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Honda to end production of its hydrogen and plug-in hybrid Clarity cars
After killing off the Clarity EV last year, Honda is ending production of its hydrogen fuel-cell and plug-in hybrid Clarity models this summer.
Honda will discontinue its Clarity EV in 2020
Honda is discounting the pure-electric version of its lease-only Clarity, Autoblog reports. It appears that Honda will continue to produce the plug-in hybrid and hydrogen fuel cell Clarity models, at least in 2020.
Honda’s Clarity Plug-In Hybrid is a luxury car at a bargain price
The Honda Clarity line is now complete. After introducing the lease-only pure EV back in July, the Plug-In Hybrid and Fuel Cell models are here; I got to test-drive both at a recent event and came away impressed. Besides badges and refueling ports, the Clarity vehicles look identical. But their powertrains are different enough that it's almost like driving three completely different cars.
What you need to know before buying an EV
It's an exciting time for the automotive world. Over the past 15 years, cars have gone from relatively dumb machines that get us to our destinations to electrified, connected gadgets. In the coming decade, the technology being developed by traditional automakers and nascent upstarts will not only transform the way we drive, but change how cities operate.
Honda bets on luxury over range with the electric Clarity
In 1998 Honda introduced the first hybrid to North American roads. The Insight looked like a futuristic CRX and should have heralded the automaker as a leader in the green-car space along with Toyota and its Prius. Except it didn't. The Prius took off while Honda continued to produce the less-popular Insight along with a few other hybrids including a V6 Accord. The company even tip-toed into the electric market with a limited run of Fit EVs. But as for a proper electric platform, it wasn't until this year that the automaker decided to enter the market with the Clarity.
Honda tries salvaging the Clarity with electric, hybrid options
For years now, the Honda's Clarity line has been about figuring out the best way to bring to hydrogen fuel cell cars to market. As you probably guessed, it's been a pretty slow process. To wit: Honda launched its Clarity Fuel Cell in California in late 2016, and there's something like 100 of them rolling around the state right now. Now, that ride has some more company: Honda revealed new plug-in hybrid and battery-powered models here at the New York Auto Show.
Honda's next-gen Clarity hydrogen cars land in California
Honda has delivered the first hydrogen-powered Clarity fuel cell vehicles (FCVs) to dealers in Torrance, California, home of the automaker's US campus. Approved buyers can take one home on a lease for $2,868 down and $369 a month for three years, a price that includes 20,000 miles per year and up to $15,0000 of hydrogen fuel.
Honda's hydrogen-powered Clarity goes on sale in Japan
Hydrogen-powered cars are less efficient and environmentally friendly than EVs, but nobody can deny that they're more practical. Case in point is Honda's Clarity fuel-cell vehicle (FCV), which is now on sale to select buyers in Japan. Unlike EVs, which can go a maximum of around 270 miles (in the case of Tesla's Model S), the Clarity can run 750km (466 miles) on a tank of 70MPa compressed hydrogen. That's assuming you can find a hydrogen filling station -- there are only around 15 or so in the nation at the moment. Performance-wise, the 174-horsepower motor delivers a top speed of around 100 mph.
SwiftKey's new keyboard corrects whole phrases
SwiftKey has a new Android keyboard that will autocorrect entire phrases. Named Clarity Keyboard Beta, it aims to constantly scan the last few words typed in order to offer better corrections than rival apps. Like other SwiftKey keyboards, it'll also learn from your typing style, picking up on your most-used words and phrases.
The Mog Log: Believing in Final Fantasy XIV
This week, I'm going to do something different. I'm going to talk about my wife. Lest anyone worry that this is the start of a Paul McCartney-esque slide into sappy sentimentality, there's good reason for this. Ms. Lady has been mentioned on previous occasions as a gaming partner and skilled roleplayer. She's not as into MMOs as I am, but she plays them a lot and she certainly knows what she likes and what she doesn't. And let me tell you, she didn't like Final Fantasy XIV. This is a point of view I hold against absolutely no one, but it sure as heck meant that she was not interested in the relaunch. She'd had enough of the game after the first couple of tries to break in. The relaunch had no hooks to pull her back in, no interesting features that stirred her interest, nothing but the promise of a game she'd already decided wasn't good enough to play. And that all changed.
Clarity's Ensemble: an amplified and captioned phone (hands-on)
Plantronic's Clarity announced a first with the Ensemble at CES 2013, an accessible amplified phone that also telephone-captions your call in near-real time. The set's display is actually a 7-inch Android tablet -- version 2.2 if you must ask -- and the heart of the system. When a call is placed or comes in the caller's speech is passed off to FCC-certified telephone-captioning company ClearCaptions and the results are then written to the phones display -- while the audio is amplified in the Ensemble's earpiece. Font size can be changed on the fly, as can the audio processing which, like a hearing aid makes soft sounds easier to listen to and loud sounds quieter. If a user has trouble Clarity's support folks can actually get in the phone and make changes, Clarity's rationale here is it lower hardware returns and helps out the customer. Clarity and ClearCaptions have an impressive product in the Ensemble, it is both attractive and quite useful for anybody with hearing issues frustrated with conventional telephony. Interestingly, the final link, the actual speech to text is done by people and not some slice of technology on a server somewhere and the service won't cost you one red cent. Unfortunately a data connection wasn't available for us to test the captioning but we're hopeful we can rectify that before the end of the show.
