Archive for January 10th, 2009
Filed under: Sports/GTs, Trucks/Pickups, Etc., Supercars, Dodge, Nissan
 
Click either image for a high-res gallery
The 13th Annual International Car and Truck of the Year awards were handed out this evening, continuing a long-standing tradition of self-important journalists issuing meaningless awards in a sea of other COTY’s… one month too late.
This year’s winners included the Nissan GT-R and Dodge Ram 1500, which were both lauded for “excellence of design to technological superiority.” We can’t argue with the merits for either vehicle’s selection, although we still maintain the GT-R’s styling is a case study in form following function.
The Earth, Wind & Power car award was given to the Volkswagen Jetta TDI, while the Ford Escape Hybrid took way the EWP Truck of the Year. Honda was recognized with an Earth Angel Award for the most “environmentally-progressive automaker,” the second time it’s received the honor. If you’re truly interested, all the details are available in the press release after the jump.
Continue reading 2009 International Car and Truck of the Year revealed
2009 International Car and Truck of the Year revealed originally appeared on Autoblog on Sat, 10 Jan 2009 23:55:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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You may have never heard of Dual Electronics, but the firm is getting talked up today courtesy of Clear Channel Radio. You see, said outfit has launched the world’s first personal navigation device to support real-time traffic via HD Radio. The XNAV43HD can pull down up to 500 messages per minute in over 50 markets in which the new service is live, and all of the information will be continuously monitored and updated by Clear Channel’s staff. Specs on the PND itself are as follows: 4.3-inch touchscreen, text-to-speech and a multimedia player. The $279.99 price tag ain’t half bad, but our interest lies in how quickly this service will get rolled out to other navigators, factory-supplied and otherwise.
[Image courtesy of MP3Car]
Filed under: GPS, Portable Audio, Transportation
Dual Electronics’ XNAV43HD PND: first with real-time traffic via HD Radio originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 10 Jan 2009 23:19:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Filed under: Detroit Auto Show, Supercars, Mercedes-Benz
Click above for a high-res gallery of the McLaren SLR Stirling Moss
At an event ahead of tomorrow’s Detroit Auto Show kick-off, Mercedes-Benz showed off the new Mclaren SLR Stirling Moss to a select group of journos. The company is only offering 75 roadsters to current SLR owners to close out the supercar’s tenure, so when these windscreen-free, 650 hp monsters are gone, that’s it for the SLR. It must be a rush exploring the SLR’s supercharged 5.5-liter V8 and 217 mph top speed with your head out in the open. Goofy old man and silly aviator eye-protectors sold seperately.
Photos Copyright (C)2009 Sam Abuelsamid / Weblogs, Inc.
Detroit 2009: Mercedes-Benz unveils McLaren SLR Stirling Moss early originally appeared on Autoblog on Sat, 10 Jan 2009 22:59:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Filed under: Sedans/Saloons, Geneva Motor Show, Mercedes-Benz
Click above for a high-res gallery of the 2010 Mercedes-Benz E-Class
After various reports and some leaked images, M-B took the wraps off the the 2010 Mercedes-Benz E-Class at a private event in Detroit. While the new E won’t make its public debut until March at the Geneva Motor Show, we were on hand in Motown to get the details straight from the company that Karl Benz built.
We’ve said plenty about the E’s new conservative sheetmetal and exterior elements, including the ConceptFASCINATION-inspired front-end and sedate, uninspired rump. Depending on spec, the new E-class will feature either twin foglamps or angular LEDs, trapezoidal or oval exhaust tips and a host of wheel options. The overall length has been stretched by half an inch to just under 16 feet, while the width has grown by 1.26 inches, the wheelbase is up 0.8-inches and height is half-an-inch taller than the outgoing model. Torsional rigidity is up by 30% and the new E is more aerodynamic, along with packing 11 standard airbags.
The 2010 model shows considerable promise inside, with an interior that evolves the C-class and GLK’s angular aesthetic and attempts to bring more of that bomb-proof feel that Benz was known for in the past. The transmission selector can be had on either the console or the steering column, ala S-class, with the COMAND controller placed on the center divider and some of the seat controls moving to the sides, next to the transmission tunnel.
The new E features enough gadgetry to sooth even the most weary CES attendee, beginning with a new standard system called Attention Assist that keeps track of steering angle and alerts the driver if they’re getting drowsy with an audible alert and a coffee-cup icon on the dash. Lane departure warning is optional, along with adaptive high-beam headlights that dim when oncoming traffic is approaching, radar-based cruised control, blind-spot monitoring and infrared night vision.
When the 2010 E-class goes on sale this summer, buyers can choose from either a direct-injected, 292-hp 3.5-liter V6 (E350) or a 388-hp 5.5-liter V8 (E500), both mated to a standard seven-speed automatic gearbox. 4MATIC models will arrive later, along with the E63 variant, and the 211 hp, 3.0-liter Bluetech diesel variant with urea injection is slated to go on sale at the end of the year.
Live Photos Copyright (C)2009 Sam Abuelsamid / Weblogs, Inc.
2010 Mercedes-Benz E-Class revealed ahead of Geneva originally appeared on Autoblog on Sat, 10 Jan 2009 22:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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It’s been a hot minute since we saw anything fly from QNAP, but today the outfit is unveiling a NAS so intimidating, so beastly that it practically has to be locked away in a data closet. The TS-639 Pro Turbo checks in with six bays, a 1.6GHz Intel CPU, 1GB of DDR2 RAM, gigabit Ethernet and support for RAID 0/1/5/6/5+spare configurations along with built-in iSCSI target service with Thin Provisioning. There’s no mention of a price, but that’s likely because you just aren’t ready to handle the truth.
