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Tesla promises to halve charging time with V3 Supercharging
As promised, Tesla has unveiled the third version of Supercharging, the high-powered chargers that it has spread out to top off owners' batteries as they travel the country. The promise is that it will eventually bring down charging times by an average of 50 percent. Peak rates go up to 250kW per car thanks to a new liquid-cooled cable design, and new stations don't have to split energy between multiple cars -- you'll always get the fastest rate available. On the most efficient vehicles, like a Model 3 Long Range, Tesla expects they'll get 75 miles of charge in 5 minutes, and add range at a rate of 1,000 miles per hour. It claims that V3 Supercharging "enables our vehicles to charge faster than any other electric vehicle on the market today." That is, at least until vehicles supporting 350kW charging, like Porsche's Taycan and Audi's E-Tron SUV hit the market.
Getting around on Inmotion's not-a-Segway
Tired of walking, but can't quite cough up the scratch for a Segway? Say hi to the Inmotion R2 in the gallery below. It's a two-wheeled, personal electric vehicle that glides along at a leisurely 9MPH for around 18 miles. It's self-balancing -- you lean slightly forward or backward to move in each direction. Harder leans mean faster speed; tilt the removable handle left or right and you'll start doing donuts -- something Honda's similar contraption does hands-free. Even for this writer, who's never gotten on one of the contraptions before (nor anything even remotely similar), it took about four or five minutes to get the hang of it. After that? No real problems. If you get tired of riding, or perhaps there are too many people around to weave around, you can pull it behind you with the motor assisting -- you won't be dragging dead weight. Perhaps the most interesting aspect, though, is what it can do when connected to your smartphone via a companion app.
Nikon 1 V3 camera unveiled: $1,200, 120fps slow motion, 20fps continuous shooting
Tonight Nikon is unveiling the latest edition of its 1 series of mirrorless cameras, the Nikon 1 V3. Compact yet powerful, it follows up on the V2 by packing an 18.4MP sensor, built-in WiFi, 1080/60p video capability and a new image processing chip. Standout features for pros and amateurs alike include the V3's ability to shoot stills continuously at up to 20fps with autofocus -- the fastest we've seen from an interchangeable lens cameras -- 720p slow motion video recording at up to 120fps and 171 "densely packed" focus points that Nikon claims give it better ability to track moving objects than DSLRs. It also adds a touch-panel tilting 3-inch LCD and arrives alongside two new 1 NIKKOR lenses -- a 10-30mm f/3.5-5.6 PD-Zoom and 70-300mm f/4.5-5.6 are available for $300 and $1,000, respectively. Last year the falling prices of DSLRs reportedly had Nikon reconsidering their ILC lineup, but judging from the V3 the company is plowing full steam ahead. A full kit with camera, 10-30mm lens, viewfinder and grip will go on sale in April for $1,200 -- check Nikon's website for more details on specs and features or look after the break for a brief demo video.
Acer upgrades its PCs with Haswell, new models include the Aspire V7 Ultrabook
This is hardly the biggest Acer news of the week (that would be this, this and this), but it's worth a PSA nonetheless. Now that Intel's formally unveiled Haswell, Acer announced it'll be refreshing much of its PC lineup with those fourth-generation chips -- 23 notebooks and six desktops, to be exact. Obviously, that includes too many models and configurations for us to discuss today, but Acer did say the updates will span the S7, M, V3, V5, V7 and E Series laptop lines, with prices ranging from $600 to $1,600. On the desktop side, the changes are limited to AT3-605 series and the Predator AG3-605 series, with prices running the gamut from $700 to $1,500. If there's one model that caught our eye, though, it would be an Ultrabook from Acer's recently announced Aspire V7 series. The V7-482PG-9884-U (how's that for a name?) has 14-inch IPS display, a Core i7-4500U processor, a 4GB NVIDIA GeForce GT750M GPU, 12GB of RAM and a 1TB HDD. That'll be available this month for $1,300, putting it squarely at the high end of what Acer has to offer.
EVE Online: Inferno 1.2 hits servers August 8th
The next update for EVE Online is just over two weeks away. Inferno 1.2 is slated to launch on Wednesday, August 8th. This new patch is focusing on visual enhancements and improving the new player experience as well as continuing to rebalance New Eden. Adding to the graphical upgrades given to the Minmatar ships in 1.1, patch 1.2 distributes the same V3 shaders to the Angel pirate faction ships. EVE will also sport an improved user interface and include more information for new pilots just starting to navigate the universe. You can take a look at new details added with the shader model update on the Dramiel, Daredevil, Ixion, Cynabal, and Macharariel ships after the break.
