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By Pete Carey   Services that offer secure Web browsing and search have been enjoying a surge in popularity since the revelations about US National Security Agency monitoring of domestic phone calls, e-mail and Internet activity. “We always knew people didn’t want to be tracked, but they didn’t know what to do about it,” said Gabriel Weinberg, founder of the Pennsylvania-based DuckDuckGo, which allows users to search the Internet anonymously. “Now there are private alternatives you can switch to and never look back.” But how secure can we really be in an age of social networking, e-commerce and the cloud? We now store our documents and photos in the cloud, where a determined hacker might find them. Authorities armed with a search warrant can read our texts in real time, as Galleon hedge fund founder Raj Rajaratnam learned when he was charged with insider trading. And we spill out our lives on Facebook and our opinions on Twitter. Experts say that while sites offering online anonymity can conceal part of your Internet activity from prying eyes, they can’t hide all of it. Even when you use a secure Web searcher, by clicking on one of the links it displays, you leave privacy behind, and your information is visible to whatever Web page you land on. “There are limits to what they can do,” said Seth Schoen, the Electronic Frontier Foundation’s senior staff technologist. Jeff Chester, executive director for the Center for Digital Democracy, says most Americans “have already sacrificed their privacy” by shopping, signing up for discounts and engaging in other online activities that people take for granted. That makes it easier for the government to spy on us, Chester said, if that’s what it wants to do. Still, there are many ways to increase your online privacy. You can tinker with the privacy settings on your browser; add encryption and ad-blocking extensions to it, and search anonymously with several search engines. You can encrypt e-mails and mobile phone calls and the data you store in the cloud. For browsing, for example, Chrome’s “incognito mode” doesn’t save a history of where you have been, and deletes cookies after you’re done with a Web page. Firefox and Internet Explorer have similar settings. A browser extension called HTTPS Everywhere defaults to the encrypted version of a Web page if it’s available. The Tor Project is considered by some to be the ultimate in protecting your identity on the Internet. The project provides a free bundle of software, including a special browser, that it says prevents the tracking of the source and destination of your Internet activity, which could be used to track your behaviour and interests. Tor routes your activity through three randomly selected computers around the globe out of a total of more than 3,200 staffed by volunteers. HTTPS Everywhere is built into the browser. For searching, DuckDuckGo provides anonymous Web searches and Blekko has its own proprietary “spam-free” search engine so it doesn’t send your queries to other search engines, as many “anonymising” platforms do. The Netherlands-based Surfboard Holding’s Ixquick and Startpage let you continue to Web pages via a proxy server, which substitutes its address for yours, masking your identity. But Jeremiah Grossman of WhiteHat Security says “proxies and Tor are the way to go” but warns “the value provided by proxies is completely voided when using sites like Gmail and Facebook when you voluntarily hand over your data — something that pretty much everyone does.” For phone calls and emails, PGP by Symantec and the free GPG offer public key encryption for e-mail and data, while RedPhone and TextSecure by Whisper Systems encrypt your mobile Android phone and text messages. Both people have to be using the software. For the advertising averse, Adblock Plus lets users filter ads on websites. It claims 40mn users. Yahoo allows visitors to its Web pages to opt out of ads through its Ad Interest Manager. Some search sites filter content, blocking out most advertising. Blekko searches are pretty much free of unwanted clutter. And Yippy is a search engine that blocks malicious and objectionable content and is considering moving to a subscription-based model with no ads. “Advertising is Big Brother,” said CEO Rich Granville. On the other hand, Google likes to remind people that advertising pays for the many services it offers. Here are a few ideas for specific situations where you want more privacy than is afforded by your native software and system, courtesy of Seth Schoen, senior staff technologist at the Electronic Frontier Foundation. 