Eco Factor: Zero-emission vehicle powered by electric motors.
China’s SAIC badged as Roewe has unveiled a budget-friendly electric vehicle the E1 at the Beijing Auto Show. Weighing 1040kg, the vehicle is powered by lithium-iron phosphate batteries that give it a range of about 84 miles. These batteries will be able to charge to 80 percent capacity in just 30 minutes.
This has come rather unexpectedly, and very early in the morning/late at night. Microsoft and HTC’s relationship goes back years, but just what this new patent agreement for Android phones refers to, no-one knows. Exchange? Full Office support? UPDATED More »
The Telstra HTC HD2 has recieved a ROM update from HTC. The ROM version is 1.72.841.0.
As usual, no change log is available.
Get the ROM from HTC here.
This post was submitted by alamfour.
Eco Factor: Electric assist bicycle by M55.
Hungarian company M55 has unveiled the M55 EVO-001 electric bike that is being claimed to be the “Ferrari of electric bikes.” The bike has been developed after three years of research and after developing five prototypes. Scheduled to be launched sometime in May this year, the bike consists of a one-piece molded aluminum frame, integrated battery pack and a centrally mounted motor which has been placed to better the bike’s stability.
Shakira will meet with the mayor of Phoenix later this week to help campaign against a new Arizona law cracking down on illegal immigration, a spokesperson for the mayor’s office confirmed to The Associated Press on Tuesday.
The Colombian-born Grammy-winning singer-songwriter will speak with Mayor Phil Gordon, a strong critic of the new law, and other city officials on Thursday afternoon. Shakira, best known for her hit single “Hips Don’t Lie,” is also expected to meet with families who could be affected by the Arizona law.
The newly enacted immigration statute has come under fire from Hispanic groups, organized labor and civil liberties activists who charge the measure is unconstitutional and will lead to ethnic profiling.
In February, the United Nations presented Shakira with a medal of honor for her humanitarian efforts on behalf of impoverished children across the globe.
Eco Factor: Concept shower heats water using piezoelectricity.
Apart from wasting hundreds of liters of water, a shower consumes a lot of energy to heat water as well. A team of cross continental designers from Mexico, Finland and Germany are now trying to save energy and water by using a set of piezoelectric devices to provide all the energy required for a hot steamy shower.
This might possibly be the most dangerous thing you’ll see a human being do that doesn’t involve any explosive devices.
Just wow.
(Hat tip: Deadspin)
Chrysler, an industry leader in U.S. fleet sales, has announced that it will be implementing changes to its fleet sales mix in an effort to increase resale values. Chrysler plans to dramatically lower the proportion of its sales specifically being made to rental fleets – aiming to drop the number by more than half.
According to a report by Automotive News, Chrysler has big changes planned in regards to its long-time reliance upon low-margin fleet sales, particularly to rental car companies.
Chrysler’s top dealer executive, Peter Grady, delivered a speech during the 2010 NAFA Fleet Management Association expo earlier today. Grady acknowledged the automaker’s heavy reliance on fleet sales, but said the automaker is taking action and laying out a plan that aims to drastically cut back on fleet and rental car fleet sales.
“Our growth will come from large commercial and government markets,” said Grady.
Grady was referring to Chrysler’s need to retain a crucial and strong fleet sales element, but to shy away from the low-margin sales to rental car companies. As Automotive News explained, not all fleet sales are created equal – government and business fleet sales typically offer higher profit margins than the sales to rental car agencies.
Chrysler currently relies heavily on fleet sales, with 58 percent of its total February sales being sold to various fleet customers, according to documents obtained by Automotive News. Previously, Chrysler officials said that their optimal mix would include only 25 percent fleet sales.
Grady also mentioned during his speech that the first quarter was particularly heavy with fleet sales industry-wide, as many agencies replacing aging models with high mileage. Grady believes that the mix of fleet sales will begin to normalize and taper off for the rest of 2010 with about 2.1 of the estimated 11 million total vehicle sales in the U.S. being fleet-based.
Chrysler does plan, however, to use the late 2010 introduction of the new 2011 Dodge Charger to drive fleet sales with law enforcement departments nationwide.
References
1. ‘Chrysler exec: We’ll cap rental…’ view
Source: Leftlane
Verizon and Vodafone may’ve already announced exclusive deals for Kin 1 and Kin 2, but a ROM hacker by the name of Conflipper has found provisioning files which detail support for just about every carrier going. More »
As part of the Open Innovation Contest, “App My Ride,” Volkswagen is asking designers, programmers, developers and interested users to participate in a contest to design applications for the Infotainment systems of the future.
