Honestly, if the Vita had a decent browser and mail app it would be a good in-between for a smartphone and tablet. 5" OLED is pretty big and proper physical controls with dual analogs make it an infinity better gaming device than a tablet. quad-core CPU and quad-core GPU don't hurt either. I carry an iPad most places and I can't make phone calls on that either.
Instead of defending against tablets and smartphones, Sony should take the fight to them. Vita needs a good App store that is more open than PSN, not to mention a good basic browser (not this Netfront crap). I can see myself using it in lieu of a smaller smartphone or larger tablet if there were apps for it, especially if it costs $250.
As far as this review, it aint' a 'review'. Its classic gawker baiting for clicks via controversy.
Some context would help:
In Japan, political campaign laws are incredibly draconian. Politicians can't advertise on the internet, politicians can't even blog or use twitter so many days before an election. You're even limited in the amount of flyers that you can put up. Advertising on the TV and radio is very limited. Each politician are allowed a few government-paid commercials. That's it.
So basically, one of the major cornerstones of political campaigning in Japan for any-wannabe politician is to get up on van and convince/annoy folks on the street with a megaphone. Most of them would put Japanese flags or whatever slogan on their vans.
Campaign financing is even tougher. No lobbying and advertising from behalf of special interest groups. Japanese politicians aren't technically allowed to pay campaign staffers, they have to all be volunteer. We've seen "scandals" where politicians have gotten in trouble for getting money from their own mother (Hatoyama). The goal is to have an even playing field financially between politicians (though it doesn't work that way).
The result is that every tom-dick-and-harry nutjob can register to be on the polls, get some free TV and radio commercials, wrap the family van with vinyl slogans and Japanese flags and drive around town with your brother-in-law at the wheel and megaphones strapped to your van, annoying local citizenry. Worse, established politicians are reduced to these levels as well.
You can use existing FourThirds lenses on microFourThirds cameras using the MMF-1/2 adapter.
The shorter focal-flange distance of the mFT system means that its easily adaptable. More importantly, Oly/Panasonic have been really good with supporting AF via adapter compared to most other mirrorless systems.
Olympus did have the OM-G back in the 80s back before the internet&SMS was invented . It was the OM-20 in the rest of the world but in the US it was "OM-G".
Its been done. While its pretty lame, google "sexyslowmotion" (obviously NSFW). They used Phantom cameras.
These cameras are very expensive ($50k-$150k). Rentals are around $1,800 per day. When cheaper high-speed cameras come to market, sub-$5k range, expect to see it used more often in porn.
Right now, the Nikon 1 does 1,200fps at 320x120, and 400 fps at 640x240 resolution. Even the Casio ZR100, which is a sub-$300 P&S, does 1,000 fps (albeit in a low-resolution). Obviously, the NAC does upto 1,000 fps at a full 1080p. And the Phantom cameras, which are generally six-figures, are even faster (upto a million fps).
Resolution is sacrificed for speed in HDSLRs, but but Nikon has already announced 4K video for the Nikon 1 system. As sensors get faster we should see dSLRs hitting very fast speeds with better and better resolution.
DP review has some samples of the high-speed Nikon 1.
[www.dpreview.com]
In 2008 one dollar got you 95 yen, which at the time was considered expensive as a couple years before that the dollar got you 115 yen, today one dollar gets you a mere 76 yen.
When the GT-R launched in Japan the base price was 7.8 million yen, today its 8.6 million. In 2008 dollars, the base GT-R cost an equivalent of US$82k, in today's dollar that same 7.8 million yen would be US$102k. The 2013 GT-R costs US$113k in today's exchange rate.
So in yen the price of the GT-R hasn't risen very much...
The GT-R price increase has more to do with the weakness of dollar due to the economy and the quantitative easing measures (money printing) that the Feds have taken over the last few years. There is a reason why Japanese makers are moving production away from Japan. The next NSX will be built in Ohio largely for this same reason.
Lexus did build their last LF concept with the new gapping predator grille, the LF-Gh, toned down and sans bonkers grille.
It stands to reason that this LF will find its way to production massively toned down. Historically, there is precedence for this. LF stands for "Lexus Future", much like how Toyota uses the FT to signify "Future Toyota" production models. The LF-S became the LS600h, LF-C became the IS convertible, the LF-Xh became the RX hybrid, the LF-Ch became the CT200, LF-Sh became the LF430, LF-Gh became the newest GS450h, and the LFA became the LFA.
