Nintendo 3DS gets official, includes 3D camera

Danny Cheng: "Wow~~ wanna know the price now... MUST BUY~"

Engadget: "We've been reading about it for what seems like ages, looking over images of the FCC prototype with a magnifying glass, and now Nintendo is showing it off at its E3 press conference. The company that Mario built is trumping up how superior its glasses-free technology is better than others, "a solution that lets you take 3D gaming along with you wherever you go" according to Reggie. The upper screen is surprisingly only 3.5-inches, not the wider that we'd expected. There is a slider on the side that lets you tweak the 3D effect, seemingly enabling you to adjust its depth based on your distance from the screen -- or turn it off entirely. As with the current DS, the bottom is a touchscreen, and is not 3D.

That's what looks to be an analog stick on the side there, as well, that Nintendo is calling a "Slide Pad." There is a gyro, motion sensor, it's compatible with DSi games, and has two cameras enabling 3D photos. Nintendo is also talking up partnerships including Disney, games that are said to be playable today, at the show, with one of the highlights being a new Kid Icarus game which looks quite action-packed to say the least -- and has better graphics than most of the Wii titles Nintendo has shown thus far. Nintendo has mentioned the 3DS will have the "biggest launch support ever" from third party devs, and a 3D Nintendogs should be a huge seller -- if only because it has cats too. Other games include Madden, Ninja Gaiden, Resident Evil, a Batman title, Splinter Cell, and, finally, a Metal Gear Solid entry.

Nintendo is also talking about how the system will seek out WiFi hotspots or other 3DS systems "without you knowing," which sounds a bit ominous, to be honest. Systems can communicate regardless of which games are being played. It can even pull in new DLC directly from other consoles, all without a monthly fee.

Still no release date or price, but Nintendo is showing off two colors, red and blue, and they're said to be playable on the show floor. You can be sure we'll be running there right now."

Central World, Siam Square, Siam Paragon, Centara Grand, Stock Exchange, Channel 3, and multiple banks are burning in Bangkok

Danny Cheng: "OH NO...... Central World on Fire...... Red-Shirt should STOP NOW!"

Heraldsun: "FIRES broke out at a major shopping centre, the Thai stock exchange and other locations in Bangkok after an army offensive that shut down a protest camp in the capital, a fire official said.

Blazes were reported at Central World, one of South-East Asia's largest shopping centres, as well as the Stock Exchange of Thailand, a branch of an electricity company, a television station and a bank, the official said.

The government announced a night-time curfew to deal with any "rogue protesters" who ignore a call by leaders of the anti-government Red Shirt movement to end their weeks-long rally in the heart of the capital.

The causes of the blazes were not clear but there were local media reports that some hardcore anti-government protesters had lit fires because they were unhappy with the Red Shirt leaders' decision to surrender.

Protest leaders surrendered and told supporters to go home after a deadly army assault on their fortified encampment.

A police spokesman said crack officers had been deployed with authorisation to shoot on sight anybody looting, committing arson or inciting unrest."

Nokia N8 - Connect. Create. Entertain.

Danny Cheng: "Yes Nokia :)"

Symbian World: "While Samsung, Motorola and HTC all announced new flagship devices during the Mobile World Congress 2010, Nokia relied on their Nokia N97 (mini) and the N900 and did not announced a new powerhouse. The media as well as Nokia-fan boys have been eager to see a new and fresh Nokia devices running Symbian^3 but Nokia really took its time but eventually, on the 27th of April, the N8 has been officially announced.

Specwise, the N8 is equipped with pretty much everything a flagship device needs in 2010. The real excitement of this device is around the imaging capability. 12 megapixels with autofocus, Carl Zeiss optics, a Xenon flash, face recognition and a wide angle lens guarantee crystal clear images. Of course, megapixels don’t indicate how good a camera is. Though the N8 has the biggest sensor ever used in a phone, hence one can expect high quality results. And there is even more to it. Videos are recorded with 720p HD resolution at 25 frames per second which than can be playbacked via the HDMI port on your large TV set."