1. You want to keep your browsing private at work: Use a browser made by the Tor Project or a paid VPN (for virtual private network) link, or a personal hotspot. Don’t use an employer-provided or administered computer if company policy allows surreptitious monitoring. 2. You want to avoid government surveillance: Install HTTPS Everywhere on your browser and consider the Tor Browser Bundle. 3. You want your mobile calls to be shielded from eavesdroppers: Install an encrypted VoIP application such as RedPhone or Silent Circle. 4. You want your information in the cloud secure from snooping: Encrypt your data before uploading it. Some services actually require data to be encrypted before it is uploaded: SpiderOak, Wuala and Tarsnap. — San Jose Mercury News/MCT  

By Troy Wolverton   For many people these days, getting away from it all means getting away from their gadgets. Not for me. But I am aiming for a “tech-lite” vacation. I love my gadgets, particularly my smartphone. On our travels, you can guarantee that I’m taking it as well as at least one digital camera, a tablet and probably a laptop too. Whether for taking pictures, contacting friends and relations, finding the best places to eat or shop or keeping the kids entertained on long flights, gadgets can be invaluable vacation aids. But I’m well aware that gadgets aren’t always great to have around. With them often comes unwanted stress. They can provide a window into all the work that’s awaiting you back at the office — and tempt you to get some of it out of the way now. And when they don’t function correctly, you can end up spending valuable time trying to fix them instead of enjoying your time off. I once spent several hours on a short trip to Rome working on a story, instead of touring around the city. And my wife often spends a good chunk of our vacations trying to stay on top of her e-mail and work projects. When we head out on vacation this year, I’m hoping we strike a better balance than we have in the past. We’re going to take our gadgets with us and use them when we need to. But I’m hoping we can put them aside most of the time and focus on our family and the world around us. That may be easier said than done. We’re heading to my parents’ house in San Antonio, where they have fast home Internet service and ample cell phone coverage. We’re likely to be touring around town and almost certainly will want to use our smartphones to navigate. And we’ll want to be able to contact friends and family to make plans as we travel around. Things were much easier last year when we visited Lassen Volcanic National Park. Most of the tech gear I took with us wasn’t usable because we were completely out of cell phone range and didn’t have consistent access to power. We still took lots of pictures with our digital cameras, but we were able to disconnect from Facebook, our work e-mail and all the other online distractions. But as idyllic as that might sound, we were more disconnected than I would have liked. My parents worried when they couldn’t reach us, as did our cat sitter. It would be nice if our gadgets themselves could help us strike the balance, maybe with a “vacation” button that would impose time limits or block access to work communications. Or it could shut off access to certain mobile applications except during particular times of the day. In the meantime, we’ll have to work on self-control. It’s easy to get sucked into the vortex, to go from simply trying to find the nearest local taco stand to checking the score of the game to getting caught up in the latest e-mail thread at work or catching up on your news feeds on Facebook and Twitter. But that’s not what vacation’s all about. It doesn’t have to be tech-free, but it can’t be tech-centric. So I’m resolving to set down my gadgets when I can and enjoy the world around me, not just the screens in front of me. I’ll let you know how it all turned out when we return. — San Jose Mercury News/MCT  

