Filed under: Gadgets , Porsche Click above to view the Porsche Design P’9522 mobile phone in high resolution Say what you will about Porsche’s automotive design, its product design is at the cutting edge of style and technology. The company’s merchandizing division, Porsche Design, has just upped the ante with its latest release, the P’9522 mobile phone. Unlike Porsche Design’s previous phone, the slick P’9521 clamshell , the P’9522 is designed around a straightforward “candy-bar” form factor, milled from a solid block of aluminum with a scratch-resistant touchscreen glass display. Avoiding getting your fingerprints all over this slick piece of tech would be an exercise in futility, so Porsche Design has incorporated a fingerprint reader to keep unwelcome users out. The P’9522 also features a five-megapixel camera with flash, GPS module, stereo MP3 player, WiFi and quad-band antennas for use around the world (except Japan and Korea). At €600 (approx. $774), it ain’t cheap, but it’s about half the price of the P’9521 flip-phone. To celebrate the launch of the new phone, Porsche Design has commissioned nine photographers from around the world to shoot the P’9522 (though presumably not with the phone’s built-in camera). The photos will appear in a travel exhibition touring the world, but you can see them all in the gallery below along with the more straightforward shots of the phone from every angle, with full details in the press release after the jump. Gallery: Porsche Design P’9522 [Source: Porsche Design] Continue reading Smooth Operator: Porsche Design releases new P’9522 phone Smooth Operator: Porsche Design releases new P’9522 phone originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 18 Feb 2009 08:28:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink ?|? Email this ?|? Comments

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Smooth Operator: Porsche Design releases new P’9522 phone

Filed under: Gadgets , Marketing/Advertising , Citroen Click above to view the Citroen DS line of accessories in high resolution The time has come for the Citroen DS to rise out of the ashes. While the classic French automobile was being named the most beautiful in history by a panel of the world’s top automotive designers and a rare example sold at auction for some $440,000, Citroen was preparing to announce the revival of the classic badge with a new sub-brand, to be launched at the upcoming Geneva Motor Show with the DS Inside concept . Citroen’s not about to let the opportunity pass it by, and to that end has already announced the launch of a line of DS merchandise to piggy-back on the line’s revival. The line takes the same neo-retro approach as the concept car, obviously targeted at the same trendy, young. upscale demographic as Citroen will be pursuing with its new sub-brand. The line includes items as diverse as snowboards, sunglasses and luggage, which you can check out in the gallery below. Gallery: Citroen DS merchandise [Source: CarScoop ] French Connection: Citroen launches merchandise line to coincide with DS revival originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 17 Feb 2009 08:32:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Read ?|? Permalink ?|? Email this ?|? Comments

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French Connection: Citroen launches merchandise line to coincide with DS revival

Filed under: Aftermarket , Gadgets , Etc. , Green Say you’ve got a company making plastic vehicle wraps for advertising. One day, you drive your graphic’d-up car to the golf course, and after losing three balls trying to drive across a water hazard, you get to pondering the golf ball itself. Those distinctive dimples on the surface of a golf ball reduce aerodynamic drag, allowing your Titleist to sail over the fairway. What if you wrapped a car in a similar dimpled layer? Thus was born FastSkinz , a new venture of SkinzWraps . Instead of turning vehicles into garish mobile billboards for radio stations, FastSkinz applies a dimpled covering that is supposed to “trip” the boundary layer, changing airflow around the vehicle from laminar to turbulent, reducing wake turbulence, just like those dimples on a golf ball, or the fancy new Olympic swimsuits that mimic shark skin. Call us skeptical, but what works for a round ball flying through the air might not have equal success when applied to an automobile. Not being aerodynamicists, we’ll wait for independent test results to either verify or debunk the FastSkinz claims of an 18-to-20-percent fuel economy improvement. In the past, such large gains have been merely fantastical PR noise, and FastSkinz’s own documentation is buried in acronyms and tends toward the obfuscatory; basically purporting that a vehicle wrap will substitute for reduced frontal area and a low coefficient of drag. There are also some equally uninformative videos , none offering the sustaining manna of clear understanding. Automotive airflow techniques are at the highest level of practice in racing, and you don’t see mottled F1 cars. What those racing cars do sport, however, are other techniques of controlling and manipulating airflow, which are actually effective. [Source: FastSkinz via MaxGladwell ] New vehicle wraps claim to increase fuel economy by as much as 25% originally appeared on Autoblog on Sun, 15 Feb 2009 17:31:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Read ?|? Permalink ?|? Email this ?|? Comments

