BMW will repurpose i3 batteries for home energy storage
As the current crop of electric vehicles start to show their age, the EV industry is going to have to start dealing with a surplus of used batteries that once kept those cars rolling. Now, with over 45,000 electric i3 vehicles sold worldwide since 2013, BMW is joining Tesla in adapting its EV battery technology for home use. As Autoblog reports today, the German automaker has built a home energy system using i3 batteries that “integrates seamlessly with charging stations and solar panels.”
The system, which was announced today at the Electric Vehicle Symposium in Montreal, simply combines the automaker’s charging station with an extra 22- or 33-kWh battery pack that can charge off of the normal power grid and be used as a backup during outages or to cut costs during peak energy usage times when electric rates are highest. Unlike Tesla’s Powerwall, however, these batteries are identical to those found in the i3 and Mini E.
While BMW’s test system in California uses brand new batteries at the moment, the eventual goal is to repurpose used battery packs pulled right out of an i3 as they start to lose some of their charge/discharge capacity and hit the secondary market. In effect, it’s a home energy storage solution and a battery recycling program, all rolled up into one eco-friendly package. Finally, BMW claims a typical home in the United States averaged anywhere from 15–30 kWh of daily electricity in 2014, so even a diminished battery should be able to keep the lights on for a full 24 hours or more.
Teen responds to ‘Overwatch’ naysayers with a live skill display
If you’re good enough at a video game for people to claim that you’re cheating, what do you do? Shrug it off? Talk smack in return? If you’re Gegury, a 17-year-old Korean pro gamer, you prove you’re clean to the whole world. When two rivals accused her of using hacks to dominate Overwatch, she didn’t just get her name cleared by Blizzard. She went to game broadcaster Inven and livestreamed an hour-plus play session demonstrating that, yes, she’s just that skilled.
It wasn’t a perfect showcase (all the more proof that Gegury is honest), but it was enough. Those two accusers? They’d vowed to quit the pro gaming scene if it turned out that Gegury was above board, and they were true to their word — they’re both out. This doesn’t mean that everything is sunshine and roses (Gegury faced a lot of stress from being falsely accused). However, it shows that you should always think twice before you say that someone is playing dirty. In the era of Twitch streams, they can easily call your bluff.
Via: Reddit, Eurogamer
Source: YouTube
Judge Rules in Apple’s Favor, Dismisses ‘Error 53’ Lawsuit
Apple’s fight against an ongoing “error 53” lawsuit came to an end today when a U.S. district court judge dismissed the case and declared that the plaintiffs “lack standing to pursue injunctive relief” and have not been able to prove permanent data loss.
Apple’s error 53 woes began in February, when the media picked up a story about an ongoing “error 53” message that was permanently bricking iPhones. As it turned out, Apple had implemented a feature that disabled the iPhones of customers who had unauthorized repairs on the home buttons of their devices.
Non-matching repair components or damage that affected the Touch ID fingerprint sensor caused an iOS device to fail a Touch ID validation check because the mismatched parts were unable to properly sync. The validation check occurred during an iOS update or restore, and when failed, Apple disabled the iPhone, effectively “bricking” it in an effort to protect Touch ID and the related Secure Enclave that stores customer fingerprint information. Apple eventually said the error 53 bricking issue was meant to be a factory test that should not have affected customers.
Just days after the error 53 news began circulating, Apple was hit with a lawsuit seeking $5 million in damages and a repair program for affected devices. Plaintiffs accused Apple of false advertising and failing to warn consumers about the security features that ultimately rendered their iPhones inoperable and caused data loss.
Following the lawsuit, Apple released an updated version of iOS that restored iPhones and iPads affected by error 53 to working condition and prevented it from happening to additional devices. Apple also reimbursed customers who paid for out-of-warranty replacements for their devices and ensured all affected customers had working devices.
In May, Apple filed a motion to dismiss the lawsuit based on its fix and reimbursement efforts, but the plaintiffs continued to argue that Apple hadn’t done enough to warn customers and hadn’t made it easy enough to get their devices fixed.
