Well, up until now, I have had no major diabetic complications. However, I have recently started getting weird nerve sensations in my feet. When I move my feet or wiggle my toes, I get a little jolt in my feet (both feet). It is the same sensation as touching a battery or getting a little electrical zing. I do have some very mild constant foot pain on the top of my feet. I assumed this was probably from wearing the wrong shoes, but now I’m wondering if it could be something more with the addition of the nerve thing that’s going on.
Can anyone tell me if this sounds like a diabetic complication (possibly neuropathy?) or if they have had a similar experience? I have an appointment with my endo on Tuesday and will definitely bring this up, but wanted to see if you guys had any input in the meantime.
Great technology improvements over the past decade have proven again that innovation serves as the best currency for progress against our greatest challenges. Terrific new tools and applications in information technology have been on display everywhere during the holidays; green tech ideas abound offering great promise; and even in the more prolonged R&D world of biopharma, we have seen important advancements across a wide variety of diseases. Other better-versed contributors undoubtedly will expand on specific achievements, and what is in the pipeline for the exciting decade ahead.
All these areas of technological innovation are unified by the challenges and opportunities arising from their underlying intellectual property framework. With the “innovation economy” serving as the future driver of our economic well-being, and technological solutions central in finding solutions in energy, health, communications and more, IP has become the critical rudder for the 21st century economy. Alongside our focus on the specific innovations that we will see in the coming decade, we need to more transparently and aggressively understand, expand, address and deploy IP models and methods.
IP unfortunately still remains primarily in the domain of lawyers, innovators and funders, often misunderstood, abused or ignored by the general public, sales channels or policy-makers. Over the past 30 years we have witnessed a remarkable change in the amount of professional attention toward the field: law schools across the country now offering specialized IP programs; thousands of dedicated IP legal and consultancy firms around the world; many new laws, policies, cases, books and articles on the topic; and a modest recognition by the general public that that such rights exist based on the IP noise made in the online media world.
We now must build on those advancements to more effectively educate broadly what intellectual property means to both individuals and our society. We now must address some of the toughest great debates troubling the field (and the related technologies), such as the fundamental conflicts over online content, the appropriate role of IP protection in the context of global health and development, or the rights and obligations that arise from supra-sovereign technology solutions arising in energy and climate change. We now must also be more creative in using IP as a tool for further progress, innovation and positive social change, instead of primarily a defensive sword for protection of vested interests.
Some of the world’s biggest challenges will only be solved by more creative thinking in this regard. For instance, we will meet the challenges of climate change not only through massive policy shifts, but through technology innovations in which we must both reward the innovator and ensure the innovations are shared broadly, quickly and effectively, often across national borders. Reliance only on markets and existing IP infrastructures will not be adequate to meet these demands. Similarly, as we address some of the world’s most troubling global health challenges – whether pandemic flu outbreaks, malaria or TB vaccines, or innovations in therapeutics or diagnostics – engaging more private sector players on terms that both allow for their most aggressive participation and yet ensure the global access to the discoveries for the world’s poor, will force us to engage in new and better ways to manage the rights and obligations arising from these innovations. The same might be said for more still-forming world of online and social media, where the rules of the road are so dynamic that the law is simply not keeping pace with the technologies.
How all this will play out in the coming decades remains unclear. But I would place a big bet that at least as much attention, debate, and opportunity for change and innovation exist in how we think about and manage ownership and distribution of technology, as in the technologies themselves. As we commence the second decade of the 21st century, more attention, analysis and education should be paid to this defining characteristic of our times.
[Editor’s Note: This is part of a series of posts from Xconomists and other technology leaders from around the country who are weighing in with the top innovations they’ve seen in their respective fields the past 10 years, or the top disruptive technologies that will impact the next decade.]
Can you believe it? Another CES has come and gone — and the crew of Engadget was there to capture all the highs and the lows. If you haven’t been keeping track of things, this year was an insanely jam-packed frenzy of gadgety goodness. Our team bounced between the towering monuments to 3D TV, a boatload of smartbooks, netbooks, and tablets, an unexpected deluge of “superphones” and smartphones, and the requisite helping of crazy Crapgadgets and mountains of new laptops with the style and grace of a ballerina on opening night. Of course, we captured all of that madness on the pages (and pages, and pages) of Engadget, blowing it out with our biggest CES showing ever and putting a bunch of our new redesign elements into play to get news to you guys faster. But like all awesome things, they must come to an end, and after a week in Las Vegas, everyone is definitely ready to truck it on home. We wanted to leave our readers with a taste of what CES was like for us (including some awesome video of senior editor Thomas Ricker breaking it down). We also want to shout out a big thank you to you guys and girls for coming to the site every day and making this our biggest and best CES ever. You absolutely rule forever.
We caught up with Else at CES to check on how they’re doing with the First Else since we last saw them back in November. According to CTO Eldad Eilam, the basic functions of the ALP-based phone are finally done and dusted, so now Else will mainly focus on fine-tuning its snazzy visual effects until beta around the end of March. There’s no doubt that it’s also finalizing plans — pricing, content distribution, and remote sync service, etc.– with various partners in the US and Europe. If you happen to be in Asia, then sorry — apparently Else has no intention to visit you guys just yet, but you might get lucky if you sneak into Sharp’s factories in Japan or China. For the rest of us, we shall continuously gaze at our hands-on videos until First Else’s expected end-of-Q2 launch — we’ve got a new one for you after the break.
As it prepares to pay out big bonuses to employees, Goldman Sachs is considering expanding a program that would require executives and top managers to give a certain percentage of their earnings to charity.
