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Filed under: Concept Cars, Coupe, Europe, BMW, Electric

At first glance, the BMW ActiveE concept is little more than a 1 Series with a questionable paint job. Seriously, the ActiveE looks like it’s been sniffing blue paint. However, should you choose to look more closely, you will notice it’s missing tailpipes. Also, someone ripped off the fuel-filler door. There’s a blue light on the back of the antenna, too. Why? Good question.

The ActiveE concept is all electric. Similar to the Mini E electric car, the ActiveE is powered by a rear-mounted electric motor that stumps up 170 horsepower and 184 pound-feet of torque, which may even be decent enough to lug the notoriously overweight 1 Series around town. BMW claims 0-60 in less than nine seconds. The juice is stored in a chained-together group of laptop batteries – quite similar to how the Tesla Roadster is set up.

Like the Mini E, BMW is planning on putting the production ActiveE into the hands of consumers who want one. Fleets, too. No word whatsoever on pricing, but expect a lease. For lots more information, read the press release after the jump.

[Source: BMW]

Continue reading Detroit 2010: BMW ActiveE concept is all charged up and ready to go

Detroit 2010: BMW ActiveE concept is all charged up and ready to go originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 11 Jan 2010 16:28:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: Detroit Auto Show, Coupe, Performance, Dodge

We heard about it in Los Angeles, and now we see it here in the D. Meet the 1:33 Edition of Dodge’s most potent ever Viper. Why the name? We’re glad you asked. Back in November, hot-shoe Dodge Chris Winkler managed to hammer the track-focused Viper ACR around Laguna Seca in 1:33.944, faster than any other production car has ever gone. Impressive, no? Only 33 of these special Vipers are being built. Here’s what makes ‘em so grand.

Thanks to new, more bonkers gearing, the 600-horsepower monster does everything faster. Try this statistic on for size: 0 to 202 miles per hour happens 14 seconds faster with this 2010 Viper ACR than the 2009 model. Can we get a wolf whistle? The 1:33 Edition also gets a unique two-tone Black Clear Coat/Red Clear Coat exterior color, the inverse of the original ACR, as well as modified end caps on its massive carbon-fiber wing, too. We’re going to miss the uncircumsized Dodge Viper (how would you describe it?), but at least it’s going out with a big bang.

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

Detroit 2010: Dodge Viper ACR 1:33 Edition a fitting end note originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 11 Jan 2010 15:59:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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ESolar, a builder of solar thermal equipment and plants, has landed what could be a $5 billion, 2-gigawatt deal in China, propelling it among the marquee names in solar, like First Solar and Solyndra. Not only is it breaking out of a pack of competitors, but also putting the U.S. on the map as a major solar thermal distributor.

Pasadena, Calif.-based ESolar will be partnering with China Shandong Penglai Electric Power Equipent Manufacturing to build a solar thermal array capable of powering more than 2 million homes. The two companies will work together to build a field of mirrors used to concentrate sunlight on heat-trapping water. The water is converted to steam, which turns turbines.

Considering how much sunny, empty land the country has, it could become the world’s first solar-thermal powerhouse. Before now, it’s relied mostly on photovoltaics — having struck a deal with First Solar for the same amount of energy in September.

Why did China go with three-year-old eSolar instead of Spain’s globally-successful Abengoa Solar , or U.S.-based BrightSource Energy (Bechtel’s choice for its 440-megwatt solar thermal plant)? Apparently, eSolar — which brought its first solar thermal plant, at just 5 megawatts, online in August — is offering terms that are easier to swallow, agreeing to license most of its technology, including software used to turn the mirrors to just the right angle based on the movement of the sun. The company has also excelled at building small, building highly effective plants to generate under 50 megawatts. This would allow China Shandong to test the technology in phases and scale it more easily.

If the project progresses as planned over the next decade, eSolar could very well become profitable, not only setting it up to become one of the first solar IPOs (First Solar is out ahead, with Solyndra potentially going next), but also establishing a bigger foothold for U.S. renewable companies in China, where the market is sure to explode in the next several years. The government has plans to generate 10,000 megawatts from solar by 2020.

This is the second major deal eSolar has closed in Asia, having signed with India’s Acme Group to build 1,000 megawatts of solar thermal capacity. It may also expand its operations to the sub-Saharan region of Africa with another recent partnership. It also has several domestic projects in the works, including one that will transmit about 245 megawatts of solar thermal power through Southern California Edison.

Despite its youth and only recent success, a lot of important people have believed in eSolar since the start — and it looks like it’s finally paying off. The company raised more that $170 million in venture funding so far from Google.org, Idealab and India’s Acme, in addition to Oak Investment Partners and NRG Energy.