By Larry Printz   Fashion always costs more. Because it’s more stylish, you’ll pay more for, say, a men’s dress shirt without a chest pocket than for one that has one, even though it takes less time and material to make. It’s not logical, but fashion is about sensibility, not sense. This brings us to the 2013 Volkswagen Beetle, which is little more than a Volkswagen Golf draped in different sheet metal. But is it worth a premium over a Golf? Well, if you like the way it looks, yes. The Beetle Convertible is the ragtop rendition of the Beetle coupe, which was redesigned for 2012 with an eye toward attracting those with a y chromosome. Its looks are no longer as cuddly as a baby kitten. For 2013, the Beetle droptop gets the same treatment. Thanks to its revised dimensions, the new Beetle has the look of the sportier VWs. Compared with the 2006 version, the latest Beetle Convertible is 3.3 inches wider, 1.1 inches lower and 6 inches longer. And if you’re sensitive to automotive gender issues, the Convertible just looks meaner, thanks to a roofline that doesn’t resemble a bubble. In fact, VW says its shape is closer to that of the 1949 Type 15. This reduces front noggin space by 1.4 inches, but adds it in the rear, making the second row usable for something other than a padded luggage shelf. As for the roof itself, its outer shell is made from three layers. Beneath that, another three layers insulate the cabin from exterior noise. It’s noticeable. This is a quiet car for a ragtop. The top is power-operated and lowers in 9.5 seconds. Raising it takes 11 seconds; the difference comes from the extra time it takes to latch the roof’s header to the windshield. Thoughtfully, the top can be raised and lowered at speeds of up to 31mph. When lowered, the top’s compact design no longer blocks the rear view and allows for a larger trunk, which has grown by 2 cu ft. For those familiar with the Golf, Jetta and Audi A3, the Beetle’s engine line-up will give you a distinct sense of deja vu. The standard engine is VW’s 2.5-litre five-cylinder, producing 170hp and an EPA rating of 21 mpg city, 27 mpg highway. This is a power plant bereft of grace, charm or efficiency. Better to opt for the VW’s widely used turbocharged 2.0-litre four. At 210hp, it offers far more thrills. Better yet, despite the extra oomph it offers, fuel economy improves by 2 mpg. If fuel economy is of paramount concern, choose the turbocharged 2.0-litre diesel engine, also known as the TDI. It produces 236 pound-feet of torque and EPA ratings of 28 mpg city, 41 mpg highway when equipped with the manual transmission. Speaking of transmissions, a six-speed automatic is standard with the five-cylinder model. Other Beetles have a choice of a six-speed manual or a six-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission. A dual clutch is a manual transmission whose two clutches are operated by the engine. One clutch handles odd gears, the other even. When one gear is selected, the transmission preselects the next one, allowing for quicker shifts and greater efficiency. In addition to the three models mentioned, Volkswagen is offering three special editions for 2013. The first, the ’50s Edition, is black with a beige interior and uses the 2.5-litre engine. The ’60s Edition gets the turbocharged petrol engine and employs a denim blue colour scheme. The ’70s Edition also uses the five-cylinder engine and is — surprise — brown. All Special Editions have automatic transmissions. Given the engine lineup, a Beetle with the 2.0-litre turbo petrol engine seems the ideal setup. Lively yet fuel-efficient, this mill will fulfil every expectation you would have from this car. The turbo engine makes this car very quick, while its handling is as good as most Golf’s, thanks to the fully independent suspension. It’s used on all convertibles as well as the turbocharged Beetle Coupe. Yes, there’s somebody lean during cornering, but the bug’s grip is tenacious. The bottom line? For you fast and furious types, only a Turbo will do, even if it’s not quite set up for a day at the track.— That said, choosing performance over the pedestrian pushes the price up markedly. The base Beetle Convertible starts at $24,995 (in the US). A Beetle TDI Convertible starts at $27,895. Turbo models start at $28,470, although the test vehicle was a top-of-the-line model, which explains its hefty $32,295 base price. So, it pays to be careful with options. Yes, this ragtop Beetle is a bit more buff, ready to do battle with those other stylish retro rides, the Chevrolet Camaro, Ford Mustang Convertible, Mini Cooper S Convertible and Fiat 500C. But whether this car is worth it over those iconic droptops is up to you. After all, when it comes to fashion, one size does not fit all. — The Virginian-Pilot/MCT   Price and technical specifications may vary in locally available models.          