Facebook's Privacy Changes Get Scary

Danny Cheng: "Facebook, can you protect our privacy please?"

Gizmodo: "Facebook's long had some privacy issues, and now that they're broadening their reach on the web, who knows what'll happen next? Oh, right. We do:

2007 - Facebook Beacon links your purchases at online stores to your Facebook account so your friends (and marketers) can see what you're buying.

2010 - Facebook makes it impossible for you to hide certain information, such as your interests and location, from everybody.

2011 - Facebook History Tracker makes your web surfing history publicly viewable on your feed (and to marketers). After a brief uproar, Facebook enables an "incognito mode" for when you want to look at porn, but it's buried deep within the settings and automatically shuts off after each session.

2012 - Facebook Life Recorder is a small camera apparatus that's worn on your head, automatically tagging the friends you interact with via facial recognition and posting to your wall. Information such as where you shop and what you buy is put into a database (for marketers).

2014 - Facebook Implant combines a chemical scanner with a GPS chip. Everything you eat and everywhere you go are automatically posted to your News Feed in minute detail. This setting can be deactivated through outpatient surgery.

2015 - Facebook Guy Who Moves Into Your House With You and Is Always On the Phone With Potential Advertisers Telling Them What You're Doing meets initial resistance, but once the site starts publicizing its "Watcher Marriages"—instances where a follower and followee have fallen in love—public opposition melts away.

2016 - Mark Zuckerberg is elected president in the first election that allows voting via Liking candidates on Facebook.

2017 - Facebook User Relocation to Facebook's Headquarters ensures Facebook's ability to track every single thing you do to post to your Feed. Considered necessary after "Watcher Marriages" resulted in too many compromised Facebook Guys Who Move Into Your House With You.

2018 - Facebook Pods provide remote 24 hour contact with Facebook, as well as all bodily needs, including food delivery and waste removal (which is then provided to marketers for analysis).

2020 - Facebook Genital Pictures takes pictures of everyone's junk, which was real easy what with everyone in those Pods. Finally, Facebook fulfills its ultimate destiny: showing you (and marketers) everyone you've ever met with no clothes on."

Google.cn now rerouting to Hong Kong domain, an 'entirely legal' workaround to censorship woes

Danny Cheng: "Banned Google and YouTube in China? wtf? lucky we live in Hong Kong :)"

Engadget: "It's not quite the ceasing of operations that the local papers were reporting last week, but Google has announced today what it's calling an "entirely legal" way of giving mainland China unfiltered search results. The Google.cn domain now redirects to its Hong Kong servers via Google.com.hk, providing uncensored access in simplified Chinese. Needless to say, any mainland Google China servers have thus been given an early retirement. "We very much hope that the Chinese government respects our decision, though we are well aware that it could at any time block access to our services," writes David Drummond, SVP of Corporate Development and Chief Legal Officer, on the official Google Blog, while also noting to expect some slowdown while the HK servers deal with an expanded load of users. As for its men and women on the ground, Google reiterates that these decisions were driven by executives in the U.S. "and that none of [its] employees in China can, or should, be held responsible for them." R&D work will continue on the mainland, and a sales presence will remain. The company has created a "China service availability" page, promised to be updated daily, for seeing what parts of Google's business are being blocked by the country at any given time -- as of today, that includes Youtube, Google Sites, Blogger, and partial blocks of Docs, Picasa, and Groups. We're very curious to see how the page'll look in tomorrow's update.