This LF-Lc will probably be the new SC. It most definitely won't have that glass canopy or concepty center console, but concepts tend to be over the top for a reason (because it wants attention). It also won't have that front grill or lights, it'll be toned down like the LF-Gh was, but there seems to be a high probability given historically Lexus concepts with LF designation have mostly made it to production.
This is the first time Honda has outright labeled the concept "NSX Concept". Previously we've had HSC (Honda sports concept), HSV (Honda sports Velocity), and the ASCC (Advanced Sports Concept Coupe).
The HSC was the closest to being an NSX successor as it had a mid-mounted engine. The other two concepts had engines mounted upfront. But none of them were officially "NSX". This one is.
As far as the SH-AWD system. It shouldn't weigh as much as most AWD cars as it doesn't have a central drive shaft. In the Tesla the 248hp electric motors weigh 70 lbs, this car probably won't have such powerful motors upfront so should weight less.
Toyota (via their Gazoo subsidiary) has been testing a similar car. mid-engined 3.5L AWD, with electric motors in the rear. The GRMN Sport Hybrid Concept II:
It weighed 2,860 lbs. The newer (bigger) concept weighs below 3,300lbs:
So we should expect that the NSX be within that range as well.
$6k isn't really overpriced for a professional tool. This is a product that you are going to center your business around, make money from, this isn't designed to be a vanity tool like the Viper.
If you're a plumber, you need to buy a truck or a van, tools, etc. If you're a baker you need an oven and kitchen tools. A mechanic needs tools, garage, etc. $6k is nothing even for small businesses. These cameras aren't designed for people to take photographs of their kids, its designed to be purchased by companies.
Let's also keep in mind that for professionals there is more to this than just the camera itself. There is NPS (Nikon Professional Services) for Nikon, and CPS for Canon. This is crucial for professionals. When you own a professional camera and take it to the field, such as the Olympics or any large news making event, Nikon and Canon are waiting on site to repair or replace cameras and lenses at the spot so there is no disruption of your work.
At the moment Sony doesn't have professional support services side for dSLRs even though they are producing very good cameras recently for much cheaper.
Christoforo is a marketing genius; its worthy of Mad Men. Talk about building brand awareness for a product that went completely ignored this holiday season. In fact, no amount of traditional marketing could have acquired this much attention for a product like N-control, especially considering how small these guys are (using gmail accounts and the like).
And the product image went completely unscathed with the blame being placed on "Ocean Marketing". Even the original argument has a long product description of the Avenger control; can it be played with Xtended play? Why, yes it can, Reader Dave. Mike Krahulik even says things like "I’m really gonna feel bad if I think that sick children may somewhere down the line have fewer avenger controllers because I got into a pissing match with a sad old man."
Call me a cynic but the whole thing smells manufactured.
What Sony has in their PSN service agreement is a mandatory arbitration clause. These clauses are common as dirt in modern contracts. Yes, Microsoft uses a similar mandatory arbitration cause in Xbox Live, but most companies also have these clauses as a requirement for employment or any other modern service.
The reality is that you can still sue Sony, or Microsoft, etc that have these arbitration causes in their TOS. Its just that you have to jump through another hoop if you don't want to go through third-party arbitrator, its ammunition that these companies will have in case a lawsuit arises.
Excellent article. Jalopnik "gets it".
In the last decade enthusiast cars have become distilled into 0-60 times, horsepower, Nürburgring lap times, and into cars designed to meet paper specs to keep internet armchair wizards happy. Its as if cars have become like smartphones and gadgets; quality judgments based on Ghz of CPUs and benchmark speeds.
The entire experience of the car has become moot in our enthusiast discourse. This car can get to 60mph 0.5 seconds faster than that car, it can lap the Nürburgring 10 seconds faster. Totally pointless and irrelevant metrics have come to dominated our conversations.
Now we're greeted with 3,800lb sports cars like the Camaro. We have dual-clutch launch-systems, and magnetic ride-control active-suspension systems, to get better 0-60 times, to get better Nürburgring lap times.
And really what's the point. Most of us aren't going to lap the Nürburgring, it really doesn't matter how fast we go so much as how enjoyable an experience it is.
So Subaru/Toyota 'get it' as well. Amazing an affordable ~2,700lb RWD boxer-engined car that has a propensity to oversteer can be made in this day and age. Hopefully, this will mean that car makers will compete to out-do each other in making 'fun' cars rather 0-60 times from now on.
In the last decade enthusiast cars have become distilled into 0-60 times, horsepower, Nürburgring lap times, and into cars designed to meet paper specs to keep internet armchair wizards happy. Its as if cars have become like smartphones and gadgets; quality judgments based on Ghz of CPUs and benchmark speeds.
