.

Inside, not only do your clothes stick to the cloth seats, but the seat bottom is flat and overall, the whole thing is just not supportive. The driver’s seat can’t be lowered much, so your head nearly hits the headliner. (Same thing for the passenger.) The cabin overall feels cramped, and the trunk sounded a bit tinny, although it does provide a good amount of space. And the cabin lets in a lot of road noise. Very annoying.

Maybe it’s just me, but if I were in the market for this size/type of vehicle, I wouldn’t go for this Impreza.

MOTORSPORTS EDITOR MAC MORRISON: Enthusiasts tend to think WRX or STI when they hear the “Impreza” name, so it’s easy to forget that a more utilitarian edition exists. Thus, it is somewhat shocking to see this car without the sporty trim, with smaller wheels and nothing that really says “Impreza” as those same enthusiasts have come to know it.

In comparison with the hotter models, this car is pretty bland. It is still fun to drive, though not so much with this automatic transmission. The whole car is indeed rather noisy, and this engine is just enough to give you an impression of some spritely performance, but you find yourself noting that there is little resemblance between driving this version and, say, a WRX.

The AWD is the biggest thing going for this car, especially at this price. I’d rather have this than, say, a Suzuki SX4 with AWD. But is that really saying much?

ASSOCIATE EDITOR JONATHAN WONG: Attention base Subaru Impreza shoppers: Save $1,000 and get a five-speed manual transmission instead of the four-speed automatic. That is all. Have a good day.

The Impreza 2.5i is a prime example of a car which is that much better when equipped with a manual transmission. We’ve had many 2.5i models come through here with the standard five-speed gearbox, and many of us around here raved about it as being one hell of a bargain. Unfortunately, I can’t be too enthusiastic about this car with an automatic slushbox.

Is it that bad? No it’s not, because this boxer four-cylinder is a proven engine with respectable power, and Subaru’s hallmark symmetrical AWD system is here. In fact, it’s still ideal for customers looking for a reliable and comfortable commuter with the added all-weather capability of AWD. It’s a package that almost no other car can touch at this price point.

The suspension is cushy with noticeable roll in corners and dive under braking, which is great for regular driving over rough roadways. Steering response is quick, but the mushy brake pedal was a disappointment and the brakes didn’t bite as much as I hoped.

One thing we know is that this engine is up to task when bolted to a five-speed manual, but with this automatic, this car feels dogged down, especially when merging onto the freeway. So we have to fault the four-speed automatic here, which was slow to shift even when I had it slotted in Sport mode. I repeat, save the money and get a five-speed manual.

I also agree that the cabin is noisy on the expressway, but it’s a certain improvement over the window-frameless doors on the previous-generation Imprezas.

SENIOR WEB REPORTER GREG MIGLIORE: I liked my weekend in the Impreza. At a basic level, the car does a lot of things proficiently and is a well-rounded effort.

I liked the comfortable suspension, which made for an agreeable drive on the expressways and around town. I noticed some noise in the cabin, but really it wasn’t bad; this isn’t a luxury car. The steering was satisfying and directed the sedan fairly nimbly. The acceleration was decent. The 170-hp figure isn’t a big one, but the four-speed did an adequate job of shifting. It didn’t feel underpowered, though I would have liked a little more get-up. This is the base car, though.

It’s a fairly staid, conventional appearance on the outside. Nothing blows your mind or offends you. Inside is pleasant enough, though some of the silver-color trim didn’t present well. I loved the seat burners, and the Impreza warmed up quickly on a chilly early morning. I have to give props to Subaru for seemingly always making its cars with cold-weather climates in mind. Also, the red dials were easy-to-read and smart.

Overall, this is a nice car with AWD capability.