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What you want for your Droid Eris: Android 2.1. What you’re actually getting: the tiniest of updates designed to fix just one bug. ROM version 1.17.605.1 is starting to make its way into the world via the phone’s over-the-air update mechanism, fixing an intermittent bad signal indicator when bringing it out of standby. Yep, that’s it — so there’d better be a much heartier update in the wings later this quarter as Big Red has previously promised.

[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]

HTC Droid Eris gets an ultra-minor update originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 11 Jan 2010 16:51:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Though its market share pales against the home teams, Motorola has maintained a continued presence in South Korea for some time — and seeing how the company is going all-in with Android globally, it makes sense that they’d be launching it here, too. Enter the alleged XT720, a localized version of the XT701 that’s seeing duty on China Unicom on the other side of the Yellow Sea. Rumor has it this will be coming to SK Telecom, but details are sketchy and conflicting: Mirae Asset Research says the phone will feature a 5 megapixel cam while the source of this picture here says it’s 8; they’re also quoting the screen as a 3.7-inch 480 x 640 unit, but clearly, it’s going to be WVGA if the pic is legit. The research firm believes we’ll see this launch next month which would likely make this the first high-end device out of Moto to feature BLUR; whether that’s a good thing or not, though, is strictly a matter of personal opinion.

Motorola XT720 spreading Android, BLUR to South Korea? originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 11 Jan 2010 16:27:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Netanya, Israel-based Siano Mobile Silicon said due to increased demand for mobile TV in China, Brazil, Russia and Korea the company has been able to raise $23.5 million in a fourth round of funding.

The six-year old company makes mobile digital TV receiver chips for cellphones, and other portable and hand-held devices for multiple standards. It works with such companies as Samsung, Motorola (NYSE: MOT), ZTE, Huawei, Mio, Garmin and Dell. Investors in the round consists of all Siano’s existing investors: JVP, DFJ-Tamir-Fishman, Star Ventures, Walden Israel, and Bessemer Venture Partners. Erel Margalit, Chairman of Siano and Managing Partner of JVP, said in a release: “Coming out of the global financial crisis around mid 2009, it was clear that the mobile DTV market has shifted gear, and from China and Brazil to Russia and Korea, the demand for Siano’s products has risen at a phenomenal rate.”

Related

• Siano Mobile Silicon Raises Third Round Of $17.5 Million
• Siano Mobile Silicon Closes $23 Million Series B Funding; Advasense Gets $6 Million

Ten Vehicle Inspectors in Las Vegas were indicted on Friday for falsifying hundreds of vehicle emissions tests, AutoBlogGreen reports.

Because the air in Las Vegas and other parts of Nevada contains levels of carbon monoxide and ozone above the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s standards, state required emissions tests are given to make sure vehicles are not contributing too much to the problem.

Inspectors have allegedly been hooking up low emission vehicles to their testing machines and attributing the passing scores to other cars that normally would fail the tests themselves. Some were falsifying scores for as little as $10 and as much as $100 per car.

If found guilty, the inspectors could face up to two years in prison and a fine of up to $250,000.

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See Also:

• A Wealthier Nation Doesn’t Mean Less Pollution
• EPA/DOE 2009 Fuel Economy Guide

Throughout my tenure in the Illinois Senate, one of my principal goals has been to improve the quality of education for thousands of students who go to school across the state. As former Chairperson of the Education Committee and now as Assistant Majority Leader in the Senate, I have worked with colleagues to find ways to secure more equitable funding statewide for our schools. It is my firm belief that investing in education is essential to building a bright future for the State of

Illinois.

This is a really fantastic idea—boots with a set of reversible cleats on the foot and heel that can prevent slips on snow and ice. When you are heading indoors, just flip it over to hide the steel studs.

The whole mechanism is set flush into a groove on the sole, so it should be as comfortable to walk in as a standard boot. Plus, they are made from waterproofed leather for added protection. The boots aren’t cheap at $200, but it’s better than breaking your ass in the driveway. [Hammacher via Crunchgear]

The crime: identity theft. The location: the Android Market. The weapon: a free “banking” app. The lesson: you should be terrified at all times, of all things, even if Google says you shouldn’t be.

Downloading your bank’s mobile app seemed like a surefire way to avoid stumbling into a phishing scam. It was the prudent thing to do! Until this week, when malicious software masquerading as an official First Tech Credit Union banking app wormed its way into the Android Market. Of course, when I say “wormed” I really mean “strode more or less undisturbed,” because that’s what you do in the Android Market—approvals take hours, not days, and the inspection process seems to be cursory, at best.