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New vehicle wraps claim to increase fuel economy by as much as 25%

Filed under: Gadgets , Tech Click above to enlarge The tried-and-true needle and dial dash has been a staple of the modern automobile, and aside from a brief stint in the ’80s when digital gauges were a popular (if not entirely reliable) option, not much has changed in the dash department. Recognizing that another revolution is on the horizon, researchers at the Fraunhofer Institute are developing a 3D dashboard to show drivers where the vehicle is in relation to its surroundings. Best of all, no funny red and blue glasses will be required for the technology to work since it’s generated by a slew of cameras that track the position of the driver’s eyes. Other tidbits of information can be specified by the pilot, including a fuel gauge, speedometer, tire pressure warning or the title of the song currently playing. Early prototypes are scheduled to be displayed at next month’s CeBIT convention. [Source: Fraunhofer Institute via Engadget ] Fraunhofer developing 3D dashboard originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 13 Feb 2009 18:29:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Read ?|? Permalink ?|? Email this ?|? Comments

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Filed under: Gadgets , Ferrari While Ferrari prepares the replacement to the F430 and its racing team continues to fine-tune the new F60 ahead of the Formula One season opener, the company’s tech partner Acer has released the latest addition to its Prancing Horse-emblazoned laptop range . Called the Acer Ferrari 1200, the new ultraportable succeeds the 1100 (pictured above) introduced last year. It comes packed with an AMD Turion X2 Ultra CPU, four gigs of RAM, a SATA HDD, 12.1-inch LED-backlit screen, WiFi, fingerprint reader, bundled Bluetooth mouse and optional VOIP one, all packed inside a partial carbon-fiber case, with vents supposedly inspired by an F1 exhaust and an anodized metal touchpad styled after the pedals on a Ferrari sportscar. A load of BS? That depends entirely on your perspective, but Acer and Ferrari have lead a trend in automotive-themed laptops , and you can bet they’re going to push through every corner to stay ahead of the pack. Pricing has yet to be released as the laptop nears market launch in the UK, with the rest of the world to follow. See the press release after the jump for more details. [Source: Engadget and Inside Line ] Continue reading One Fast Hard Drive: Acer’s latest Ferrari 1200 laptop One Fast Hard Drive: Acer’s latest Ferrari 1200 laptop originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 09 Feb 2009 07:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Read ?|? Permalink ?|? Email this ?|? Comments

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One Fast Hard Drive: Acer’s latest Ferrari 1200 laptop

Filed under: Concept Cars , Gadgets , Special/Limited Editions Spend two million bucks on a car, and you’ll get to have whatever the hell you want as a horn tone. Alfred DiMora is back, adding more splashy aftermarket items to the list of standard equipment on his Natalia vaporware sport luxury sedan. DiMora Motorcar has decided that the Horntones system will be factory-fitted to every V16 Natalia SLS 2 produced. So far, that’s none. This isn’t the first time the Natalia has specified an item cherrypicked from SEMA awards , and we suspect it won’t be the last. The Horntones system has 256MB of flash memory that can be loaded up with MP3 files. Once your files are in the Horntones system, there’s a 150-watt speaker to delight everyone within a quarter mile by blaring your audio with a 110dB sound pressure level. DiMora contends that the Horntones rig is the most significant development in car horns in the last 100 years. We disagree - after all, the Dukes of Hazzard General Lee had that bitchin’ setup that played Dixie. Perhaps the biggest news here is that there’s a new rendering, this time, a rear three-quarter view. Press release after the jump. Gallery: DiMora Motorcar Natalia SLS 2 [Source: DiMora Motorcars ] Continue reading $2M DiMora Natalia SLS 2 to get - wait for it - world’s first MP3-enabled horn $2M DiMora Natalia SLS 2 to get - wait for it - world’s first MP3-enabled horn originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 06 Feb 2009 19:28:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Read ?|? Permalink ?|? Email this ?|? Comments

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$2M DiMora Natalia SLS 2 to get - wait for it - world’s first MP3-enabled horn