Acer Aspire V3 review: an affordable, Kepler-packing laptop for back-to-school season
Back in March at CeBIT, Acer unveiled a slew of new laptops, among which the Aspire Timeline Ultra M3 Ultrabook was easily the most celebrated. But while slim designs and instant-on technology are shoo-ins for media attention, slightly thicker machines with revved-up internals and discrete graphics are champions of the "don't judge a book by its cover" philosophy. And besides, not everyone is willing to part with a DVD drive, much less spend $1,000-plus on their next PC. More Info Acer Aspire V3 notebook hands-on (video) Acer Aspire V3 coming to Japan for $1,100 with right processor, wrong ppi Acer announces Ultrabook-like Aspire V5 series, we go hands-on (video) Hence Acer's Aspire V3, which is available in sizes ranging from 14 to 17.3 inches (for the purposes of this review, we took a look at the middleweight 15.6-inch version). While it weighs a hefty 5.8 pounds and looks positively bloated next to 0.8-inch-thick laptops such as the M3, the V3 packs serious power in the form of NVIDIA Kepler graphics and a Core i7 Ivy Bridge CPU. And unlike many Ultrabooks trickling their way into the market, this guy is priced to compete, making it a viable choice for the back-to-school season. But is it the best mainstream notebook $850 can buy? Let's see.
EVE Online Inferno 1.1 opens for business
Patches are serious business. Just ask CCP, which has deployed its first major post-Inferno update to EVE Online's space cowboys and their cute toy ships. Inferno 1.1 is nothing to sneeze at, with its expanded loyalty point stores, increased visuals, and a cargo hold full of fixes and tweaks. Players sucking up to one of the four militias in the game now have more merchandise to drool over. The loyalty point stores now include factional uniforms that come in both male and female varieties. Alternatively, you can drop real-world money for other uniform variants that have been added to the NeX store. The Minmatar ships finally receive a dose of graphical love in 1.1, with V3 shader upgrades for their hardware. Due to popular demand, players are now able to watch a target area for a while after the target's been blown to kingdom come. As always, there are too many changes to summarize in a few short paragraphs, so check out the patch notes to get the down low on Inferno 1.1!
EVE Evolved: The great ship overhaul
One of EVE Online's most important features is that the game is constantly updated to avoid falling behind the development curve and being overtaken by new titles. The EVE we have today bears little resemblance to the primitive sandbox released in 2003 thanks to major graphical overhauls every few years and iteration on gameplay systems. I think that's a big part of why people start playing EVE; they know that the game will still be alive and kicking years from now and will look as good as anything else on the market. EVE remained largely unchanged from March 2009's Apocrypha expansion until Crucible at the end of 2011, but since then, CCP has made huge leaps in iterating on ship graphics and gameplay. This week we saw an impressive new video of the revamped Drake model, and CCP announced details of a complete mining barge and frigate revamp due to hit the servers before this year's winter expansion. These changes seem set to put a sizeable dent in EVE's notoriously steep learning curve. In this week's EVE Evolved, I look at the recent graphical updates to EVE's ships and explore the upcoming ship overhauls in more detail.
Analyst: iPad to sell 28m in 2011, impacting PC market
Both All Things D and AppleInsider report that, according to the analyst Maynard Um at UBS Investment research, the iPad is having a negative impact on the PC market. In a note to his clients, the analyst Um says, "Sales of traditional notebooks appear to be feeling pressure from the iPad, causing a scramble by vendors to launch iPad-like tablets. We believe that a majority of this impact is occurring on the lower end of PC sales as the iPad is priced close enough to this range that it becomes attractive to consumers looking to make purchases within this segment." Um goes on to say, "We are not sold that the iPad is purely cannibalizing PC sales, as the functionality of the iPad cannot yet deliver the functionality of notebook PCs. However, consumers who purchase iPads may be more willing to delay purchases and upgrades of existing PCs." As a result of this, Um points to a "conservative" projection that Apple will sell 28 million iPads in 2011, and raises his target price for AAPL stock from $340 to $350. Um also pointed out that there is no evidence to say that the iPad is cannibalizing Mac sales. However, in contrast, V3.co.uk reports that 28 million is "a bit high," according to analyst Tin Couling at analyst firm Canalyst. Canalyst predicts that Apple will have sold 12.5 million iPads by the end of this year, but shipments of the iPad will only reach 20 million in 2011 as new tablets flood the market, competing with Apple's iPad. V3.co.uk notes that Samsung's Galaxy Tab is going to be one of the first major competitors to the iPad, but analyst firm Canalyst showed concern over its £650 price tag, sighting that it could make the entry level iPad, at £429, look reasonable (we're inclined to agree with that). And still, only a few short days ago , analyst Katy Huberty from Morgan Stanley predicted that Apple is aiming to build as many as 3 million iPads a month by the end of the year. Meaning that Apple could make up to 36 million iPads next year, well above what both other analyst predict Apple will sell. Apple announced in June that iPad sales had reached three million in its first 80 days. We'll have to wait and see where it goes from there, but analysts seem to agree that Apple's iPad will likely dominate the tablet market well into 2011.