By Paresh Dave   In late February, a thief or thieves cracked into Evernote’s digital vault filled with log-ins, passwords and e-mail addresses belonging to 50mn users. It was a shocking cyberattack considering the Redwood City, California, company offers online lockers for people to safely store their files. With its reputation on the line, the company quickly developed a security feature that may become the standard procedure for accessing online accounts: demanding two digital keys to gain entrance. After inputting their passwords, Evernote customers who have opted to use the two-step feature must wait until the company sends a security code to their cell phones. Users must type in this additional code to gain access to their accounts. Banks and other financial institutions have long had double-layered protection (ie asking a preset personal question such as “What was the name of your first pet?”). But a recent spate of major cyberattacks that have exposed hundreds of millions of personal accounts to hackers is increasing pressure on nonfinancial Web services to fortify their digital doors beyond a single password. That’s fuelling a booming industry. Researchers are experimenting with futuristic electronics that are wearable or even digestible. And companies are working on making existing products harder to crack. Efforts include equipping smartphones and USB sticks with fingerprint scanners to identify users and developing keyboards that recognise an individual’s touch. Some of these technologies could take years to hit the market, if ever. Still, many in the industry say two-step authentication eventually will become as routine as brushing teeth. Apple, Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook, Dropbox, Microsoft, Yahoo and Google all offer some form of two-step verification. Typically, users can opt to receive the security code either through a text message or a smartphone application. Getting consumers to take advantage of this extra security is another matter. At present, customers of these firms must voluntarily sign up to use the two-step verification. None of the companies would say how many of their users have opted in, but security experts said the numbers are probably small. Although many people are willing to endure extra security to access computer systems for their jobs or to protect their banking or health insurance information, going through an extra layer to use social media or e-mail is a hassle, said John Chuang, an information professor at the University of California-Berkeley. “If I’m an employee and I need it to get my work done, I’m going to do it,” Chuang said. “Logging into LinkedIn, that’s a different calculus.” Still, Google security engineer Mayank Upadhyay predicts users will become more accustomed to text-messaged codes as more companies offer the feature. “The more people who have it, the faster the next set of people are enrolling in it, because they’ve been told about it by friends,” he said. Google is speeding ahead developing what it considers more secure and usable methods of two-step verification that could catch on with users. By the end of this year, Google expects to have a limited number of users testing a USB thumb drive that could be used like a key. Users would first have to enter their personal identification number on the device before using it. When plugged into the computer, the USB stick would automatically log users into Google and other websites. Google is part of an industry alliance trying to get more websites and technology companies to use the same security standards. The alliance’s goal is to let users use any device of their choice, whether it’s the USB stick, a phone with a special chip or a laptop with a fingerprint scanner. Companies that manufacture the USB keys could choose to offer a fingerprint scanner or some other technology as a bonus. Users may scan their fingerprint once every morning to unlock their online life. A new scan and a PIN entry could be required before any financial transaction. Mike DiPasquale, chief executive of fingerprint technology provider Bio-Key, said he expects fingerprint scanners to become a standard feature on phones because the technology costs just $2 a device. Mobile devices could also validate based on location, voice, touch or other biometrics. DiPasquale said handset makers are realising that smartphones and tablets are becoming a platform for every type of transaction. “If security starts to fail, the whole premise behind e-banking, e-payments and e-commerce will come to a screeching halt,” he said. At Berkeley, Chuang’s idea for the future is called Passthoughts. Users log into their accounts by connecting to a brain wave reader and thinking about a secret phrase that they have saved. Every thought generates a unique set of brain waves. The computer will recognise the thought each time. The price of these special readers has come down from thousands of dollars to $99, making the idea more plausible. Last month, Motorola Senior Vice President Regina Dugan showed off two other futuristic ways that someone can authenticate themselves. One technology involves an electronic tattoo that would transmit information to unlock a battery-operated device and access websites. Chuang said that although the idea holds