Thursday, 31 July 2014
Here’s How You Can Use An iPad LCD Screen As Your Laptop’s Extra Display
Do you feel like having more real estate with your laptop screen? Wouldn’t it be fascinating if we told you that you could attach your iPad’s LCD screen to it as additional screen that would perfectly well with your laptop? Oh no, we are so not talking about the Air Display – we are talking about plugging the screen in via the USB port and using the laptop with more freedom than you have ever done before.
A typical iPad LCD on eBay will cost you around $50 and you would be surprised to know that they come with a display port interface. Why is it such a great thing? Because now all you need to is to the splice the ribbon connector into a display port cable, throw a backlight driver in the mix and the display can be used with any computer.
You’ll need to buy a pre-made breakout board (unless you want to make one yourself) and a backlight driver along with it as well. This will cost you about $35. If you power it only via the USB, you’ll notice that only one half of the backlight is lit. Now adjusting the brightness will result in current demand going to 600mA and to counter that, you’ll need to replace the stock resistors with the ones that can cater for the 600mA current.
The next issue to tackle is how do you provide 600mA since the USB 2.0 maxes out at 500mA.The key is to fool your computer into thinking that the plugged in device is a USB 3.0 high power device and for that you’ll need to go and buy $10 external USB 3.0 hard drive enclosure. Add jumpers between the LCD driver board and the power pins on the enclosure board and you are good to go. The final result will look something like the picture that is given below.
A pretty cool DIY trick, isn’t it?
Renaultsport Teases new Race Car R.S. 01
Renaultsport has released a teaser image for its new race car that will be known as the 'R.S.01'. Renault describes the car as a 'simply spectacular race car'. Considering that fact that it will be powered by a Nismo engine, we agree with the French carmaker.
Renault also said that it will reveal all the details about the car on August 27, 2014 during the Moscow Motor Show.
The low stance, huge rear spoiler and, from what we could make of the teaser video, a blast of an exhaust note, come together to make it a race car with great potential. It will go on to compete in the 'World Series by Renault', which will take on a brand new category next year.
BMW i8 Review: World's Most Futuristic Hybrid Sportscar
It's not everyday you get to drive the future. That's the pitch from BMW as it pulls out all the stops to impress upon us that its BMWi brand is indeed the future, now.
After a somewhat successful debut of the all-electric i3, now it's the turn of the brand-shaping i8 sports hybrid. The car aims to be green, but more importantly it wants to take pole position as BMW's newest and most compelling sports car. Yes a green supercar if you will.
The plug-in hybrid system uses the same 3 cylinder 1.5 litre engine we have seen in the new generation of the Mini Cooper hatch. I was impressed with it then, and am even more so now. It develops 231 bhp and a very neat 320 Nm of torque. The twinpower turbo petrol engine is housed transversely on the rear axle and power goes straight to the rear wheels via a 6 speed auto box. The electric motor sits up front and puts out 131 bhp and a juicy 250 Nm of ready torque. This unit channels power to the front wheels using a 2 stage automatic transmission.
The i8 can go 0-100 kmph in 4.4 seconds. Top speed is 250kmph. And just in electric mode alone you can go up to 120 kmph!
I drove the car through the traffic-heavy streets of Milano and then out into the countryside. A mix of motorways and country roads, mixed with a smattering of twisty hilly sections, meant I got a fair variety to really understand the car's character.
The i8 is very simply - a true sports car. I am almost relieved to be able to tell you that! I mean how disappointing would it have been if it had come up short, right? How silly to have had to make excuses for a hybrid sports-like-car! So it's good it lives up to its claims.
The neatest part of the package - performance (though eerily silent with only the whistly-whine of the electric motor) in full electric mode is actually pretty satisfying. The car accelerates effectively and the instant torque is a dream. You can use the e-drive and use the car in only electric mode. It will run up to 37 kms.
In Comfort mode it will use a combination of the two powertrains and you would barely feel it switch between the two. You can also go fully green and switch to Eco-Pro mode. Optimal use of battery power and minimal burning of fuel!
And then there's the mode you want to stay in all the time. Sports mode - which means you use just the petrol engine. I was quite taken aback with just how sensational the car sounds in spots mode. Sure it doesn't have the deep growl of a V8 but it's surprisingly potent sounding. Something I had really not expected. And with that engine in the rear it's even more reassuring! The advantage of the Sports Mode is also that it regeneratively sends charging power back into the battery pack.
Gear changes are quick and the paddle shift is very responsive. But I keep coming back to the handling - which is the real takeaway for me. Just so precise it's a delight. BMW says the i8 has the lowest centre of gravity of any of is cars. And you really get a sense of it hugging the road. Luckily ground clearance is not a huge issue, as Italy gives you its fair share of scarily high speed bumps and bad roads.