Update: China has given its own response, in English. The wording is rather harsh, remarking that " it is unfair for Google to impose its own value and yardsticks on Internet regulation to China, which has its own time-honored tradition, culture and value." The statement goes on to say that the Google's "ambition to change China's Internet rules and legal system will only prove to be ridiculous" and should it continue to "politicalize itself," it'll only lose credibility among the country's web users and ultimately "will make Google end up to be the biggest loser." Full statement via CCTV. "

Sony just officially announced the PlayStation Move motion controller

Engadget: "No surprise here: Sony just officially announced the PlayStation Move motion controller at GDC 2010, calling it the "next generation of motion gaming" because it's so precise -- latency is about the same as the DualShock 3. As expected, it uses the PlayStation Eye camera to track the controller, and Sony says it becomes an "extension of your body." The plan is not only to engage casual gamers, but to use the precision of the controller to create "new experiences for core gamers" -- many of the demo videos we saw involved using a controller video in each hand, and there were quote a few demos of action / RPG games. We also saw a demo of Move Party, which uses the camera to do augmented reality gaming and video chat. The demos are pretty impressive -- Sony's not kidding when it says the Move is incredibly precise. There's also going to be a secondary "subcontroller" with an analog stick for shooters -- you can play all the way through SOCOM4 with just the Move and the sub-controller. (Yes, it's just like the Wii Nunchuk, only wireless.)

You'll be able to get Move in three ways: in a bundle with a PS3, standalone, and in a starter kit targeted at "under $100" with the PS Eye, a controller, and a game. That's all the pricing info we have right now, but it certainly sounds aggressive -- Sony says they're treating this like a major console launch, so expect to see this everywhere when it launches around the holidays."

FF: "I want more good games :)"

Sony Bravia NX800 HDTV, art-inspired~

Yanko Design: "Sony is taking the LED HDTV game to a whole new level with their art-inspired Bravia NX800 series HDTV. Priced from HK$19,880, the new NX800 features 200HZ Motionflow technology, integrated WiFi and even an ambient light sensor to automatically adjust the TV brightness based on the lighting level in the room. With support for Netflix, YouTube and Slacker movie and music streaming built-in, there really is no reason to even turn on your PC – or get off the sofa for that matter. Other features include a USB port so you can play music, pictures or video from a thumbdrive.

Sony produced about the auspicious design and the designers themselves. A brief glimpse into Sony’s Japanese headquarters and short interviews with the surprisingly young group of designers served its purpose by changing my mind about a company whom I once thought was extremely long in the tooth. These young people spoke of revision and change, admittingly taking responsibility for Sony’s lackluster design in the past decade. They saw 2010 as an opportunity to change everything. This time, they would define their own agenda. Instead of playing catch-up to other first rate brands, Sony would forge ahead with what they once dominated the ID landscape with; slick Japanese electronic design.

The NX800 is the first of many products to embrace this new design aesthetic Sony calls Monolithic. Think tall, sleek, angular, and statuesque. There’s nothing organic about it. It’s meant to stand in opposition to everything else around it. Love it or hate it, it draws you in. This is the first time in a long time where I’ve felt Sony has a win. This isn’t like anything else on the market. It doesn’t look like LG, Samsung, Vizio, Toshiba or Apple. This is uniquely Sony.

This is a good thing. Sony has always had great technology but they could never find a way to package it in a compelling way. Designed to create a remarkable sense of space, the 52″ NX800 has an innovative six-degree tilt, so you can position the TV at lower levels. Mounting on walls is so passe now. The entire screen is Edge LED backlight providing instant on/off. The latest BRAVIA Engine lives up to its reputation by delivering incredibly saturated imagery rich in detail and color. The 240Hz screen means action oriented imagery never “ghosts” or blurs as the refresh rate attempts to compensate. It’s all crystal clear, like glass.

Having a razor sharp screen isn’t enough these days. All the major manufactures now share their panel tech and just slap on buzz words to make it all sound alluring. To be successful you’ve got to embrace where digital entertainment is moving towards – the internet.

It’s got built in Wi-Fi and with your in-home broadband connection, you can access online content from Netflix, Slacker Radio, and YouTube. Although widgets are old news for computers – they’re new for TV’s. The NX800 lets you watch programs with multiple widgets open and arrange them however you want."