Filed under: Gadgets , Euro , Government/Legal Red may be their national racing color, but there’s little Italians hate more than red lights. And with good reason, it turns out: Stefano Arrighetti, creator of the T-Redspeed “smart” traffic system implemented across Italy, is under investigation for fraud on suspicion that he illegally forged transport ministry certification for his system. In place in over 300 municipalities, the system reportedly cuts the yellow-light time by half to ensnare motorists and charge them with running red lights. According to reports, some camera locations jumped from issuing 15 fines per day to more than 1,000. The net-net? The scheme may have fleeced motorists for more than $1.68 million dollars. Arrighetti isn’t the only one under investigation. Along with him are 63 chiefs of police and 39 local government officials. Local police are charged with rubber-stamping the automated tickets and sending them out without proper review. If the T-Redspeed system is indeed fraudulently issuing moving violations, it would be the local authorities reaping the benefit from the extra charges incurred. [Sources: BBC News ; Motor Authority ] Italian traffic cameras investigated for red-light rigging that may have cost motorists $1.7M originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 03 Feb 2009 18:26:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Read ?|? Permalink ?|? Email this ?|? Comments

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Italian traffic cameras investigated for red-light rigging that may have cost motorists $1.7M

Filed under: Aftermarket , Audio , Gadgets , Lifestyle , Carsumer Advocacy More and more people are adding electronic gadgetry to their car’s arsenal after their initial purchase, which often makes sense since it almost always costs less to add audio equipment or GPS navigation from an aftermarket company than it does to spec if from the factory. Sadly, recent statistics prove that you’d better be careful with that shiny new piece of technology. According to the Federal Bureau of Investigation, 24,700 portable navigation systems were swiped in 2008, representing a whopping 700% increase over 2006. While the number in thefts has rocketed skyward, the number of units sold have likewise gone supernova, leading us to wonder if the actual percentage of thefts over units in service has changed appreciably overall. Apple’s iPod is also attractive to thieves, who stole 17,000 of the little music players in ‘08. Perhaps the rise in iPod thefts helps explain why half as many car stereos (14,000) were stolen last year than in 2006, although we are willing to bet that automakers’ continued move away from standard-sized, non-integrated head units is also a major factor. Our common sense advice? Add-on nav systems and iPods are portable for a reason… remove them from your car when you leave it parked. Disaster averted. [Source: Ecommerce Journal ] Navi GONE : Portable GPS system theft reportedly up 700% originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 03 Feb 2009 15:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Read ?|? Permalink ?|? Email this ?|? Comments

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NaviGONE: Portable GPS system theft reportedly up 700%

Filed under: Gadgets , Etc. Click above for a high-res gallery of screenshots from coming Need for Speed titles Electronic Arts, the folks who recently brought us Need for Speed: Undercover , are now working on three (possibly four) new titles in the franchise. According to EA, they’re just trying to “keep the game fresh and the players entertained.” If you’re a cynic, you’re getting another plate of something that hasn’t tasted good since Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit. Your three options will be NFS: Shift, NFS: Nitro, and NFS: World Online. Shift is “built for racers by racers” and will “deliver a true driver’s experience that reflects contemporary motorsports.” Nitro is an arcade take on the game with “a fresh and unique visual style.” World Online is a free web-based player that “takes the race into the largest open world in the history of Need for Speed.” And if you believe the skinny from Eurogamer , EA is working on a fourth NFS that will continue the work of “crafting different games for different audiences and their unique tastes in the driving category.” As for the ones we know about, Speed and Nitro will hit shelves this fall, with World Online following in winter. For now, you can can read the press release after the jump, and check out the high-res screenshots below. Gallery: Need for Speed Shift, Nitro, and World Online [Source: Joystiq ] Continue reading Need for Speed franchise splitting into trio Need for Speed franchise splitting into trio originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 02 Feb 2009 19:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Read ?|? Permalink ?|? Email this ?|? Comments

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Filed under: Gadgets , Tech Pirelli’s Cyber Tire will provide real-time tire performance information via a chip/transponder setup in the tire tread. Operating temperature and pressures, typology of the road’s surface, and vertical load exerted on the tire will be among the data collected and monitored. The system will work in conjunction with another Pirelli invention, the Cyber Wheel , which will convey wheel information such as hub loads in the same way. Now that the tire company has partnered with Brembo and Magnetti Marelli on the Cyber Tire, the tie-up could mean a system that quickly transfers information from the tire to the driver, car, and brakes, allowing for more informed and instantaneous performance changes based on driving conditions. [Source: Pirelli ] Pirelli working with Brembo and Magneti Marelli on Cyber Tire originally appeared on Autoblog on Sun, 01 Feb 2009 16:29:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Read ?|? Permalink ?|? Email this ?|? Comments

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Pirelli working with Brembo and Magneti Marelli on Cyber Tire