2010 Subaru Impreza 2.5i Premium Four-Door

Base Price: $19,190

As-Tested Price: $20,690

Drivetrain: 2.5-liter H4; AWD, four-speed automatic

Output: 170 hp @ 6,000 rpm, 170 lb-ft @ 4,400 rpm

Curb Weight: 3,163 lb

Fuel Economy (EPA/AW): 22/21.6 mpg

Options: Four-speed automatic transmission with sportshift ($1,000); special-edition package including power moonroof, fog lights, all-weather package, heated front seats, heated exterior mirrors ($500 after $1,260 discount)

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[JURIST] A Somali man charged with piracy [JURIST news archive] pleaded guilty Tuesday to charges of hijacking, kidnapping, and hostage taking related to last April’s attack on the US container ship Maersk Alabama [GlobalSecurity backgrounder]. Abdiwali Abdiqadir Muse was originally charged [complaint, PDF; JURIST report] with five counts relating to the pirate attack on the Alabama, including committing an act of piracy as defined by the law of nations, conspiracy to seize a ship by force, conspiracy to take hostages, and two counts relating to the use of a firearm during commission of a crime. As part of a plea agreement, the prosecution agreed to drop the charges of piracy against Muse in exchange for his guilty plea and a sentence of 27 to 33 years in prison. Muse agreed not to challenge the sentence, and he apologized [Reuters report] for his actions, claiming the act of piracy happened because of the current situation in Somalia. Somali officials have criticized [BBC report] the US for exercising jurisdiction over Muse and other pirate suspects [JURIST report], insisting that piracy prosecutions should be conducted by an international tribunal. They have also asked that Somali pirate suspects be returned to Somalia, which lacks a functioning central government to address the piracy problem. Muse is scheduled to be sentenced on October 19.

Piracy remains an issue of international concern. On Monday, the executive director of the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) [official website] opened a UN conference on international crime by warning [JURIST report] about the inadequacies of the current international system in dealing with crimes like piracy. Earlier this month, the UNODC announced [JURIST report] that Seychelles will create a UN-supported center to prosecute suspected pirates. Last month, the UN Security Council unanimously approved [JURIST report] a resolution calling on member states to criminalize piracy under their domestic laws and urging Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon [official website] to consider an international tribunal for prosecuting piracy. The Security Council resolution came the same week the UN announced that a trust fund established to combat piracy will be funding five projects [UN News Centre report] aimed at piracy committed in the waters around Somalia.

The electric-vehicle revolution is upon us–or at least, that’s what manufacturers such as Mitsubishi would like us to believe.

We’ve had plenty of exposure to EVs, including several short drives in Mitsubishi’s first mass-production zero-emissions car, the i-MiEV. But none of those drives gave us a chance to live with an EV in the real world, to see how it really performs when subjected to the stresses of everyday use.

For our test, we borrowed an i-MiEV in Tokyo, using it day and night for a week as we would any other car in an urban setting. Initial skepticism faded within minutes after we silently rolled out of Mitsubishi’s headquarters and onto the streets of Tokyo. There is something quite satisfying about zooming through traffic in a little city car like the i-MiEV. The responsive and eerily quiet 63-hp electric motor puts a smile on your face every time you tap into that instant 133 lb-ft of torque, making it feel far faster than its gasoline-powered equivalent. With 88 lithium-ion batteries tucked away under the floor, the little i-MiEV also offers a confidence-inspiring low center of gravity.

We drove the i-MiEV on the usual errands, such as running to the grocery store, and, like any nervous EV operator, we found ourselves keeping close tabs on the battery’s 16-bar state-of-charge gauge. Mitsubishi claims a 100-mile range from full charge, but driving the car normally in stop-and-go city traffic saw the power level drop precipitously, pushing the car into a more realistic 50- to 60-mile range.

Using “eco” mode, which cuts power to the motor, helped increase range, so we typically selected maximum-power “D” mode only when we needed full acceleration, and quickly shifted back to eco mode for most other driving. A third mode, “B,” aids in recharging the batteries from engine braking, so we put it to use on even slight inclines and when coasting to stops.

Once the power bars indicate that the batteries are nearly depleted, the onboard navigation system provides locations of the nearest fast-charge points–at least in Tokyo. The Japanese government is working to expand the nation’s infrastructure of “eco stations,” and the capital city is already equipped with numerous quick-charge stations.

At a quick-charging station, the i-MiEV’s batteries recharge to 80 percent capacity in about 20 minutes, via a high-voltage plug behind a conventional filler cap. A 100 percent charge by plugging into a 110-volt home outlet takes about 16 hours (eight hours on a 220-volt outlet). Approximate cost: $1.

After one week and 200 miles in the seat on Tokyo streets, we think it’s clear that the i-MiEV makes sense for those who have short daily commutes or those who need economical transportation for brief urban trips. For those drivers, especially in Japan-where the government is providing subsidies to keep EV sticker prices down and where new charging locations are being added every week–the futuristic i-MiEV is ready today.