The move would be the latest in a series of initiatives by Goldman to soften criticism over the size of its bonuses, which are expected to be among the largest on Wall Street, bringing average pay to about $595,000 for each employee — with far higher amounts for top performers.
Goldman set aside $16.7 billion for compensation in the first nine months of 2009, and in good years, the firm dedicates about three-quarters of its compensation budget to year-end bonuses. The firm is expected to report later this month what could be record profit of about $12 billion for 2009, according to analysts’ estimates, compared with $11.7 billion in 2007. Its final compensation pool and executive bonuses will be announced then.
The firm said last month that its 30 most senior executives would be paid bonuses all in stock, but the bank placed no limit on how large those bonuses might be.
While the details of the latest charity initiative are still under discussion, the firm’s executives have been looking at expanding their current charitable requirements for months and trying to understand whether such gestures would damp public anger over pay, according to a person familiar with the matter who did not want to be identified because of the delicacy of the pay issue.
The charity idea would be similar to a decades-long program at the failed investment bank Bear Stearns, which required more than 1,000 of its top workers to give 4 percent of their pay to charity each year and then checked their tax returns to ensure compliance.
Assuming a similar percentage and level of participation, that would mean Goldman’s top employees would commit to giving hundreds of millions of dollars to charity, though the precise amount would depend on the level of contributions and the number of workers who are required to take part.
It could not be determined whether Goldman would create a new program for its mandated giving or run it through Goldman Sachs Gives, which oversees donor-directed charity funds for Goldman workers. That program was created in 2007, weeks before Goldman paid its chief executive, Lloyd C. Blankfein, $68 million for that year. It required Goldman’s 400 or so partners to give an undisclosed amount to charity each year on their own or through the program.
Goldman declined to comment.
Amid a growing public outcry over big bonuses at Goldman and other Wall Street banks, Goldman in October said the firm itself would donate $200 million to its charitable foundation, nearly doubling its size. (The foundation is separate from GS Gives.) It also created a $500 million fund to lend to small businesses, a sector that has suffered in the tight credit environment. The plan will be overseen in part by Warren E. Buffett, who is a large Goldman investor.
Moreover, the firm — which initially was on track to pay closer to $650,000 to $700,000 on average to its workers — has scaled back planned bonuses by cutting the amount of revenue set aside for compensation, apparently in response to negative public reaction. People familiar with the matter said that Goldman was planning to further reduce the portion of revenue dedicated to compensation in the fourth quarter.
Still, these moves have done little to quell criticism of banker bonuses, and it is unclear if Goldman’s latest idea, if adopted, would alter the public mood and the feeling in Washington that big pay packages are inappropriate given the troubled economy.
On Sunday, Christina D. Romer, head of the president’s top economic council, said on CNN’s “State of the Union” that it was “ridiculous” that banks planned to pay out billions in bonuses for last year.
The payout, she said, “is going to offend the American people. It offends me.”
For their work in 2008, 953 Goldman employees were paid more than $1 million each; the bank accepted $10 billion in federal bailout cash, though it has since repaid the money, as have most other banks, freeing them of government limits on compensation.
Goldman, like its peers, is caught between conflicting constituencies. The bank cut worker pay somewhat last year, and some employees may leave for hedge funds or private equity firms if they are not paid handsomely for their contributions to the firm’s profits. Some shareholders, however, want the bank to divert more of its money to them as dividends, though others think it should pay to keep workers happy.
In the meantime, the public has little sympathy for bankers expecting compensation to return to previous levels.
The most important public relations tactic Goldman and other banks may use, headhunters said, is to instruct their employees to keep their heads down.
“They’ll try to make sure their people aren’t going out and celebrating their financial wins,” said Maurice Toueg, a recruiter with Capstone Partnership.
We have finally arrived in Detroit for the 2010 North American International Auto Show. Welcoming us to Motor City is the new 2012 Ford Focus, which will enter production in Europe and North America in late 2010 with sales to begin in early 2011. Africa and South America production will follow.
The new Focus is just one of the 10 models that will be built on the Dearborn automaker’s C-car platform. The platform is expected to generate total sales in all regions of 2 million units annually by 2012. Ford says that the “new Focus will be nearly identical in all markets, with 80 percent parts commonality around the world.” The 2012 Focus has been developed by a global team that was headed by Ford of Europe’s small and medium vehicle center in Merkenich, near Cologne, Germany. Powertrain development was led by Ford’s technical center in Dunton, England.
Besides the sleek, stylish and sporty, both, the sedan and 5-door hatchback body styles of the new 2012 Focus feature a completely redesigned interior that has us anxious to sit inside of. Other than the new MyFord Touch driver connect technology SYNC and the 8-inch touch screen, the 2012 Focus gets keyless entry and, “Ford Power” start button, a rearview camera and a semi-automatic self parallel parking system.
Power for the 2012 Focus comes from a new 2.0L DI Ti-VCT engine making 155-hp and a peak torque of 145 lb-ft. The engine also contributes to fuel-economy gains of more than 10 percent. The engine is mated to Ford’s latest dry-clutch 6-speed Ford PowerShift automatic transmission. The transmission features a dual-clutch design, which will help reduce fuel consumption by up to 9 percent compared to the 4-speed automatic.
Ford has also confirmed a battery-electric version of the new Focus in 2011, the company’s first battery-electric passenger vehicle. The model will be produced at Ford’s Michigan Assembly Complex, for sales in North America. An EcoBoost model is also planned.
Join us later today when we bring you live images of the 2012 Ford Focus from the 2010 Detroit Auto Show.
Click through for the high-res image gallery and the press release.