The entire experience of the car has become moot in our enthusiast discourse. This car can get to 60mph 0.5 seconds faster than that car, it can lap the Nürburgring 10 seconds faster. Totally pointless and irrelevant metrics have come to dominated our conversations.
Now we're greeted with 3,800lb sports cars like the Camaro. We have dual-clutch launch-systems, and magnetic ride-control active-suspension systems, to get better 0-60 times, to get better Nürburgring lap times.
And really what's the point. Most of us aren't going to lap the Nürburgring, it really doesn't matter how fast we go so much as how enjoyable an experience it is.
So Subaru/Toyota 'get it' as well. Amazing an affordable ~2,700lb RWD boxer-engined car that has a propensity to oversteer can be made in this day and age. Hopefully, this will mean that car makers will compete to out-do each other in making 'fun' cars rather 0-60 times from now on.
Its pain in the ass to get your money back from this style of vehicular vandalism. Basically, it means paying for it out of pocket, or via insurance minus the deductible if damages are large enough, and taking him to civil court. If you win, then it means you have to collect from him, and it can be hard if he doesn't have money.
I've had my car vandalized before, by a tow-truck driver, and its not worth the time and effort to get your money back. In my case, there was no violence- I called the cops, but all the cops did was write his name down, got statements from witnesses, filed a report, and told me to take him to civil court. Cops told me that vandalism of cars happens so frequently that they couldn't be bothered to take him in, but I'd win in court, but it probably wasn't worth my time or money.
I think this situation got so charged by racial aspect of it and the fact that these guys were dumb enough to put the video on Youtube. But I can't make a judgement call on the justifiably of this beat-down as the video only shows the aftermath, and this vet looks like he could pose a physical threat, so there might have been some initial physical confrontation on his part as well. Obviously it wouldn't take a large leap of logic to think that an individual brazen enough to spray paint racial remarks on a car would have also physically confronted the owners of that car as well.
But at the same time, I wonder what the reaction would be if this guy spray-painted the "N" word on a car, and if the vandal would have gotten as much support as he seems to have.
I've had my car vandalized before, by a tow-truck driver, and its not worth the time and effort to get your money back. In my case, there was no violence- I called the cops, but all the cops did was write his name down, got statements from witnesses, filed a report, and told me to take him to civil court. Cops told me that vandalism of cars happens so frequently that they couldn't be bothered to take him in, but I'd win in court, but it probably wasn't worth my time or money.
I think this situation got so charged by racial aspect of it and the fact that these guys were dumb enough to put the video on Youtube. But I can't make a judgement call on the justifiably of this beat-down as the video only shows the aftermath, and this vet looks like he could pose a physical threat, so there might have been some initial physical confrontation on his part as well. Obviously it wouldn't take a large leap of logic to think that an individual brazen enough to spray paint racial remarks on a car would have also physically confronted the owners of that car as well.
But at the same time, I wonder what the reaction would be if this guy spray-painted the "N" word on a car, and if the vandal would have gotten as much support as he seems to have.
You may be thinking of Firestone, as it's an American. The Firestone family are actually related to the Ford family. Both famous American families and brands; Henry Ford and Harvey Firestone helped created the Ford Model T. Which is where your confusion may come from.
But Bridgestone is Japanese, and now Firestone is a subsidiary of Bridgestone as well.
But Bridgestone is Japanese, and now Firestone is a subsidiary of Bridgestone as well.
People so quickly forget that Toyota already showed a FT86 with a turbo in the form of the FT-86 G'z Sport. It seems to fit under the hood without much problem, we see the intercooler up front- so no need for Scooby-style hood scoops.
The GT-86 turbo concept was suppose to have around 300hps. As the current GT86/BRZ is expected to have 6.0-6.2s for their 0-60 times (according C&D), we should expect a car with 50% more power in that light weight body to be much much faster.
Either way we know for a fact Toyota/Subaru are officially working on an FA20 engine with a turbo and that it fits in the current engine bay.
[gazoo.com]
The GT-86 turbo concept was suppose to have around 300hps. As the current GT86/BRZ is expected to have 6.0-6.2s for their 0-60 times (according C&D), we should expect a car with 50% more power in that light weight body to be much much faster.
Either way we know for a fact Toyota/Subaru are officially working on an FA20 engine with a turbo and that it fits in the current engine bay.
[gazoo.com]
Toyota showed a mid-engined 3.5L V6 hybrid with AWD today at the Tokyo Autoshow. It weighed 3,300lbs. The great thing about hybrid and AWD is that you can power the rear wheels using ICE and the front with electric motors. No driveshaft running through the car.
