Gadgets Blog » Automobiles

Gran Turismo 5 Release Features New, Limited-Edition PS 3

Dan Evans — Mon, 15 Nov 2010 17:37:19 +0000

Few titles are as revered in the world of gaming as Gran Turismo. The signature racing simulator for Sony’s line of gaming consoles, Gran Turismo got its fantastic origins on the original PlayStation.

Over time, the series has become one of the most hotly anticipated and best-selling entries into Sony’s impressive lineup of titles. Along with the name recognition and revenues working in Sony’s favor, there has come a strong love-hate relationship with the game’s development. The series is no stranger to significant delays in production, pushing back the release of these essential titles for weeks, if not months, at a time.

All that is coming to an end for the title’s latest release, Gran Turismo 5. Sony’s got a little extra bit of fanfare in the works as well, gearing up a brand-new limited-edition version of the PlayStation 3 specifically for the event. Nov. 24 will mark the exciting return of the franchise. The premise behind Gran Turismo is part of what makes it so compelling. Unlike arcade-style racing games, the title focuses on the technical aspects of driving, pitting the player against competent AI opponents on a series of difficult road courses.

The real focus of the game, however, is the cars themselves. With a spectacular lineup of real-world cars, all lovingly licensed from their producers, the series allows auto-lovers to race a wide variety of exotic cars from around the world. Increases in performance, changes in paint schemes and other upgrades are all possible, adding a collector’s style bonus to the gameplay. The fifth entry in the series also has slated improvements to online play, allowing users to compete via the Internet with high stakes on the outcome of the races.

While the limited-edition PS3 isn’t going to be making a debut stateside, the sentiment behind the release of this title certainly is. The titanium-blue PlayStation 3 will hit the market for about $400, which could be steep for Japanese fans who already have a perfectly functional unit. If not, the sleep titanium-blue unit would make a great addition to someone’s personal gadget library. Keep an eye out for Gran Turismo 5 later this November.

Image Source: flickr.com/photos/nikonvscanon/2409641226

Porsche Enters the Hybrid Car Market

Dan Evans — Fri, 30 Jul 2010 17:11:05 +0000

As British Petroleum continues to struggle with both their public image and the oil spill off the Gulf Coast, there have been some difficult lessons to learn for the United States and the rest of the world. Political implications aside, the oil spill has taught us one important thing: oil, and the fuels that stem from it, can be a messy business.

In addition to concerns about global warming and environmentalism, the push towards electric or more fuel-efficient cars has be steady but slow.

Companies like Toyota and Chevrolet have had solid entries into the hybrid market, but no one has yet to unveil a car that truly excites people about the possibility of these hybrid vehicles. All of that, however, is about to change.

Porsche, a company that continually defines cool in the world of automobiles, tossed their hat into the hybrid arena this week as their sporty 918 Spyder was approved for production. The automobile, to say the least, is awesome, boasting stats that are impressive for a non-hybrid automobile. Capable of going from 0-60 mph in 3.2 seconds, the Spyder boasts a top speed of 198 mph.

A hybrid-V8 engine rests under the hood, giving the car a horsepower of 500 and capable of 9,200 RPM. While the automobile was in the concept stage for an extended period of time, the go-ahead was finally given to put the car into production.

An article from Motor Authority detailed the process by which Porche approved the vehicle, which has been tearing up the automotive circuit for the past year and a half.

Image Source: flickr.com/photos/petergorges/275300018

The Coda: Battery-Powered Electric Car of the Future?

Dan Evans — Wed, 12 May 2010 17:12:34 +0000

All the hallmarks of green-technology are present in what is perhaps the latest talking point of the ongoing global warming debate: the Coda Electric car. With an energy structure designed to provide the user with high-mileage out of an electric engine, the Coda is structured to be an automobile to trigger a revolution in car design. While automobiles of the past have been designed to capitalize on the economic forces behind petroleum products and gasoline, the Coda is intended to rebuild the entire auto economy behind the idea of the electric engine. If it’s possible for the automobile itself to live up to the lofty ideals of its company, perhaps the people at Coda are on to something.

But first, the car itself: the Coda operates on a type of battery quite similar to the battery that’s either in your smartphone or your laptop: a lithium-iron-phosphate battery. A cousin of the more common lithium-ion battery, the powerful capabilities of this new (and as of now experimental) battery enable the Coda to operate entirely separate from a combustion engine at all. “Good Riddance, Gas” says the technology portion of the car’s website, which touts this feature of their automobile as zero-emission.

The problem with this idea of a zero-emission car is that such a moniker is a bit misleading. While the Coda certainly stands as a fleshed-out idea that could very well make a compelling case to abandon the traditional combustion engine, the idea that this car does not produce pollution is simply not true. By operating off of the existing power supply in a country like the United States, the Coda is simply transferring the generation of electricity from its own engine to existing power-plants. While the car itself might be a green device, the power plants it will be plugged into don’t necessarily operate free from fossil fuels or other pollution-generating sources of power.

As a whole, the future of electric cars certainly looks bright given the developments of batteries that make such automobiles more powerful and effective. While these cars could possibly provide a new way of thinking about cars in the future, they do not, unfortunately, offer a true solution to the fossil fuel problem in the way many environmentalists want. Yet the idea that such a project is receiving so much attention, even when the company is relatively minor, is an indicator of the forward-thinking nature of the gadget world, something that will continue to further innovations likes this one in the future.

