An excellent analysis of why the Apple iPhone 6 Plus might be more prone to getting permanently bent than some other similarly sized phones?
I'm not an expert on ovens but I'm pretty sure the heating element for the convection fan on our +Jenn-Air is not supposed to look like that?
Taptic feedback is another example of how Apple wins through superior marketing rather than innovation
One of the big features touted about Apple's decidedly underwhelming Watch is the taptic feedback that gives the wearer turn-by-turn walking directions via unique vibrations for left and right.
As has so often been the case in the past, Apple did not invent this idea although I have no doubt they will apply for and be granted a patent for this. Back in July when I made I my first visit to Boulder, Colorado, I noticed an interesting feature while using Google Maps walking directions to get around. I looked up directions on my two-year-old +Motorola Mobility Droid Razr HD Maxx,, then stuck it in my shirt pocket. I then noticed that it gave me unique vibration patterns as I walked starting with a short buzz. As I approached a right turn, I got a long vibration followed by two short buzzes. Left turns were reversed with a two short buzzes followed by a longer buzz. If I overshot and needed to turn around, I got one long buzz.
Yes Google did it first but Apple claims the credit. ?
Get where you want to go quickly and easily using voice-guided navigation. Get turn-by-turn directions whether you’re driving, walking, or taking public transi
Today, Automatic Labs launched an update to the iOS version of the app that works with the company’s $99 vehicle diagnostics dongle that enables Ford drivers with SYNC to use Siri hands-free. Ford hasn’t issued any release about this and Automatic’s blog post is sparse on technical details so I reached out to Ford technology spokeswoman Emily Olin for some details.
First a bit of background on Automatic Labs. In 2012, they launched an app and accompanying bluetooth adapter that plugs into the OBD-II diagnostic port that is built into every new vehicle built since 1996. The app is free and an Android version is also now available but, the adapter $99.
When plugged in, the dongle reads data off the vehicle’s internal communications network just like the diagnostic tools used by technicians at every dealership service department or local garage. The app gets the data and can display all kinds of useful information for drivers such as fuel economy, diagnostic faults and tell you how much you are spending on fuel and how efficiently you are driving. If can even call 911 when an airbag deployed message comes across the network.
The latest trick that Automatic has added with some help from Ford is to read voice commands off the network. When the driver presses the voice command on the steering wheel while the automatic adapter is plugged in, the commands are transmitted to a connect iPhone where the Automatic app then passes them along to Siri for recognition and execution.
According to Olin, no upgrades are required on the vehicle, just the addition of the Automatic adapter. Automatic’s website mentions that an Android update is also forthcoming that will presumably pass the messages to Google Now.
At $99 for the Automatic Labs adapter, you’ll have to decide if Siri in the car is that important to you. However, the upside is that you can use it with existing cars with SYNC and you won’t have to spend tens of thousands on a new car with Siri Eyes-free or CarPlay.
One of the more obscure items I’ve encountered at the ITS World Congress in Detroit during the last few days was the Ford Police Interceptor sedan in the lobby. What looked like a plain white Taurus on steelies had an interior change that Ford hasn’t previously talked about, a 12.1-inch touchscreen display in the center console.
Looking much like a smaller version of the display in the Tesla Model S, for this application, it is designed as an alternative to ruggedized laptops most police vehicles are equipped with. The computer driving the display can toggle between Windows and Android is capable of running all the apps typically used by police on patrol.
In the event of an accident, this setup poses much less risk to the driver than a laptop mounted in the car. The system costs roughly the same as the ruggedized laptops that police agencies typically use and is now in production for the both the Taurus-based PI sedan and the Explorer-based PI utility.
Now that Ford has done this for the cop vehicles, how long before we see something like this implemented in Ford’s civilian vehicles?
That said if we have to grant patents, this is a great example of the sort of idea that should be recognized (assuming of course that there isn't prior art). Engineers from +General Motors and the University of Michigan including Paul Najt who I interviewed on several occasions during my years as a journalist at AutoblogGreen have come up with an interesting new way of powering an extended range electric vehicle like the +Chevrolet Volt.
Because of the very short four-year development cycle for the Volt, the engineering team opted to use a conventional and proven 1.4-liter four-cylinder reciprocating engine to drive the generator once the battery has been depleted of energy from the plug. While this setup works remarkably well, it's not necessarily the most efficient setup for running in charge-sustaining mode, hence the Volt's 37 mpg EPA rating in this mode.