2012 Ford Focus:
Press Release:
DYNAMIC NEXT-GENERATION FORD FOCUS DEBUTS
• Next-generation Ford Focus makes its worldwide debut at 2010 North American International Auto Show (NAIAS) in Detroit
• Focus spearheads Ford’s new generation of global C-cars, all based on a common platform that will underpin up to 10 vehicles around the world and account for 2 million units of annual production by 2012
• Stylish new range provides customers with class-leading new technologies, features and craftsmanship
• New Focus targets exceptional fuel economy, and advances acclaimed levels of driving quality
• New range will start production simultaneously in Europe and North America in late 2010 and go on sale early in 2011. Asia, Africa and South America production will follow
DETROIT, Jan. 11, 2010 – The next-generation Ford Focus makes its worldwide debut providing customers with more affordable technologies and features than ever in this segment, as well as detailed craftsmanship, outstanding fuel economy and a new standard for driving quality.
Sleek, stylish and sporty, both the four-door sedan and five-door hatchback body styles of the next-generation Focus are previewed prior to their production start for Europe and North America late in 2010 and market launch early in 2011.
The new Focus will be nearly identical in all markets, with 80 percent parts commonality around the world.
“The new Ford Focus is a clear demonstration that our ONE Ford strategy is providing global consumers with great products that harness the best of Ford Motor Company,” said Alan Mulally, Ford’s president and CEO.
“The efficiencies generated by our new global C-car platform will enable us to provide Ford Focus customers with an affordable product offering quality, fuel efficiency, safety and technology beyond their expectations,” he added.
Simultaneous launch in Europe and North America Production of the next-generation Ford Focus will begin simultaneously in Europe and North America in late 2010, with individual market launches starting early in 2011. Launches in Asia, Africa and South America will follow. Initial production will be concentrated at the Saarlouis (Germany), Michigan (United States) and Chongqing (China) Assembly Plants.
The new Focus will be one of up to 10 unique models to be built from Ford’s new C-car platform, which is expected to generate total sales in all regions of 2 million units annually by 2012. The first of these will be the new Ford C-MAX and Ford Grand C-MAX – unveiled at the 2009 Frankfurt Motor Show – for launch in Europe in the second half of 2010.
“Global customers increasingly want smaller cars with outstanding fuel economy, but without sacrificing any of the style, technology, connectivity and driving quality they demand from larger vehicles,” explained Derrick Kuzak, Ford’s group vice president of Global Product Development.
“Our next generation of C-cars – led by the exciting new Focus – will clearly show that Ford is ready to meet that challenge,” said Kuzak.
Engineered without compromise The new Ford Focus has been developed by a global team, led from Ford’s European small and medium vehicle center of excellence in Merkenich, near Cologne, Germany, with powertrain development led by a similar team at Ford’s technical center in Dunton, England. The vehicle has been engineered without compromise to meet all customer and legislative requirements of the major worldwide markets.
In developing the vehicle for global markets, the product team in Europe was able to call on the experience acquired from recent programs like the much-acclaimed new Ford Fiesta, and was supported by the expertise of vehicle and powertrain technology specialists located in Ford’s engineering center in Dearborn, Mich.
Ford’s global development and sourcing strategy made it possible to provide a level of performance and feature content that is unrivaled for this vehicle segment and surprising even to drivers of larger, more premium vehicles.
Taking kinetic design to the next level The no-compromise approach to the new Ford Focus is immediately evident from the striking exterior design of the four-door sedan and five-door hatchback models that take center stage at the 2010 NAIAS.
“The all-new Focus is at the center of convergence for automotive trends,” said J Mays, Ford group vice president of Design and chief creative officer. “We’ve designed it with an acute understanding of global customers, yet it’s tailored for each individual region. Focus combines the best from Europe, North America and Asia to deliver a level of emotional driving enjoyment never before experienced in a car this size.”
The two models share a sporty and dynamic character, marking the next evolution of Ford’s acclaimed kinetic design form language, which has contributed to the growing popularity of the company’s latest small and medium cars.
The kinetic design approach uses bold vehicle designs to capture the feeling of energy in motion, so that cars look like they are moving – even when they are standing still.
With its striking front end, sleek profile, dramatic rising beltline and athletic stance, the new Focus clearly telegraphs the rewarding driving experience that awaits customers when they take to the road.
This dynamic quality is reinforced by the distinctive design of the interior. The new Focus has an extremely modern, cockpit-style interior, with the stylish center console wrapped around the driver and providing outstanding access to the vehicle’s major controls and display panels.
A key element of the interior is the quality of craftsmanship. The cabin’s bold and contemporary graphics, the sculptured shape of the soft-touch instrument panel and the choice of superior trim materials all help to give occupants the feeling that they are traveling in a premium-class car.
Unmatched driving quality When it was introduced in 1998, the original Ford Focus brought new levels of agility and responsiveness to the C-segment. The all-new Focus plans to raise the benchmark once more, targeting class-leading driving quality that blends outstanding steering precision and road feedback with significantly improved refinement and ride control.
To deliver this performance, engineers have updated the innovative suspension concepts from prior models, developing optimized new designs for the “control blade” multilink rear suspension and the semi-isolated front and rear subframes.
The chassis design is complemented by a completely new Electric Power Assist Steering system, which has been carefully tuned to deliver pure and precise responses at high speed while remaining light and maneuverable for parking.
Ford’s European driving dynamics specialists have also enhanced cornering stability and agility with the introduction of an advanced Dynamic Cornering Control system, which uses “torque vectoring” techniques to transfer power between the drive wheels to deliver reduced understeer, improved traction and better turn-in.