Those arguments fell on deaf ears, as the judge did indeed grant Apple’s dismissal motion, dissecting all of the plaintiffs’ claims and rendering them unsuitable for the continuation of the lawsuit. One of the main claims was data loss, but the plaintiffs were not able to prove data loss separate from the error 53 malfunction, nor were they able to prove Apple was aware of the error 53 defect to support claims of false advertising.
With regard to Apple’s alleged omissions, the plaintiffs’ position seems to be that Apple should have “disclosed that their devices would be destroyed by imbedded features if they had repaired devices using an independent service and then updated to certain iOS versions.” But the plaintiffs haven’t plausibly alleged that Apple actually knew of this alleged risk. […]
But the mere fact that a company has designed a product doesn’t mean it automatically knows about all of that product’s potential design flaws.
The plaintiffs in the case will be able to amend their claims to address the issues raised by the judge, so the lawsuit may be reconsidered in the future.
Tag: Error 53
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Apple TV Universal Search Gains Support for 9 New Channels Including Food Network and HGTV
Apple today added nine new channels to the universal search function on the fourth-generation Apple TV, introducing support for A&E, Cooking Channel, DIY, Food Network, FYI, HGTV, History, Lifetime, and Travel Channel.
For those unfamiliar with universal search, it’s a feature that allows users to conduct Siri voice searches or text-based searches to find TV and movie content across a wide range of channels. At launch, universal search only supported a few channels, but Apple has been rapidly expanding the feature to encompass additional channels.
Apple maintains a dedicated support document providing Apple TV owners with a full list of content that can be found via Siri using universal search. Unfortunately, universal search is an option largely limited to the United States. In other countries, In most other countries, only iTunes content is currently supported, while Netflix is also supported in Australia, Canada, France, Germany, and the United Kingdom.
Related Roundups: Apple TV, tvOS 10
Buyer’s Guide: Apple TV (Neutral)
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The eero Home Network System takes WiFi to a whole new level (review)
I love technology. I love that technology solves problems and makes them obsolete. There are many people who will argue that technology only makes our lives much more complicated, and it makes us less intelligent. I would counter those arguments by saying we are evolving and are becoming more intelligent because we waste less time doing the mundane things like driving to the library to research a science project. We save time with technology, and sometimes it is so ahead of its time that we don’t realize we need it until we have it.
Many people thought the first iPhone was a luxury item that was a waste of money for early adopters. Sure smartphones existed with Windows mobile phones, but Steve Ballmer made the biggest mistake of his career by turning his nose up to mass adoption smartphones. Over the last decade Apple proved that smartphones are essential to our lives and the proof exists in its market value as the richest company in the world.
Where am I going with this?
Imagine your life without WiFi or cellular service. It would be a radical change – some might even say it sucks real bad. Some of us experience life without WiFi or cellular data, but we make adjustments to correct that problem. There are many of us, without thinking, who search for WiFi or data when we are out of range or indoors in buildings with so much mass that they drown out our data signals. In those situations we suck it up, and the second we get a connection back, we check our smartphones instantaneously.
We are so dependent on our data signals that it is second nature that it must exist. Yet so many of us deal with bad WiFi at home and sit close to our routers to maintain a solid connection. Walls, furniture, wiring, electronics, and insulation all degrade our signals. 10 years ago this wouldn’t have been an issue as our dependance on wireless signals was much less.
Basic needs
Stop for a second and try to count all of the devices in your home that depend on a WiFi signal.
- Smartphone
- Laptop/Desktop
- Tablet
- Smart TV
- Chromecast/Roku/Apple TV/Fire TV
- Nest Thermostat
- Smart doorbell
- Security system/cameras
- Smart refridgerator
- WiFi speakers such as Sonos/Naim/Raumfeld
- Amazon Echo
Your answers will vary of course. And the more people you have in your family, the more people that rely on the WiFi signal to get their information, texts, calls, etc.
The average American home built in 2015 averaged 2600 square feet. According to About Tech, the typical wireless router can reach 150 feet indoors. For an average 2600 square foot house, there shouldn’t be much of an issue getting and maintaining a signal, but walls can degrade range as much as 25% or more on a 2.4GHz frequency. 5GHz suffers even more through walls even though it is faster. Typically lower bandwidth frequencies penetrate walls better than the higher frequencies, which is why AT&T and Verizon perform better than T-Mobile indoors(they own the lower frequency bandwidth).