The previous version of the same concept weighed 2,800lbs (sub-NSX weight), but that had a smaller 400hp 3.3L engine.
[www.carthrottle.com]
Also of note, Honda today announced a 3.5L V6 hybrid mated to a 7-speed DSG. Supposedly its the basis for a new SH-AWD system. Probably what this new NSX will weigh.
The previous version of the same concept weighed 2,800lbs (sub-NSX weight), but that had a smaller 400hp 3.3L engine.
[www.carthrottle.com]
Also of note, Honda today announced a 3.5L V6 hybrid mated to a 7-speed DSG. Supposedly its the basis for a new SH-AWD system. Probably what this new NSX will weigh.
Well, the MX5 is the best selling roadster in history. Its got 900,000 sold now, and the MGB, which the MX5 was inspired by, was also a massive sales success. The MX5 has even been named by the Guinness book as the "best selling sports car":
[www.prnewswire.co.uk]
As I've said before, I've owned an NA. You don't need speed to have fun. The great part of that car was that, even though it was slow, every bit of curvy road was enjoyable. It was a car that could be fun driving 30-40mph on normal roads without breaking any traffic laws. I've had incredible frequent pleasure on small bits of road that would be boring to other cars. And I've taken it to Autocross events. Its a thoroughly enjoyable car.
In the same note, I've also driven the current Mustang GT 5.0. Great car, fast, but not much fun driving at low speeds. Its a heavy car, steering is numb when slow, and burn-outs from stop lights aren't my thing. Its a car that needs space and speed to really enjoy.
There are different nuances to each type of vehicle that you don't seem to appreciate. If an aim of your car is transporting you from point A to point B in the most rapid time possible, then large American muscle car is probably what you want, but there is more to automotive enthusiasm than merely that. To me at least, its not fast I can travel between two points, rather how enjoyable it is.
Its also easy to see things from a one-dimensional American perceptive. There is a reason why large-engined sports cars aren't very popular outside of North America. A lot of countries, like Europe and most of Asia, tax cars based on engine size. In addition there are carbon taxes that can add over half the cars operating cost. For instance in the UK, the 370Z is in the L & M tax band, meaning you need to pay almost ~$1,000US every year in carbon taxes (the Hyundai Genesis and Mustang aren't even sold there for that reason). EVs are obviously exempt from this.
In fact, a small roadster, that can be enjoyable on any road and within the confines of the law, is actually preferable to most people. Especially when you think globally, a small EV roadster may be the truly affordable sports car solution.
[www.prnewswire.co.uk]
As I've said before, I've owned an NA. You don't need speed to have fun. The great part of that car was that, even though it was slow, every bit of curvy road was enjoyable. It was a car that could be fun driving 30-40mph on normal roads without breaking any traffic laws. I've had incredible frequent pleasure on small bits of road that would be boring to other cars. And I've taken it to Autocross events. Its a thoroughly enjoyable car.
In the same note, I've also driven the current Mustang GT 5.0. Great car, fast, but not much fun driving at low speeds. Its a heavy car, steering is numb when slow, and burn-outs from stop lights aren't my thing. Its a car that needs space and speed to really enjoy.
There are different nuances to each type of vehicle that you don't seem to appreciate. If an aim of your car is transporting you from point A to point B in the most rapid time possible, then large American muscle car is probably what you want, but there is more to automotive enthusiasm than merely that. To me at least, its not fast I can travel between two points, rather how enjoyable it is.
Its also easy to see things from a one-dimensional American perceptive. There is a reason why large-engined sports cars aren't very popular outside of North America. A lot of countries, like Europe and most of Asia, tax cars based on engine size. In addition there are carbon taxes that can add over half the cars operating cost. For instance in the UK, the 370Z is in the L & M tax band, meaning you need to pay almost ~$1,000US every year in carbon taxes (the Hyundai Genesis and Mustang aren't even sold there for that reason). EVs are obviously exempt from this.
In fact, a small roadster, that can be enjoyable on any road and within the confines of the law, is actually preferable to most people. Especially when you think globally, a small EV roadster may be the truly affordable sports car solution.
First off it isn't a neutered two-seat roadster. Even for its day, the original Honda S600/S800, Austin-Healey Sprite, Triumph Spitfire, Lotus Elan, or MGB weren't very fast either. This is the type of roadster its trying to be. More S800 less S2000.
And the MX5 isn't a very fast car to begin with, I've owned an NA, but its great fun to drive, absolutely no comparison with a passenger car that may be faster. Really, if they can price this car right, they could build a perfect small roadster.
