Mitsubishi i North American launch to begin on West Coast and in Hawaii

The Mitsubishi i will have an MSRP of $27,990 for the base ES model; customers in Hawaii will be eligible for a $4,500 clean energy rebate and a federal tax credit of $7,500 (subject to availability), reducing the EV's out-of-pocket cost to under $16,000 after rebates and credits.

(Credit: Mitsubishi)

The 2012 Mitsubishi i will be riding a big wave to Hawaii, the first North American state to receive the all-electric car.
The Japanese automaker today revealed that beginning this month, Hawaiian consumers will be able to reserve the Mitsubishi i for a refundable deposit of $299 on Mitsubishi's Web site.
The Mitsubishi i will be available to test drive at Cutter Mitsubishi in Aiea, Hawaii, this fall.
The energy-efficient, five-door Mitsubishi i will launch in Hawaii, California, Oregon, and Washington in November 2011. The vehicle will be available nationwide by the end of 2012.
The Mitsubishi i, with an expected driving range of 85 miles, takes 6 hours at 240V and 22.5 hours at 120V for a full charge. Mitsubishi says it will waive the $99.99 home electrical inspection fee for the first 2,000 Hawaiian residents who place a reservation and purchase the vehicle. The home electrical system inspection is to make sure that the owner's home system can efficiently charge the Mitsubishi i.
"We thank Mitsubishi Motors for choosing Hawaii as one of the first states to receive the new 'i' electric car. Electric vehicles use a fraction of the fuel needed by traditional cars, so each EV on the road means we're reducing our dependence on imported oil and increasing our ability to reach Hawaii's goal of 70 percent clean energy within a generation," said Estrella Seese, acting energy program administrator for the Hawaii State Energy Office.

Suzanne Ashe

AG wants answers on tracking from Apple, Google

Citing a need to protect consumers' personal information online, Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan is calling for a meeting with executives from Apple and Google to get more details on what the companies are doing with location information collected from consumer devices.
In a statement posted to Madigan's site and picked up by Reuters, letters from Madigan have been sent to both companies asking about what data is being kept and for how long. The attorney general also seeks to find out what that data is being used for.
"I want to know whether consumers have been informed of what is being tracked and stored by Apple and Google and whether those tracking and storage features can be disabled," Madigan said in a statement. "It's important that these companies ensure that their users' private information is protected."
Madigan's efforts join those of other politicians and government groups who want to know more about what companies are doing with location information. Shortly following the onset last week of the iOS location controversy, Sen. Al Franken (D-Minn.) sent a letter to Apple chiding the company for not encrypting location information that was stored locally on iPhones, as well as in iOS device backups. Congressman Ed Markey, who along with Rep. Joe Barton inquired about location privacy to Apple last year, followed suit, sending another letter (PDF) asking the company to explain what the data was being used for.
Interest in location privacy has picked up last week in light of a database file of timestamped location information found to be stored on certain iOS devices from Apple. The tracking file was a well-known feature in the forensics and law enforcement community, but Apple has now come under fire for not answering questions about why it's there, and why there's not a way to turn the feature off.
Google has also become a target of interest for what it does with user location data retrieved from its Android mobile operating system, which already makes use of user location to better its services, such as providing more accurate traffic data to its Maps product. It remains to be seen whether companies like Microsoft, Research in Motion, and Nokia do similar things with user location data.
Within Madigan's letters, which can be read in full below, the AG asks whether third parties are given location information, as well as if users on both platforms can opt out of the storage of the location data. In Apple's case, the question is posed as "why didn't Apple provide customers with an opportunity to opt-out of the storage of this data?" Madigan also asks Apple if there's a "mechanism whereby Apple customers can delete the information that has been stored," which is of special interest given some of the only tools that allow that have been targeted at those with jailbroken iPhones and iPads.
Madigan's office is giving both companies until May 6 to respond.
Madigan's letter to Apple:
Apple 042511 Geolocation Ltr
Madigan's letter to Google:
Google 042511 Geolocation Ltr

Josh Lowensohn

Five business models to boost electric cars

WASHINGTON--Everybody wants an auto battery breakthrough that will lead to longer driving range and lower prices than what's found with oil-powered autos. But while scientists are busy at work on the technology, there are a number of clever business ideas to make transportation cleaner and cheaper.
To a large degree, the toughest part of making electric vehicles take hold is sorting out new business models, according to speakers at last week's annual conference of the Electric Drive Transportation Association. Here are examples of how existing technology is already being used and of the approaches being explored to redefine the auto industry.
Sell electric vehicles like consumer electronics
To buy a car, most of us do a little research online and then walk into a dealership. With the introduction of new electric drive technology, that may not be enough anymore. As automakers come to market with electric cars, they're expanding their partners beyond the dealership lot.