JXD V3 handheld is confused, confusing and altogether interesting
We won't front -- there's little chance we'd actually use JXD's V3 handheld, but it's not for lack of interest. This here PMP / game player hybrid isn't apt to leave the shores of Asia, but for those in that neck of the woods, this unit offers up emulators for a slew of game consoles, a 4.3-inch display, a 5 megapixel camera and plenty of file format support to handle your favorite music and video. Reportedly, the device even features an FM radio tuner, and in case you're curious as to why there are two D-pads on this thing, it's because you'll need 'em to get through certain Game Boy / NES titles. Or so they say. We can't say we're stoked about the $112 price tag, but in a way, we're kind of in love with the whole flip-top design.
List of most-recycled phones has two RAZRs at the top, possibly being melted right into CLIQ molds
Remember back when RAZRs were the most amazing thing you'd ever seen and they ran like $400 on a two-year contract? Yeah, it feels like an eternity and a half ago -- and most owners seem to feel that way, too, because they're being recycled en masse these days. Phone recycling specialist ReCellular has released its list of the ten most-recycled handsets of the year, and by 2009 standards, there really aren't any surprises -- the chart reads like a directory of forgettable has-been dumbphones with the possible exception, of course, of the industry-changing RAZRs up top. It'll be interesting to see if or when the first smartphones break the top ten -- what do you think, a Treo or two?
Like lambs to the slaughterhouse: Nokia 6010, Motorola RAZR nab most-recycled titles
While it's cool that owners of the venerable Nokia 6010 and Motorola RAZR are forward-thinking enough to be recycling their unwanted, ancient handsets en masse, we've actually got a question for Nokia and Moto here: is this a title you're proud of? Seems like a double-edged sword since your models are getting tossed by the thousands, but hey, at least they're being tossed in an ethical way. Phone recycling firm ReCellular reports that the 6010 and the V3 (along with LG's VX4500) are the most commonly-recycled handsets of the moment -- pretty amazing when you think that the original RAZR was $500 on contract when it first launched, and now it's getting scrapped for traces of precious metal. How the mighty have fallen, eh?
MMS of death: older RAZRs can be hacked with malicious JPEGs
The Zero Day Initiative has revealed that a vulnerability exists in older RAZR firmware versions that could potentially -- under very rare circumstances -- allow some baddie to execute arbitrary code on your beloved phone. Basically, you'd have to accept an MMS from someone you don't know, it'd have to contain a JPEG with a specially malformed EXIF header, and of course, you'd have to be running an outdated version of your phone's firmware. In fact, ZDI reported the problem to Moto way back in July of last year and only revealed it to the public last week, giving 'em plenty of time to cook up a fix -- which thankfully, they have. Everyone did their part here, it seems, so don't even bother trying to exploit this one, criminals of the world. You know who you are.[Via IntoMobile and CNET]
Forget the "A" -- Motorola's MOTORZR V3s is AWS capable
At this point, we're simply running out of metaphors for the egregious ways in which Motorola is abusing the industrial design of the original RAZR. Yes, Moto, we get it, it was a game-changing phone -- in 2004. Heck, we'll even give it a free pass for 2005 and 2006. But a new one in 2008? Seriously? Sure enough, the new V3s variant rocks out with CDMA support on the 800, 1900, and 1700MHz bands, making this the first RAZR of any sort to support AWS. Cricket just launched its first AWS phone, so we wouldn't be surprised to see this one land over there, too. Oh wait, our bad, Motorola did change one thing about this phone: the "A" has been dropped from the name. The manual calls out the V3s as the "MOTORZR," possibly in preparation for a broad new marketing campaign that's virtually identical to the old, but with even fewer vowels. Your guess is as good as ours.