This doesn’t highlight a problem so much as a tradeoff: do you want your primary app resource to be mostly unfiltered and non-exclusive, so no company can tell you what you can or can’t download, but where you’re possibly exposed to scam apps like this? Or do you need to be held in the warm, protective breast of a multination corporation, guarded by its app approval minions, who go over every app with a fine-tooth comb?

Either way, its worth noting that this is only somewhat indicative of a weakness in the Android Market concept, because it shouldn’t have happened—they theoretically screen for malicious apps. But it did, so at the very least be more scared careful. [First Tech Credit Union via AndroidGuys]

Have you ever felt like your breasts are too small? Do your breasts seem too big or like they sag too much? Do your breasts seem like they are not the same size? If any of these questions apply to you then you would be a good candidate for one of these Breast Surgeries.

Breast Augmentation is good for women who feel they have small breasts, sagging breasts or Asymmetrical breasts and this procedure can correct these problems through changing the shape, size, and feel of their breasts with breast implants.

Breast Reduction is a good procedure for women who have over-sized breasts or they are over-sized and not equal. Breast Reduction can change the size of the breasts by getting rid of the excess breast tissue and repositioning the nipple and areola to a higher and more normal position.

For anyone looking to learn more about these procedures, I have found a site that should be very useful in helping people find the information they want to know about these Breast Surgeries

If you’ve ever used Windows MediaCenter, you are likely familiar with MyMovies a popular Movie metadata cataloging and management add-on for MediaCenter.  SageTV has some of these capabilities now with various add-ons, but lacking some key features that MyMovies users have had.  Thanks to third party developer, PluckyHD that’s about to change.  PluckyHD, the developer of SageMovieWall is developing a MyMovies program that works with the MyMovies database and add-ons!

What is MyMovies?

In a nutshell, MyMovies is a movie collection & cataloging program that enables the user to easily browse and play your movies, browse cast members, play movie trailers and much more all with your remote control.  It brings in the metadata automatically into your HTPC and allows for easy management of that data for your movie collection

Read on for more about what MyMovies brings to SageTV – after the jump:

What Would the New MyMovies Program add to SageTV?

All of the functionality that MyMovies offers to MediaCenter users would also be available to SageTV users through this port.  That includes the movie “database” management which pulls in the metadata (movie information), photos such as DVD covers, dynamic filtering etc.

Another nice advantage of having MyMovies for SageTV is that it makes it easier for a MediaCenter user or a SageTV user to switch or at least “test” the other HTPC platform without having to re-do all of your movie metadata.

Here’s a quick summary of the things MyMovies would add to SageTV:

• Full extender support – will work on HD100 and HD200 extenders!
• Improved movie collection management with a much more mature product (around over 4 years and built by media center community)
• Multi-disc/series box set support
• Cost is Free – The core product support of mymovies is free to the user. Additional features may require some donations or contributions to the community.
• SageTV MyMovies Add-on will be Free – PluckyHD wants to make it clear that he is making no money and not accepting donations from porting this to SageTV.
• High res covers and backdrops by user selection.
• Choose different versions of a movie on-the-fly (ie collectors/unrated etc etc)
• Dynamic Filtering and Custom Categories for movies
• Movie Trailer Support
• Supports Local Trailer Playback & Custom Intros before the movies starts.
• Parental Control/Lockout features!
• Full Support for existing & future MyMovies Customizations – see a little about those customizations here

Another nice feature for SageTV users is that you’re able to keep all metadata named and stored in the same fashion as you do with SageTV using BMI (a SageTV-centric metadata add-on).

When Will It Be Ready?

The developer is working diligently on this port of MyMovies to SageTV now.  It isn’t ready quite yet and there isn’t an exact ETA although there has been talk of a possible beta in the coming month or two.  Feel free to comment to this post if you’re interested in this add-on – he needs the extra encouragement as this is a very time-intensive project.

Screenshots Anyone?

I’m dropping in a few screenshots.  These are early ones so they will likely change some – but should give you a great idea of how MyMovies for SageTV will look.  Suggestions on changes to these are welcome since he’s still working on them.

Questions or Comments?

For now post your questions here in the comments.  Please don’t direct these to Brian, the main MyMovies developer as PluckyHD will handle questions and suggestions.

You can direct your comments, questions and requests by comment in this post below or at the official SageTV Forum Thread about MyMovies for SageTV

Damian over at MediaSmartServer.net has experience with MyMovies and has posted his take on the news.