Click image to enlargeImage Gallery ( 3 images )

Swiss off-the-wall thinker and Rinspeed founder Frank M. Rinderknecht is always good for constructing thought-provoking concept cars – a look through his concept cars of the last few decades shows us his fondness for adaptable automobileshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/automobile – from carshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Automobile that shorten to fit into parking spaces, to amphibious vehicles that both aquaplane and dive beneath the water, he has explored shape-changing to a degree previously. Details of the mechanism that allows the vehicle to change shape have not yet been disclosed, but it appears from the sketches released by the company that the entire roof raises to enable enough head space for two passengers, both seated behind the driver. For Mr. Rinderknecht the car’s name “iChange” means more than a flowery phrase: “If we want to preserve our individual mobility in the future, we have to re-think our conception of cars,” he said.

“Above all we need to accommodate the ecological aspects.

“The best possible answer the big automakersDetroit-Auto-Show-2008 could find for the “iChange” would be a strong “Yes, we can!”

The car will be seen in working order at the 79th International Motor Showhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Auto_show in Geneva which runs from March 5 to 15, 2009.

The Aptera 2eImage Gallery ( 4 images )

The change to front-wheel drive will also give the Aptera-2e (which was previously known as the Typ-1 before a branding change back in November) increased durability, better noise insulation and more room for cargo over the previous configuration.

"The initial emphasis at Aptera was on space efficiency, but our list of objectives continues to expand," says chief engineer Tom Reichenbach. "You can ask wheels to do more with front-wheel drive, including better braking, steering and power application to the wheels. We've essentially maintained the same styling while making improvements to the vehicle, which is all part of the process of providing maximum efficiency."

Another recent change to the design of the all-electric two-seater is the revised 'All-Vision' System which adds two conventional, aerodynamic side-view mirrorshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mirror and merges the three body-mounted cameras into a single, roof-mounted "fin" style camera linked to a single in-cockpit screen.

With a focus on safety as well as efficiency, the 2e will reach the market with standard features such as driver and passenger airbags, an energy absorbing and impact deflecting passenger Safety Cell, LED lightinghttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solid-state_lighting inside and out, a RFIDRadio-frequency identification Key Fob, plus Solar Assisted Climate Control powered by a roof mounted panel. GPSGlobal Positioning System navigation and a CD/MP3/DVD player will be optional.

The company is taking refundable $500 deposits for the all-electric 2e which is slated for release in 2009 and hopes to have 100,000 Apteras on the road by 2015.

The all-electric model will deliver 100 miles per charge (which takes 8 hours via a standard 110v outlet) and a second plug-in hybrid version (now known as the Aptera-2h) promises an incredible 300 mpg when it's released in 2010.

See our previous coverage or visit the company's revamped website for further info

Click image to enlargeImage Gallery ( 13 images )

Everything you’d expect is there including more horsepowerhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Horsepower and much less weight, mainly due to the liberal use of carbon fibrehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carbon_fiber in all the hang-on parts - quarter panels, front splitterCar-of-Tomorrow Oct-07 , skirts, bumper and rear wing. The exhaust system devised by German Formula 1 supplier MHG is the cleverest bit – for round town, it delivers 75db, but at the press of a button, special high pass filters come into play and the full symphony of the 535 bhp (367 kW) 4961cc V-10 comes into play. You can specify the Holinger six-speed sequential gearbox (with power shift) in any of 110 sets of ratios. All in all, we figure that with one of these, you can be fairly confident that you won’t find much out there capable of racing you to the shops and back successfully.

Now available for $99

AT&T will sell you a refurbished 8GB iPhone 3G on a two-year contract for $99 - as long as it's black. If space is an issue, you can opt for a white or black 16GB model which will set you back $199.

via Crave

Plus: Amazon bucks the trend and reports strong sales season; other retailers hope that big discounts help end a bleak season on an up note.

Compiled by the Mercury News

Posted: 12/26/2008 02:23:38 PM PST

The Wal-Mart iPhone: Wal-Mart on Friday confirmed one of the worst kept secrets in technology: It will begin selling Apple's iPhone on Sunday.

But the retail giant officially knocked down one other rumor that had been making the rounds: It won't be selling a special 4 gigabyte version of the iconic phone for $99.

Instead, the retail giant will offer the same two standard iPhone models that are already sold at Apple, AT&T and Best Buy stores. Wal-Mart customers will be able to buy the phones at a discount, but not much of one.

The company's stores will sell the 8-gigabyte model for $197 and the 16-gigabyte for $297. Both of those prices are $2 less than they can be found at other outlets.

The phones will be available in some 2,500 Wal-Mart stores. That means they won't be available in every Wal-Mart store: All told, the chain has about 4,000 discount, supercenter and Sam's Club outlets.

Merry Christmas for one retailer: Online retailer Amazon.com Inc. called this holiday season its "best ever," saying Friday that it saw a 17 percent increase in orders on its busiest day — a rare piece of good news in a season that has been far from merry for most retailers, including online

businesses.

