Filed under: Trends, Government/Legal

Yesterday we showed you the Top Ten Most Stolen Vehicles in 2008 based on thefts per number of insured models. While many of you pointed out that these were, in fact, not the most stolen vehicles overall, most of you agreed that they weren’t worth risking time in the clink over, either. Even the most stolen vehicles overall like the Honda Civic, Accord and Toyota Camry don’t really seem worth the trouble unless you run a chop-shop. So what can you do to keep your daily commuter parked safe and sound in the driveway? Perhaps drive one of these.

Again using new data from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety and Highway Loss Data Institute, we’ve assembled a new list of the Top Ten Least Stolen Vehicles in 2008. Not all of them are undesirable, some just have very good protective devices. Others are just so popular that their owners don’t let them out of their sight. We make no promises about whether or not your particular car will be stolen, but we do know that the IIHS says these vehicles generate the fewest insurance-claim reports related to theft. As before, the figures are reported in number of claims filed for every 1,000 vehicles insured each year, and this most recent report covers vehicles made and sold between 2005 and 2007. So follow the banner to find out what the least stolen cars of 2008 are.

Top 10 Least Stolen Vehicles in 2008 originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 09 Dec 2008 19:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: Sony PlayStation 2, RPGs, Metareviews

You might look at this metareview’s title and think we’ve made a mistake. No one makes PS2 games anymore. Not so, and as any RPG player worth their elixir knows, Atlus has been prepping the latest in its acclaimed Persona series for release on the last-gen system. Now it’s here, and the reviews – praising everything from its characters to its gameplay and voice acting as best-of-breed – are absolutely glowing. (In the sense that they’re really good, not “turn off your monitor and back away slowly.”)

• Game|Life (100/100): “The truly stunning thing about Persona 4 is that it just doesn’t have any glaring flaws. Even though it doesn’t stand up to the graphics of the Xbox 360 or PlayStation 3, the clever art style makes up for that. Those who despise reading large blocks of text in games will be pleasantly surprised by the solid voice-over work applied to almost every conversation.”
• 1UP (A+): “What really sets Persona 4 apart, though, is its endearing, relatable cast. “
• GamePro (100/100): “I can’t recommend this innovative experience highly enough, and from first time visitors to the Velvet Room to jaded MegaTen fanatics, Persona 4 is an absolute must buy.”
• WorthPlaying (95/100): “Everything – from the story to the combat system to the dungeon crawling and Social Links – has been improved. Considering that Persona 3 was already an excellent game, Persona 4 is a true standout.

Metareview — Persona 4 (PS2) originally appeared on Joystiq on Tue, 09 Dec 2008 19:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: Etc., Misc. Auto Shows, Toys

Despite the recession, more than 3,000 cars again gathered from all over the Southwest to collect toys and money to help needy children have a shot at happiness this holiday season. This year’s Motor4Toys event moved a few miles down the 101 to the Anthem Blue Cross/Blue Shield Campus in Woodland Hills allowing a little more elbow room for the thousands of people who showed. Guests who brought a toy donation were treated to one of the biggest and best car shows in the nation.

Along with a special gallery of supercars and Hollywood rides, whole rows were devoted to different makes so visitors could wander past a full line of Porsches, Ferraris, Corvettes, American Iron, Volkswagens, Lotuses, Cobras or just about anything else they might fancy. We saw at least four Carrera GTs, a couple of F40s, an SLR, Lusso, 275 GTB, Scuderia, 599 GTB, Ultima Can-Am, Mangusta, Jaguar XK140, Aston Martin DB2, and a whole lot more. And it seems a lot of people really like the matte black look. We saw the Rolls-Royce Phantom we recently told you about, along with a Porsche, Lotus, Gallardo and Vette done up all rat-rod like. Besides coming out to donate toys, the Southern California car clubs made this a typically great event by not only sharing their rides with the assembled crowd, but also by opening their pocketbooks to bid on a number of donated gifts in a combined online and live auction.

Last year’s record of 15,000 toys seemed like a tough act to follow, especially considering the global economic crisis, but the mountains of toys we saw at the site seemed to say otherwise. This five-year-old event is still the number one contributor of toys to charity causes annually, and it’s all done by car people. That makes it very near and dear to our hearts. Several law enforcement groups are involved in the proceedings as well, giving rides and vehicle demos as a thank you for all of the donations. It’s a huge undertaking but everyone just does what they can to make it happen. Many of the supplies and all of the labor are donated, and it’s never too late to do your part, too. If you’d like to donate to the cause, you can still do so through the Motor4Toys website. They should have more photos and videos up soon, but until then, check out our huge gallery of high-res pics by clicking any image.

All photos copyright (C)2008 Frank Filipponio/Weblogs, Inc.

5th Annual Motor4Toys event draws thousands for a great cause originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 09 Dec 2008 19:29:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Sure, this isn’t the first homebrew security system we’ve seen, but as long as there are nosey little sisters in the world, there will be a need for this sort of project. Based on the Arduino, the NoKES (NintendO Keyless Entry System) allows the user to set an entry code, which will then have to be entered via the retro-hip NES controller in order to unlock the door. The deadbolt itself is moved by a CD tray, and if you enter the wrong code, attempt to disable the device, or just stop by and knock on the door you’ll get your picture taken. Sounds like just the thing to keep those valuable comic books and He-Man action figures out of harm’s way while you’re off earning your Copyright Activity Badge. Hit the read link for step-by-step instructions, and be sure to check out the demo video after the break.