Pearl 8100, original RAZR on their way out of AT&T stores?
Grab your Kleenex, folks, because we've heard today that a couple of seemingly timeless pillars in AT&T's lineup might be breathing their last few breaths of in-store air. First up, the Pearl 8100 is due for replacement on all the networks that still offer it, with the 8110 and 8120 models taking their place depending on individual carriers' dispositions toward WiFi, and we're hearing that AT&T will be phasing out the older units this month in preparation for an April launch of the GPS-equipped 8110.Next -- and here's a shocker -- rumor has it that AT&T is also starting to close the door on the original Motorola RAZR V3. Not to worry; naturally, you'll still be able to get those great circa-2004 looks by picking up a V3xx, but the old-skool units appear to be on the verge of overstaying their welcome. Frankly, the writing's been on the wall there for a year, if not longer, so we're not sure that this is much more than a formality. We'll keep you updated on this one as soon as we here more.[Thanks, Kal and Matthew]
Cingular-branded Motorola V3xx hits the FCC
It may be no match for its MAXX cousin, but the scrappy lil' Motorola V3xx (alias "MOTORAZR xx") does alright for itself -- especially this side of the pond, where folks are still relatively starved for HSDPA-equipped handsets. The latest FCC filings reveal that the V3xx will be heading to (or at least tested by) Cingular, which we can say with some confidence thanks primarily to a user's manual absolutely riddled with Cingular references. With just a 1.3 megapixel external camera and that please-make-it-stop original RAZR styling, the V3xx seems ultimately destined for one of the lower tiers in Cingular's 3G lineup, but the presence of a secondary forward-facing cam indicates that it could also end up being one of the first to support video calling.[Via Phone Scoop]
RAZRs, Sidekick 3s mark new launches on T-Mobile
As expected, a variety of goodies officially greeted us for the first time today on T-Mobile -- but if you're not a Motorola or Danger fan, said variety really isn't so varied after all. Out of the Motorola stable, we have the Miami Ink-themed "Cherry Blossom" and "Dragon" tattooed RAZRs, both of the old-skool V3 variety, which'll set you back $90 after rebates. The upgraded V3t (in any color you like, as long as it's black) comes in at $150, while the flagship Dolce & Gabbana V3i runs $300 on contract. Turning our attention to Danger's offerings, the special Sidekick 3s will run $350 in both LRG and Diane von Furstenburg varieties, a $50 premium over the standard issue.[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]
Motorola RAZR coming to Amp'd?
With all the CDMA RAZR love that seems to be going around these days, why not spread some over to the MVNO folks, too? That seems to be the thinking with Amp'd, anyway -- never mind the fact that the darned thing's K1m successor is out and about -- as an Amazon slideshow page for a T-Mobile branded V3 variant seems to reveal. Everything seems perfectly kosher right up until the second-to-last photograph, which curiously reveals "Amp'd Mobile" emblazoned across the back. Now, last time we checked, Amp'd was a CDMA MVNO and doesn't do much business with those crazy GSM T-Mobile types, so we're guessing some absentminded Amazon employee just put up the wrong pic. To be fair, the V3, V3i, V3c, and V3m are all barely distinguishable even to a trained eye -- but shouldn't the giant carrier logo silkscreened onto the phone be some sort of clue?[Thanks, Will]
Sprint to announce red BONORAZR on Friday?
It's no secret that Sprint will be going all Moto on us in the next few weeks, but we didn't realize how soon -- or how red -- their initial offering would be. Sources are telling us that Sprint will be announcing a red RAZR (the V3m, we're guessing, like the mockup above) to benefit AIDS charities, presumably in cooperation with Bono's Red organization, much like the red SLVR before it. Normally, we'd lash out at Sprint for being so late to the RAZR game with this one, but since it's for a good cause, we're going to bite our tongues just this once.
"MOTORAZR xx" breathes more life into V3 formula
Pardon us for letting the V3xx get lost in the sea of Moto product announcements last week, but can you really blame us? Visually, it's the same old V3. Sure, it's got EDGE, HSDPA, A2DP, and a 1.3-megapixel camera, but again: visually, it's the same old V3. We salute the RAZR for everything it's done for Motorola and the industry as a whole, but c'mon guys, now that you've popped out some fresh styles, do we really need to keep this thing on life support? Whatevs; we'll take our 3G Motos MAXX-style, thankyouverymuch.[Via Phone Scoop]
