Archive for February, 2012

Tesla Gains A Third Family Member: The Model X

Recently, Tesla unveiled the new Model X concept. This is Tesla’s third model in the lineup. Tesla also makes the Roadster and the Model S, both of which are fast electric cars. The Model X is a new electric SUV from Tesla with seven seats. An interesting feature is passenger access that is easier than many existing SUVs and minivans. The second and third rows are very spacious inside, compared to many SUVs and minivans. Access to the second and third rows is very easy, and it only requires a step to get in, not climbing. I think this will be a great selling model in Tesla’s lineup because of the flexibility, performance, and luxury of this electric SUV, that no other SUV can match.

Tesla Model X

Power and Range
Teslas are known to be very fast, and the Model X is no exception. The Model X does 0-60 in 4.4 seconds! That’s quicker than the fastest SUVs and it’s on par with sports cars. The Model X has a good torque curve, which is great for quick lane changes and fast acceleration. Powering the Model X is a 60 or 85 kWh battery pack. Both rear wheel drive and dual motor all-wheel drive will be offered. The rear wheel drive configuration has one electric motor, and dual motor all-wheel drive contains two. The range will be 160, 230, or 300 miles, depending on which model you get. Those are nice numbers, especially for a large electric vehicle like the Model X.

Falcon Wing Doors

Falcon Wing Doors

The Tesla Model X is a vehicle that gives you easy access into the rear seats, as well as lots of cargo area and space. One feature that I really love is the falcon wing doors. They are doors that open up very high, even in very tight spaces, to provide very easy access into the rear of the vehicle. These doors allow you to get into the car and stand up almost fully upright underneath the door. I hope falcon wing doors make it into production because they are quite amazing in their geometry. You get lots of cargo space because there’s room inside the vehicle, as well as in the front of the vehicle, where you would usually find the hood of a car. The compact batteries and motors are located underneath the vehicle, and as a result, you end up having storage in both the front and rear of the vehicle. I find that very clever because you can hold lots of luggage.

Other Features

17 inch touchscreen

There is a 17 inch touchscreen display inside the cabin, which provides information and entertainment while on the go. This display is also found on the Model S. I just love this display because it replaces all the buttons on the dashboard, with one gigantic screen. That’s an impressive touch. There is a nice premium interior, as well as a panoramic sunroof, which are luxury touches. I’ve never seen a car with as nice an interior as this Model X, so I can’t wait to actually go inside this SUV one day.

Interestingly, the Model X is a mirror-less car.  It uses mini cameras instead, mounted where side-view mirrors would be located.  We’ve seen many concept cars with this type of feature.  These not only cut down energy consumption when highway cruising, but they also help the car achieve better aerodynamics.  You would see things through the camera on a display in the car.  It would be nice if these would make it into production.

We don’t know pricing, as this is currently a concept. This vehicle is a long way down the road because production begins at the end of 2013, with sales beginning at the top of 2014. I really can’t wait until this vehicle makes it into production. I am excited to see what other new features will be unveiled when the Model X gets to production. I also can’t wait to see how well this vehicle will sell. This is an exciting development.

2012
02/26
CATEGORY
Cars
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Apple’s New OS X Mountain Lion meets iOS 5

Recently, Apple announced their new OS X Mountain Lion operating system.  It’s the ninth major release of OS X, dubbed 10.8.  This new operating system takes some cues from Apple’s iOS 5 mobile OS.  You can download the Developer Preview of Mountain Lion, if you are an Apple developer.  Otherwise, if you’re not a developer, the full version of this operating system is coming out in late summer.  I will walk you through eight new features in OS X Mountain Lion, borrowed from iOS.

OS X Mountain Lion

Messages

Messages
Messages

Messages is one new feature.  It replaces iChat, and it supports iMessage, in addition to AIM, Yahoo!, Google Talk, and Jabber accounts.  Since it enables iMessage, you can chat with iOS 5 users or other Mac users using Messages, with an iMessage account.  The interface of Messages was changed to resemble that of the iOS app Messages.  A beta version of Messages is available as a free download if you are running OS X Lion v10.7.3.

