Items tagged with focus
For the car enthusiasts out there, this one stings... a lot! Ford has just announced its latest Focus ST, which is based on the all-new Focus that debuted in Europe last year. The hot hatch looks great, has a sweet, turbocharged inline-4 engine and is available with a 6-speed manual or seven-speed automatic. And unfortunately, it won't be arriving in the United States. Although the United States received previous generations of the Focus along with the Focus ST and monstrous Focus RS, we won't be receiving the fourth-generation model or its special variants. You can blame America's obsession with crossovers for death of the Focus here (and all Ford cars in general, save for the...
Read more...
Looking for Mango? AT&T has it coming hot and heavy. While this week is all about Windows 8, as Microsoft's BUILD Conference starts tomorrow, the company's mobile OS is still of the utmost importance for MS' future. Windows Phone 7.5, the first major overhaul since NoDo, is all set to roll out to major carriers, with AT&T being a major partner here in the United States. Today, the carrier is introducing three new 4G devices in 4Q -- including the Samsung Focus S, HTC Titan, and Samsung Focus Flash. All three will run Mango, and furthermore, AT&T will start updating existing Windows Phones (HTC HD7S, Samsung Focus, LG Quantum, and HTC Surround) to Windows Phone 7.5 (“Mango”)...
Read more...
Internet in cars? What a novel idea! It's actually not as far-fetched as you may have thought; in fact, it's widely offered as a third-party solution from AutoNet by many dealers. But Ford's thinking about something a little different, and a little more first-party. The company that has made the SYNC system famous is getting ready to offer Wi-Fi in the 2012 Focus across the pond, and if the Focus gets Wi-Fi, it's probably only a matter of time before the rest of the fleet gets it. Starting next year, the UK's Focus will be a rolling hotspot, and sure enough, Ford's already saying that the feature will be rolled into other vehicles soon. By using an owners’ existing USB modem or smartphone,...
Read more...
Broadband Internet has definitely moved into the wireless world in the past few years, and the next logical step is into the automobile. Some cars already have Internet access, and some are getting it soon. Very soon. Cars like the Ford Focus. What's crazy is that the Focus isn't really a luxury car, but still, Internet is coming to it. This once again proves that the Internet is no longer seen as a luxury, it's seen as vital enough to be an option on a car like the Focus. The wireless connection will enable drivers to control vehicle settings when away from the car, which is part of a strategic approach to make Ford electric car ownership simple, easy and engaging. MyFord Mobile, Ford’s...
Read more...
Microsoft is into all sorts of things these days. Operating systems are just the tip of the empire, as gaming consoles, MP3 players, search engines, mapping systems, 3D sensing and even energy management are all also in the cards. Wait, energy management? It's no April Fools--Hohm is a legitimate branch of Microsoft, and while few have really paid attention to it thus far, a partnership with one of the world's most recognizable automakers could definitely change that.In order to advance the electric car industry (and probably give some real credence to Hohm, which has yet to land a killer application in the real world), the two have announced a "new solution that will make electric vehicle ownership...
Read more...
There's been talk recently over private browsing features in upcoming browsers such as Internet Explorer 8 and Firefox 3.1 (Safari already has this feature). Privacy, of course, is an important subject for many end users (despite the somewhat pejorative term "porn mode" frequently used for it). Well, a new browser has been recently released that --- rather than making this feature an afterthought, focuses directly on privacy as the base of its capabilities. Level 9 Technology, Inc. has launched the ArmorSurf Private Browser - a free web browser & downloader that lets users surf in complete privacy while keeping their files secure. In addition to privacy features, the software...
Read more...
Steve Jobs says the next version of Apple's OS, nicknamed Snow Leopard, will concentrate on easing programming for parallel processors. Of course multi-core CPUs already pose challenges to use all the available processing capacity they're capable of, but in addition to that, Jobs is proposing using the OS to grab available graphics processing power for CPU functions too. Jobs said Apple is proposing a new processing standard called Open CL (Open Computing Language) that allows programmers to take advantage of graphics processors. "Basically it lets you use graphics processors to do computation," he said. "It's way beyond what Nvidia or anyone else has, and it's really simple."P.A. Semi, the small...
Read more...
Google has a pretty reliable algorithm for determining page rank on text searches. All sorts of attempts are made to game the system, by both legitimate and unscrupulous Search Engine Optimization schemes alike, but those strategies always seem to fail in the long run. But put a search query into Google Images, especially with safe-search turned off, and you'll get a bizarre assortment of pictures to look at. That's because image searches generally just comb through the associated text appended to images. It's the reason why if you're an ornithologist looking for pictures of birds with bright blue feet, you might see a different sort of boobies if you search for them. Now Google says it's got...
Read more...
You won't have to say "cheese" any longer with this new Sony camera feature. Using face detection technology, the camera won't snap a high-definition picture until a selected subject smiles."Using the smile recognition shutter function selected by the touch panel, you can pick which of up to eight people is the key smile," said Akira Tokuse who works in Sony product development. "In a parents-and-baby shot, you could select the baby." The "Say Cheese" technology has three setting levels, from a slight grin to a belly laugh. I can see this making child photography easier - just set the camera and concentrate on getting the child to smile -...
Read more...
It's easy to sit back and say "he was a good boy -- he took it on the chin like a man", or so to speak, as the good folks at Intel would like to say about their rivals at Advanced Micro Devices. Conversely, you might quickly discover the error of your ways, if you've counted AMD out. As we're sure you're aware, the lumps don't go unanswered in this high-stakes game we call the semiconductor industry. Retribution is often sharp and swift. Capiche? Recently we spent some time in private conference with AMD down in the lovely city of New York and learned of a few more details with respect to their upcoming "4X4" platform...
Read more...