All global customers will benefit from the same quality of dynamic performance in the new Focus. Identical chassis and suspension architecture is being used for all markets, except for minor regional tuning differences, such as local tire specifications.
Efficient powertrains deliver performance with outstanding economy The engaging driver appeal of the new Ford Focus is magnified by a powertrain range that delivers spirited performance and targets outstanding levels of fuel economy and CO2 emissions.
The global powertrain lineup for the new Focus will include a range of state-of-the-art Ford EcoBoost™ four-cylinder turbocharged direct injection (DI) engines – including the 1.6-liter unit in Europe and a choice of advanced and improved Duratorq TDCi common-rail diesel engines, all of which offer reductions in fuel consumption of between 10 and 20 percent compared to the outgoing models.
For the NAIAS preview, Ford is showing a completely new 2.0-liter gasoline engine for the North American market that features DI and Twin Independent Variable Camshaft Timing (Ti-VCT) for enhanced performance and fuel efficiency. The new 2.0-liter DI Ti-VCT engine is up to 20 horsepower more powerful than the current 2.0 Duratec I-4 unit while contributing to projected fuel economy gains of more than 10 percent.
To maximize the performance and economy advantage enjoyed by the new Focus, the 2.0-liter DI Ti-VCT engine is mated with the latest dry-clutch six-speed Ford PowerShift automatic transmission. This transmission uses an advanced dual-clutch design, which alone can help to reduce fuel consumption by up to 9 percent compared to a traditional four-speed automatic.
The dry-clutch PowerShift transmission is based on more efficient manual gearbox technology, and does not require the additional weight and complexity of torque converters, planetary gears and oil pumps used in conventional automatics. Electronically controlled twin clutches shift gears quickly and smoothly, providing the seamless flow of torque plus the refinement and ease of operation customers expect from a premium automatic transmission.
Ford also has confirmed plans to begin building a full, battery electric vehicle in 2011 at its Michigan Assembly Complex, for sales in North America. It will be the company’s first battery electric passenger vehicle.
Intuitive technology enhances convenience and safety The next-generation Focus will bring C-segment customers around the world an exciting array of advanced technologies generally found in larger, more premium vehicles. The global scale of Ford’s C-car program makes more technologies and features economically viable than ever before for cars in this segment.
The technology package of the new Focus promises not only clear leadership in the C-segment, but also includes features customers in larger, more premium segments would find surprising.
The new technologies have been designed to be simple and highly intuitive to use, while enhancing both convenience and safety for the vehicle occupants.
Within the cockpit, the most significant innovation is the company’s next-generation driver connect technology, MyFord, which provides the driver with a state-of-the-art combination of controls and display screens to operate the key vehicle features. On high series vehicles, the MyFord system includes an 8-inch touch screen, allowing the driver to control a wide range of functions via a clear and intuitive color display.
MyFord is complemented by a new generation of Ford’s powerful SYNC® connectivity package, which includes a sophisticated voice control system, Bluetooth and satellite navigation, along with connection points for a wide variety of external devices and media players.
Other available safety and convenience technologies include keyless entry and “Ford Power” start button, a rearview camera and a semi-automatic parallel parking system that automatically steers the vehicle into a parking spot.
Strength and safety The Focus platform provides an incredibly strong and stiff structure, which not only benefits vehicle dynamics and refinement but also provides the basis for enhanced crash performance.
High-strength steels are used extensively in the next-generation Focus body shell. High-strength steels comprise 55 percent of the body shell, and more than 26 percent of the vehicle’s structure is formed from ultra-high-strength and Boron steels – significantly more than any other Ford product. These advanced materials help the structure meet the most stringent crash legislation across world markets, while minimizing the vehicle’s weight.
The structural integrity of the body shell is also reflected in its torsional rigidity, which is 25 percent greater than the current North American Focus.
Quality and craftsmanship in every detail With global customers now demanding a more premium experience from small- and medium-sized vehicles, achieving outstanding levels of quality and craftsmanship was a primary objective for the new Focus.
The new Focus will make significant strides in reducing cabin noise, promising a quiet cabin environment. This refinement complements the fresh new interior design and higher craftsmanship levels to create a premium feel akin to larger vehicles.
Each component in the vehicle that the customer will touch, see, hear or even smell has been subjected to rigorous analysis to ensure that it will exceed an owner’s expectations. Particular attention has been given to the quality of interior trim materials, and the color matching, gaps, flushness and tolerances where one part meets another.
Across the majority of vehicle attributes, Ford has developed a global DNA standard that defines the exact attributes a part should have to meet the quality requirements of the brand. Examples include the sound the door makes when it is closed, requiring special attention to the door structure and latch mechanism, and the design of a steering wheel, right down to the thickness of padding and size of stitching on the rim.
This meticulous attention to detail is also reflected in Ford’s global manufacturing strategy for the Focus, with consistent standards and processes being applied in every one of the assembly plants, wherever they are located in the world.
“We believe the new Ford Focus will provide consumers with an unmatched driving experience, together with an unrivaled ownership experience,” said Jim Farley, Ford group vice president, Global Marketing. “The Focus brand always has been very special to Ford, and this new global model shows our commitment to developing another generation of exciting and appealing cars.”
On the eve of the 2010 Detroit Auto Show, GMC introduced its new Granite Concept, a study that hints at what’s next for the “professional grade” brand. A full 2 feet smaller than the GMC Terrain, General Motors says that the Granite would be the smallest GMC ever – if it’s ever produced.