Amazon customers ordered more than 6.3 million items on Dec. 15, compared with roughly 5.4 million on its peak day last year, the company said. It shipped more than 5.6 million products on its best day, a 44 percent rise over 2007, when it shipped about 3.9 million on its busiest day.

The company did not provide dollar figures and wouldn't say whether the average value of orders had changed, and the jumps it reported Friday are in line with increases Amazon has seen since it started releasing the figures in 2002.

Amazon's best-sellers included the Nintendo Wii game console, Samsung's 52-inch LCD HDTV and Apple Inc.'s iPod touch.

Analysts agreed Amazon's report was good news for the online shopping giant, but they were divided over whether the results indicate strength in online commerce in general.

But for others: Two hours before the doors were set to open Friday morning, a Miami-area Wal-Mart parking lot was full of cars — and possibility.

But in a Christmas shopping season in which many Americans were unwilling to spend, even a packed lot doesn't always translate into holiday cheer for stores.

As stores offered rock-bottom prices and extended return policies, shoppers returned to the malls the day after Christmas. But many were on the hunt for big bargains on specific items or hoping to return unwanted gifts — not looking to splurge.

Brenda Peterson was looking for "flat-out bargains" after driving 35 miles to arrive at a J.C. Penney in Raleigh, N.C., at 5 a.m., a half-hour before the store opened.

But she left empty-handed. A toy that she had spotted before Christmas — a stuffed dog that rolls over and shakes its paw — was gone. And even sales of up to 60 percent off clothing and other items weren't too enticing. After all, she had seen those sales before Christmas, too.

That was a common refrain among shoppers Friday, who appeared to be searching for a deal unlike any they had seen so far this year. 被Wal-Mart婊到…Fuck..........

1536 Kerley Dr

聖荷西, CA 95112, USA

 

1536 Kerley Dr

聖荷西, CA 95112, USA

You've endured Black Friday, Cyber Monday, weeks of gift wrapping, hitting stores, and checking off lists. But just when you thought it was over, retailers across the country are offering post-Christmas, year-end, and clearance sales in hopes of luring shoppers back into stores.

ADVERTISEMENT

Make way for the new Black Friday, the day after Christmas. For many retailers, the holiday shopping season is expected to be a bust, courtesy of the recession, overall economic uncertainty, and poor weather. So consumers can expect rock-bottom prices and promotions at several retailers, which plan to sell any overstock in stores, stockrooms, and warehouses, make way for spring inventory, and boost their bottom lines.

Here's where you can score some impressive post-holiday deals:

J.C. Penney announced it will open at 5:30 a.m. the day after Christmas--the earliest opening in the store's history--and offer 100 door-buster specials, including 50 to 60 percent off private-label clothing for men and women, as well as 75 percent off Christmas decorations. The general merchandiser is offering a free wake-up call so that shoppers don't miss the sale.

Target is offering clearance products and promotions of up to 75 percent off on select clothing, furniture, electronics, holiday décor, and more. Consumers can also save up to 50 to 70 percent on bath and bedding.

The savings and values at Toys "R" Us stores will stretch into the New Year. Some of the items that will be available from Dec. 26, 2008, through Jan. 3, 2009, include 75 percent off a 1.60 Scale X-Trek Pro 15' Race Track Set; 60 percent off certain table games; 50 percent off some Hannah Montana Dolls; and 20 percent off all iPod cases and headphones.

You can get a jump on your holiday decorating for next year. Home improvement retailer Home Depot will be offering 50 percent off of all holiday décor beginning December 26.

Barnes & Noble, the nation's largest book retailer, is offering thousands of books at 50 to 90 percent off for its "After Holiday Warehouse Clearance Sale." Discounts are also available on music, DVDs, toys, video games, journals, calendars, and albums.

Starting this Sunday, Wal-Mart, the largest retailer in the United States, will introduce additional savings, with new values on select electronic games, $60 savings on select HDTVs, and reduced prices on home and office needs.

KB Toys announced Monday that it will be closing its doors for good and has launched a liquidation sale at all 461 of its KB Toys, KB Toy Outlet, KB Toys Holiday, and KB Toy Works stores. Sales at KB Toys stores will begin at 40 percent off regular prices.

The bath products retailer Bath and Body Works is having an after-holiday sale of up to 50 percent off on products including body lotions, shower gels, hand creams, and fragrances.

Circuit City will see the holiday shopping season extend into January. The electronics retailer will be offering big discounts on televisions, digital cameras, home theater systems, computers, computer accessories, GPS, music, movies, and games, according to company spokesperson Jim Babb.

Kohl's is having a huge clearance of 60 to 80 percent off on men's, women's, and children's clothing.

Even luxury retailer Neiman Marcus will be offering steep discounts with its After Christmas Sale. Shoppers can find sales on women's, men's, and children's designer apparel, as well as designer shoes, handbags, and jewelry. Neiman Marcus will be offering an extra 40 percent off already-reduced prices.