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Following similar arrangements made by General Motors and Nissan, Ford and Mitsubishi have signed on Best Buy's Geek Squad to aid in home charging station installation for their electric vehicles due this fall. The Geek Squad won't be doing the electrical installation of chargers, but they can do an initial evaluation and provide customer support.
Best Buy's bread and butter is selling consumer electronics, but moving into alternative tech transportation (and home energy management) is a strategic move for the retailer, said Chad Bell, the senior director for the personal mobility business solutions group. Just as they need help sorting out consumer electronics, people have a growing set of transportation options, such as electric bikes, motorcycles, or cars.
"We can provide the consumer information on how cool these products are because they are connected devices. They're a lot bigger than a cell phone, but it has a lot more to it than just the driving experience," Bell said during a panel last week.
The mobile phone as car assistant
In-car technology is a big trend in the auto industry, whether it's streaming Internet radio or voice commands. But technology plays a key role in the rollout of electric vehicles.
EV drivers will likely do the bulk of their charging at home, but if you're looking for a public charging station, you want to know where the closest one is and whether it's available. Charging station makers, including Ecotality and Coulomb Technologies, have built networked charge points that let you locate and reserve spots from your phone. One start-up called PlugShare has even built an app that lets homeowners share their plugs with drivers.

Apps, either on a phone or PC, are integral to home charging as well. You can schedule car charging to take advantage of off-peak rates or check the charge status from your mobile phone. GM's OnStar division sends Volt owners e-mails with tips on how to be more fuel-efficient.
Having a communication link between the utility and home charger opens up more possibilities, such as letting consumers choose to charge their car with wind or solar power. "We have the technology to solve this problem today and we've demonstrated it," Tony Posawatz, the vehicle line manager for the Chevy Volt, said last week at the EDTA conference.
Driving plans
You buy cell phone minutes, why not miles? Until recently, Better Place appeared to be the only company with a business model of selling driving subscription plans. In their case, customers pay a monthly fee and they have access to charging points at home and in public places, as well as battery-swapping stations.

An electric car charger in Texas.

(Credit: NRG EV Services)

But now utilities are getting into the game in a slightly different way. NRG EV Services is a division of utility NRG that recently began offering an electric vehicle service to its retail customers.
They've started the program in Houston and Dallas-Fort Worth where consumers can choose between three plans, with the most expensive at $89 a month, to essentially prepay for the electricity fuel for EVs. Consumers also have a home charger installed for free and free access to public charging stations.
The business model is sort of like a cable company installing a cable box at consumers' homes and then charging for the ongoing service, Arun Banskota, the president of NRG EV Services, said last week. The utility finances the installation of a charging station at home, which can cost $2,000.
For consumers, it's a good way to understand and lock into fuel costs for three years, avoiding the ups and downs of gas prices or changing electricity rates, he said. NRG is also looking at multifamily programs and installing charge points at workplaces, which, along with retail locations, are vital to creating an "ecosystem" around EV services, Banskota said.
Repurposing electric car batteries for grid storage
Lithium ion batteries are light and powerful but they are expensive, making up roughly half the cost of an all-electric vehicle. There are many efforts to improve the energy density of batteries, which will enable a longer range, and increase the number of charges they can handle.
But arguably, a business model change will cut the prices down before we have a technology breakthrough. In particular, people in the auto and utility industries are looking at ways of repurposing auto batteries for grid storage.