During and beyond the development phase of the first-generation Volt, engineers at GM R&D and Powertrain have been working on a wide range of alternative powerplants for use with the ER-EV Voltec system. http://amzn.to/QiSPQF
These alternatives include conventional diesels, Wankel rotaries, hydrogen fuel cells, HCCI and other less well known types. Among those options are free-piston engines http://www.popularmechanics.com/cars/news/industry/5-alternative-engine-architectures#slide-4
There are a number of ways to implement the free-piston concept but all of them involve a piston that "bounces" back and forth between a pair of combustion chambers that alternate firing. While it's possible to use this architecture in a completely mechanical form by linking the pistons to drive a transmission, the patented concept here converts combustion energy to electricity.
By incorporating magnets and coils into the oscillating piston and the stationary cylinder, the motion can be used generate electricity. A free-piston layout inherently has lower friction than a traditional design. The mechanical simplicity means that engineers can set up a modular configuration several independent engine/generators that can be turned on or off as needed based on transient power needs.
Because each generator operates independently, there are no frictional losses from the modules that aren't running. The result is potentially significantly improved overall efficiency in charge sustaining mode as well as greater packaging flexibility. It will be interesting to see if this idea ever goes beyond the concept stage.
Via GreenCar Congress http://www.greencarcongress.com/2012/11/fpla-20121125.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+greencarcongress%2FTrBK+%28Green+Car+Congress%29
US 8261860 B2 Hybrid powertrain system using free piston linear …
US 8261860 B2. Hybrid powertrain system using free piston linear alternator engines. Paul M. Najt, Bloomfield Hills, Mich. (US); Tang-Wei Kuo, Troy, Mich. (US); Rodney B. Rask, Grosse Pointe Woods, Mi…
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iOS 6 is supposed to support MAP, but it doesn't seem to work. I could see the functionality on the C-Max Hybrid's phone screen, but when I tried to send one of the canned text messages with my paired iPhone 5, it didn't go through. According to a Ford representative, Apple did not implement MAP according to the specification. Ford is currently looking at making its cars work with Apple's particular Bluetooth implementation for text messages.
My own experience trying this with an iPhone was also unsuccessful. Other than that, the C-Max is a very cool vehicle.
Reshared post from +CNET
Ford's Prius-beater hybrid boasts better handling and power. We named it a CNET Editor's Choice:
2013 Ford C-Max Hybrid
With fuel economy in the high 40s and a roomy interior, the 2013 C-Max Hybrid looks equivalent to the Toyota Prius, until you get behind the wheel and tap the extra power.
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While I love to drive, I see autonomous vehicles as an important development for safety and efficiency in the future.
HIGH TECH, WHY TECH
AVOWED TECHIE though I am, some modern automotive offerings have me wondering. Here are my current citations in both categories, High Tech and Why Tech. Rear view camera. High Tech! … Contin…
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I took +Julie Abuelsamid's car over to UMTRI yesterday to get some equipment installed so that it could be a part of this safety pilot program. They installed a GPS receiver, data logger and transmitter that will send speed and location data receivers installed around Ann Arbor over the next year. It's part of a test of vehicle to infrastructure communications which has the potential to reduce congestion and improve safety and efficiency in coming years.
Bicycles, motorcycles to join thousands of talking cars operating in northeast Ann Arbor
Researchers are looking for more volunteers for a real-word deployment of roughly 2,800 connected vehicles in Ann Arbor.
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It's possible that Apple is starting to see some cracks forming in its patent firewall and is now opting to license rather than risk further challenges. If that's the case, they may well offer Samsung and other vendors more reasonable terms in order to take the courts out of the picture.
If Apple and Samsung finally settle between now and their next court date in December, that will be a strong indicator that this is what's happening. On the other hand it's also possible +Nilay Patel is right and the much smaller HTC is feeling the pressure and Apple wants to refocus on Samsung and Google. http://www.theverge.com/2012/11/10/3629516/why-apple-and-htc-settled-their-patent-litigation
We'll probably have a clearer picture in the next 6 weeks.
Does HTC Deal Signal End to Apple’s Thermonuclear War Against Android?
Until its surprise announcement Saturday night, Apple had shown more interest in crushing Android phone makers than striking business deals with them. So what’s changed?
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