2010 Mitsubishi i-MiEV

ON SALE: Now in Japan

PRICE: $42,420 ($30,700 with government subsidies)

POWERTRAIN: Electric motor, 63-hp, 133-lb-ft electric motor, direct drive

CURB WEIGHT: 2,425 lb

0-60 MPH: 13 sec (est)

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At a recent investor conference, Sprint’s Chief Financial Officer, Robert Brust, admitted to investors that “The Pre didn’t work out as well as we hoped” (even despite its exciting appearance in Survivor: Heroes vs Villains) and that they’d “love to have” the iPhone.

Sprint was the exclusive carrier of the Palm Pre from its launch in June 2009 through to June 2010, and was hoped to help both Sprint and Palm through a rough period (à la AT&T and the iPhone). Sadly, however, the relationship didn’t seem to work for either company.

With the crazy (and continuing) success of the iPhone, it’s understandable that Sprint would lust after the device, but don’t get your hopes up, Sprint fans: it’s more likely to hit Verizon before Sprint, and only then after AT&T have let it slip from their Vader-like grip.

Always the optimist, Monsieur Brust also said that Sprint had learned a lot since it launched the Pre. Let’s hope some of that fresh knowledge comes in handy for the launch of the super-hot EVO 4G on June 4th.

[via Information Week]

Filed under: Sedan, China, Buick, Luxury

One of the cars that we were expecting to see at the Beijing Motor Show last month was the Buick Excelle GT sedan. Unfortunately, General Motors opted not to show the car there, perhaps fearing it would get lost in the shuffle. The Excelle GT is still going on sale in China this summer and it has now been spotted out in the wild completely free of all the camouflage that has been covering it until now.

This car will be coming to Buick stores here in the United States as well, although the exact timing is still unknown. The one thing we do know is that it will not retain the Excelle nameplate. Let’s just hope that Buick doesn’t bring back its Skylark or Century monikers. Either way, we’re expecting the U.S. version to retain the 1.6-liter turbo inline-four that will power the Chinese model.

[Source: Autohome.com.cn via China Car Times]

Fully exposed Buick Excelle GT spotted in China, coming here soon originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 19 May 2010 09:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study at Harvard University has awarded its 2010 Captain Jonathan Fay Prize to Diana C. Wise, a Harvard senior concentrating in history and literature. Wise was selected for her thesis “Mere Trifles: Lord Hervey’s ‘Memoirs’ and the Significance of the Insignificant,” an incisive analysis of the writings, life, and sociopolitical environment of John, Lord Hervey, an 18th century English courtier of King George II and Queen Caroline. Radcliffe Institute Dean Barbara J. Grosz will present the Fay Prize at Radcliffe’s annual Strawberry Tea, today (May 19), from 3 to 5 p.m. in the Faculty Room at Harvard University Hall (attendance by invitation only). Harvard seniors Daniel Bear and Molly Siegel will receive honorable mention for their outstanding theses in molecular and cellular biology and history of science, respectively.

“The Radcliffe Institute is delighted to honor Diana Wise for her trenchant and thought-provoking analysis of Lord Hervey’s ‘Memoirs’ and the elegant prose with which she unveils the importance of the seemingly insignificant,” said Grosz, who is also Higgins Professor of Natural Sciences in Harvard’s School of Engineering and Applied Sciences. “This work, which is at once history, philosophy, and literature, is of publishable quality and makes us eager to see Wise’s future scholarly contributions.”

The Radcliffe Institute annually awards the Fay Prize to a graduating Harvard College senior who has produced the most outstanding imaginative work or original research in any field. Candidates for the Fay Prize are chosen from the winners of Harvard College’s Thomas T. Hoopes Prize for outstanding scholarly work or research. Winners of the Hoopes Prize, which is funded by the estate of Thomas T. Hoopes ’19, can be found at the Faculty of Arts and Sciences Office of the Secretary Web site.