Sitting on a wheelbase that extends 103.6-inches and measuring 161.3-inches x 70.3-inches x 60.5-inches, the GMC Granite is intended to compete with vehicles like the Scion xB, Nissan Cube and Kia Soul.
While being the smallest GMC ever, the inside of the GMC Granite Concept offers generous cargo space and unique flipping/folding seats. GM says that a mountain bike can be loaded completely inside with the tailgate closed. The Granite provides room for four passengers with a prominent center console that runs between the front and rear seats. The center console features outlets and ports to plug in portable electronic devices, as well as storage compartments large enough for a laptop computer.
Power for the new GMC Granite Concept comes from a 1.4L 4-cylinder turbocharged engine (optional on the 2011 Chevrolet Cruze) making 138-hp and 148 lb-ft of torque. It is mated to a 6-speed automatic transmission.
Hit the jump for the press release and the high-res image gallery.
GMC Granite Concept:
Press Release:
Industrial-Inspired GMC Granite Concept Makes A Solid Statement About Style And Function
DETROIT – Combining a decidedly urban-industrial design aesthetic with functionality aimed at young professionals, the GMC Granite concept takes the brand’s trademark capability in a new, more progressive direction. It was introduced at the 2010 North American International Auto Show in Detroit.
If brought to market, the Granite would be the smallest GMC ever – but has been optimized to feel much larger. Its length is a full 2 feet (0.6 m) shorter than the new Terrain compact crossover, but its open interior was designed to be spacious and flexible to fit the needs of active people. Generous cargo space and unique flipping/folding seats, for example, enable a mountain bike to be loaded completely inside with the tailgate closed.
“Granite was conceived as a new type of vehicle from GMC – one that could stretch people’s ideas of what a GMC can be,” said Lisa Hutchinson, product marketing director for GMC. “We call it an ‘urban utility vehicle’ and our goal was redefining what the GMC name could mean to a new generation of customers looking for both bold design and functionality.”
Like GMC’s current lineup of trucks, SUVs and crossovers, the Granite delivers style and capability, with advanced features, high-quality materials and exceptional attention to detail. An industrial-influenced exterior is combined with a spacious interior that features precise instruments and leading-edge technology. The climate system, navigation and infotainment technologies, for example, are viewed via an extra-wide, next-generation organic light-emitting diode technology that is more dynamic than the conventional screens used in most production vehicles.
“We think of the Granite as the automotive equivalent of an urban loft apartment,” said Dave Lyon, executive director of North American Interior and Global Cross-Brand Design. “The exterior has an unmistakable industrial look, but the interior is warm and personalized.”
Power for the Granite concept comes from a 1.4L turbocharged engine that is part of GM’s new family of small-displacement, highly efficient four-cylinder engines. It is matched with a six-speed transmission.
Industrial-inspired exterior
A cadre of young designers drew upon the preferences of young, urban professionals like themselves, who are very social and active. They are more likely to take friends to clubs and load outdoor gear on weekend excursions than to haul lumber or tow a boat. With those requirements in mind, they sketched out the dimensions of the Granite accordingly. Its 103.6-inch (2,631 mm) wheelbase is comparable to a Chevrolet Cobalt, but its 161.3-inch (4,097 mm) overall length is more than a foot shorter. Its size gives the Granite exceptional maneuverability, even within narrow urban streets.
The Granite’s comparatively short body length is complemented by a wide, 70.3-inch (1,786 mm) overall width and a tall, 60.5-inch (1,536 mm) height. Those dimensions create unique proportions that depart dramatically from conventional minivan, SUV or crossover designs. “The Design team leveraged the best attributes from different segments: SUV, minivan and crossover, and mixed them with a commercial chic aesthetic. We feel this redefines the premium class of vehicles we call urban utility vehicles,” said Lyon.
Granite has four doors, hinged on each side to open like a set of French doors. There’s no pillar between the front and rear doors, making the Granite easier to enter, exit and load, even with bulky items.
“We gave the Granite a bold yet appealing design that truly makes a styling statement,” said Juho Suh, exterior design manager. “For a new generation of urban professionals, it delivers the look and functionality they need.”
In keeping with the vehicle’s urban theme, the exterior of the Granite has a series of complex, intersecting planes and angles, creating the impression of an industrial machine – an object created out of necessity, but admired for its precision and functional aesthetics.
A forward-angling motif that cuts through the door panels, starting high and behind the doors and cutting to the center of the front door, suggests motion, as does a high beltline and tapered side glass. A rear spoiler is integrated into the roof and extends slightly above the rear glass. Other angles and planes of the exterior appear carefully metal-crafted.
Up front, GMC’s signature grille design is flanked by headlamps that sweep back into the fenders, further suggesting motion. The headlamps and fog lamps are set at the far edges of the front-end bodywork, accentuating the Granite’s planted stance. At the rear, the vehicle’s planes and angles come together tightly, showing careful attention to detail. Other exterior elements include prominent taillamps with a multi-layer appearance and LED lighting technology; and a centered exhaust outlet with a brushed metal tip.
There is no chrome on the exterior of the Granite; all the trim has a satin or brushed metal finish, accenting the industrial look. Large, 20-inch wheels – wrapped in Bridgestone tires – were tailored within the fenders for a low, sporty stance. The exterior color of the Granite is metallic gray that evokes the look of the material for which this concept was named.
Mechanically minded, highly functional interior
The interior was inspired by the design of aircraft-type mechanical instruments and precision tools. That is most apparent on the dashboard and instrument cluster, where gauges were modeled after finely crafted timepieces. A compass incorporated into the “barrel” surrounding the speedometer moves with every turn of the vehicle, providing an at-a-glance directional confirmation. “Our goal was not to hide but to show how this vehicle is put together, and the high quality of its craftsmanship, not unlike the finest industrial-inspired luxury time pieces,” said Lyon.