FF: "I love this TV so much, It shows extreme attention to detail. Kudos Sony."

Nike 2010 Spring Air Max 1 Grey/Orange

hypebeast: "Spring 2010 welcomes another colorway of Nike’s Air Max 1, this time done up in a simple grey/orange color scheme, accented with white throughout. Suede and mesh make up the uppers with a toned down orange adding just enough pop for Spring. Look for these to drop early next month via Nike retail accounts"

FF: "Nice, I like Orange and Nike :)"

Google Buzz in Gmail = Google vs Facebook

Google Blog: "Google launching Google Buzz, a new way to start conversations about the things you find interesting and share updates, photos, videos and more. Buzz is built right into Gmail, so there's nothing to set up — you're automatically following the people you email and chat with the most.

Google focused on making the sharing experience really rich by integrating photos, videos, and links. No more fuzzy little pictures: Buzz makes it easy to quickly flip through photos and experience them the way they Googlere meant to be seen: big and full-resolution. And videos play inline so you can watch them without opening a new window.

You can choose to share publicly with the world or privately to a small group of friends each time you post. And you can connect other sites you use, today there's Picasa, Flickr, Google Reader, and Twitter, so your friends can keep up with what you're doing around the Googleb — all in one place.

To make sure you don't miss out on the best part of sharing, Buzz sends responses to your posts straight to your inbox. Unlike static email messages, buzz messages in your inbox are live conversations where comments appear in real time.

You can follow the specific people whose posts you want to see, but Buzz also recommends posts from people you're not directly following, often ones where your friends are having a lively conversation in the comments. If you're not interested in a particular recommendation, just click the "Not interested" link and your feedback will help improve the recommendations system. Buzz also Googleeds out uninteresting posts from the people you follow — collapsing inactive posts and short status messages like "brb." These early versions of ranking and recommendations are just a start; Google're working on improvements that will help you automatically sort through all the social data being produced to find the most relevant conversations that matter to you.

For all those times when you want to share something but aren't in front of your computer, Buzz is also available on your phone. When you're out in the real world, a lot of the information you want to share often has to do with where you are: for example, you may want to talk about a new restaurant you discovered or the score of the game you're watching. So rather than simply a small screen version of the desktop experience, Buzz for mobile brings location to the forefront and makes it easy to have conversations about places. In addition to checking out buzz from people you're following, you can also see nearby buzz from the people around you.

FF: "Woooooo, Google vs Facebook"

iPad's Lack of Flash, BAD APPLE

gizmodo: "As you're probably aware, the Apple iPad, like the iPhone and iPod Touch, doesn't support Flash. Apple has its reasons for this, but clearly Adobe isn't happy about it. Here's their response.

Adobe: "It looks like Apple is continuing to impose restrictions on their devices that limit both content publishers and consumers. Unlike many other ebook readers using the ePub file format, consumers will not be able to access ePub content with Apple's DRM technology on devices made by other manufacturers. And without Flash support, iPad users will not be able to access the full range of web content, including over 70% of games and 75% of video on the web.

If I want to use the iPad to connect to Disney, Hulu, Miniclip, Farmville, ESPN, Kongregate, or JibJab — not to mention the millions of other sites on the web — I'll be out of luck.

Adobe and more than 50 of our partners in the Open Screen Project are working to enable developers and content publishers to deliver to any device, so that consumers have open access to their favorite interactive media, content, and applications across platform, regardless of the device that people choose to use."

The main arguments against Flash running on the iPad is that it's a resource hog and a security risk. Both true! Hopefully the web is moving away from relying on Flash for videos and ugly menus, with HTML5 acting as a more-than-adequate replacement. But we're not there yet. While I can appreciate the fact that Apple is trying to keep the iPad more stable by not including Flash, the fact that it kills off most online gaming and video streaming in the process makes the tradeoff questionable."