Clarity Pal hands-on, a new phone for senior citizens
In a perfect world, your grandparents wouldn't need a lick of help getting the most out of a smartphone, but let's face it: the devices are complex, and if you don't have the proper motivation, they can be a bit difficult to learn. You've previously seen the C900 from Clarity, and tonight we stumbled upon its second generation of handsets for senior citizens known as the Pal. Similar to the predecessor, the phone features a panic button on the back that'll call and text message up to five people in the case of an emergency. Other features consist of a backlit keypad that can read aloud the numbers that are pressed, along with a talking caller ID and up to 26dB of amplification for the earpiece. We received a quick demo of this last feature, and the volume was sufficient enough to cut through a noisy room while allowing us to hear everything that was said -- in other words, we have no doubt that the Clarity Pal will be perfectly suitable for those with moderate hearing impairment. The phone is compatible with GSM networks in the US and Canada, and for more ambitious seniors, it features SMS functionality and Bluetooth for pairing with Clarity's headset. Fortunately, the company has gone through a good amount of effort to refine and simplify the menu scheme, which is quite helpful for those wanting only the basics. The Clarity Pal will be available on May 28th through the company's website and will sell for $99. If you've got someone in your life who might need a simpler phone, take a peek at the gallery below. Sean Cooper contributed to this report
Plantronics Clarity Fortissimo speakerphone hands-on (video)
Music aficionados will recognize the term "fortissimo." It's used to signify belting out the tunes as loud as humanly possible, which is exactly what Clarity is hoping to achieve with its speakerphone that uses the name. The Clarity Fortissimo is geared toward those who are mobility-challenged, offering a massively loud 95dB speaker, huge buttons, voice activation, Bluetooth and DECT connectivity, and a large touchscreen display. The Fortissimo offers Plantronics' Vocalyst technology, which has the ability to push emails, messages and even social network updates. It also has a dedicated button that automatically dials Clarity's support center, where a rep can then program the phone remotely for you. Expect to see the Fortissimo available this spring -- we were quoted April / May -- and will retail for $500. We have images and video after the break.
Clarity reveals Fortissimo speakerphone for folks with mobility issues
It's not often that speakerphones grace Engadget's pages, but Plantronics' Clarity division has created a new such device tailored to the needs of folks with mobility issues and difficulties using their hands. Called the Fortissimo, it's got an outsized LCD touchscreen for easy viewing and prodigious voice command capabilities courtesy of Plantronics' Vocalyst technology. Vocalyst lets users send emails and texts, update social networks, and access other phone functions with the spoken word, and can connect with headsets via Bluetooth. Physical phone interaction's on tap too courtesy of air switches activated by blowing on them and oversized pillow switches that are as easily hit with arms and legs as they are heads and shoulders. Lastly, there's ClarityLogic customer service that gives company reps the ability to adjust settings and upgrade Fortissimo remotely. Clarity's showing it off this week at CES, and the Fortissimo will be released this summer. PR's after the break.
ClarityLife C900 caters to old people, pwns the Jitterbug
There are phones for the geriatric set, and then there's the ClarityLife C900. This mobile makes no bones about what it is -- a dead simple candybar that's meant to easily place / receive calls and give owners access to an impossible-to-miss red emergency button. It also boasts large buttons for easy dialing, a large backlit screen with humongous text, a fierce vibrating ringer, inbuilt flashlight and a speaker that's "twice as loud" as an ordinary cellphone. Ironically, there's two full paragraphs explaining how to actually get a SIM card from your preferred carrier, so there's still a learning curve to overcome. At least Clarity makes the process of handing over $269.99 as easy as possible.[Via UnwiredView]
Serene scenes on HDTV no substitute for nature
Ruh roh. Seems you can't use the "it's good for my health" excuse to watch just one more hour of Sunrise Earth, as a recent study has shown that watching serene scenes on HDTV just doesn't have the same calming effect as does watching a similar scene in nature. The University of Washington-based study discovered that heart recovery rates in people exposed to minor stress were the same when viewing peaceful imagery on a plasma or starting directly at a blank wall. Yeah, a blank wall. It was also noted that heart rates dropped more quickly when these same folks viewed a calming scene through a window, suggesting that technology may not be ready to replace reality just yet in this particular case. We just have to wonder if they were using true HD signals on the display -- nothing gets our heart racing like a bad episode of Pool Watchers in SD.[Thanks, Ben]
Hawaii volcano film to be released on Blu-ray... and HD DVD?
There's simply no question that the beauty of Hawaii Volcanoes National Park (above) can only truly be appreciated after a winding drive down from Kailua Kona (or Hilo, for those who love the rain), but for folks without weeks on end to spare waiting to see lava flow from some of those majestic creations, a forthcoming film should give you the next best look. Volcanographer Mick Kalber has assembled an hour-long movie entitled Kilauea's Flow to Waikupanaha, and while we'd generally brush something like this off, a recent writeup about it most definitely caught our eye. We thought we had already seen HD DVD's last hurrah back in March, but if KHNL-8 is to be believed, the forthcoming flick will be available on Blu-ray and HD DVD. Granted, there's no release date mentioned, but given that red has been decomposing for months now, we're tempted to believe someone was simply misinformed.
HD clarity paves the way for new channels
No real surprises here, but a recent writeup over at USA Today proclaims that the sheer clarity provided by HDTV could pave the way for a whole new pool of channels. We've already found that sports fans in general typically enjoy watching a game in HD regardless of what teams are competing, and the same seems to prove true when looking at nature. The report pinpoints Discovery's Sunrise Earth and The Smithsonian Channel (among many others) as programs that simply wouldn't have the same allure if not shot in HD. Additionally, Comcast's Derek Harrar even suggested that "pretty-picture content" could prove to be just as desirable as movies and sports. Personally, we've all watched quite a few programs for no other reason than to bask in the glory of how stunning HD can look, but only time will tell if there's a real market for picturesque programming.[Via The HDTV Blog]