VW is the first carmaker to embrace the concept of open innovation to further develop its products. In this contest, users get the chance to jointly develop new Infotainment applications with VW. Special prizes will go to the winner who will be selected by a jury of experts. Prof. Dr Jürgen Leohold, Head of the Volkswagen Group Research, said that the company aims to attract the international developer community “to take part in designing a future system.” It can be recalled that these apps, also known as application programs for certain devices which are offered online, have contributed to the smartphone boom. Companies such as Apple and Google aim to continue to support this source of innovation.
Source: Car news, Car reviews, Spy shots
Development of Quantum Computing Technology – The U.S. Army Research Office (ARO) together with the National Security Agency (NSA) solicits proposals for basic and applied research to advance quantum computing technology. Research areas of particular interest include: (1) Robust solid-state qubits and related technologies – Qubits are the foundation of both memory and processing in quantum information systems. In this area of interest, we seek proposals that address the development of single-and few-qubit solid-state devices; (2) Short-to-medium-range quantum information transfer in solid-state systems – This area of interest seeks innovative approaches to transfer quantum information in solid-state systems, including on-chip transfer, off-chip transfer, or both. Selected proposals will greatly advance the current state-of-the-art in relevant performance metrics for a specific solid-state qubit implementation; and (3) Ideas, methods, and procedures for the verification/validation of quantum computing components – A challenge for quantum information processing systems, especially as they increase in size, is the efficient and accurate verification/validation of their performance for the task at hand. In this third area of interest innovative proposals are sought to address the verification/validation of quantum information processor components.. White papers are strongly encouraged but are not required. Award Ceiling: $3M; Award Floor: $200K. Eligibility: All. White Paper Due Date: May 24, 2010. Proposals Due Date: July 12, 2010.
Posted Date: April 27, 2010
Funding Opportunity Number: W911NF-10-R-0007
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Instrumentation Program for Tribal Colleges and Universities (TCUs) – The program aims to enhance science, mathematics, and/or engineering education programs and/or research capabilities through the acquisition of equipment and/or instrumentation that will augment existing facilities, enhance curricula, or develop new laboratories, programs and capabilities in these areas. This includes basic equipment for laboratory and classroom use as well as sophisticated instruments and computers (including software) for advanced studies and research important to the DoD. Total Funding: $4.8M; Award Ceiling: $400K. Eligibility: This competition is open only to institutions identified under 10 U.S.C. 2362 (e)(2) on the U.S. Department of Education Postsecondary list for Indian Tribally Controlled Colleges and Universities. Proposal Due Date: June 15, 2010.
Posted Date: April 24, 2010
Broad Agency Announcement Number: W911NF-10-R-0005
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Computational Toxicology: Biologically-Based Multi-Scale Modeling – The EPA, as part of its Science to Achieve Results (STAR) program, is seeking applications for research in developing quantitative, dose-response models to elucidate the associations between environmental agents and toxicity pathways across multiple scales of biological organization. Additionally, this solicitation calls for research into ways in which the data underlying these models can be managed and shared for easier access, interpretation and use by the broader community of researchers and risk assessors. There are two distinct Research Areas covered by this solicitation: (1) Model Development and Model Evaluation; and (2) Data Management. Applications must propose research in one of these research areas to be eligible for funding. These two areas of research shall be conducted concurrently in the following way: the research team funded under the second research area shall collaborate with the research teams funded under the first research area to ensure that the latter conform their modeling data to a shared ontology. Total Funding: $3M. Eligibility: Public and Private Nonprofit Institutions/Organizations (including institutions of higher education and hospitals). Closing Date: July 15, 2010.
Posted Date: April 15, 2010
Funding Opportunity Number: EPA-G2010-STAR-C4; EPA-G2010-STAR-C3; EPA-G2010-STAR-C2; EPA-G2010-STAR-C1
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DoD SBIR Program 2010.2 – Small high-technology firms are encouraged to submit proposals to DoD for R&D projects with both military and commercial applications in response to SBIR solicitation 2010.2, which will be publicly released on the DoD SBIR Web Site (http://www.acq.osd.mil/sadbu/sbir) on Apr 21, 2010. Six DoD components will participate in the 2010.2 solicitation – Department of the Army, Department of the Navy, Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), Defense Microelectronics Agency (DMEA), Defense Threat Reduction Agency (DTRA), and the Office of the Secretary of Defense (OSD). The solicitation lists all the R&D topics under which DoD is seeking proposals, and also contains detailed information on the parameters of the SBIR program and how to submit a proposal. Small firms apply first for a six-month phase I award of $70,000 to $150,000 (unless otherwise specified in the component instructions) to test the scientific, technical, and commercial merit of a particular concept. If phase I proves successful, the firm may be invited to apply for a two-year phase II award of $500,000 to $1,000,000 to further develop the concept. Eligibility: For Profit Businesses with 500 or fewer employees. Opening Date: May 19, 2010. Closing Date: June 23, 2010.