The i8 builds on the BMWi brand's philosophy. It too uses a carbon fibre reinforced plastic (CFRP) passenger cell, which is the part that houses the cabin. The chassis is aluminium-heavy - no pun intended. And so despite having a petrol engine and electric motor on board, the car weighs in under 1500kgs.
The advantages are many, says the company. But the most important of course is how it becomes very efficient. The best figures you can get on the i8 are a staggeringly impressive 47 kms to a litre of petrol used. Of course in this case you use the electric motor for the most part. But even the car's "worst" figures - when pushed in sports mode alone - come in at 11 kms per litre. Which for a sports car is downright incredible.
So will the i8 reinvent the sports car? Probably not in total. But for its innovativeness what the world will get is some of those elements becoming more and more standard across not just sportscars but maybe many others too.
Asus PadFone X: First Impressions
Companies often blend old products to give you something new.
This summer, AsusTek Computer Inc. claims you don't need both a phone and a tablet - as long as you get its new PadFone X. The PadFone works like any other phone and has a screen that measures 5 inches diagonally. When you want a tablet experience, you simply slip the phone into a slot on the back of the tablet display, which is included. All the apps on the phone now work on the 9-inch tablet. The phone is what runs the tablet. Asus is bringing this concept to the U.S. for the first time.
In some cases, apps switch to the tablet screen automatically, so you don't have to restart the video or reopen the mail app. In other cases, you'll have to close the app and reopen it after attaching the phone to the tablet screen.
For apps that have been optimized for tablets, the layout on the PadFone rearranges automatically to use the extra space. Yet it's fundamentally a phone. You can make calls in tablet mode, using earphones or the device's speakerphones.
Nice price
It's like buying a phone and getting a tablet for free. Available only through AT&T, the PadFone costs $550 without a contract, or about $100 cheaper than Apple iPhone 5s (Review | Pictures) andSamsung's Galaxy S5 (Review | Pictures). With a two-year service contract, it's the usual $200 that most carriers charge for a high-end phone.
It's like buying a phone and getting a tablet for free. Available only through AT&T, the PadFone costs $550 without a contract, or about $100 cheaper than Apple iPhone 5s (Review | Pictures) andSamsung's Galaxy S5 (Review | Pictures). With a two-year service contract, it's the usual $200 that most carriers charge for a high-end phone.
AdvantagesBecause the two parts count as one device, you don't need a second data plan, which typically runs $10 a month for a tablet under AT&T's sharing plans. This setup also ensures that the tablet has cellular connectivity. Many other tablets work only with Wi-Fi.
In addition, you don't need to install apps twice. Whatever you get on your phone automatically appears on the tablet. You just pick up where you left off whenever you switch, with no need to sync data or settings.
Compromises
The phone on the back adds bulk to the tablet. It's about three-quarters of an inch at the center, where the phone slot is located. It's also heavy. The combination weighs nearly 1.5 pounds, compared with a pound for the iPad Air.
Do you need it?
I'm typically a fan of having multiple devices for different circumstances. Here, you're getting extra thickness and weight in fusing the two gadgets.
I'm typically a fan of having multiple devices for different circumstances. Here, you're getting extra thickness and weight in fusing the two gadgets.
There's a case for the PadFone, though, if you're someone who uses a tablet only at home. You can carry the phone with you during the day and attach it to the tablet screen when you get home. You don't have to worry about what apps and data are on which device.
Asus could have gone further, though, making a range of tablet screens available. You might want a 7-inch screen for reading, but a 12-inch screen for video. Why not offer choices to mix and match?
Nissan Note Nismo Revealed
The first official pictures of the Nissan Note Nismo are out and it's slated to go on sale later this year. This is the fifth model to be offered with the Nismo treatment. The sporty version of the Note will be will be available in two versions - Nismo and Nismo S - and promises to be a pocket-sized rocket in terms of performance.
The Note Nismo differs from the standard model in terms of a modified front and rear bumper, custom front grille, a roof spoiler, red caps of the electronic folding side mirrors and side sill protectors.
Both the Nismo and the Nismo S will be powered by a tuned petrol engine, which will be mated to a 5-speed manual gearbox. However, Nissan has not revealed any technical specifications yet. The tyres, suspension and aerodynamics have been tweaked, and the Nismo version will sit slightly lower on the road.
Shoichi Miyatani, CEO, Nismo, said, "Celebrating Nismo's 30th anniversary, we are planning to expand the number of models available in our road-car lineup. The Note Nismo we introduced today is truly symbolic to the Nismo brand in that it represents the fusion between motorsports that's embedded in Nismo's DNA and the success of the Note as a mass production vehicle."
Touch Bionics Announced To Release New Prosthetic Fingers Technology
Tuesday, 29 July 2014
Aston Martin V12 Vantage S Roadster
The Aston Martin V12 Vantage S Roadster falls in line with the V12 Vantage S Coupe and gets features like a ventilated hood, black or titanium silver accents and has been kept light thanks to the use of carbon fibre components.
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