Auto Car Full Design: December 2012

Monday, December 31, 2012

News Tom's Hardware US

Pebble Smartwatch Trying to Gain Legitimacy With FCC Approval
End of an Era: PS2 Stops Shipping to Retailers in Japan
AMD Rumored to Phase Out Vision Branding
AMD to Launch 95 Watt FX-8300 CPU
Smartphone, Tablet Pile-up May Affect Suppliers in Q1, 2013
Smartphones Heavily Decrease Sales of iPod, MP3 Players
Total Flash Memory Market Eclipses DRAM for First Time in 2012

Pebble Smartwatch Trying to Gain Legitimacy With FCC Approval

Posted: 31 Dec 2012 07:00 PM PST

The Pebble has gained FCC approval. Hopefully this means that it'll finally ship out to project backers.

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End of an Era: PS2 Stops Shipping to Retailers in Japan

Posted: 31 Dec 2012 04:00 PM PST

The PlayStation 2 will no longer be produced in the world, but it hasn't breathed its last.

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AMD Rumored to Phase Out Vision Branding

Posted: 31 Dec 2012 01:00 PM PST

AMD's no stranger to phasing out brands.

This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now

AMD to Launch 95 Watt FX-8300 CPU

Posted: 31 Dec 2012 10:00 AM PST

AMD is expected to launch its FX-8300 8-core processor tomorrow.

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Smartphone, Tablet Pile-up May Affect Suppliers in Q1, 2013

Posted: 31 Dec 2012 07:00 AM PST

Issue is particularly bad in China.

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Smartphones Heavily Decrease Sales of iPod, MP3 Players

Posted: 31 Dec 2012 04:00 AM PST

MP3 player market sees share dropping by 22 percent year on year.

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Total Flash Memory Market Eclipses DRAM for First Time in 2012

Posted: 30 Dec 2012 10:00 PM PST

The flash memory market volume is expected to exceed DRAM revenue for the first time this year.

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Crash.Net Formula One Newsfeed

F1 Driver of the Year vote: 1st

Posted: 31 Dec 2012 12:30 AM PST

Find out who you voted into 1st place in Crash.net's F1 Driver of the Year poll!

Autocar Online - News

Jaguar XFR Sportbrake concept 'interesting'
First drive review: Dacia Sandero 1.2 16V 75
Top 12 cars of 2012: Pagani Huayra

Jaguar XFR Sportbrake concept 'interesting'

Posted: 30 Dec 2012 10:00 PM PST

Jaguar boss likes the idea of an XFR Sportbrake, but concedes such a model would be tricky to engineer

A Jaguar XFR Sportbrake has been investigated, but the cost of re-engineering the Jaguar XF Sportbrake's underpinnings make it tricky to justify.

Jaguar's global brand director, Adrian Hallmark, said such a car would be an "interesting project", and a useful halo model for the resurgent brand. But he said installing the 503bhp 5.0-litre supercharged V8 would be complex.

"It would be tricky to re-engineer the self-levelling rear suspension to cope with the high performance of such an engine", said Hallmark. But be admitted it would be "interesting" to build a limited run of 300 to 400 units.

First drive review: Dacia Sandero 1.2 16V 75

Posted: 30 Dec 2012 10:00 PM PST

Entry-level Sandero majors on value but lacks creature comforts and is almost exceptionally slow This – almost – is the Sandero version that really has the accolade of 'cheapest car you can buy in Britain'. It has an oldish-tech 1.2-litre four-cylinder engine instead of the clever, nominally more economical, 898cc turbo three-pot which powered the top-spec Sandero Laureate we've already covered, and loses some of the toys we used to manage so well without. In entry-level Access guise it really does cost just £5995.We've now driven the Sandero closest to the Access model that Renault/Dacia would let us near. It's the 1.2 Ambiance pictured here, but if you delete the paint on the bumpers, the trims over the 15in steel wheels, the electric front windows, the central locking, the radio/CD player and the chrome vent and instrument rings, you'd have an Access and would have saved £600 (some of which you might want to spend on a radio). It's available only in white, with naked plastic bumpers, but it's an odd pleasure to see perforated steel wheels on show with neat hubcaps in the centre.

Top 12 cars of 2012: Pagani Huayra

Posted: 30 Dec 2012 10:00 PM PST

Breathtaking successor to the Zonda was one of craziest and most exciting cars we drove all year

The 720bhp, 230mph Pagani Huayra was probably the wildest and certainly the fastest car that we drove this year. But then they don't tend to do things by halves at Pagani. Never have done, never will.

The legendary Zonda that preceded the Huayra (pronounced why-raa) was one of the world's maddest, most iconic supercars, so replacing it was always going to be tough. Especially since Horacio Pagani had decided that he wanted to sell his new car in America (unlike the Zonda), which meant that all sorts of noise and emissions regulations would need to be adhered to this time round.

In the event, what Pagani came up with was breathtaking – quite literally, given the fact that the car had to have a turbocharged engine in order to ensure it of a 10-year shelf life. But the Huayra's 6.0-litre twin-turbo V12, designed and engineered specifically for the car by AMG, isn't exactly your run-of-the-mill force-fed engine. This is a monster of a powerhouse in every way imaginable, and it defines the Huayra's personality every bit as much as its beguilingly aerodynamic lines or its actively aero-enhanced chassis do.