Related links
• EV industry gets ready for bumpy ride
• Behind the wheel of electric cars, no big surprises
• To invite plug-in cars, cities work on permitting

Lithium ion batteries will lose about 20 percent of their charging capacity after about 3,000 cycles, which can be about 10 years of driving time, according to Tom Goesch, president of the transportation division of Indianapolis-based battery maker Ener1. At some point, a driver may want a refreshed set of car batteries, but the remaining capacity is plenty for grid storage.
If that business model get worked out, it could significantly cut down the cost of EVs for consumers, Brian Wynne, the president of the EDTA, said last week. One idea being explored is utilities would own and lease the batteries to consumers and then recoup them after a certain time.
Giving batteries a second life allows all the companies involved to get more value from the product and lower the upfront cost, Wynne said. Ener1 is exploring secondary use of batteries with a Japanese partner, but Goesch said there are some significant challenges to this industry taking hold, notably how to determine the price of used batteries, particularly in light of falling battery prices.
Car sharing
Zipcar went public two weeks ago, which drew attention to car-sharing services. Without a few pieces of technology, these services would be a lot more difficult. In the case of Zipcar, people find cars and reserve online and use an RFID-enabled membership card to unlock the car.
With the range limitations of all-electric cars, car-sharing (or renting) can give people the longer range required for some trips as needed. Also, renting hybrids and electric cars gets more people familiar with the technology.

Yes, there's an app for finding public electric car charging stations, including this one from Ecotality running on Motorola's Xoom.

(Credit: Martin LaMonica/CNET)

Hertz started offering a car-sharing service in New York City and is looking to offer electric vehicle rentals to businesses and government customers, said Richard Broome, senior vice president of corporate affairs at Hertz. It's also looking to partner with hotel chains and retail locations to offer charge stations, he said.
"I don't think anybody understands how the public will use or access these cars, so there are a lot of models developing," he said. "What we are all doing is experimenting and collaboration, because we want to find the right answers."
The experimentation around electric vehicles is needed to figure out what the new "operating system" will be for this technology and for the industry to scale up profitably, said Luis Manuel Ramirez, CEO of General Electric Energy Industrial Solutions.
"From the consumer perspective, if we don't deliver solutions in the next 12 to 24 months, that will create a lot of churn and questions of whether it will happen or not (at large scale)," he said. "We have a window of opportunity, but as an industry, we need to deliver."

Martin LaMonica

Google's WebM patent pals agree to share

These days, patent lawsuits have become the big guns that tech companies use to battle their competitors. But when it comes to Google's WebM video technology, the company is trying to establish a neutral zone of patent peace.
Today, Google is announcing a program called the WebM Community Cross License initiative designed to dispel patent-related threats looming over freely usable video technology for the Web.
Under the effort, members who join agree to license any WebM-related patents to each other, a move that offers mutual reassurance that the technology is royalty-free in practice as well as in Google's aspiration.
"Each grants to the other members a patent license for any patents that may be essential to WebM," said Mike Jazayeri, Google's director of product management for WebM.
So far Google has signed up 16 other organizations for the effort, some of them obvious allies such as browser makers Mozilla and Opera Software. But other allies, such as Samsung and LG Electronics, have video-related patents one could judge as commercially viable by virtue of their relevance to H.264, WebM's biggest video encoding technology rival.
The effort is an attempt to counter doubts raised about the patent purity of WebM by MPEG LA, which licenses the H.264 patent pool and is investigating the creation of a similar pool for VP8, the video encoding technology that along with the Vorbis audio codec is the core of WebM. MPEG LA has said it believes VP8 violates others patents, though it hasn't revealed any details.
Google hopes the WebM Community Cross License, combined with its own usage of WebM, will allay concerns.
"We felt comfortable in including it in our own products and services," Jazayeri said, mentioning its YouTube video site and Chrome browser. "We're hopeful the CCL will bring clarity and confidence" to those considering using WebM themselves.
If MPEG LA offered a VP8 patent pool, it might be convenient for some companies interested in using VP8 that are worried about potential lawsuits from patent holders. But it also would severely undermine Google's ambition to create a patent-free technology. For example, it would preclude it from inclusion in open-source software such as Mozilla's Firefox and in standards such as HTML5 that seek to sidestep patent encumbrances.
"We genuinely believe the Web is as ubiquitous today as it is because the early founders made the core technologies of the Web open and freely usable," Jazayeri said. "That's critical."
Many important video patent holders such as Microsoft, Panasonic, Philips Electronics, Sharp, and Sony aren't on the list, though--at least yet.
"This is just the beginning," Jazayeri said. "We are in active discussions [to] engage those who benefit from the Web ecosystem."
The full list of partners so far is:
• AMD
• Cisco Systems
• Google
• HiSilicon Technologies (for itself and on behalf of its parent, Huawei)
• LG Electronics
• Logitech
• Matroska
• MIPS Technologies
• Mozilla Corporation
• Opera Software
• Pantech
• Quanta Computer
• Samsung
• STMicroelectronics (for itself and its affiliate, ST-Ericsson)
• Texas Instruments
• Verisilicon Holdings
• Xiph.Org Foundation