a great deal of promise, it’s unlikely the technology will reach consumers in the next couple of years. The problem is electricity. “When they showed the demo, it’s not very appealing to show that you attach a battery to that circuit to drive it,” Chuang said. “The limit is in the battery technology and miniaturising it to be able to include it within the flexible electronics.” Dugan also showed off a small pill that creates an energy signal within the body once it’s swallowed. The FDA-approved pill technology was originally designed for medical use, but researchers discovered it could turn the entire body into an authenticating device. Dugan said it has already been adapted to successfully unlock a phone. Dennis Woodside, chief executive of Google-owned Motorola Mobility, cautioned that neither technology was close to being finalised. Other researchers have looked into validating a person’s identity by tracking the pace at which they type. The Obama administration has waded into the password problem too. The National Institute of Standards and Technology funded five test projects as part of an initiative to develop a voluntary online network that would enable credentials for one website to be used to access all other websites. In the meantime, companies such as Duo Security in Ann Arbor, Michigan, are trying to ease the pain for users who might have switched to two-step log-ins but are tired of managing multiple accounts. Duo’s product taps into services that already have open standards. Log-in requests get filtered through the application, and the user need only tap “accept” or “deny”. Among Duo’s clients, according to its website, are the University of Michigan’s Departmental Computing Organisation and the CedarCrestone technology consulting company in Atlanta. Google’s venture-capital arm is among Duo’s investors. Richard Li, Duo’s vice president of product and strategy, said he’s afraid two-step verification won’t catch on quickly because it’s being written off as agonising. “We want people to understand that it’s not all the same,” he said. “We don’t want people’s first experience to be horrible and say it’s not easy to use.” Evernote and many others who recently launched two-step verification have closed systems that are incompatible with Duo’s service. Experts said each company has unique security requirements, and that could thwart the vision of Google and others. Evernote product manager Jaime Hull said the company would certainly make sure to keep up with developments as the industry settles on a standard. “We also don’t want to burden users with trying out every new technology that comes along,” she said. —Los Angeles Times/MCT  

By Patrick MayWith such a plethora of fancy new features from the iOS 7 and OS X Mavericks operating systems that Apple Inc unleashed upon the world at last week’s Worldwide Developers conference in San Francisco, it was inevitable that a lot of intriguing new services would be lost in the shuffle.Beyond the Big Stuff that made the news, like the new iTunes Radio streaming service and some of the flashier updates to its mobile operating system from creative guru Jony Ive, those two hours of keynote were full of innovations sure to delight every Apple fanboy.Take, for starters, the new iCloud Keychain for OS X. Joking about how tough it is to commit to memory an endless list of passwords, logons, credit-card and Wi-Fi numbers, Apple’s software chief, Craig Federighi, said the new security feature was a godsend. The service will store all your passwords in the cloud where they’ll be synced across your devices. Plus, Keychain will auto-suggest new strong passwords as well as store your credit-card data, using 256-bit AES encryption; all you need is your single security code to tap into it all.In addition, the Calendar application has been beefed up, now offering a cleaner design that provides real-time travel information for a marked event as well as the day’s weather. So that noon lunch appointment now becomes an enriched mix of helpful navigational tips and meteorological metadata.“Even with all the upgrades and new features, iOS 7 is still very app-centered,” said analyst Avi Greengart, who was at the show for New Jersey-based Current Analysis. “And that makes sense, because hundreds of millions of people already around the world know how to use them.”Federighi talked a lot about Apple’s Maps app, a sore subject because the feature was so glitch-ridden out of the gate last year that Cook had to publicly apologise for it. “Our Maps team is making great progress,” he told the crowd. “We’ve now got street maps with flyover data; you can search for nearby points of interest, get turn-by-turn directions, and send your route from your Mac to your iPhone.”The Maps demo that took viewers swooping down on a virtual rendition of Paris offered a tantalizing look at how Street View will soon let you “look behind” objects in the 3-D layout. In this case, it was the Eiffel Tower, and Federighi deftly tilted the Paris streetscape by moving his iPhone, affording viewers a peek right through the tower’s skeleton to the apartment buildings on the other side.Apple’s new operating software for the Macintosh as well as its mobile devices have also jazzed up iBooks, including new note-taking functions