The Coda is expected to cost around $45,000 and will begin to be available in the next year.

Image Source: flickr.com/photos/pinkmoose/2173726533

Best and Worst: Car Subwoofers

Dan Evans — Thu, 25 Mar 2010 19:35:54 +0000

I get a great deal out of enjoyment from driving in my car, something that doesn’t necessarily appeal to everyone. Recently, I drove from Los Angeles all the way to Seattle, Washington, a three-day trek I completed entirely by myself. I’ll admit this endeavor took a fair amount of patience on my part, but the trip was made quite nice by a steady supply of good music. I’m lucky enough to have some nice speakers in my car, so the quality of sound is always nice while listening to music on the drive. Today we’re going to compare two different subwoofers, the MTX Audio TR4512-04 and the Audiobahn AW121T Flame Excursion. Both of these subwoofers are designed for optimal car use.

BEST: MTX Audio TR4512-04

The MTX Audio subwoofer provided the best sound quality of the two. While installation and wiring for car stereos is best handled by a professional, unless you really know what you’re doing, the quality of this unit is well worth the price of installation. Crisp bottom end provided loud and deep bass lines, with lower frequencies penetrating the audio mix but never overwhelming the trebles. On a variety of different styles, from rock to rap, the MTX Audio subwoofer was solid and clear. The 12″ speaker can handle up to 400 watts, and it’s stylish polypropylene cone was free from volume-related distortion at some serious noise levels. Priced at just over $100, it’s a great deal, meaning you won’t have to break the bank to have quality bass from your in-car audio system.

Worst: Audiobahn AW121T Flame Excusrion

Audiobahn touts their flame-casing design as being one of the highlights of this subwoofer, which is a 12″ cone with some nice chrome finishing. While it’s less expensive than the MTX model, priced around $80, the difference is very noticeable. At low volume levels, the Audiobahn unit performs adequately, providing a more staccato sound than the MTX that is a bit treble-heavy for a subwoofer. However, once the volume starts turning up, this subwoofer loses ground quickly. Distortion at moderate volume levels becomes a big concern, and the unit begins to rumble in a way the MTX woofer did not. At levels where the MTX was performing perfectly well without distortion, this speaker was buzzing and vibrating, making it detrimental to the overall sound. Some reviews offer up complaints of blowing the speakers at a 300 watt load, meaning you have to be careful with it at higher volume levels.

GPS Products You Should Try

colleen — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 00:41:19 +0000

What do you need to get home safely? You need all the safety protections, plus the correct directions to get you from A to B. To do that, sometimes you need a device that’s a little smarter than the print out from the Internet or your memory. You need a GPS system.

The GPS market is flooded with gizmos and gadgets to get you exactly where you want to be. Here are a couple of the top GPS products for you to test:

Garmin Foretrex 201 Portable Navigator : $107.29

AVIC-S1 GPS from ReFurbDepot.com: $ 129.95

Shop for more affordable GPS systems.

New Hybrid Cars Coming Soon

gadgets — Tue, 23 Jun 2009 17:50:33 +0000

It’s not a Prius.

Though that and the Honda Insight are still top of the list when it comes to hybrid sales. It’s Toyota’s concept design for a hybrid sports car – for those of us who want to go green but maintain street cred with a sporty appearance. The rumor is to reintroduce the much-loved Supra, which hasn’t been produced since 2002, at 400 hp with the 3.5-liter V6 in 2011. Just long enough for gas prices to once again reach the insane levels of $4/gal.

Also, estimated to arrive in 2011 is the British-made Gordan Murray Design T25 City Car. Said to be a third more compact than the Smart Car… we couldn’t snag any helpful photos for you but really, smaller than the already tiny Smart Car? Where would I put my laptop? On the roof rack? Still, I really dig seeing what engineers can come up with and how the designs actually perform in real life. As far as increasing gas mileage and saving money, I’m all for it.

If you want to see something sooner than 2011, check out the spy shots of BMW’s hybrid sedan. You might notice the German writing on the side– that’s because the car’s not-so-secret test driving was done on the streets of Munich. With a twin turbo 4.4-liter V8, this little puppy should throw down some serious horses at 407 hp plus another 20 hp from the electric motor. We’ll see for sure later this year at the Frankfurt auto show in September when it debuts.

Image Source: CNET, BMWBlog

Dutch Cyclists Want Airbags on the Outside of Cars

nick — Thu, 24 Apr 2008 14:59:27 +0000

Did you know that 60 lives a year could be saved if they just stayed out of the way of those fast moving machines we like to call “cars?”

Well, that’s according to one Dutch study, and it’s not known if the study is only taking into account the region or world or city block, but the point being, people are getting run over.

Now Dutch cyclists are lobbying for automakers to put inflatable airbags on the hood of cars, or exterior airbags, to cut back the number of deaths and cut into the reported 1,500 bicycle/car related injuries every year. One company has already taken a step in the direction. Sweden’s Autoliv has begun to put inflatable bags on their cars that inflates from the bottom of the windscreen.

I think that this is great idea, I’m all for improving safety on the roads. But for some reason I also seeing this as becoming a slight hassle. For instance, the next time I hit a shopping cart, all havoc is gonna break loose, turning my car into a giant pillow. Or the next time I hit a cyclist. Same thing. They both have wheels.

Source: Autoblog

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