Red backlighting illuminates the gauges, while a panel of organic light-emitting diode screens is the foundation for the vehicle’s navigation, infotainment, phone and climate control readouts. The screens represent the next generation in vehicle information displays, with bright, multidimensional readouts and intuitive controls that give the Granite a modern feel.
Integrated within Granite are unmistakable GMC cues, including a center stack wing motif similar to that of the new GMC Terrain. A prominent center console runs between the front and rear seats, with ports to plug in popular portable electronic devices, as well as storage compartments large enough for a laptop computer.
The center console also houses a unique transmission shifter. Rather than a handle that actuates within a conventional gate, it is a simple, space-saving knob that rotates with the precise clicks of a torque wrench. The gear selections are confirmed via LED indicators.
Among the most functional elements of the Granite concept are reconfigurable seats. The front passenger and right rear seats flip up and fold in toward the center console, creating a long, unobstructed storage space. The Granite functionally addresses the needs of young professionals and their activities without compromises.
The cargo area includes a number of compartments to store items out of sight. Cargo hold-down provisions are built into the cargo area and the seatbacks have clasps that can be used when the seats are upright or folded to help secure cargo.
The Granite’s interior is finished with dark tones on the bottom and complementing, lighter colors on top, including suede-like Nubuck material on the seats and instrument panel. The interior is further accented by satin-finish and anodized trim. The instrument panel gives the impression of a command console, with driver-focused instruments and controls set in an anodized panel.
“The look, feel and functionality of the instrument panel remind you of a fine instrument or tool,” said Lyon. “Indeed, the Granite is like that – a precision instrument wrapped in a protective, industrial case.”
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Bravo — the network that brought us Top Chef and The Real Housewives franchise — has announced the debut of Kell on Earth, a new reality series starring fashion industry publicist Kelly Cutrone.
We’ve got a sneak peek of the fashion-forward hellraiser on MTV hits like The Hills and The City, but now the PR guru is getting her own docu-soap. Kell on Earth, which debuts Feb. 1, follows the sharp-tongued brunette as she juggles running her New York-based People’s Revolution public relations, branding and marketing firm with her role as a single mom.
“If you’re sensitive, if somebody hurt your feelings, hey I don’t give a f&ck!”
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Why in January – a month set aside for recovering from the excesses of the holiday season – thousands of people would fly to Las Vegas for a gigantic tradeshow. Why they’d even consider spending four days wandering around an aircraft hanger filled with vastly oversized television sets, or sitting through endless product launches that are being simulcast online anyway.
Why they’d subject themselves to three nights of well drinks at a succession of disappointing after-parties before passing out in overpriced, soulless hotel rooms that charge $10 a day for wifi. Frankly why they’d willingly submit themselves to any of those horrors when they could simulate the entire experience from home simply by wiring a thousand dollars to Steve Wynn, dropping a tab of acid and then heading to Best Buy with a hooker.
Still, there was a moment earlier this week when I thanked the gods that CES exists. And that was the moment when Heather Harde emailed Sarah and me, politely but firmly informing us that we were introducing this year’s Crunchies. CES clashes directly with the Crunchies, an overlap that at least meant fewer people would be in San Francisco to witness the inevitable train wreck of us standing on stage, trying to make jokes about Twitter.
Which is not to say that we didn’t do our best to write a non-trainwrecky introduction. On the contrary, the day before the ceremony we decamped to the lobby of the W Hotel for two whole hours where – fuelled by Champagne (Sarah) and cheeseburgers (me) – we brainstormed ideas. We are after all, professionals.
“How about this? ‘Hello and welcome the Crunchies. We want to start with a couple of jokes about Spotify, mainly because if we wait until the end they’ll probably be out of business’”.
“Meh. It’s only funny ‘cos it’s true.”
“Good point. Okay, how about a Bing joke? Are there any Bing jokes?”
“No. But I just got another email from Heather. She says she’s willing to dress up in a gorilla suit if we think it’ll be funny.”
“It may yet come to that. What else is funny?”
“People slipping on banana skins are funny.”
“People slipping on banana skins are funny.”
“Shall we do that?”
“No.”
Still at least by agreeing to open the show, our night’s work would be over after four minutes and we could head out to the auditorium to watch the award presentations. Like hundreds of thousands of other people, I’d cast my votes in the awards – although I’d completely forgotten for whom – and so was eagerly anticipating the results. More specifically I was looking forward to bitching when my preferred winners inevitably failed to even scrape in as runners up. (My inability to pick winners is just one of the many reasons why I made a terrible book publisher.)
Sure enough, barely ten minutes into the main event, I found myself gripping the arms of my chair and gnashing my teeth in frustration and despair as yet another of my votes turned out to be for nought. “The Nook as best gadget?! No one even has a Nook!”
Talking to friends after the after-party, I realised I wasn’t alone: almost everyone I ran into had a complaint about at least one of the results. But, then again, that’s how it was supposed to be. The whole point of the Crunchies is that they’re voted for by the public – the readers of TechCrunch, GigaOm and Venture Beat – and as such they represent the wisdom of the crowd, not some cabal of Silicon Valley insiders – soi-disant experts, out of touch with what services and apps the real Internet users use. Vox populi, vox dei.
Sure.
Okay.