Let’s assume your ultra fast WiFi network at 5GHz degrades as much as 50% with all of the walls in your home. Older homes will experience even more degradation as they are built with more dense materials like lath and plaster. That means your effective range indoors with a single wireless router is 75 feet. The further you are from your router, the slower your connection is. Move beyond 75 feet and you will most likely drop your connection.
I can almost guarantee that all of you with homes 2600 square feet or more experience issues with your network. I live in a condominium which is 1500 square feet, and even I deal with bad wireless signals on a regular basis.
At least I used to, until I got eero
As a tech writer, you would guess that I would have all of my tech problems solved. That’s far from reality. I work a normal 8-5pm, M-F job as a Medicinal Chemist and don’t have the luxury of staying on top of all gadgets and technology.
In my 1500 square foot condo, I deal with a whole litany of WiFi networks that interfere with mine. I also have really thick walls that prevent me from hearing my neighbors and vice versa. Part of my problem is my main cable internet connection into my house is near the front door. That means my wireless router must reside on one side of my house. My bedroom is the furthest from the router, with my office in-between.
While I could take the time to find the right wireless extenders, repeaters, or amplifiers, I simply do not have the expertise to sit and figure them out. I’ve tried wholeheartedly to set them up before to improve my signal. I even tried at my parents house which was built in 1890 and has the worst WiFi I’ve ever experienced because of those damn lath and plaster walls. The WiFi literally only works in one room in that house, and I had to set up five extenders just to have WiFi around the main floor in the house.
Maybe I am dumb, but setting up flawless networks is no small feat. Or according to Gizmodo, maybe I am just super lazy. I beg to differ though. Of all of my college educated, and PHd colleagues, I would bet that one out of 100 could set up a flawless wireless network with extenders, repeaters or amplifiers.
That’s where eero solved my WiFi issues within nine minutes.
What is eero?
eero is a whole home solution for flawless WiFi. It uses access points to create a “mesh network” that blankets your whole home in strong and fast WiFi.
Instead of one wireless router in your home, you need to change your mindset from the last decade, and understand that as dependent as we are on WiFi, the proper solution for home wireless is multiple access points.
eero is the solution we have all been waiting for, whether we realize it or not. While I could test my home network by running my tablet, computer, phones and stream HD videos off Netflix or YouTube, I won’t because those video service use buffering to manage poor signals. It downloads a portion of video, and will not play it until it can play without stutters. Buffering is an indication of poor WiFi signal, or speed, or a combination of both.
Instead I have been testing my wireless signal strength and speed by using high fidelity wireless speakers from Naim audio. I have been using the Naim Muso and Naim QB which costs $2500 for the pair. Without question, they are the best WiFi speakers I have ever listened to, when the connection is strong. Once I move them into my office or bedroom, and they both stutter and skip parts of songs that ruin the entire experience. I could stream using Bluetooth, but that degrades the sound quality and has even shorter range than WiFi.
So I setup the three kit eero. One in my living room, one in my office, and one in my bedroom.
Setup started like this:
I opened the extremely well packaged eero kit and started with the one that said “start”.
I then installed the app from the Google Play Store. Then I plugged in my first eero into the main wireless router and let the app detect it. (check the screenshot time stamp at the top right)
The eero app then asked me to create my own network. Since eero spoke so highly of its product, I had to name my network “The Best Network” just so my neighbors would know that someone had the best and it wasn’t them.
Once I set up my network, with my own password, it then asked if I wanted to set up another eero. I hate the passwords that come with wireless routers. They’re impossible to memorize which meant I left the password taped to the router and had it written on a post-it note on my refrigerator. Not quite the safest way to keep my network secure.
eero even tells you where to place the next unit.
By 9:43PM my entire eero mesh network was functional (check the screenshot time stamp at the top right).
How does it perform?