Reminders

Reminders

iOS 5 users love using Reminders to keep track of things they need to do.  So why not bring it to the Mac?  Well, with Mountain Lion, Apple is bringing Reminders to your Mac.  Reminders is integrated with iCloud, so your reminders will be synced across all your devices wirelessly and effortlessly.  Handy!  As with iOS, you can make different Reminder lists, for various tasks you need to accomplish.  You can see what you completed already and search for different reminders.

Notes

Notes

Notes is a great iOS feature for jotting down recipes and other things.  Mac users were missing out on this.  So Mountain Lion brings support for Notes.  Like Reminders, your notes are synced across all your Mac and iOS devices via iCloud, wirelessly.  So when you create or edit a note on your Mac, it will be updated on your other devices.  You can even share your notes with your friends by emailing or messaging them.  You can add pictures, attachments, different fonts, etc.

Notification Center

Notification Center
Notification Center

The Notification Center was a great place to collect all your notifications in iOS.  The Mac can really get busy with tons of notifications in different places.  Now with Mountain Lion, Notification Center is brought to the Mac.  With a simple two finger swipe, the Notification Center appears.  It shows your unread emails, new messages, missed FaceTime calls, etc.  When a new notification comes, a small banner appears for a short time, similar to iOS.  That way, you are never interrupted from working.  Your notifications are organized in a list, so they are easy to find.

Share Sheets

Share Sheets

In iOS 5, you could quickly share a lot of different content like photos and websites.  Now on the Mac, it’s never been easier.  Mountain Lion brings a new feature called Share Sheets to the Mac.  For example, when you’re on a website, you can email, tweet, or message it with one click access.  You can do the same in Photo Booth and other apps.  You can send notes via Mail or Messages, post photos on Flickr, videos on Vimeo, and tweet many things.

Twitter

Twitter

Twitter integration came in iOS 5.  Mac users are not left out now.  Mountain Lion supports Twitter integration, with websites, photos, etc.  You get the Tweet Sheet, to compose tweets, like you do in iOS 5, and you can even add your location to tweets.  When you get a mention or direct message, a notification appears on your desktop.  And like all the other notifications, it comes very subtly, not interrupting you from whatever you are doing.

Game Center

Game Center

Game Center is a very popular online gaming service that iOS users just love.  Mac users were missing the fun.  Now with Game Center in Mountain Lion, you can challenge people in games from your Mac.  You can discover new games, based on the ones you and your friends play.  Game Center even allows you to view your rank among people around the world, for a certain game.

AirPlay Mirroring

AirPlay Mirroring
AirPlay Mirroring

The iPad 2 and iPhone 4S brought an amazing new feature called AirPlay Mirroring.  It allowed you to wirelessly view content on your HDTV via Apple TV.  Now the Mac supports AirPlay Mirroring in Mountain Lion.  You can literally see what’s on your Mac on the TV.  It works great for sharing content when teaching students, or to everyone in a conference room.  I can guarantee your friends will love this feature.

In sum

In sum, I think this update is a pretty solid update for OS X, even though it’s less of an update than Lion.  I would get this update, but I do not know the pricing yet, as Mountain Lion will only arrive in late summer, which is many months away.  The price is expected to be around $29, like Lion.  Personally, my favorite feature is AirPlay Mirroring because I find it amazing to mirror your Mac’s screen wirelessly on TV, instead of using a wired connection.  I can’t wait to try that out as soon as I get my hands on Mountain Lion.

2012
02/19
CATEGORY
Apple
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The Midsize War: Toyota Camry versus Honda Accord

     The midsize sedan segment is very competitive, with competitors like the Toyota Camry, Honda Accord, Hyundai Sonata, Kia Optima, and Ford Fusion.  These cars generally have great quality and features compared to the compact and subcompact segments in the auto business.  A 4-cylinder engine is usually the base engine on these cars, with either a V6 or turbo 4 optional.  Many midsize sedans also have hybrid power plants.  Navigation and other high tech features also get rolled in with these cars.

The Toyota Camry and Honda Accord are the two great Japanese midsize sedans leading this segment.  I’ll compare these cars, and talk about some cool new features like Entune apps.