Continue reading NES controller, CD-ROM reconstituted as security system

Filed under: Household

NES controller, CD-ROM reconstituted as security system originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 09 Dec 2008 19:26:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: Features, FPS, Multiplayer

If you are like most of us, the economy’s quick drop this fall may have left you with a lack of cash to pay for that new copy of Left 4 Dead or Far Cry 2. However if you want to play a first person shooter game for free and don’t feel like paying for it there are actually quite a number of free-to-play titles out there that you can download and play right now.

Big Download has noticed a growing trend of first person shooter titles that are already out there, in beta testing or coming up in the near future that you can just download and play. Some of these games do have or will have premium fees or micro-transactions to get more content but all of them can be enjoyed for free without the need to pay a cent. We decided to do a quick round-up of just a few of the current and upcoming free-to-play FPS titles. And remember, the best things in life are free..or so we have been told.

Click on the image above to continue reading about Free-to-play FPS games

Shooting for nothing: A look at current and future free-to-play FPS games originally appeared on Big Download Blog on Tue, 09 Dec 2008 19:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: X3F Features

It’s time for another exciting(?) edition of Ask X3F, the community powered feature in which you ask and we (attempt to) answer. This week, we’ve got some NXE questions and complaints, Left 4 Dead issues and a Friends list quandary. We also deal with the most hated of all subjects: airports. Read it all after the break.

Got a question for Ask X3F? Maybe you have a story or some information you’d like to share? Send it all to ask [att] xbox360fanboy [dawt] com.

Continue reading Ask X3F: Excellent good friends edition

Ask X3F: Excellent good friends edition originally appeared on Xbox 360 Fanboy on Tue, 09 Dec 2008 19:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: Etc., Marketing/Advertising, Mercedes-Benz

Just like no two snowflakes are exactly the same, every AMG engine is hand assembled and therefore unique. Enough with the aphoristic crap – Mercedes is using the coming winter snows as a way to whip up a clever widget that’s fun to fiddle with as you help the brand market its wares. Take the idea of snowflakes, toss in a kaleidoscope and AMG-spec parts, blend it together with some Flash, and what do you have? Why, you’ve got this season’s timewaster from Mercedes, and it’s actually fun! We had a good time laying out all the elements to build a slick little snowflake out of Benz parts – try it for yourself, and when you’re done, you can email the results to your friends. Thanks for the tip, web info!

[Source: Mercedes-amg.com]

AMG launches Snowflake Creator for happy holiday wishing originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 09 Dec 2008 18:59:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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No real surprises here but, in a recent interview with GamePro, Sony’s John Kohler said that the company doesn’t have any plans to pull a Microsoft and redesign its XMB interface, nor does have any intention to offer Netflix service on the PS3 in the foreseeable future. More specifically, while Kohler says that Sony is willing to make changes “if consumers pound on our door loudly enough,” it’s not likely to make any “grand-scale changes” to the XMB “because it’s something that’s been so well-received.” As for Netflix, Kohler expectedly shifted the focus to Sony’s own download service, saying simply that “our efforts will continue to be there, because our customers want to own the content.” Not surprisingly, Kohler didn’t exactly invite any door-pounding on that matter, though there’s certainly nothing stopping anyone that feels so inclined.

[Via PS3 Fanboy]

Filed under: Gaming, Home Entertainment

Sony says it has no plans for revamped XMB, Netflix service originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 09 Dec 2008 18:42:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: Business

Following today’s news of EA lowering its forecast for fiscal year ’09, the mega-publisher held a conference call – mainly for investors – to go into a little more detail as to the why’s of the situation and the how’s of the solution. Fingers were metaphorically pointed at retailers for shortening their stock of all but the best-selling games, while new properties were praised for faring well with reviewers.

EA CEO, John Riccitiello, began the call by pointing out that 17 of the company’s ’08 titles earned aggregate Metacritic scores above 80, versus only seven the year before. New IPs – specifically Dead Space and Mirror’s Edge - were praised, but Riccitiello pointed out during the Q&A portion of the call that these franchises will perform better once established. “Dead Space looks like a long-term big winner for us,” he said, later confirming, “[Mirror's Edge] is going to go forward.”

The EA boss placed substantial emphasis on the impact of major retailers cutting their stock of all but the top five best-selling titles this holiday season. Looking forward, he said to expect the company to produce fewer titles overall next year, with core and casual games seeing equal, indeterminate cuts; sports will be untouched. Riccitiello also confirmed that studio consolidation will play a role in EA’s FY10 cost-cutting plans, as will the merging of labels, specifically EA Sims and EA Casual, into one.

Notes from EA’s investor conference call originally appeared on Joystiq on Tue, 09 Dec 2008 18:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: Car Buying, Trucks/Pickups, Suzuki

Suzuki has just released pricing information for its brand-new Equator midsize pickup truck, and, not surprisingly, it apes the asking price of its Nissan Frontier platform-mate. For 2009, the Equator will start at $17,995, just a few hundred bucks more than the Frontier at $17,460. That base sum will get you a 2.5L four-cylinder engine with 152 horsepower and 171 lb-ft of torque in an extended cab package with a five-speed manual transmission and two-wheel drive. Of course, those wanting or needing more can opt for a powerful 4.0L V6 engine, five-speed automatic transmission, four-wheel drive and four real doors. A fully-loaded RMZ-4 model will easily top the $30,000 mark.

Also priced is the newly-reworked Grand Vitara, which is equipped with a choice of two new engines. Base four-cylinder models begin changing hands at under $20,000, while top-level Luxury models with a 3.2L V6 engine powering all four wheels begin at $25,649. Check out the full press release from Suzuki after the jump.

[Source: Suzuki]

Continue reading Suzuki Equator priced from $17,995

Suzuki Equator priced from $17,995 originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 09 Dec 2008 18:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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