Posted Date: April 15, 2010
Solicitation Number: DoDSBIR2010-2
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DoD Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis Therapeutic Idea Award – The Therapeutic Idea Award is designed to promote new ideas that are still in the early stages of development with the potential to yield highly impactful data and new avenues of investigation for novel therapeutics for ALS treatment. This mechanism supports conceptually innovative, high-risk/high-reward research that could ultimately lead to critical discoveries or major advancement in ALS therapeutics. Research projects should include a well-formulated, testable hypothesis based on strong scientific rationale. Innovation and Impact are the most important aspects of the Therapeutic Idea Award. Research deemed innovative may introduce a new paradigm, challenge current paradigms, introduce novel concepts or agents, or exhibit other uniquely creative qualities that may lead to potential therapeutics for ALS. Impact describes research that has high potential to significantly impact development of therapeutics for ALS. Total Funding: $1.92M. Eligibility: Independent investigators at all academic levels. Pre-Application Due Date: May 14, 2010. Full Application Due Date: August 4, 2010.
Posted Date: April 14, 2010
Funding Opportunity Number: W81XWH-10-ALSRP-TIA
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DoD Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis Therapeutic Development Award – The Therapeutic Development Award supports the preclinical assessment of therapeutics for ALS. The proposed studies are expected to be empirical in nature and product-driven, but may have a hypothesis-driven approach, provided the focus is on therapeutics. It is anticipated that the agents and/or data generated from these awards will lead to the advancement of therapeutics for ALS. The Therapeutic Development Award mechanism is designed to support preclinical testing and development of therapeutics for ALS. Proposals must include preliminary data relevant to the phase(s) of the preclinical development process covered by the proposed research. The proposal should include a clear statistical plan of analysis, if appropriate. Applicants must clearly and explicitly articulate what impact the project may have on therapeutic development for ALS. Total Funding: $4.8M. Eligibility: Independent investigators at all academic levels. Pre-Application Due Date: May 14, 2010. Full Application Due Date: August 4, 2010.
Posted Date: April 14, 2010
Funding Opportunity Number: W81XWH-10-ALSRP-TDA
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DoD Gulf War Illness Consortium Development Award – This effort will be executed through two separate award mechanisms, the Consortium Development Award in FY10 and the Consortium Award in FY11. Proposals for the Consortium Development Award are being requested in this program announcement. The Consortium Development Award is an infrastructure development mechanism that provides support to create a Coordinating Center and establish the necessary collaborations at potential Research Sites for the development of a multi-institutional GWI research effort. Participants in this consortium should be scientists and/or clinicians who have made significant contributions to the field of Gulf War Illness research or who have specific expertise related to the multiple symptoms associated with GWI progression. Infrastructure development includes (but is not limited to) establishing appropriate collaborations, outlining an administrative management plan, developing research management and communication plans, and devising an intellectual property plan. Total Funding: $640K. Eligibility: Independent investigators at all academic levels. Closing Date: August 4, 2010.
Posted Date: April 14, 2010
Funding Opportunity Number: W81XWH-10-GWIRP-CONDEV
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DoD Gulf War Illness Clinical Trial Award – The FY10 GWIRP is offering two award mechanisms to evaluate potential interventions for Gulf War Illness: the Clinical Trial Award (CTA) and the Innovative Treatment Evaluation Award (ITEA). The Clinical Trial Award described in this FOA is intended to support larger, more definitive (Phase II-III) clinical trials where preliminary and preclinical evidence indicates the potential for substantial benefit for veterans with GWI. The CTA supports rapid execution of clinical trials with the potential to have a significant impact on the health and lives of veterans with GWI. The GWIRP seeks proposals that will contribute to identification of effective interventions for GWI. This will include larger, more definitive clinical trials where preliminary and preclinical evidence indicates the potential for substantial benefit for veterans with GWI. Health outcomes of interest include effects of interventions on: 1) Global health measures; 2) Symptoms complexes; 3) Measurable clinical outcomes, biomarkers; 4) GWI subgroups characterized by symptom or other clinical characteristics. Total Funding: $2.4M. Eligibility: Independent investigators at all academic levels. Closing Date: August 4, 2010.