Flawlessly. Netflix no longer buffers in my bedroom. My $2500 Naim speakers no longer stutter and sound like a concert hall in my office. eero even resets my network when it detects errors. If you have Time Warner high speed internet like I do, you would know that it drops at least five times a week. It’s aggravating to lose WiFi signal when watching a movie, but it’s downright angering when I am in the middle of a 2000 word post like this one and WiFi drops before I save my work. Many of you who work from home know exactly what I am talking about.
eero solves all of those problems. I get a sense of pride when I come home from work and know I can write without issue, watch Game of Thrones in full HD streaming from my iPad to my Chromecast, to be followed by high fidelity music on my Naim WiFi speakers before bed. eero is a dream come true.
The funny part is, I never thought about how bad my internet connection was until I learned what a good connection is. eero is now apart of my life and I can’t live without it. Sure there isn’t much glory to a great WiFi network, but I can tell you that there are those who maintain their home networks and get all of the blame for issues. Like my dad who has to answer to my brother and sister whine when we are all visiting him and my mom during the holidays. My dad is 67, and he just ordered his eero three pack so he never has to listen to them whine about WiFi again. I am 100% confident my dad will be able to set up eero on his own.
eero is so smart you can even create a guest network and invite users via text, tweet, or email. You no longer have to give out your crazy long and confusing password that most people will type in wrong on the first and second attempts. It’s one of my favorite features.
In a recent update, eero added family controls which does not apply to me. However, I know plenty of people with children who would care about the new family features. Best of all, eero updated itself with the latest software upgrade.
Family Profiles allows eero users to:
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Create Profiles: Create a unique profile for each family member in the eero app and assign devices to an individual’s profile.
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Set Schedules: Set automatic times when family members cannot access the Internet at home. Rest assured your children aren’t on their devices during certain times without having to constantly monitor them.
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Pause the Internet: Instantly pause and unpause all devices associated with a specific profile, granting and revoking internet access at the click of a button.
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Nickname Devices: Now you can nickname each device connected to the home network. No more confusion over which devices belong to which member of the family.
How much does it cost?
$500 for a three pack. Read other reviews about eero and many of them scoff at the price. Sure $500 is a lot of money by any measure, but put into context at how important your WiFi actually is, and it isn’t as expensive as you think it is.
I pay $74.99 a month for 50mbps internet from Time Warner. That is $900 a year. What’s the point in paying for such expensive internet when you can’t get the most from it? Typically routers aren’t replaced more than every three years in my experience. $500 over 36 months is $13.88 per month for three eero hubs.
Other reviewers like to compare the price to a single router in which case it will always be cheaper. Or they compare eero to WiFi extenders which are complicated to setup, sometimes create separate networks, and they slow your internet speed. They’re also a lot of work to maintain with firmware updates as well as manual restarts.
If you’ve ever tried to give your router a boost with an “extender,” then you’ve experienced true disappointment. That’s because “extenders” can only stretch your signal a single hop — you can’t connect multiple in a row. They often create an entirely separate network (SSID), so you find yourself having to continually switch from one network to the other as you move through your house.
Worse, many range “extenders” cut your bandwidth in half because they rely on a single wireless radio to both send and receive data. In contrast, each eero has two radios — both of which communicate with your devices and sync with other eeros — so your connection is always fast. Not only does an eero system operate on a single network name (SSID), but you can also walk throughout your home and devices like your iPhone will connect to the nearest eero. – eero
Conclusion
eero is my favorite tech upgrade that I have used in 2016. That is saying a lot considering how much access I have to gadgets. I suspect eero will continue to develop features making its mesh network even better than it is now which is hard to believe, because it is awesome. eero is also paving a path for copycats with whole home network solutions, because as people experience eero for themselves, they will want their own creating a massive market for mesh networks. Like the first iPhone, which wasn’t the first smartphone, eero is the first to make entire home WiFi accessible and easy for all. And just like Apple, the eero is not the first solution for WiFi. There are millions of routers and extenders in existence, but none of them are nearly as good as eero.
eero just works.
eero just hit a home run while Linksys, ASUS, Motorola and the likes sit in the parking lot just trying to get into the game.