FF: "BAD APPLE, we need Flash unless HTML5 is here... I know NOT SUPPORTING flash is a brilliant strategy for Apple; Because 70% of games are flash-based, there would be little reason to pay for (or develop) games for the iPhone/iPad. but we need Flash, fungfung.net have Flash, Appledaily have Flashhhhhhhhhhhhh etc......, APPLE SUCKS, PPL DO NOT BUY iPad!"

Apple announces ' iPad ' touchscreen tablet

msnbc: "After months of rampant speculation, Apple Wednesday announced a touchscreen tablet computer, the "iPad" for consumers who want to take their movies, TV shows, music, games and reading with them, be it around the house or on the go; and what is the battery life like? iPad have been able to achieve 10 hours of battery life. can take a flight from San Francisco to Tokyo and watch video the whole time. And it has over a month of standby time.

"We want to kick off 2010 with a truly revolutionary and magical product," CEO Steve Jobs told a packed audience at the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts in San Francisco on Wednesday.

Apple's new product comes at a time when e-readers, like Amazon's Kindle and others from Barnes & Noble and Sony are on the market, with more coming this year from companies such as Samsung and the Hearst Corp."

FF: "im testing fungfung.net with iPad now~"

Lenovo LePhone launching in Le May

Engadget: "As Google and China trade blows on the global stage Lenovo just keeps on truckin' with its plans to launch the Android-powered LePhone in China and overseas. Samsung and Motorola you'll recall, already bent under Google's pressure and agreed to delay the launch of their respective handsets in China last week. Lenovo execs are planning for a hat-trick launch in May on China Unicom, China Mobile, and China Telecom with a rest of world launch expected later in the year. Lenovo shareholders also approved the company's planned buy-back of its mobile handset division today, making them just the latest tier-1 PC maker to join the smartphone party."

FF: "I love Nokia, however, I love Google too, so Lenovo rocks~"

GeoCities is finally put out of our misery

downloadsquad: "We've known for months that early-90's homepage service GeoCities was shutting down today, taking a big chunk of Internet history and a lot of hideous animated GIFs with it.

To paraphrase Obi-Wan Kenobi: we felt a great disturbance in the Force, as if millions of voices suddenly cried out in terror and were suddenly silenced.

So, let's take a moment to remember GeoCities. The easy website-creation service opened in 1994, and many Internet users set up their first homepages within its quirky "neighborhoods". Back before everyone had a .com, GeoCities sported long, convoluted URLs with directories like SiliconValley/Pines or SunsetStrip/Towers. In 1999, GeoCities was purchased by Yahoo!, and has been a Yahoo! property ever since.

Although GeoCities sites are all disappearing from Yahoo!'s servers today, you can still take a trip down memory lane. Archive.org has started a Special Collection to catalog the sites. The effort was supported by Archive Team and includes a collection of those ever-present "Under Construction" GIFs from the heydey of GeoCities."

FF: "Byebye GeoCities :("

The new Nokia N900 comes with Maemo

Nokia Conversations: "The N900 has just leapt out of the depths and is primed to make a splash as Nokia’s debut Maemo device (sorry, couldn’t resist the fishy metaphor). In terms of where the N900 sits on Nokia’s newly broadened product spectrum – courtesy of this week’s introduction of the Booklet 3G – it bridges that wilderness between smartphone and compact laptop. The concept behind the N900 simply being that it enables you to experience a proper desktop-like experience in a pocket-size device.

We’ve gathered all the must-know details and snaps of Nokia’s first Linux-based Maemo handset. Click through to find out more and to see the N900 up close in our photo gallery.

We’re not ones to typically dwell on the numbers, but this is one of those devices where the hardware paints a true picture of its potential. The N900’s pocket computer credentials are validated when you peek into its engine room, which comprises of a powerful ARM Cortex-A8 processor, with up to 1GB of application memory and OpenGL ES 2.0 graphics acceleration. Combine all that horsepower with the new Linux-based Maemo 5 software, and the N900 enables you to multi-task as you would on a PC (the Maemo platform was first designed for computers) – this set-up means you can quickly flit between stacks of apps running simultaneously and smoothly.