That kind of democra-fetishism might make sense for consumer awards like The Webbies – which, perversely, are awarded by a cabal of insiders – but it’s completely ludicrous for an event specifically aimed at industry professionals. Don’t get me wrong, there are some seriously smart and well-informed people who read TechCrunch – you, dear reader, are one of them. But for every one of you, there is your polar opposite: the kind of knuckle-dragging jizz-wit who is – even as we speak – scrolling down to the comments to ask what, exactly, about this column is Not Safe For Work. And I have no reason to believe that the same ratio of smart to dumb isn’t true for GigaOm and Venture Beat. We wouldn’t trust these people to review a dive bar on Yelp so why on earth should we trust them to vote whether Jeremy Stoppelman & Russ Simmons are worthy Founders of the Year?
“But” – you might argue – “that’s the great thing about the masses; if you have enough people voting then the majority of intelligent people drive out the minority of idiots.”
Sure.
Okay.
Even accepting that the majority of our readers are smart and well-informed, there still remains an inevitable problem that occurs whenever huge numbers of people vote for something: the most popular nominee – as opposed to the best qualified – always wins. It could be total coincidence that Facebook has won the Overall Best Startup for three years running, but it isn’t. 2009 was, by any metric you care to use, the year of Twitter. And yet we’re supposed to believe that Facebook – a company that more than any other has been racing to mirror Twitter these past twelve months by buying Friendfeed, changing the language of its status messages and rapidly shifting from private to public – is a more worthy winner? Because of Facebook Connect? Oh please. Facebook won for one reason: it has between 15 to 20 times more users than Twitter and so is at the front of more people’s minds when they come to vote.
Worse still, public voting is such a flawed way to hand out industry awards that even sensible results are rendered all but meaningless. Consider Ron Conway: a more deserving winner of Best Angel it is impossible to imagine. Not only did Ron keep his investment head while all those around were losing theirs, but he is also a dedicated philanthropist and one of the nicest men you could wish to meet: if he hadn’t picked up the Best Angel gong, then the world would have been destroyed in a supernova of wrongness. And yet, as Heather pointed out as she handed over the award, Ron has invested in hundreds of companies – to the point where almost everyone in the theatre, and by extension, thousands of those who voted for the Crunchies had some kind of connection with him. As a result, it’s impossible to know whether Ron won on his obvious merit or simply because he has name recognition and popular appeal – and that kind of uncertainty does a worthy winner a huge disservice.
The same is true of Mark Pincus who picked up CEO of the year. There’s a powerful argument for Pincus winning the award: his response to Scamville and pledge to turn over a new leaf is, arguably, an example to us all. And yet there’s an equally powerful argument that Tony Hsieh was an even more logical winner this year, having built Zappos into one of the best respected ecommerce companies on the planet, before selling it to Amazon for $928m. But again public voting makes that debate irrelevant: thanks (ironically) to Scamville, Pincus has a ton more recent name recognition than Hsieh and so the award was his by a landslide. Hsieh didn’t even come in as runner up.
And what about Aaron Patzer as founder of the year? Mint is a cool company which enjoyed a decent enough $170 million exit. But, then again, if you want to talk about cool exists, the runners up – Stoppelman and Simmons from Yelp – just turned down half a billion from Google. The key difference between the two companies is that – thanks in large part to TechCrunch’s championing them since they won TC40 – Mint has an image as the cool newcomer, while Yelp is considered old hat. Meanwhile Elon Musk, the dude who built an electric car company for Christ’s sake, doesn’t fit into the narrative at all and so doesn’t even make the top two.
We at TechCrunch need to accept our part in all this ridiculousness. Look at all of the winners this year and you start to see a pattern. Foursquare won best mobile app – an award they should rightfully share with MG; Animoto – Arrington’s favourite – won best design; Chrome OS and Google Wave – which we’ve covered endlessly, despite understanding the latter – shared the top spots in Best Technological Achievement. These were awards chosen by the public and yet they almost perfectly reflect the narrative that we have been subconsciously writing all year. You can argue it either way: that TechCrunch writers are freakishly good at spotting what’s popular, or that TechCrunch writers make things popular – but either way, it’s painfully obvious that Crunchies are won and lost based on a media profile we’ve helped to created, rather than any kind of objective merit.
So what? So if I were one of the winners this year I’d be rightfully proud of my success, but I hope I’d also be confident enough in my merits to lobby for next year’s awards to be judged differently. Specifically, I’d encourage the organisers – TechCrunch, GigaOm and Venture Beat – to make a decision: are the Crunchies going to continue as a popularity contest, or are they going to become a true award for excellence? If the former, then fine – popularity is a perfectly legitimate metric, especially for an industry where fortunes are built on eyeballs and traction. But then at least the categories should be renamed. Replace “best…” with “most popular…”. Call a spade a spade.
If on the other hand, we really want the Crunchies to be our industry’s highest accolade then it’s time we took a leaf from the book of every other media industry and created a formal judging academy, made up of industry experts, succesful entrepreneurs, veteran investors and previous winners. Produce clear guidelines on how each award should be judged and publish those guidelines online for all to see. That way, even though everyone would still disagree passionately with the results, they could at least be confident that something resembling critical and expert thought had gone into the process.
Of course no system is perfect – and there’s every possibility that Mark Zuckerberg will still find himself on stage in 2011 picking up his fourth Crunchie. But at least next year he might look a bit less embarrassed when he does so.
Crunch Network: CrunchGeardrool over the sexiest new gadgets and hardware.
It’s no secret that Apple doesn’t like Flash. It won’t allow Flash apps to run on the iPhone or iPod Touch despite all of Adobe’s cajoling and pleading, and despite the fact that it’s long been working in the labs. The iPhone’s lack of support for Flash is a major inconvenience for both consumers and developers, and is a gaping hole in the iPhone’s arsenal.