While $500 is a large chunk of change, eero is a great investment that will allow you to take full advantage of your WiFi signal. Your videos, music, and work will all improve because of it. The engineers at eero recommend one hub for every 1000 square feet, and suggest no more than 10 eero hubs on one network. Although there are customers with triple that amount that don’t experience any issues.
If you suffer from poor WiFi, I wholeheartedly recommend eero to you.
Get an eero three pack at http://www.eero.com, http://www.bestbuy.com,or at Amazon.com. You will not regret it.
I have the best wifi network in my condo complex.
“I Hate You” is a mobile game to help you exorcise those phobias (review)
Overview
A lot of us, while being otherwise normal, functioning humans, harbor some deep and rather irrational fears against generally ‘normal’ items in daily life. Be it clowns, spiders, or even a trip to the dentist, sometimes a certain thing or event can create life-stopping fear or paranoia.
Wouldn’t it be great to have a gaming outlet to virtually crush, maim, and destroy these haunting bug-a-boos? Now you can with I Hate You, a mobile game (available in Google Play or the App Store) from the developer Sunrise Games that allows you to get in your car and literally run down your fears.
Gameplay
Pretty simple stuff here. You start in the main menu, where you have two main sets of options to choose from:
Your phobia you’d like to run over.
Your vehicle in which to do the running over.
Additionally, there is a daily point/cash bonus mini-game and achievements list, but we’re here to avenge our nightmares, so let’s get to it.
As with most games of this type, you start with just a basic car, and you can ‘purchase’ bigger/faster ones with money gained during previous gameplay/mini-games. Also, you start with just one phobia avatar, the dreaded clown.
Once your game starts, your controls are also pretty basic. Your vehicle automatically
accelerates up to its max speed; you can control steering by tapping on the left and right sides of the screen. Tapping low-left and low-right brakes your vehicle in that respective direction.
Using these controls, your goal is to run over as many phobia avatars as possible before your health meter (essentially a timer) runs out. Once this meter is empty, your game is over. You have a short amount of time to buy back into your current game, or you can go back to the main menu to change vehicle, phobia, or just start over with your current settings.
Vehicle options range across numerous rather generic-looking car types (though there is a police cruiser and tank available!). More importantly, the phobias you can choose to pursue include the aforementioned clown, cockroach, boss, dentist, spider, vampire, snake, dog, rat, and ZOMBIE (of course).
During gameplay, you may also run across several ‘power-up’ items including added time, saws, guns, and magnets. There are also three maps available: city, castle, and winter themes.
What We Liked
- Original game theme based on everyday issues.
- Simple but repeatable gameplay.
What Could Use Improvement
- Controls can be too simple at times, making fine maneuvering difficult.
- Sound and graphics are OK, but nothing more.
Monodeal’s Noise Canceling Headphones: Lower price would make it more attractive (Review)
Searching for the right pair of headphones can prove to be quite the chore. There are a number of things to factor in when making this purchase. Comfort, design, sound, and price are all things that must be considered. The price is the biggest consideration when making this decision. It would be nice if money was no object, but for many of us, this is simply not an option. Today, I bring you a mid-range headphone at a mid-range price, Monodeal’s Noise Canceling Headphones for $50.
In the box
- Active noise canceling headset
- Headset pouch
- Airplane adapter
- USB Charging cable
- User manual
Design
Monodeal’s Noise Canceling Headphones are a lightweight set of headphones with adjustable headbands, earpads made of a spongy material, and an outer shell made of glossy plastic. It has a long cord with an inline microphone and noise canceling feature.
Let’s start with the outer shell of the earmuffs. The shiny plastic looked cheap in the pictures and I hoped it was just the pictures. But if I’m being honest, it throws off the look for me as it does look cheaply made. The headband is made of plastic as well, but its matte finish looks better and the housing would have been better if it had followed that design.
On the other hand, the headphones themselves are a comfortable fit. The spongy padding feels good on the ears and prolonged use will not cause any pain. The adjustable headband combined with the soft earpads provide a nice tight fit. There is never a sensation that they are going to fall off.
Sound
The sound from Monodeal’s headphones is run of the mill and provides more of a hollow sound. I never really detected any mids when listening to music. Hip hop was heavy on bass while rock was trebly. I will admit watching Star Wars with these headphones wasn’t bad at all. So maybe watching TV and movies is the way to go with these headphones.