Google has taken other measures to promote WebM. It's removed H.264 support from Chrome, putting its browser in the Mozilla and Opera camp rather than the Internet Explorer and Safari camp when it comes to HTML5 video built straight into Web pages. It's also begun transcoding all uploaded YouTube videos into WebM--a mammoth task from a computing standpoint--and already has transcoded the most popular videos such that 99 percent of what's seen on YouTube can be seen in WebM.
It remains to be seen how effectively Google can counter MPEG LA. Google is hoping to marshal allies under the banner of an unencumbered Internet.
"I think the comments they've made at this stage aren't helpful to innovation on the Web, and I think others share that concern," Jazayeri said.
To prevail, though, Google and its allies will have to convince others that the commercial value of a livelier Web outweighs the commercial value of any WebM-related patents they have. Today's explosion of patent suits suggests that tech giants with big patent portfolios might not be so eager to lay down their weapons.
Corrected 10:58 a.m. PT to reflect that Google's initiative is about WebM video technology, not its related WebP effort for still images.

Stephen Shankland

Nintendo: Wii successor coming in 2012

The Nintendo Wii.

(Credit: Nintendo)

Nintendo today confirmed that it plans to release a Wii successor in 2012.
In a three-paragraph note (PDF) issued this morning, the game company said it "has decided to launch in 2012 a system to succeed Wii." Nintendo said it had sold 86.01 million Wiis since the console's launch in 2006.
A playable version of the new system, as well as its specs, will be unveiled at the giant E3 video game show in Los Angeles in June, Nintendo said.
The news should not come as a shock to industry observers. Rumors have been circulating for some time about a potential new Wii that could cost between $350 and $400. It was thought that the console could hit shelves as early as October. But Nintendo's announcement would seem to throw cold water on that potential date.
On Thursday, the game-focused site IGN reported that its sources were telling it that the next Wii was being code-named Project Cafe:

According to sources with knowledge of the project, Nintendo's next console could have a retail price of anywhere between $350 and $400 based on manufacturing costs, and will ship from Taiwanese manufacturer, Foxconn, this October, putting the earliest possible retail release anywhere between mid-October and early November.
However, Nintendo could also opt to build up a sizable supply of the system and allocate more time for software and games development by launching in early 2012. Similarly, Nintendo could attempt to lower the retail price of the system with lower profit margins to make the price more alluring.

Clearly, the company seems to have chosen the latter route, at least as far as the release date. If IGN's reasoning is correct, that decision could be because Nintendo doesn't want customers to repeat the experience of previous years, when a Wii was nearly impossible to find in stores during the holiday season. On the other hand, it would be interesting for Nintendo to launch the Wii's successor in early 2012. The original Wii was released in the fall (of 2006) as was Sony's PlayStation 3. Microsoft's Xbox 360 also came out in the fall, albeit of 2005. All three of those releases were timed to the holidays, and led to significant sales of the respective consoles.
In its announcement today, Nintendo did not address the specifications for the new system. But IGN seems to believe that the console will have a lot more horsepower than the existing Wii. "The system will be based on a revamped version of AMD's R700 GPU architecture, not AMD's Fusion technology as previously believed," IGN wrote, "which will, as previously reported, out perform the PlayStation 3's Nvidia 7800GTX-based processor. Like the Xbox 360, the system's CPU will be a custom-built triple-core IBM PowerPC chipset, but the clocking speeds will be faster. The system will support 1080p output with the potential for stereoscopic 3D as well, though it has not been determined whether that will be a staple feature."