This fusion of the Maemo 5 platform and significant processing power is brought to life through the now familiar combo of a high-res WVGA touchscreen and full physical slide-out QWERTY keyboard. It also stomachs 32GB of storage, expandable up to 48GB with a microSD card leg-up, and is home to a 5-megapixel camera with Carl Zeiss optics. Plus, other features include A-GPS, an FM transmitter, and up to 9 hours of talk time.

The N900 is geared up to let you browse the web as you would on a PC, with a browser based on Mozilla technology, meaning websites look exactly as they would appear on your desktop. Watching online video and enjoying online apps is also made possible thanks to full Adobe Flash 9.4 support. Couple this with speedy internet access, realized via HSPA and Wi-Fi connectivity, and the N900 promises to deliver the best pocket-friendly online experience to date.

If you fancy finding out more about Maemo on Nokia visit maemo.nokia.com."

FF: "With Linux based new system Maemo, Mozilla-based browser technology and also with cellular connectivity, the Nokia N900 delivers a powerful mobile experience, I luv Nokia~~"

Nokia introduces Booklet 3G 'mini laptop'

Engadget: "Nokia rocked the world this morning by introducing its spin on the laptop, called the Booklet 3G. If you're the rude sort (like us) you could call it a fancy netbook, what with its Atom processor and 10.1-inch display, but that screen is higher res than your average Eee, and it also sports integrated 3G wireless and a hot-swappable SIM card, so it's definitely trying to define its own niche. It looks to be running Windows 7, which isn't particularly netbooky, and also has integrated A-GPS with a copy of Ovi Maps, HDMI output, a rated 12 hour battery life, and the usual Bluetooth and WiFi connectivity, all in a 2cm (.78 inch), 2.7lb aluminum body that's understated, sophisticated, and should make most Nokia fans very happy -- Nokia fans who are looking for a tiny laptop, anyway. There's a fancy promotional video on youtube, and while we don't have any anticipated release date or price just yet, we'll be learning more at Nokia World 09 on September 2, cya~~

FF: "Sweet, and good to see competition starting in this segment"

PlayStation 3 Slim unboxing and hands-on!

Engadget: "Yes, we can hardly believe it ourselves, but Sony came a-knockin' at our door today, and we were more than willing to answer. The PlayStation 3 Slim is now official in-house, and it's a matte-laden beaut. Enough chitchat -- live vicariously through our unboxing and hands-on pic <click here>

	120GB PS3 Slim	160GB PS3	80GB PS3
Product code	CECH-2000A	CECH-Pxx	CECH-Kxx / CECH-Lxx
Price	$299.99	$399.99	$299.99
Color	Matte Black	Piano Black (Glossy)	Piano Black (Glossy)
HDD	120GB 2.5-inch SATA	160GB 2.5-inch SATA	80GB 2.5-inch SATA
Dimensions	11.42 x 2.56 x 11.42 in.	12.75 x 3.86 x 10.8 in.	12.75 x 3.86 x 10.8 in.
Weight	7.05 lb.	11 lb.	11 lb.
Power	250W	280W	280W
Vertical Stand	Optional ($24)	Not necessary	Not necessary
Compatibility	PSOne	PSOne, Linux	PSOne, Linux
PS2 compat?	No	No	No
BRAVIA Sync (HDMI-CEC)	Yes	No	No
Bundle	Wireless DualShock 3 controller	Wireless DualShock 3 controller, Uncharted: Drake's Fortune, PAIN downloadable game voucher	Wireless DualShock 3 controller

FF: "STOP CALLING MY PS3 fatty, the new PS3 slim lost that luxury item look, mine look better, lol"

2011 BMW X1

ConsumerGuide:

"BMW fields its first baby SUV with a spinoff of its new 1-Series compact car. With smooth 6-cylinder power, available all-wheel drive, and "ultimate driving machine" cachet, it could be the new star of a fast-growing market class.