Fay Prize Winner

Wise’s thesis, lauded as a “stunning piece of work” by the 2010 Fay Prize selection committee, is a close analysis of trifles, as described in Lord Hervey’s 900-page “Memoirs” and as identified by Wise in the life of the author himself. After obtaining permission from the Royal Archives at Windsor Castle to examine the original manuscript of the “Memoirs,” Wise scrutinized Hervey’s observations of minutiae in the court of King George II and Queen Caroline against prevailing notions of the trivial in 18th century Britain. Her thesis renders Hervey’s seemingly pointless obsessions a revelatory window onto the man and his time, demonstrating how apparently inconsequential matters give rise to momentous events.

According to Wise’s adviser James Engell, “‘Mere Trifles’ evinces the work of a gifted young historian blessed with a literary style that carries with it sheer verbal pleasure but also a heightened sense of judgment, of mature interpretation concerning human motivation and its historical record.” Engell is Gurney Professor of English Literature and a professor of comparative literature in Harvard’s Faculty of Arts and Sciences.

Wise said, “By a splendid coincidence, I received the news [of the award] on the afternoon of my birthday, and it was the perfect birthday present: completely unexpected and an immense honor. Lord Hervey, I think, would be gratified.”

After graduating from the College on May 27, Wise, who also won a 2010 Bowdoin Prize for Undergraduate Essays in the English Language, plans to spend the summer traveling in China and Africa before beginning an M.Phil. program in medieval history at Cambridge University’s Trinity College (U.K.), supported by the Herchel Smith Harvard Postgraduate Scholarship.

Fay Prize Honorable Mentions

Bear received honorable mention for his thesis “Genome-wide and Single-cell Analysis of Neuronal Activity-regulated Gene Expression,” which also garnered him the 2010 Lawrence J. Henderson Prize. By homing in on cellular-level genetics, he discovered that the more activity there is in a neuron, the greater the changes in gene expression. The journals Nature and Neuron have published the results of this research, which he did as part of a team in the lab of Michael E. Greenberg, chair of the Neurobiology Department and Nathan Marsh Pusey Professor of Neurobiology at Harvard Medical School.

The Fay Prize selection committee noted, “Daniel’s work is significant because it shows that, in brain development, nature and nurture work in partnership; there is not a dichotomy between the two.”

After graduation, Bear will pursue a Ph.D. in neuroscience at Harvard.

Siegel earned honorable mention for her thesis “‘Beyond the Boundaries of My Brain’: Reinterpreting W.H.R. Rivers and the Psychological Trauma of World War I,” in which she reanalyzes the work of Rivers to produce a more nuanced and complete picture of the idealized psychiatrist and his treatment methods and positions on ethnography and the Great War. She reveals, for example, that Rivers neither opposed the war nor subscribed fully to Freudian treatments for shell shock. Siegel’s adviser was Elizabeth Yale, College Fellow in the Department of the History of Science.

The Fay Prize selection committee recognized Siegel for “a solidly researched and well-written reinterpretation of W.H.R. Rivers” and for “providing unique insights capable of transforming existing narratives.”

Following graduation, Siegel will conduct research at the Eating Disorders Research Unit at Columbia Medical Center in New York City.

If you like to hide large amounts of cash around your house, make sure to remember where you put it. And if you do tend to forget, make sure to check the crevices and pockets of everything before you donate it to charity or throw it away. This goes triple when cleaning out the home of an elderly relative. A 96-year-old woman in Asheville, N.C. recently donated a blanket that contained more than $5,000 in cash–and the Goodwill store managed to locate her and return the money.

The money belonged to Stella Hoyle, and on Saturday, Garnace and others gave the money back to Hoyle’s family, who they tracked down through a Burke County Schools paycheck stub dated 1975 found with the items.

Hoyle is 96 and lives at Chunns Cove Assisted Living, said her niece Ruthie Browning, who also is Hoyle’s power of attorney. Browning said the family found roughly $65,000 in cash stashed around her great aunt’s home when they cleaned it out last month.

“She hid (money) in the hamper, under the mattress, in old purses, under the bed, in closets tied up in handkerchiefs, all over the house in anything and everything,” Browning said. “That’s how she saved her money.”

Not really a sound savings strategy, but she’s old enough to not trust banks.