Related links
• Major retailers cut price of Wii to $169.99
• iOS, Android gobbling Nintendo DS market share
• Xbox birthday signals death of 5-year console cycle

Many people have been wondering when, or if, Nintendo would put out a system rivaling the performance of the PS3 or the Xbox 360. If IGN's sources are correct, 2012 would appear to be the answer. Of course, Microsoft and Sony are hardly going to stand still and let their consoles be overtaken by a rival that has sold 86 million systems in large part because of its ease of use, not its appeal to core gamers.
But if either Sony or Microsoft is to step up their games, as it were, it's most likely going to be after Nintendo makes its next move. A report last week suggested that neither Sony nor Microsoft will come out with a new console until 2014.
"Both companies are hoping to wait out the current generation, and extending an already elongated console life-cycle despite clear signs that Nintendo will launch its next machine by the end of 2012," cited the report from the video game blog Kotaku. "Both MS and Sony are telegraphing to each other that they're delaying, to milk the current [generation] and fill in previous craters better," one insider who has worked with the first-party companies like Sony and Microsoft told us."
No matter what happens, of course, the idea of the five-year console generation--which was the industry standard for years--has gone out the window. If it hadn't, Microsoft would have put out the next Xbox in 2010, while both Sony and Nintendo would have followed suit this year. On the other hand, as Kotaku suggested, all three of the current-generation consoles are still selling well, and there's no immediate reason for any of the companies to supersede their existing hardware. That's particularly true for both Microsoft and Sony, which have breathed new life into the current-gen machines with the release of new motion control systems, Kinect for Xbox, and Move for PS3.

Daniel Terdiman

Nook Color gets Flash support, curated app store

With its latest update, Barnes & Noble is now marketing the Nook Color as the 'best value of any tablet on the market.'

(Credit: Barnes & Noble)

A month ago we reported that Barnes & Noble was set to roll out a major software update for the Nook Color in April. This morning, Barnes & Noble finally flipped the switch on that update, which is a customized version of Android OS 2.2 (Froyo) and most notably adds a free built-in e-mail client, Flash support for Web browsing, and an app store with a selection of more than 125 free and paid apps.
Those who've already "rooted" the $250 Nook Color with custom firmware that's been circulating on the Web for months will be quick to note that this update is still limiting because it doesn't offer access to the Android Market and allow you to run any app you want. However, for the thousands of less tech-savvy customers who purchased the Nook and haven't hacked the device, the official update--dubbed version 1.2--at last turns the Nook Color into a more fully functional Android tablet.
The update also marks a subtle but important shift in Barnes & Noble's marketing strategy for the device. While it's still calling it the "Reader's Tablet," the company has now inserted the adjective "full-featured" in front of it and says that at $249, the Nook Color "presents the best value of any tablet on the market." That's something a lot of "rooters" have been saying for a while, which one could argue makes the new marketing message slightly ironic.
Not coincidentally, Barnes & Noble is launching a new ad campaign for the Nook Color today as well. However, the initial ads that will run are less about the device's new features and more about reading in general and the idea that although the way we read may be changing, it's still reading--and it's more exciting than ever. Amazon.com has been running ads with similar themes for the Kindle.

Related links
• Nook Color Android app store coming in April along with Flash support
• HSN 'previewing' Nook Color's app store and Flash capabilities
• Nook Color Honeycomb 'beta' hack advances

Here's a look at the highlights of Nook Color version 1.2. You can manually download the update at www.nookcolor.com/update or wait to get it over the air via Wi-Fi. However, it may take several days to get the update automatically delivered to your device, so manually updating is the way to go if you're impatient.

• Android 2.2: Barnes & Noble says Android OS 2.2/Froyo offers system improvements and enhanced browser performance, including support for Adobe Flash. You can also easily switch between larger desktop or mobile Web versions of sites, with enhanced pinch to zoom. You also get improved global search and shortcuts to settings. (Note: We've had pretty decent luck with many Flash sites and most of the Flash video we tested ran OK as long as we had a rock solid Internet connection. That said, you will encounter some choppiness from time to time and our Nook Color review sample completely locked up once while browsing, so it's far from a perfect experience.)
• Free e-mail app: Every Android device comes with a basic e-mail app, so it's high time the Nook Color got one. As you might expect, the free Nook Email app works across top Web mail services including Yahoo Mail, Gmail, AOL, and Hotmail and allows you to access multiple Web mail accounts from the app. All updated Nook Color devices will now include the Nook Email and Nook Friends apps preloaded, as well as Pandora Internet Radio, Crossword Puzzle, Sudoku, Chess, Contacts, and Gallery. Nook Friends is an app that allows you to share what you're reading with friends (see below for more details).

