Mercedes reportedly scraps hybrid plan for B-Class E-Cell Plus EV, going all-in on electrons with Tesla

Mercedes' plans for a B-Class E-Cell Plus plug-in hybrid might headed for a change of direction. Take this all with a spoonful of NaCl, but looks like an all-electric powertrain made by none other than Tesla will be installed in the EV. As Autoblog Green notes, an anonymous spokesperson has reportedly claimed that the system switch-up is being made due to economics -- higher rebates and incentives are possible for zero-emission vehicles in the EV's US target market. No technical details were given on the new powertrain, but the original idea was to have a Volt-like 138-horsepower electric powerplant for the B-Class compact, with a 67-horsepower gas engine backing it up. At the very least, a collaboration between the two companies would make sense, since the Stuttgart automaker is effectively a five percent stakeholder in Tesla. So if you've been holding out for an EV with the Merc touch, check the source for the details.

Mercedes reportedly scraps hybrid plan for B-Class E-Cell Plus EV, going all-in on electrons with Tesla originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 01 Jul 2012 03:31:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Source: http://www.engadget.com/2012/07/01/mercedes-reportedly-scraps-hybrid-plan-for-b-class-e-cell-plus-e/

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Konstruct for iOS creates generative augmented reality art with your voice

If you have an artistic temperament, but you weren't blessed with steady hands or an eye for color, Konstruct might be the app for you. Not only does the iPhone app let you produce generative art using words, warbles and whistles, but it also uses augmented reality to bring your artistic creation to life.

To get started, you first need to print out the Konstruct marker and place it wherever you'd like to create your AR sculpture -- it could be on your living room wall, or on the floor of your bathroom, it doesn't matter. Open the app, point your iPhone at the marker, and start making some noises! Once you're done, you can save your creation, or simply wipe the slate clean and start again.

The volume of your voice affects the size of the shapes that are drawn on the screen, and you can move your head around to alter the path of your 'brush' -- but to change the shape of your brush or modify the color palette you have to use a menu. Without knowledge of the app's internal workings, it's hard to say what the actual difference between whistling, talking and singing is -- and judging by the developer's affinity for whistling in the demo video (after the break), the app probably doesn't perform that much analysis on your input.

Still, Konstruct is just a prototype! A later version could do away with menus and rely entirely on the location, tonality, quality and amplitude of your voice -- and judging by the the words of the developer, James Alliban, there is definitely more in store for Konstruct: "The idea of transforming entire cities into user generated virtual art galleries really appeals to me. I see Konstruct as an early prototype that will hopefully be realised in this form in the future."

Download Konstruct for free from the App Store (iPhone 3GS and 4 only)

[Thanks to Richard for the tip!]

Gallery: Konstruct for iOS: create generative augmented art with your voice

Continue reading Konstruct for iOS creates generative augmented reality art with your voice

Konstruct for iOS creates generative augmented reality art with your voice originally appeared on Download Squad on Tue, 05 Apr 2011 12:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Source: http://downloadsquad.switched.com/2011/04/05/konstruct-for-ios-creates-generative-augmented-reality-art-with/

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Nero, Kill The Noise, Skrillex & Zeds Dead ? Dream (5 & A Dime Bootleg)

Push comes to shove, 5 & A Dime is bringing something new to electronic music slash mash-ups and it is paying off big time. With an unmatched ability to take ...

Source: http://www.goodmusicallday.com/blog/2012/06/19/nero-kill-the-noise-skrillex-zeds-dead-dream-5-a-dime-bootleg/

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Google Announces Chrome Browser for iOS, Coming to iPhone Today

The Chrome browser won't be limited to Android devices and the desktop anymore. Google announced today at its annual I/O conference that Chrome is headed to iOS, and will be available on the iPhone later today, in fact.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/GearFactor/~3/0t9wg8tnXLo/

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Magical Weather for iPad review

Magical Weather isn't feature heavy, but it looks great, provides 24-hr and 6-day forecasts, and includes beautiful background animations to help you tell your rain from your shine. Unlike the iPhone and iPod touch, the iPad doesn't include a stock weather app. Apple reportedly didn't think weather looked good on the bigger screen. Magical Weather is one of a very small handful of App Store apps that shows Apple they were wrong. But is Magical Weather the right weather app for you?

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/TheIphoneBlog/~3/T2IVo3wcB4A/story01.htm

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First Firefox 6 build next week, Firefox 7 by May, and aurora channel introduced

Mozilla's Engineering Project Manager, Christian Legnitto, has detailed the release schedule for Firefox 5, 6 and 7. If all goes to plan, Firefox 6.0a1 will be released next week, April 12, and Firefox 7.0a1 in the middle of May. The final build of Firefox 5 should be released on June 21, exactly three months after the release of Firefox 4.

Along with the faster 6-week release cadence, Firefox's new Chrome-like release channels have also been given names and anticipated update frequencies. The most notable change is the introduction of a new alpha channel -- which is analogous to Chrome Canary -- that will be called 'aurora' and will update nightly. Aurora will be where fixes and features are tested, and either approved for Beta, or backed out to Central. Aurora will have a new icon, too.

The Nightly (mozilla-central) channel will remain unchanged in name and frequency, but it will gain a new 'nightly icon.' The Beta (mozilla-beta) channel will remain as-is, with new builds rolling out weekly. The Release (mozilla-release) channel will also remain as-is, with security and stability updates coming every 6 to 12 weeks.

It should be noted that the names (including 'aurora') are not necessarily final, but it's unlikely that they'll change. We're also awaiting the arrival of the new 'channel switching' technology, which should arrive in the next few days -- in time for the release of Firefox 6 aurora!

First Firefox 6 build next week, Firefox 7 by May, and aurora channel introduced originally appeared on Download Squad on Thu, 07 Apr 2011 05:20:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Source: http://downloadsquad.switched.com/2011/04/07/first-firefox-6-build-next-week-firefox-7-by-may-and-aurora-ch/

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How to jailbreak iOS 6 beta 2 with redsn0w 0.9.13

Apple has released iOS 6 beta 2, and so redsn0w has been updated to version 0.9.13 dev 2, with support for many bugs and crashes. If you're a jailbreak developer it's probably a good idea to start updating your apps and tweaks as soon as possible to add iOS 6 compatibility. Follow along for a complete walkthrough.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/TheIphoneBlog/~3/TLmHXNXUUJk/story01.htm

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