On the road, the latest Pagani feels heart-stoppingly fast, especially in the mid-range, when the effects of 738lb ft of torque do their best to blast your internal organs straight out of your back whenever the throttle is floored. Only the brave or genuinely stupid reach for the button that turns the traction control off, for although the Huayra's mid-engined chassis is exceedingly well mannered most of the time and is aided in its cause by over 400kg of active downforce above 150mph, it's still a rear-wheel-drive monster that'll bite your arm off in a heartbeat if you treat it badly.

As ever with Pagani, the cartoon-like interior of this car provides almost as much entertainment as the driving experience. In both cases, some will find what the Huayra offers too extreme. But given that Pagani's order books are now full for the next three and a half years, there are also plenty who think otherwise and love the Huayra for what it is: one of the world's craziest, most exciting cars. You can count us among them.

Auto Body Repair San Francisco - Another cool projection vid, this time with a Porsche 911 - Chilton Auto Body San Rafael

Porsche has become the latest automaker to take advantage of clever projection technology. The automaker worked up a quick presentation for the 2013 911 Carrera 4S to show off a bit of "motionless driving." The display tracks the sports car from production to back-road caning and city-center cruising, displaying a variety of exterior color choices and wheel options without resorting to a two-dimensional video.

This isn't the first time we've seen an automaker use its new product as a projection screen. Subaru, Hyundai, Lamborghini and others have all done the same, and the trick never fails to be visually interesting.
You can check out the projection video below.

News Source: YouTube
source: Autoblog
by

Collision Car Repair San Francisco - Meet the Smart Fortwo that should be competing in the 2013 Dakar Rally [w/video] - Chilton Auto Body San Francisco

When it comes to specialty applications of the Smart Fortwo, "off-road motorsports" may seem about as likely as "amphibious assault vehicle." Yet a team has come up with just that (the former, not the latter), creating a rally-ready runabout dubbed the Smart Dakar.

The team used a Fortwo to create a "Smart Buggy 4x4." The creator's website claims that the vehicle is in compliance with FIA regulations, and weighs only 750 kilograms (1,653 pounds). As the name suggests, the intent of this vehicle is to compete in the Dakar Rally, and it looks the part.

It may be the most hard-nosed Smart that you'll ever find, but it has an uphill battle to make it to competition. The race team, headed by Jose Luis "JL" Alvarez, does not have the funds to field a full assortment of vehicles, including two Smarts and a Honda CRF-450, and now all plans have been canceled for this year's Dakar Rally.

JL even appealed to his fans via a YouTube video with the hopes of crowd-funding the project, though it appears that attempt has failed. At any rate, the 2013 Dakar Rally starts January 5 in Lima, Peru, and ends January 20 in Santiago, Chile, and it appears that this team, with its unique ride, will not be attending.

News Source: Smart Dakar 2013 via Facebook
source: autoblog
by George Kennedy

http://www.chiltonautobody.com

Reviews Tom's Hardware US

Four Closed-Loop CPU Coolers Take On Noctua's NH-D14

Posted: 30 Dec 2012 09:00 PM PST

Closed-loop liquid coolers relieve stress from our motherboards, without the portability and maintenance issues of traditional open-loop kits. Are these the best devices for system builders who plan to move their machines and want to avoid damage?

Sunday, December 30, 2012

News Tom's Hardware US

VIDEO PREVIEW: Lenovo's IdeaPad Yoga 13
Test Drive: Buick Verano T - Gone in 6 Seconds
PlayStation 4 Could Get GPU Switching, Dynamic UI
Toshiba to Unveil SDHC cCrd With 560 Mb/s Short Range Wireless Bandwidth
iPad Dominates Tablet Market, Google Nexus Increases Share
China Launches its Own GPS

VIDEO PREVIEW: Lenovo's IdeaPad Yoga 13

Posted: 30 Dec 2012 05:44 PM PST

A quick look at the Lenovo IdeaPad Yoga 13, soon to get a thorough review from Tom's Hardware.

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Test Drive: Buick Verano T - Gone in 6 Seconds

Posted: 30 Dec 2012 04:00 PM PST

Buick is exploring its sport edge: Following the Regal T and GS, there is now the Verano T, which packs 250 hp and a 6-speed manual. Buick thinks it's an alternative to the fancy Acura ILX. Here's what we think.

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PlayStation 4 Could Get GPU Switching, Dynamic UI

Posted: 30 Dec 2012 01:00 PM PST

The Internet was floated a new rumor that suggests that the next Playstation could be equipped with GPU switching technology.

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Toshiba to Unveil SDHC cCrd With 560 Mb/s Short Range Wireless Bandwidth

Posted: 30 Dec 2012 10:00 AM PST

Toshiba will be showcasing a memory card at CES 2012, which is equipped with Transferjet wireless technology.

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iPad Dominates Tablet Market, Google Nexus Increases Share

Posted: 30 Dec 2012 07:00 AM PST

Apple's tablet accounts for 87 percent of North American web traffic.

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China Launches its Own GPS

Posted: 30 Dec 2012 01:00 AM PST

China has opened its own global positioning system to the public. Called BeiDou, the technology promises about the same accuracy as GPS - about 10 meters - but covers only a small section of the world.

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