Asheville Goodwill store sorter gives back senior’s $5,365 found in sock [Asheville Citizen-Times]

There’s not much to say here. It’s somewhat of a normal affair to have cases leak of upcoming Apple products before the actual announcement. We would then go on to speculate about upcoming features and form factor based on said case, but we already know all about the iPhone 4G. There’s really nothing a silicon case can add to the conversation. Move along. [Hardmac via 9 to 5 Mac]

A NHTSA, que cuida da segurança do trânsito nos EUA relatou um problema com os modelos 2010 da Chrysler, entre eles o Chrysler 300, Dodge Charger, Dodge Challenger, Jeep Commander, Dodge Ram e o Jeep Grand Cherokee, relacionado ao módulo de ignição. Tal problema resultaria em uma movimentação involuntária do veículo que pode ter o risco de bater.

O relatório explica que esses veículos, ao terem a chave removida da ignição, pode fazer o carro se mover acidentalmente, e assim aumentam os riscos de um acidente. A Chrysler por sua vez, não está a par de nenhum acidente relacionado a esse problema, mas acionou o recall e irá trocar o modulo de ignição dos veículos de graça.

A resposta por parte da montadora dessa vez foi rápida, parece que a multa aplicada a outras empresas serviu de lição para tomarem mais cuidado com esse tipo de assunto. Bom para o consumidor.

Via | Inside Line

Despite the APVMA’s request for a mass recall of the toxic fungicide quintozene there are still too many out-dated and dangerous agricultural chemicals being used in Australia, WWF warned today.

The Australian Pesticides and Veterinary Medicines Authority (APVMA) yesterday called for a mass recall of quintozene, after discovering that it contained a contaminant that is a type of dioxin.

“While it is good to see the APVMA take this sort of action for one particular pesticide, they need to be much tougher on the range of other dangerous pesticides still available for sale in Australia,” said WWF’s spokesperson Juliette King.

“At least eight chemicals have been under review by the APVMA for 13 years or more for suspected human health and environmental impacts. That’s far too long to ascertain a chemical’s safety, especially when the chemical is still sitting on shelves,” she said.

“It’s the APVMA’s job to protect us all from these dangerous chemicals but they’ve been an agency characterised by delay and inaction and they rarely appear to adopt a precautionary approach.”

The toxic pesticide, atrazine, has been banned in Europe since 2007 but is still widely available in Australia. Atrazine is part of a cocktail of chemicals that has been detected up to 60 kilometres within the Great Barrier Reef World Heritage Area.

US Geological Survey scientists yesterday said they’d discovered links between atrazine and tissue abnormalities in fish, as well as reduced reproduction and spawning. The study appeared in the journal Aquatic Toxicology.

The highly poisonous insecticide endosulfan has been banned in over 60 countries and is being considered by the Stockholm Convention’s Review Committee for a global ban because of its toxicity to humans and wildlife and ability to bioaccumulate, yet it still remains available for use in Australia.

Another toxic pesticide diuron has been under review in Australia since 2002. Despite interim findings of unacceptable risks to seagrass and dugongs in the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park, it remains available for sale.

“The APVMA needs to catch up with the rest of the world and take a much more precautionary and proactive approach to regulating dangerous pesticides in Australia.”

For more information:
Charlie Stevens, WWF Media Manager – Queensland, 0424 649 689
Juliette King, WWF Australia Conservation Policy Officer, 0438 864 997

The Aerservice series of portable units represent the ideal solution for extraction and filtration of fumes generated by industrial processes such as spot or continuous wire or electrode welding involving medium to high concentrations of fumes.

We recommend to use them as a replacement of the traditional fixed systems in conditions of occasional processing or when the working location is difficult to reach.

In addition, these machines also purify the air in the surrounding environment, not only treating the area contaminated by the work process but simultaneously creating air exchange and further decreasing the level of pollutants present in the workplace.

We wish to inform you that these machines are now available at special conditions unitl June 30th 2010. Should you need further information, please do not to hesitate to contact us.

Eriez are exhibiting the latest technology in metal removal, detection and sampling equipment on stand P136 at Hillhead 2010. On the stand will be a self cleaning version of the Model CP Suspended Permanent Magnet, a Cross Belt Sampler and a Metalarm 3000 Metal Detector.

Overband Permanent Suspended Magnets are used to protect valuable crushing and screening equipment against tramp metal damage or simply for removing iron from demolition rubble. The Eriez CP Magnet is robust, requires minimal maintenance, is very simple to install and operate and is very versatile. Along with the CP Magnet, Eriez also offer a TP Suspended Permanent Magnet which are more specialised for the removal of long, thin, sharp metals such as nails.