and more-interactive textbooks, clearly a reflection of Apple’s traditional strength in the educational market. Federighi’s demo, for example, showed how a user could zoom into a science-book’s page to watch videos that augment the texts, as well as dive deeply into an interactive photograph of a leaf to examine its cellular structure.Security was a common theme at the keynote. And in addition to Keychain, Apple introduced a new iPhone “activation lock.” This feature will shut down a stolen device if a bad guy (without the necessary password) tries to disable Find My iPhone, another program that allows users to track down a misplaced or stolen device.The feature, which Federighi called “a really powerful theft deterrent,” got a huge round of applause, both from the crowd at Moscone West and later from beleaguered law-enforcement officials who are trying to get their hands around an epidemic of smartphone thefts.There were plenty more new features where that came from. The Weather app on your iPhone will soon carry virtual images of the weather conditions in the location you’re asking about. So you might find a sunny backdrop to Phoenix, falling rain on the phone’s screen behind those temperatures in Seattle, and even falling snow if there is, in fact, snow falling in your city of choice.The iPhone camera will get nice upgrades. The new iOS 7, for example, allows users to swipe among four camera modes — video, panorama shots, standard still shots, and squared-off shots. Another feature lets them easily organise thousands of pictures in their cluttered Camera Roll by place and date, all with a touch of the finger.One last goody: A new photo-sharing feature lets users tap on the photo of a friend and that person can instantly enjoy your photos along with you. And in a sly dig at the popular app called Bump, which allows users to share photos by knocking one phone against another, Federighi joked:“No need to bump your phones together anymore walking around the room.” — San Jose Mercury News/MCT

By Troy WolvertonThe enthusiasm of its executives aside, the question of whether Apple Inc is “losing” its ability to innovate remains an open one, even after the company unveiled a slew of new software and hardware last week.As expected, Apple at its annual Worldwide Developers Conference unveiled a new version of iOS, a streaming radio service, an update to Mac OS dubbed “Mavericks” and some new Mac laptops.It also revealed a new version of its Mac Pro, a desktop computer targeted at professional users. The redesigned machine is the “future” of desktop computing and should set aside any questions about Apple’s creativity, enthused Phil Schiller, Apple’s head of worldwide marketing.“Can’t innovate anymore, my a**!” Schiller declared to the delight of many in the audience.Any other company — or even the Apple of the past — would have satisfied its critics with such a show.But the Apple of today faces a much higher bar. Investors and consumers eagerly awaiting another breakthrough product like the iPhone and iPad aren’t going to be completely satisfied with a redesigned Mac Pro or even a revamp of Apple’s iOS software, no matter how dramatic (and it is, by the way).Indeed, you can get an indication of what investors in particular thought of Apple’s announcements by looking at the company’s stock price: It fell after the announcements.You can call investors and other Apple critics jaded or even shortsighted, but with Apple’s profits falling and its once-vaunted sales growth slowing markedly, there’s a growing sense that Apple needs a revolutionary new product, the sooner the better.If you were holding out for an iWatch or an Apple Television, you’re going to have to keep on waiting.Instead, Apple’s announcements consisted largely of incremental changes or features that were obviously influenced by other companies.Take the update to iOS 7, the software that powers the iPhone and iPad. Its design looks a lot like the interface that Microsoft introduced seven years ago for its Zune music players and later adapted for smartphones and the Xbox. The new “Control Center” in iOS, which allows users to quickly adjust certain settings, has been a standard feature of Android devices for years.And the new way that iOS will represent and allow users to switch between recently used applications is a lot like the application “card” interface that Palm debuted with its Pre smartphone in 2009.And it’s not just in iOS where Apple is borrowing from others and calling it “revolutionary.” The new iTunes Radio service it unveiled appears to be very similar to Pandora. Similarly, while the ability to edit Apple iWork documents in a Web browser is a new feature for Apple’s office applications, it’s been an integral part of the rival Google Docs suite for years.It may have been too much to expect that Apple would announce anything truly groundbreaking at last week’s event. While Apple has used the developers conference to announce big products in the past, it’s gradually moved such announcements to autumn, closer to the all-important holiday selling season. If Apple is ever going to debut the rumoured Apple Television or iWatch, it’s likely to do that at one of those events. Similarly, you’ll probably have to wait until autumn, when Apple debuts the new iPhone and iPad, to see the newest and most compelling features in iOS.And don’t get me wrong: As a longtime iPhone user, I’m excited about many of the changes Apple announced last week. I’ve been clamouring for a quick settings feature in iOS for years. Using “cards” to multitask was one of the things I loved most about Palm’s webOS. And the new AirDrop feature, which will allow users to quickly share photos and documents with other nearby iOS users, looks really cool.But none of these things is likely to jump-start Apple’s sales — or reassure investors and fans who are anxiously awaiting Apple’s Next Big Thing. — San Jose Mercury News/MCT