Filed under: Networking
QNAP unveils stately 6-bay TS-639 Pro Turbo NAS device originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 10 Jan 2009 22:26:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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 Dell Canada is good for being the first to show off new LCDs, and yet again we’re getting an early look at a forthcoming monitor courtesy of the Great White North. The 22-inch UltraSharp 2209WA will evidently arrive with a 1,680 x 1,050 resolution, 300 nits of brightness, a 1,000:1 contrast ratio, 178-degree viewing angles and a 5-millisecond response time. It also features VGA and DVI connectors, four USB 2.0 ports and an undisclosed price tag. It’ll supposed ship in one to two weeks, but given that there’s not even an image available yet, we’re not so sure we’d bet the farm on that estimate being accurate.
[Via whirlpool, thanks Ed]
Filed under: Displays
Dell’s 22-inch UltraSharp 2209WA LCD monitor surfaces originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 10 Jan 2009 21:10:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Posted by Griffin McElroy
Filed under: Culture, Polls
WeeWebWrap Just landed in Vegas for CES ‘09. Airline lost luggage. Luckily, kept Barbara Streisand tix with me as carry-on. 1:05 PM Jan 7th from txt
WeeWebWrap Turned away at convention center. Press credentials were in luggage. Trying to keep myself amused ’til flight home. Streisand should help. 11:34 AM Jan 8th from txt
WeeWebWrap Lost life savings (and Babs tix) on Roulette table. Thanks for nothing, Snipes. Walking streets at night. Hope I don’t get stabbed/mugged. 10:41 PM yesterday from txt
MugStabbr86 JUST MUGGED AND STABBED SOME GUY about 18 hours ago from txt
MugStabbr86 THIS IS A NEAT PHONE about 10 hours ago from txt
While we recover from multiple stab wounds and our first heartbreaking foray into the world of high stakes gambling, read these webcomics which we’ve designated “Best of the Week” using an incredibly complex algorithm that you could never hope to understand. Be sure to pick your favorite after the jump!
Locked in Brutal Combat (Penny Arcade)
You Decide? (Digital Unrest)
The House of Miyamoto #7 (Hsu & Chan)
Song of Time (Brawl in the Family)
Silver Lining (Castle Vidcons)
The ‘Duke Nukem Forever’ Guy is Always Late (My Life as an Evil Genius)
Altering the Deal (GameMarks)
Continue reading Weekly Webcomic Wrapup tweets from the strip
Weekly Webcomic Wrapup tweets from the strip originally appeared on Joystiq on Sat, 10 Jan 2009 20:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Posted by Jeremy Korzeniewski
Filed under: Detroit Auto Show, Convertibles, Coupes, Sports/GTs, Jaguar
Click above for high-res image gallery of the 2010 Jaguar XKR
Performance and efficiency. These are the two cardinal attributes that all car designers are aiming for these days, and Jaguar is no different. For the last few years, the automaker’s latest XK has relied heavily on its riveted and bonded aluminum-intensive architecture to achieve low weight, which is the first necessity for sporting credentials. For 2010, Jaguar is taking that successful formula and adding lots more power via an enlarged version of its AJ V8 engine. Direct injection, variable valve timing and a variable-geometry intake manifold all conspire to increase power to 510 hp while also having the desirable effect of improving fuel efficiency. Of course, an impressive engine is only a small part of the overall desirability of a new car, and Jaguar claims to have given its XK line, available in both a Portfolio model and uplevel R-model for the 2010 model year, a thorough freshening. So, what are they on about? Plenty, it seems. Keep reading.
Continue reading Detroit 2009: Jaguar unleashes 2010 XKR, this kitty has claws
Detroit 2009: Jaguar unleashes 2010 XKR, this kitty has claws originally appeared on Autoblog on Sat, 10 Jan 2009 20:09:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Filed under: Etc., Government/Legal, Nissan, Australia, Humor
A 78-year-old Australian man with a need for speed had his car impounded after being caught racing at 170 km/h (105 mph) on a winding road east of Melbourne on New Year’s Day. It seems John Belfield, the senior citizen under the spotlight, is a member of a local Nissan-Datsun sports car club. The club was holding a social run for its members on January 1, and Mr. Belfield was in attendance with his sporty Nissan Pulsar.
When prodded during the drive by a 36-year-old fellow club member in a Nissan Skyline, Belfield couldn’t restrain himself and took chase. While it isn’t clear who had the lead when the police intervened, the local constabulary did nab both drivers and promptly impounded their cars based on Victoria’s “hoon laws” (a series of laws that covers certain types of speeding, burnouts, street racing, screeching brakes, etc…). The violation, according to police records, makes John Belfield the oldest person to have his car impounded under the law… an accolade, of sorts. In his defense, Mr. Belfield pointed out that he is a skilled driver who races cars. We doubt that got him off the hook, as it has never worked for us when we’re in our Pulsars. Thanks to Sam for the tip!
[National News AU]
78-year old’s Nissan Pulsar impounded after AU street race with Skyline originally appeared on Autoblog on Sat, 10 Jan 2009 19:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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