In addition to Magnetic Separators, Eriez will also be showcasing their automated Sampling equipment. A Cross Belt Sampler will be found on the stand which is designed for operation on all types of granular material and obtains a representative sample direct from a moving trough belt conveyor. It requires minimal installation work and minimum maintenance.

With the pressure on many industries to supply a product which reaches the highest quality specification possible, numerous companies around the world will have a requirement to sample products. Automatic Online Sampling makes sure that the quality of the goods they sell or buy meets the stated specification. Some companies rely on manual sampling techniques, but this approach is open to abuse and to a high incidence of human error and bias.

Along with Magnetic Separators and Sampling equipment, Eriez Europe also design and manufacture Metal Detectors to detect ferrous and non-ferrous metals. Installing an Eriez Metal Detector on a conveyor belt system will protect downstream machinery from damage caused by tramp iron on the conveyor. They are easy to install and operate and typically consist of a control unit, search coil and connecting cable. Each coil is custom designed to optimise the sensitivity of the Metal Detector to meet the individual customer needs. At Hillhead, Eriez will have an operational Metalarm 3000 Metal Detector on their inside stand. It will be mounted on a conveyor belt and will demonstrate what the Eriez Metal Detectors are capable of.

BoilerPAC: the complete and modular control of industrial boilers

BoilerPAC offers a single control system, ideal for manufacturers of boilers and burners and for contractors.

BoilerPAC is the new control system suitable for all the types and sizes of industrial boilers. The system hardware is standard and expandable. The software is modular and includes all the possible variants; this allows to select only the desired functions on the basis of the boiler model and the application. In practice, only one product covers the complete process: the master, the combustion control, the oxygen trim, the thermal cycle, the analysis, and the blow down.

BoilerPAC meets the regulations governing the surveillance of unmanned generators thus allowing considerable savings in the management of the plant.

BoilerPAC offers a simple, intuitive, touch screen operator interface. Finally a graphic interface with icons: no more texts, to be translated in several languages and not always clear for the operators, but guided pages, icons and intuitive symbols which can be easily recognized by everybody. A big advantage, for companies exporting all over the world.

With boilerPAC Ascon offers a complete series of sensors, transmitters, control valves and analyzers specifically designed for boilers. Everything for the complete control of boilers and thermal cycles.

The heart of the system is the new boilerPAC, a Programmable Automation Controller able to satisfy all the control functions of the plant such as: the control of the burners, the drum level control, the control of the chemical characteristics of the feed water and the continuous blow down. The programming is with the six standard IEC 61131-3 languages. The analogue and digital inputs and outputs are onboard and expandable.

The system is completed by the Ethernet port and the standard communication interface MODBUS RTU which guarantee the maximum connectivity for SCADAs and remote control systems with the possibility to send alarms via SMSs

Novos flagras feitos em estradas europeias revelaram um pouco mais do novo visual do Ford Mondeo 2011, que será reestilizado na Europa. O protótipo do modelo encontrava-se com uma camuflagem leve, mas o suficiente para esconder as suas principais mudanças.

Isso porque seu para-choque dianteiro totalmente coberto ainda permanece um mistério, enquanto que na sua traseira parte das lanternas e da tampa do porta-malas escondidas não possibilitou mostrar as novidades do sedã, mas não disfarçou o seu discreto aerofólio, combinando com sua ponteira dupla de escapamento.

Uma as novidades reveladas são a nova grade dianteira e faróis, além das lanternas traseiras redesenhadas e utilizando lampadas de Leds em sua iluminação. Seu interior deverá receber pequenas melhorias em seus materiais e mudanças em seu console central e painel de instrumentos.

Enquanto isso, sua motorização devera contar com a nova linha da Ford EcoBost de 2.0 litros movido a gasolina com uma potencia de 203 cavalos e que já equipa o Galaxy. Na linha a diesel, o modelo poderá receber o motor TDCi de 2.0 litros com 115, 140 e 163 cavalos de potencia.

A chegada do novo Ford Mondeo deverá ocorrer ainda nesse ano, onde sua apresentação devera ocorrer no Salão do Automóvel de Paris 2010, que ocorrera no mês de outubro.

Novo Ford Mondeo

Fonte: AutoMocion e WCF