Posted Date: April 14, 2010
Funding Opportunity Number: W81XWH-10-GWIRP-CTA
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DoD Gulf War Illness Investigator-Initiated Research Award – The IIRA supports research focusing on the complex of symptoms known as Gulf War Illness, improving its definition and diagnosis, characterizing disease symptoms, and better understanding its pathobiology. It is intended to encourage basic or clinical developmental research aimed at identification of objective measures to distinguish ill from healthy veterans (e.g., biomarkers) or elucidate potential treatment targets for GWI. Studies that characterize chronic effects of neurotoxic exposures encountered during the Gulf War (and at comparable dosage) are also acceptable. Particular areas of interest include research on objective indicators of biological processes, or abnormalities in GWI associated with: 1) Central nervous system structure and function; 2) Central neuroinflammatory processes; 3) Neuroendocrine measures; 4) Autonomic nervous system function; 5) Immune parameters; 6) Indicators of chronic infection; 7) Gastrointestinal complaints/symptoms; 8 ) Genetic, genomic, proteomic, or metabolic characteristics. The IIRA is designed to promote new ideas in Gulf War Illness research. Total Funding: $2.88M. Eligibility: Investigators at all academic levels (or equivalent). Pre-Application Due Date: May 14, 2010. Full Application Due Date: August 4, 2010.
Posted Date: April 14, 2010
Funding Opportunity Number: W81XWH-10-GWIRP-IIRA
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DoD Gulf War Illness Innovative Treatment Evaluation Award – The GWIRP Innovative Treatment Evaluation Award (ITEA) mechanism supports the initial evaluation of a treatment or intervention in smaller, early phase or pilot clinical trials (Phase II or I/II), and does not require preliminary data. The GWIRP is also offering a Clinical Trial Award (CTA), which supports proposals evaluating treatments of interventions in larger, more definitive clinical trials (Phase II or III), where preliminary and preclinical evidence indicates the potential for substantial benefit for veterans with GWI. The intent of the ITEA is to provide support for the systematic evaluation of innovative treatment interventions not previously studied in ill Gulf War veterans, with the aim of improving their health and functional status. The results of preliminary studies funded by this award will support future development of larger efficacy studies of the proposed interventions. Important aspects of the Innovative Treatment Evaluation Award are: 1) Innovation; 2) Preliminary Data; 3) Study Endpoints; 4) GWI Case Definition; 5) GWI Patient Access; 6) IND Applications; 7) Initiation of Trial. Total Funding: $1.44M. Eligibility: Independent investigators at all academic levels (or equivalent). Pre-Application Due Date: May 14, 2010. Application Due Date: August 4, 2010.
Posted Date: April 14, 2010
Funding Opportunity Number: W81XWH-10-GWIRP-ITEA
A few years back, publisher Random House lost a series of legal battles against an ebook publisher, over the question of whether or not Random House’s basic contracts covered ebooks as well. The courts ruled that they did not. While Random House’s more recent contracts do explicitly add in ebooks, it was still surprising to find the company trying to fight this battle again, with regards to the heirs of author William Styron’s works. Random House was telling authors, including Styron’s heirs, that they could not publish ebooks with other publishers.
However, knowing full well that Random House had lost that claim in the past, it looks like Styron’s heirs stood up for themselves, and Random House has backed down, allowing them to publish some of his works as ebooks with another publisher. Random House is insisting that this is “an exception,” and that it does not apply to other authors. Of course, that’s unlikely to be true for authors who signed agreements with Random House prior to it including specific language to deal with ebooks — meaning that many may now look to publish electronic versions elsewhere.
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So much for beefing up security…..
You can stampede his stage and shower him with kisses, but trample his Mama and J. Biebs goes a bit bonkers.
Pop idol Justin Bieber is pleading with his international legion of young fans to conduct themselves with some decorum after his hat was stolen (Five bucks says it reemerges on eBay next week….) and his mother knocked over by a crowd of about 500 screaming teen girls waiting to greet him as he arrived at Auckland International Airport in New Zealand.
“Finally got to New Zealand last night,” Bieber fumed in a Tweet to his 2 million-plus followers on Twitter. “The airport was crazy. Not happy that someone stole my hat and knocked down my mama. Come on people… I want to be able to sign and take pics and meet my fans but if you are all pushing security won’t let me.”