Nook 'app store.' (click to enlarge).
• A Nook app store not called Nook App Store: Apple is suing Amazon for calling its app store for Android an app store, which is probably why Barnes & Noble isn't calling its app store an app store. But semantics aside, you can now download apps to the Nook Color. Barnes & Noble is highlighting games like Angry Birds, Uno, and More Brain Exercise, the news app Pulse, Drawing Pad, and various kids' books. It's also got Lonely Planet Phrasebooks apps and the recipe app Epicurious. That's just a small sample and new apps will come onboard in the weeks and months to come. Again, it's not the Android Market, with its thousands of apps, or Amazon's impressive app store for Android, which already has a wide selection of apps. But it's a whole lot better than the handful of apps that initially came with the Nook Color. (Note: We couldn't install the Angry Birds app. This is a bug and we assume Barnes & Noble will fix it soon.)
• Slide page-turn animation: Users requested a slide page-turn animation, so they get one. (Note: Landscape book reading was originally supposed to be included in v1.2. B&N says it now plans to include this in its next software update, though it declined to give a specific date.)
• Enhanced Nook Kids digital picture books: We got a demo of the new interactivity in some of the new Nook Kids books, and while it's certainly a welcome addition, we've seen plenty of creative kids' apps and digital picture books on the iPad, so it didn't seem like anything groundbreaking.
• Nook Books enhanced: At launch, Barnes & Noble said that in the future some books would have embedded video, and now it has added that feature. How much extra you'll have to pay for these types of books is another matter, but 225 multimedia titles are currently available and the list is growing, according to the company. This obviously makes some sense for health and fitness books, tech and travel guides, and cookbooks, and you can expect more digital books to have rich multimedia content as the color tablet market continues to grow.

The new e-mail app (click to enlarge).
• Nook Friends app (beta): We mentioned that the Nook Friends app is going to be preloaded on Nook Color devices going forward, and Barnes & Noble is calling it the "go-to social network for people who love to read." It says that Nook Color users can create a group of Nook Friends to "easily swap books, get a friend's take on a new best seller, discover great new reads, or see if someone's enjoying a book they recommended on the Friend's Activity tab." You can also view your Nook Friends' content ratings and reviews, shared quotes, recommendations, and how they're progressing on their latest books. You could call this Barnes & Noble's take on the digital book club, and it will be interesting to see users' response to it.

While we'll be downloading the version 1.2 update along with the rest of the Nook owners, we did get an early look at it last week and were generally impressed with what we saw. To be clear, if you've rooted your Nook or happen to own an Android tablet such as the Samsung Galaxy Tab, a lot of these "enhancements" will probably make you yawn. But the update certainly makes an excellent device better and more functional--in fact, this is the Nook Color that a lot of people thought Barnes & Noble should have released in the first place.
During our demo of the e-mail app, we couldn't help but ask Jamie Iannone, president of Barnes & Noble Digital Products, why it wasn't there at launch--along with a few other apps.
Iannone paused for a moment before responding, then said, "We were really focused on getting the reading experience right. That was the No. 1 priority. And we just ran out of time to get this other stuff really right for launch."
Five months later that other stuff is here. And while the Nook Color (in its official software form) may still fall short of being a full-fledged Android tablet, it's doing a better job of masquerading as one.
As always, let us know your thoughts on the update after you've downloaded it--and whether you've spotted any bugs. Also, in the comments section feel free to let Barnes & Noble know what apps you'd like to see made available for the Nook Color.

Mercedes Benz Mobil Mewah Terbaik Indonesia

Review Mercedes Benz Mobil Mewah Terbaik Indonesia pada kontes Seo Olympic 2011 pada themercedeslounge.com