But all of that is about to change because Adobe is going to bring its 2 million Flash developers to the iPhone, with or without Apple’s blessing. As it announced in October, the next version of its Flash developer tools, Creative Suite 5 (currently in private beta), will include a “Packager for iPhone” apps which will automatically convert any Flash app into an iPhone app. So while Flash apps won’t run on the iPhone, any Flash app can easily be converted into an iPhone app. (Microsoft is taking a similar approach with Silverlight). This is a bigger deal than many people appreciate.
Much of the focus in the Flash iPhone debate centers around the fact that Flash is the de facto video standard on the Web. For instance, whenever you encounter a Web page in your iPhone browser with a Flash video, instead of seeing it right there in the browser, the phone must open up a separate Quicktime player. Most video on the Web, including everything on YouTube, is displayed through a Flash player, so this gets to be tedious. Apple has always cited technical reasons for why it doesn’t support Flash. It’s a battery hog, it’s too slow for mobile phones, not capable enough, etc. Some of these issues are valid and Adobe has been addressing them to the point that Flash now works fine on Android.
But there is a more strategic reason Apple kept Flash off the iPhone. It wanted a chance to become ingrained with developers. In addition to video, Flash, of course, can be used to create Web apps—the kind of apps that might look good on a phone. Apple had to hold off Flash not so to control the video experience on the iPhone, but because it needed to establish its own Apple-controlled iPhone SDK. The last thing it needed was a competing developer platform getting in the way.
Once Adobe publicly releases CS5, Flash apps and video still won’t run on the iPhone. But those 2 million developers will be able to keep working with Adobe tools and simply turn them into iPhone apps automatically. In contrast, there are only an estimated 125,000 or so iPhone developers. This will lower the barriers to making iPhone apps even more than they are today, which may or may not be a good thing. But if you thought there were a lot of iPhone apps now, just wait until the Flash floodgates are open.
Crunch Network: CrunchBasethe free database of technology companies, people, and investors
Liza Minnelli will miss the 2010 Grammy Awards in Los Angeles later this month as she recovers from scheduled knee replacement surgery.
The legendary entertainer will undergo a surgical procedure to replace one of her knee at a New York-area hospital some time this week, but the operation will like Liza unable to attend the Grammys on Jan. 31, according to PEOPLE.com. Liza’s latest album, Liza’s at the Palace, recorded with the original cast from her Broadway show, is up for Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album.
“She is expected to make a full recovery,” her rep said in a statement Sunday.
The Motorola Backflip has been properly announced by Moto during CES 2010 and it looks like the ingenious Android device will go to U.S. consumers via ATT. The carrier is finally ready to get involved with Android although it has avoided it in the previous two years.According to rumors and leaks ATT has big plans for the Backflip. In fact the company has planned to sell no less than 400000 phones which quite a daring number. Naturally no one will confirm everything so far so well
Every now and then a manufacturer remembers about Hello Kitty and decides to make a special edition customized Hello Kitty device. Such is the case of the Samsung Star S5230 Hello Kitty edition. This Samsung Star S5230 phone although a special edition comes with the same specs and features of the old regular Star S5230. But everything is covered with Hello Kitty drawings flowers and the pink that surrounds the famous cat. The phone is basically an entry-level touchscreen de
January 11, 2010 – Even at the one-year anniversary, it’s difficult for many Miracle on the Hudson passengers to understand why strange coincidences led them to be seated on a plane that plunged into the middle of the Hudson River. But it seems very clear to Dr. Ray Basri why a series of coincidences […]
The beginning of December 2009 brought in a natural FCC request to Verizon to reveal more details about its practices and policies regarding its Early Termination Fees. And just before Christmas Verizon in a very long response explained thoroughly why it has increased its ETFs for advanced devices. Needless to say that the FCC didnt like the response as Verizon pretty much told everyone that its new ETFs cover other costs incurred by the company besides the price of those new ad
By Jenny Wiggins, Consumer Industries Correspondent
Published: January 11 2010 02:00 | Last updated: January 11 2010 02:00
Sponsor
Cadbury plans to release robust 2009 sales and profit figures this week as it steps up its defence against a £10.5bn hostile takeover bid from Kraft, the US food conglomerate.
The UK-based confectionery group, which has been trying to fend off Kraft since late August when the US group made an unsolicited approach, will issue a final defence document tomorrow.
Cadbury is expected to argue that it has healthy growth prospects as an independent company, particularly in emerging markets, but is not planning on releasing new sales or profit targets or detailed figures for 2010.
The group revised its targets in December to try to win shareholder support.
It aims for revenue growth of 5 to 7 per cent between 2010 and 2013 and profit margins of 16 to 18 per cent by 2013.
Roger Carr, Cadbury’s chairman, is expected to argue that the group is positioned to deliver the stretching targets and that Kraft will have difficulty affording an acceptable offer after warnings from Warren Buffett, the investor, that the US group should not overpay.
Kraft, which last week increased the cash component of its proposed cash-and-stock offer from 300p to 360p, is understood to be thinking of adding more cash.
The US group believes that if it makes an offer valuing Cadbury at more than 800p, the UK confectioner’s board will need to consider the bid seriously.
Kraft’s offer values Cadbury, whose shares closed at 778p on Friday, at about 768p a share.
US-based Hershey and Italy’s Ferrero, which have been considering counter-offers, are running out of time before a UK Takeover Panel deadline for counterbids in late January.
It is understood that there is as yet no consensus from either Hershey or Ferrero
on whether to proceed with offers jointly or separately.
Additional reporting by Rachel Sanderson in London