Let's keep in mind, what ever this car costs that'll be another ~$5k taken off in federal tax rebates. If they can get this car out for around $20k it'll mean that it'll ~$15k after rebates. You can also get another $5k from states like California. We have large rebates that have been used on $41k Volts and $100k Teslas, the impact of these rebates would be better applied to cheaper cars.
And this isn't just another small roadster, or something like the Fiero. Honda would have failed if they made a modern Honda S600/S800. The whole point is that its an EV, electric motors have lots of torque, great for compensating for small power. It means it has lots of rebates, HOV lane access, and sub-$1 gallon cost of transportation, and it would cost as much as any other cheap car for transportation, but is cheaper to drive. Plus you can thumb your noise at Prius drivers.
And the MX5 isn't a very fast car to begin with, I've owned an NA, but its great fun to drive, absolutely no comparison with a passenger car that may be faster. Really, if they can price this car right, they could build a perfect small roadster.
Let's keep in mind, what ever this car costs that'll be another ~$5k taken off in federal tax rebates. If they can get this car out for around $20k it'll mean that it'll ~$15k after rebates. You can also get another $5k from states like California. We have large rebates that have been used on $41k Volts and $100k Teslas, the impact of these rebates would be better applied to cheaper cars.
And this isn't just another small roadster, or something like the Fiero. Honda would have failed if they made a modern Honda S600/S800. The whole point is that its an EV, electric motors have lots of torque, great for compensating for small power. It means it has lots of rebates, HOV lane access, and sub-$1 gallon cost of transportation, and it would cost as much as any other cheap car for transportation, but is cheaper to drive. Plus you can thumb your noise at Prius drivers.
Let's think about the concept of this car. Which is to throw a 10kwh battery and EV components into a lightweight two-seat kei roadster body. A baby-Tesla Roadster.
Right now, EVs and PHEVs cost around $30k for the Leaf and Prius PHEV, and $40k for the Volt. And $60-100k+ for Teslas. The battery is the single largest and most expensive component of a EV/PHEV. By lowering the battery capacity, you get a cheaper, lighter car. But clearly a 10kwh battery pack won't be sufficient to power a car the size of a Volt for long. A two-seat kei roaster would be another matter. So instead of a $30k EV, we are in the $20k or below range.
Now let's consider for a moment that this roadster will also be eligible for a nice tax rebate from the government. So we have a two-seat EV roadster which Uncle Sam will give me money for for being environmental. Several thousand may not be big for a $100k car, but it is big when you're talking about a $20k car.
This car won't be a primary mode of transportation. EVs aren't good at that anyway, even the Volt is cramped, has battery pack running threw the rear seats, and costs $40k. Its hard to justify the cost of a $30k EV, but ~$20k is a different matter, especially considering those big rebates you get. You can still keep your large sedan, SUV, or truck, and use this EV roadster to go to and from work on cheap electricity (100mi range is perfect for that).
Two seats are more than enough to commute to work, you get to also use those HOV lanes since its an EV, and it costs an equivalent of less than a $1 gallon to drive on electricity, that'll save you lots of money on that daily commute. Plus its a fun RWD roadster. Who would have thought? The cheap two-seat EV roadster is the perfect commuter car.
Right now, EVs and PHEVs cost around $30k for the Leaf and Prius PHEV, and $40k for the Volt. And $60-100k+ for Teslas. The battery is the single largest and most expensive component of a EV/PHEV. By lowering the battery capacity, you get a cheaper, lighter car. But clearly a 10kwh battery pack won't be sufficient to power a car the size of a Volt for long. A two-seat kei roaster would be another matter. So instead of a $30k EV, we are in the $20k or below range.
Now let's consider for a moment that this roadster will also be eligible for a nice tax rebate from the government. So we have a two-seat EV roadster which Uncle Sam will give me money for for being environmental. Several thousand may not be big for a $100k car, but it is big when you're talking about a $20k car.
This car won't be a primary mode of transportation. EVs aren't good at that anyway, even the Volt is cramped, has battery pack running threw the rear seats, and costs $40k. Its hard to justify the cost of a $30k EV, but ~$20k is a different matter, especially considering those big rebates you get. You can still keep your large sedan, SUV, or truck, and use this EV roadster to go to and from work on cheap electricity (100mi range is perfect for that).
Two seats are more than enough to commute to work, you get to also use those HOV lanes since its an EV, and it costs an equivalent of less than a $1 gallon to drive on electricity, that'll save you lots of money on that daily commute. Plus its a fun RWD roadster. Who would have thought? The cheap two-seat EV roadster is the perfect commuter car.