One thing to think about if you decide to hit the stores after Christmas: Many shoppers will be returning merchandise or redeeming gift cards the first few days after Christmas. If you wait until the first full week of January, you 'll be able to choose from the merchandise that people have returned. You'll also avoid those punishing return lines. But you might miss out on the deepest discounts.

低迷低迷…連studio的職員也直呼"terrible"!!!

但大家一至認為，明年會更慘!!!!!

 

 

Plus: Genentech says eye injuries linked to Avastin in Canada; Electronic Arts to cut 1,000 jobs, close studios; Intel increases investment in same chip designer as Apple; Best Buy lowers iPhone price before Wal-Mart debut

Compiled by the Mercury News

Posted: 12/19/2008 02:30:06 PM PST

The jobless ranks in Silicon Valley grew last month, according to new figures released today that show the unemployment rate for Santa Clara and San Benito counties rose to 7.2 percent in November — up from 7 percent in October.

That's lower than the statewide unemployment rate of 8.3 percent, but higher than the national rate of 6.5 percent.

The number of jobs in the two South Bay counties fell by 4,300, to a total of 917,500, according to the state Employment Development Department.

The number of manufacturing jobs in the two counties declined by 1,900 from October to November, nearly twice the average decline of 1,000 jobs from October to November in the previous 18 years. The number of retail jobs increased by 1,500, but that's only half the number of jobs that are typically added for the holiday shopping season between October and November.

Eye injuries reportedly linked to Genentech's Avastin: Genentech said it had received 36 reports of eye inflammation in Canadian patients who were given the cancer-drug Avastin to treat eye diseases.

The cases were reported in November by four different sites, Genentech, of South San Francisco, said in a letter to physicians posted today on its Web site. The injuries developed when doctors used Avastin to treat macular degeneration, the leading

cause of blindness in the elderly, or diabetic retinopathy, the company said. Avastin isn't approved for use in the chronic eye diseases.

Doctors prescribed Avastin to treat macular degeneration before Genentech's Lucentis was approved for the illness in 2006. Both drugs target a chemical signal that triggers blood- vessel growth known as vascular endothelial growth factor, or VEGF. Some ophthalmologists prefer using Avastin, which is injected into a patient's eye, because it costs less than Lucentis.

Electronic Arts to cut jobs, studios: Electronic Arts, the second- biggest video-game publisher, boosted planned job cuts to 1,000, or 10 percent of its workforce, and will consolidate or close at least nine studio and publishing locations.

The changes, to be carried out by March 31, will yield savings of about $120 million a year and cost as much as $65 million over the next several quarters, the Redwood City-based company said today in a statement. The actions expand on a 6 percent reduction announced in October.

The maker of "Madden NFL" warned of additional cuts on Dec. 9, when it lowered its full-year revenue and profit forecasts because of slow holiday sales in North America and Europe. Electronic Arts plans to scale back the roughly 30 games a year it now produces to focus on top-sellers.

Intel buys more shares in U.K. company: Intel said it increased its stake in British chip designer Imagination Technologies Group, a day after Apple disclosed it had purchased an interest in the company.

The purchase of 934,422 shares brings Intel's total stake to 6.9 million shares, or 3 percent of voting rights in the company, Intel said today in a filing. Apple bought 8.2 million shares for 3.2 million pounds ($4.8 million), giving it a 3.6 percent stake.

Imagination, based in Kings Langley, England, develops and licenses graphics and video chips for digital radios, media players, mobile phones and navigation devices. Its customers include Texas Instruments, Samsung Electronics and Sharp Electronics.

This is the second investment in a chipmaker this year for Apple. In April, it acquired microprocessor designer P.A. Semi, adding technology for low-power chips. Terms of that deal weren't disclosed.

Best Buy cuts iPhone price: Best Buy, the largest U.S. electronics retailer, cut the price on Apple's iPhone by $10 for the rest of the year as Wal-Mart prepares to start selling the device Dec 28.

Best Buy is offering two models of the phone for $189.99 and $289.99. That price includes free e-mail set-up from the company's Geek Squad service unit, a $30 value, Scott Moore, vice president of marketing for Best Buy Mobile, said in an interview.

The discount signals competition has intensified as cash-strapped shoppers limit purchases amid the U.S. recession. Chief Executive Officer Brad Anderson said Dec. 16 he expects consumer spending to "get worse before it gets better" and said Best Buy will trim costs in 2009 by cutting jobs and investments.

While Wal-Mart has refused to comment on whether it plans to market the phone, store clerks in Arizona, California, Nevada, Texas and Washington contacted by Bloomberg News said they will sell the device. Its price will be $197 and $297, technology site Engadget.com said Dec. 17.

Click image to enlarge

Toyota's pioneering Prius hybrid celebrated its 10th birthday around this time last year and we've been aware for some time that the company is experimenting with a plug-in electric version, but there's still nothing to go on in terms of the new concept. Looks like we might have to wait until January to find out.

The NAIAS runs from January 11-25. Gizmag will be on the ground to bring you details of this and scores of other new automotive product announcements.