He added, “Let’s keep it safe and have fun.”
New Zealand officials braced for Bieber Fever by providing the 16-year-old with a massive security detail as he arrived at the airport. However, their efforts were no match for the young crooner’s devoted loyalists.
Justin’s in the nation to perform a free concert at the Strathallan School in Papakura on Wednesday — but the gig could suffer a similar fate to his recently-canned Aussie engagement. The hysteria comes after Australian police cancelled a live performance by the 16-year-old Canadian heartthrob on Monday when a crowd of about 5,000 teenage girls became out of control, injuring eight.
The frenzy surrounding Bieber, who is travelling to promote his album My World 2.0, has sparked comparisons to the reaction of young fans when The Beatles arrived Stateside in the 1960s.
Luckily Biebs’ mom, Pattie Mallette, wasn’t seriously injured in the fall. She responded to concern after her tumble in a Tweet of her own: “Thanks for all your support!! I’m ok thank you!!!”
These aren’t just any chocolates. These are gourmet delicacies bursting with the aroma of organic cocoa beans and your chosen four flavors out of caramel, ganache, coffee, hazelnuts and sweet almonds. Oh, and they look just like iPhone apps. More »
Eco Factor: Low-emission motorcycle powered by a hybrid engine.
Though stylish, motorcycles are often criticized for the lack of proper safety systems. Designer Igor Chak is trying to better the credentials of motorcycles with a new concept that combines style, safety and eco-friendliness in a single package.
Looks like the Verizon/Vodafone exclusivity on the Kin 1 and Kin 2 might be short-lived — or at least, someone at Microsoft is already prepping for the day when it’s over.
Days before the Kin 1 and 2 were made official, a ROM hacker known only to the internets as Conflipper published screenshots pulled from an early copy of the Kin OS. After a bit more digging, Conflipper just stumbled upon some more goodies: Kin system provisioning files for other carriers. Lots.. and lots of other carriers.
Provisioning files are pre-packed settings bundles — in this case, it looks like they might be pre-packed setting bundles used to quickly configure Kin handsets for use on a variety of networks.
Conflipper’s full dump of the provisioning file directory can be found here — but for simplicity’s sake, here’s a cleaned up version of the list:
Of course, this doesn’t necessarily mean that any of the carriers above (outside of Verizon and Vodafone) will be getting the Kin 1/Kin 2. Some could be getting exclusive Kins of their very own. Or these could just be temporary files created for demonstrating the handsets to the carriers on their own networks back when Microsoft was originally pitching them. Or some bored intern could have just created a bunch of provisioning files for the hell of it.
Just 11 months ago Brits were popping bottles of Vueve Clicquot in the streets, celebrating over the news that Hulu was packing its bags and flying over for a launch. Now, those party poppers lay in the gutter in tatters. More »
Eco Factor: Cactus gum used to purify water.
Yesterday we published a list of some of the most amazing water purifiers that can provide safe drinking water to people in the developing nations. While there is no dearth of water filters on the market, scientists from the University of South Florida have taken a more natural approach to provide potable water.
Toyota is recalling thousands of the 2003 Sequoia SUV to repair a potential stability-control problem, the company announced on Wednesday.
The recall covers 50,000 of the SUVs produced early in the 2003 model year. The problem is the stability control could activate at too slow of a speed (about 9 mph), limiting the ability of the Sequoia to accelerate.
No injuries or accidents have been reported.
Another Toyota SUV, the Lexus GX 460, was also recalled earlier this month because of a stability-control problem; it didn’t engage fast enough. Consumer Reports suggested the public not buy the SUV, a rare designation by the magazine.
The recall comes as another blow to Toyota’s previously impeccable safety record and again raises questions about its safety in the eyes of consumers.
Toyota will begin mailing notices in early May to Sequoia customers. If owners have had previous work done to the skid-control electronic-control unit, they will be reimbursed if they send their bill to Toyota.
The company made a change during production in 2003 to address the issue and sent out a service bulletin. Toyota also has been addressing concerns from individual owners since then. It’s estimated only about half of the vehicles recalled need the fix.
Steve St. Angelo, Toyota chief quality officer for North America, said in a statement: “Toyota is committed to investigating customer complaints more aggressively and to responding quickly to issues we identify in our vehicles. As a result, we are voluntarily launching this recall to ensure that as many 2003 Sequoias as possible are serviced to the full satisfaction of our customers.”
For more
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