Premium compact SUVs are popping up everywhere, so much so that Consumer Guide has put them into a class of their own, separate from lower-priced models at mainstream brands. BMW's X3 helped plow this field a few years back. Acura has since weighed in with the RDX, the Infiniti EX was new for 2008, and Lexus is said to be prepping a contender, likely based on parent Toyota's RAV4. New for 2009 are the Audi Q5 and Mercedes-Benz GLK.

All this new competition poses a big challenge for the X3, which is one of the larger compact SUVs. Because of that, and in line with an announced expansion of its model line, BMW has confirmed a new X1 to slot below the X3 in size and price. The new baby-Bimmer SUV will be based on the company's 1-Series compact car.

Dimensionally, the X1 will be visibly smaller than the X3, Acura RDX, and Infiniti EX, but close in size to the Land Rover LR2. X1 will also be lighter than the X­3, so it should be just as quick, if not quicker, and probably more agile too. Of course, it won't be as roomy as its bigger brother, but it should be adequate for four adults and maybe a week's worth of luggage.

Despite its lower pricing, the 2011 BMW X1 should come with all the standard features expected from this brand. That means antilock brakes, traction/antiskid system, front side airbags, and curtain side airbags.

All import brands are fighting to hold the price line against a weaker dollar, so BMW will be extra picky in deciding X1 standard content. On the other hand, most BMW buyers don't skimp with options, so the baby SUV should list most of the major goodies available for the X3. These include the inevitable Sport Package with firm suspension and upsized wheels and tires, navigation system (bringing with it BMW's irksome iDrive controller), rear-obstacle detection, rear side airbags, and amenities like leather upholstery, heated seats, high-end audio, and steering-linked headlamps. While none of these features are notable nowadays, especially for a premium brand, we wouldn't be surprised if BMW came up with some gee-whiz exclusive for the X1, though we have no idea what that might be."

FF: "I want this car with the panorama roof :)"

2010 Rolls-Royce Ghost

Car Driver:
"Rolls-Royce has announced at the Shanghai auto show that its new Bentley Continental–fighting sedan, which was previewed by the 200EX concept at the 2009 Geneva auto show and has been known only as the RR4, will be called the Ghost. Production will commence later this year at the company’s Goodwood plant in the U.K., and European deliveries will begin shortly after. Sales in the U.S. and Asia will wait until the second quarter of 2010. Base price for the Ghost here will be $245,000, plus taxes and delivery.

Rolls also announced final specifications for the new car. The 6.6-liter turbocharged V-12 will pump out 563 hp and 575 lb-ft of torque and will mate to a ZF eight-speed automatic transmission. Zero to 60 mph is said to take 4.8 seconds, and the top speed will be governed at 155 mph. Likely to be shown in production trim at the Frankfurt auto show in September, the 2010 Ghost will slot below the current Phantom range and gives Rolls-Royce a more attainable model to compete against the Bentley Continental Flying Spur, as well as the upcoming 2010 Aston Martin Rapide. At 212.6 inches long—with a 129.7-inch wheelbase—76.7 inches wide, and 61 inches tall, the new Rolls is slightly longer and taller than the Bentley, but a smidge narrower. The Continental lineup also includes GT coupe and GTC convertible versions, and we expect two-door and droptop iterations of the Ghost to launch after the sedan.

Rolls-Royce CEO Tom Purves said the Ghost name is fitting for the new model because it evokes a sense of “adventure and technical innovation,” as well as “flair and style.” The latter elements shouldn’t be an issue, as the Ghost will share the Goodwood plant’s paint, wood, and leather workshops with the Phantom (vehicle assembly will be handled by a separate production line). Stay tuned for more details closer to the unveiling."