The inline microphone, to be honest, is nothing special from any other mid-ranged headphone. You could understand callers, and callers could understand you. I wouldn’t use these as a primary talking device, but they will work in a pinch.
The noise canceling feature is what these headphones are really about. There was a considerable difference when in use. Even when around loud machinery, you could tell a difference in the lower level of background noise.
Summary
Monodeal’s Noise Canceling Headphones has quite a few pros and cons about it. It’s hard to justify $50 even with the noise canceling feature. I would price them in the area of $30. With that being said, I will say they are a decent pair of headphones that will do the job.
Buy Monodeal’s Noise Canceling Headphones
Best Xbox One games at E3 2016: Gears 4, Forza Horizon 3, ReCore, Sea of Thieves and more
E3 2016 shut its doors last week but not before we got our fill of every game on display.
The show presented a huge playground for the great and good titles that will be coming out anytime between now and the end of 2017, and the vast majority of them will be available on Xbox One.
Microsoft pulled a few major announcements out of its mighty hat, including two new consoles – the Xbox One S for August this year and Project Scorpio for Christmas 2017. It was revealed that its first-part strategy going forward is to simultaneously release Xbox One and Windows 10 versions of its titles, giving the purchaser of one the other for free.
Called “Play Anywhere”, the scheme also offers cross-platform play in some cases and the ability to pick up and play save games no matter the version. So if you have an Xbox One and a PC, be that desktop or laptop, you’ll be able to game anywhere and anytime you like.
READ: Xbox E3 2016 highlights: What was launched, Project Scorpio, Xbox One S and much more
In games terms, there were plenty of exclusive titles on show, including Gears of War 4, ReCore and Forza Horizon 3. We’re also particularly looking forward to playing co-op open world pirate game Sea of Thieves when it arrives early next year.
For now, have a flick through the gallery above to check out all the Xbox One games we saw at E3 2016 that piqued our interest.
READ: E3 2016: All the launches, games and consoles at the show
How to make your family room smart
Here you are: the family room. Kick back and relax. This is where you can watch TV, listen to music and more. Maybe it’s not the home cinema system you’ve yearned for, with projection room and seating in rows, but you can make it a brilliant den with lots going for it.
Panasonic DX902 TV
Start with the screen – and there are very few out there as good as this. It comes with the Ultra HD Premium badge that means it has the latest UHD resolution (four times that of a High Definition set) as well as HDR, that’s High Dynamic Range, for images that are dramatic and detail-rich both in bright skies and dark shadows.
This TV comes with a cute smart operating system from Firefox that adds apps and extra services like Netflix and Amazon. TVs like this have recently inspired Hollywood professionals to claim the picture is better than you can ever get in the cinema. Available in 65-inch and 58-inch screen sizes.
Apple TV
Apple
You’ll need something to watch on this fantastic TV, so try a streaming box like the Apple TV. It’s small but highly effective, with a great remote that includes a touch surface and a microphone so you tell the box to “Show me the episode of Modern Family with Edward Norton” or “Find the best Hugh Grant movies” – it’s plenty smart.
The interface is based around apps for Movies, TV shows and so on but also for other services like Netflix as well as games, Air bnb, magazines and more. There’s no UHD capability with this box, mind.
PRICE: From $149, apple.com
Flatscreens are all very well, but flat speakers – which is all they come with – don’t match up to the picture. Here are two options to make your family room sound as good as it looks.
Yamaha YSP-5600 soundbar with Dolby Atmos
Dolby Atmos is the ultimate theater sound system, using speakers across the ceiling to amplify the effect. Now, the same effect is available in home speakers like this one.
There are 46 speaker drivers in this soundbar, with individual timings and delays to ensure perfect audio. Six speakers at each end of the unit are angled upwards to bounce sound off the ceiling to create the authentic Dolby Atmos sound. The result is persuasive surround sound without any rear speakers. The speaker also has Wi-Fi and Bluetooth capabilities.