2012 Toyota Camry Hybrid XLE 2012 Honda Accord EX-L V6
Trim Levels
     The Camry’s trims include the L, LE, SE, XLE, Hybrid LE, and Hybrid XLE.  The Accord has the LX, LX Premium, SE, EX, EX V6, EX-L, and EX-L V6.  Both cars have a good number of trim levels to provide a range of options for consumers.  These cars are both offered in 4 cylinder and V6 models, but the Camry also has more efficient hybrid models, a major plus given today’s high gas prices.  Turbo 4’s are not an option for Camry and Accord, unlike a Kia Optima, for example.  The Camry and Accord offer V6 engines instead.
Engine Choices and MPG  

     The Camry’s 2.5 L inline-4 puts out 178 horsepower and 170 lb. ft of torque, with mpg of 25 city/35 hwy/28 avg.  The Accord’s 2.4 L inline-4 puts out 177 horsepower and 161 lb. ft of torque, with mpg of 23 city/34 hwy/27 avg.  On slightly higher trim Accords, you’ve got the same sized inline-4, except it does about 190 horsepower and 162 lb. ft of torque, with the same EPA numbers.  The Camry’s 3.5 L V6 has 268 horsepower and 248 foot pounds of torque, while delivering 21 city/30 hwy/25 avg mpg.  The Accord’s 3.5 L V6 will do 271 horsepower and 254 foot pounds of torque, with 20 city/30 hwy/24 avg mpg.

The very efficient Camry Hybrid LE and XLE put out 200 horsepower and 156 foot pounds of torque.  Mileage will vary though because the LE model delivers 43/39/41 mpg, where the XLE would deliver 40/38/40 mpg.  The transmission on the Camry is a 6 speed automatic.  Base on the Accord would be a 5 speed manual, but you can also get a 5 speed automatic.  Camry gets better mileage and has a much more elegant 6-speed automatic, so I think it’s a better value in this area.

Camry XLE interior Accord EX-L dashboard
Features

     Now, one note is that all Camry models have Bluetooth, but on the Accord, you must step up to a high-trim EX-L.  Also, the backup camera is optional on the Camry SE, the XLE 4-cylinder, and the Hybrid XLE, standard on the XLE V6, where on the Accord, you have to step up all the way up to the EX-L with nav to get a back-up camera.

The Camry offers Smart Key with push button start, but the Accord doesn’t have any technology like this  Instead, it uses a traditional key to start the car.  Blind-spot warning is available on the Camry XLE and Hybrid XLE, but the Accord doesn’t offer it.  Blind-spot detection is really great for lane changes, so the Camry is a nice plus in that respect.  Neither have lane departure warning, radar cruise, pre-collision systems, or other similar safety tech.

Leather seating is available on both models.  The Accord is available as a coupe as well, in slightly different trim levels.  They are LX-S, EX, EX-L, and EX-L V6.  USB is standard on every model, but to get Bluetooth, you have to step up to the next level, the EX.  No rear camera available on the Accord coupe, not even on the high trim EX-L.  You’ve pretty much got the same engine choices as the sedan, the inline-4 and the V6.  Mileage also remains the same in the Accord coupe.  The Camry is clearly the winner here because it offers more standard features.

Entune 2012 Honda Accord navigation
Connectivity

     The Camry is available with the suite of Entune apps.  See my post on the Prius Family to see what Entune is about and the different apps for it.  The apps are amazing because you can search for a POI online, make restaurant reservations, etc.  I just love the concept of Entune, with many different apps like Pandora, but I’ve never gotten a chance to try it out myself.   Entune is available on the Camry SE, XLE, and Hybrid XLE, and it is complimentary, i.e. no service fees, for 3 years.  Cars equipped with Entune have navigation, too.

The Accord, at the moment, has no apps or online services.  As I mentioned earlier, both sedans have Bluetooth, USB, and navigation, either available or standard.  On the Camry, either flash-based or hard drive based navigation is available.  The Accord still uses the crunchy DVD based Honda head unit that is starting to get really long in the tooth.  The Camry’s connectivity is better overall, I would say.

In sum
     So overall, I think the Camry is the better car for people to buy because it’s got a nicer looking navigation system with Entune apps and better fuel economy, and the hybrid Camry is no exception.  The Accord’s DVD based navigation system just doesn’t cut it with it’s bad graphics and interface.  The hybrid Camry will be an excellent choice for those who don’t want to spend much money at the pump, especially with the Hybrid LE’s rating of 43 city.
2012
02/06
CATEGORY
Cars
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