FF: "6.6-liter turbocharged V-12 will pump out 563 hp and 575 lb-ft of torque, v.nice~"

Introducing the Google Chrome OS

Sundar Pichai:
"It's been an exciting nine months since we launched the Google Chrome browser. Already, over 30 million people use it regularly. We designed Google Chrome for people who live on the web — searching for information, checking email, catching up on the news, shopping or just staying in touch with friends. However, the operating systems that browsers run on were designed in an era where there was no web. So today, we're announcing a new project that's a natural extension of Google Chrome — the Google Chrome Operating System. It's our attempt to re-think what operating systems should be.

Google Chrome OS is an open source, lightweight operating system that will initially be targeted at netbooks. Later this year we will open-source its code, and netbooks running Google Chrome OS will be available for consumers in the second half of 2010. Because we're already talking to partners about the project, and we'll soon be working with the open source community, we wanted to share our vision now so everyone understands what we are trying to achieve.

Speed, simplicity and security are the key aspects of Google Chrome OS. We're designing the OS to be fast and lightweight, to start up and get you onto the web in a few seconds. The user interface is minimal to stay out of your way, and most of the user experience takes place on the web. And as we did for the Google Chrome browser, we are going back to the basics and completely redesigning the underlying security architecture of the OS so that users don't have to deal with viruses, malware and security updates. It should just work.

Google Chrome OS will run on both x86 as well as ARM chips and we are working with multiple OEMs to bring a number of netbooks to market next year. The software architecture is simple — Google Chrome running within a new windowing system on top of a Linux kernel. For application developers, the web is the platform. All web-based applications will automatically work and new applications can be written using your favorite web technologies. And of course, these apps will run not only on Google Chrome OS, but on any standards-based browser on Windows, Mac and Linux thereby giving developers the largest user base of any platform.

Google Chrome OS is a new project, separate from Android. Android was designed from the beginning to work across a variety of devices from phones to set-top boxes to netbooks. Google Chrome OS is being created for people who spend most of their time on the web, and is being designed to power computers ranging from small netbooks to full-size desktop systems. While there are areas where Google Chrome OS and Android overlap, we believe choice will drive innovation for the benefit of everyone, including Google.

We hear a lot from our users and their message is clear — computers need to get better. People want to get to their email instantly, without wasting time waiting for their computers to boot and browsers to start up. They want their computers to always run as fast as when they first bought them. They want their data to be accessible to them wherever they are and not have to worry about losing their computer or forgetting to back up files. Even more importantly, they don't want to spend hours configuring their computers to work with every new piece of hardware, or have to worry about constant software updates. And any time our users have a better computing experience, Google benefits as well by having happier users who are more likely to spend time on the Internet.

We have a lot of work to do, and we're definitely going to need a lot of help from the open source community to accomplish this vision. We're excited for what's to come and we hope you are too. Stay tuned for more updates in the fall and have a great summer."

FF: "Yes, I need an OS to be fast and lightweight, and being created for people who spend most of their time on the web, luv Google"

Mercedes debuts airbag-laden S-Class ESF hybrid concept

Engadget:

"Apparently not content to simply build a hybrid vehicle that's both energy-efficient and luxurious, Mercedes has now gone the extra mile with its new 2009 S-Class ESF concept, which packs more than a dozen different safety features including airbags inside and out. That latter outside-the-car airbag is actually a giant braking bag that deploys under the car when it "senses an imminent crash," which not only creates some added friction to slow the car down, but lifts the front of the car up about 80mm to compensate for brake dive. Other uncommon safety features include curtain airbags between the seats, airbags in the seatbelts, reflective tires, and "inflatable metal structures" throughout the vehicle, which apparently both saves space and increases crash protection. Unfortunately, there's no word on any further improvements to the hybrid side of things, but Mercedes' existing S400 Hybrid isn't exactly too shabby of a place to begin with."

FF: "Airbag deploys under the car? seems fun~ :)"