PRICE: $1599.95, usa.yamaha.com
Sonos Playbar and Play:3 speakers
Sonos
The Playbar is tremendous. It sits under the TV, or you can wall mount it above if you prefer. It makes even an average TV show sound great. Match it with two Play:3 speakers, which you can set up as a stereo pair on the opposite side of the room from the TV, and you have spectacular surround sound.
The Play:3 speakers have power cables but are otherwise wireless, so there’s no trail of wiring around the room. The Playbar connects by optical cable to the TV and it sounds so good that you might not need a separate system for music. It streams audio via Wi-Fi from your smartphone, tablet or PC.
PRICE: Playbar $699, Play:3 $299 per speaker, sonos.com
Amazon Echo
You can play music through the Echo speaker, from Spotify, Pandora and other services. The difference with the Echo is it’s voice-controlled, even when music is playing.
Begin a sentence with the word Alexa and the Echo listens (Alexa is the personal assistant’s name, you see). She’ll read audio books to you, tell you the news headlines and weather reports. You can even ask her to order you a pizza from Domino’s or an Uber from, well, Uber.
PRICE: $179.99, amazon.com
Logitech Harmony Elite remote control
Logitech
This remote control is much more than most. It’s super-powerful, so it’ll change channels, turn up the volume and so on. It will also control up to 15 home entertainment machines though including Apple TV, Sonos, Xbox One, Honeywell, Samsung SmartThings and lots more. So, really, do try not to lose this one.
The touchscreen makes it easy to use and you can use it in the dark thanks to motion-activated, backlit controls. There are lots of customization options and it even has improved battery life than previous Harmony remotes.
PRICE: $349.99, logitech.com
Honeywell Digital Door Lock with Tuxedo Touch
Tuxedo Touch is a controller that works with multiple devices so you can see what’s happening in other rooms, for instance. It even knows if outside doors are ajar and can text you when the dog walker turns up.
With the right door locks, such as the Digital Door Lock which comes in different metal finishes, you can lock a door remotely. It doesn’t matter whether you remember to do so just as you jump on the train or anywhere else in the world so long as you have a data connection.
These are locks that can be programmed to lock or unlock at the same times every day – handy for peace of mind at night and even handier when the babysitter arrives.
PRICE: $169.95 for the Digital Door Lock, honeywellstore.com
The Honeywell Lyric Water Leak and Freeze Detector is an early warning system that notifies you on your smartphone when a leak is detected or the temperature drops below a temperature of your choice. By catching it early, you may be able to avoid expensive repairs and loss of treasured items. To find out more visit Honeywell.com
This article was created in association with Honeywell.
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Acura built an electric NSX to tackle Pikes Peak
Acura’s eagerly anticipated next-gen NSX is finally going into production for 2017, but the car will hit the road before then — sort of. The company will race a highly modified version at the Pikes Peak hill climb event on June 26th. However, unlike the (mostly) gas-powered consumer model, The “EV Concept” race vehicle will be powered by four electric motors, one on each wheel. That means it looks roughly the same as a production NSX (other than the scoop and wing), but the custom EV drive train is completely different and built for racing.
The company hasn’t said how much power the motors make, but they will give the car something called “four-wheel torque vectoring.” That means engineers can dial a precise amount of power to each wheel, making it perform better in corners and when accelerating. The car also uses regenerative braking to extend the battery life.
Electric vehicles are ideal for Pikes Peak, since they aren’t affected by the 14,000 foot elevation that chokes gas-powered engines. Last year, Rhys Millen raced a modified eo PP03 up the track in 9:07.222, a time that would have won the gas-powered unlimited class in every year but 2013 and 2014. (Sebastien Loeb holds the unlimited record at 8:13.878, a time set in 2013).
The Acura NSX production car, set to arrive next year for around $150,000, is an odd vehicle. It has a turbocharged 500HP V6, but uses three small electric motors to boost acceleration and cut turbo lag. That gives it stunning acceleration, but purists are worried. The original NSX weighed just 2,712 pounds and was loved for its lack of excess, but the new model reportedly tips the scale at 3,800 pounds, thanks to the hybrid powertrain.
Via: Autoblog
Source: Honda
AIVAnet 