* The 2013 Range Rover features an aluminum body and chassis that shaves a whopping 700 pounds from the curb weight of a comparable 2012 model. It also offers more passenger and cargo space. By Mark Phelan Land Rover rewrote the book on luxury SUVs when it introduced the fuel-efficient Range Rover Evoque a couple of years ago, but the British luxury-SUV specialist returns to its familiar formula with the 2013 Range Rover. The new SUV checks off all the requisite boxes: Styling that makes a Lego car look svelte? Right, guv’nor. Deluxe interior look and feel? Got it. Off-road ability? None better. The 2013 Range Rover also features an aluminum body and chassis that shaves a whopping 700 pounds from the curb weight of a comparable 2012 model. It also offers appreciably more passenger and cargo space. Prices for the 2013 Land Rover Range Rover start at $82,650 (in the US). All Range Rovers feature all-wheel drive and an eight-speed automatic transmission. The base model has a 375-hp 5.0-litre V-8 engine. Range Rovers with a 510-hp supercharged engine start at $99,100. The Range Rover competes with all-wheel drive versions of luxury SUVs like the Audi Q7, BMW X5, Cadillac Escalade, Infiniti QX 56, Lexus LX 570, Mercedes-Benz GL 550 and Porsche Cayenne GTS. Range Rover prices are at the high end of the class. I tested a Range Rover with the HSE option package, normally aspirated V-8 and a $93,500 price. That would buy a top-shelf version of most luxury SUVs, but it’s just a rung on Range Rover’s ladder. You can add the $31,000 Autobiography option package to the $99,100 supercharged model. While my test vehicle lacked any of Autobiography’s 22 premium paints, three headliners, eight wheel designs, etc., it had perforated leather seats, black lacquer trim, an 825-watt Meridian sound system, blind spot alert, a big panoramic sun roof and more. The 2013 Range Rover is about an inch longer, slightly wider and less tall than its predecessor. In addition to the Kilimanjaro-high roof line typical of Range Rovers, the new model adds 4.7 inches of rear legroom. It’s the first Range Rover in which riding in the rear seat versus wading through a leech-infested swamp isn’t a judgment call. The front seat also has more room. Cargo space increases to 32.1 cu ft behind the rear seat. The liftover to the cargo area and step-in height are both high. Lowering the air suspension 0.8 inches eases egress somewhat, but tall ride height comes with the territory if you choose a Range Rover. The air suspension provides a comfortable ride, with surprisingly good bump absorption. The steering has more play than SUVs engineered more for the highway than rock-strewn hillsides, but is reasonably responsive. Tall windows and thin pillars combine for very good visibility. Even so, this Range Rover is more at home on the wide open Serengeti than a grocery store parking lot. The base engine’s 375hp is less than all the competitors but the Q7 and Lincoln Navigator. Acceleration is acceptable. With an EPA rating of 14 mpg in the city, 20 on the highway and 16 combined, the Rover is thirstier than the Audi and Cayenne. It matches the X5 5.0i, QX 56 and GL. The Escalade and Navigator get better mileage, but they use regular fuel while the Rover requires premium. With new versions of the X5 and Escalade due within a year, the Rover is likely to slide down the fuel economy rankings soon. In addition to room, comfort and appealing materials, the interior features a very simple control layout. Avoiding the self-congratulation other automakers indulged in, Land Rover has replaced most buttons for navigation, climate, audio and phone controls with a large and simple touch screen and a few steering-wheel controls. The Rover’s voice-recognition understands words very well, but requires too many steps to perform basic tasks, like “call home.” No other luxury SUV maker has Land Rover’s gift for interior design, and most upscale brands have abandoned the pretense that their SUVs are capable of serious off-roading. Land Rover is alone in offering both, and that will make the 2013 Range Rover worth the substantial price to many buyers. — Detroit Free Press/MCT   Price and technical specifications may vary in locally available models   In a nutshell   In a nutshell Type of vehicle: All-wheel drive five-passenger luxury SUV. Engine: 5.0-litre direct-injected DOHC variable-timing 32-valve V-8. Power: 375 horsepower at 6,500 rpm; 375 pound-feet of torque at 3,500 rpm. Transmission: Eight-speed automatic. Reasons to buy: Off-road ability, interior look and feel, passenger and cargo room. Shortcomings: Cost, power, voice-recognition.      

Margo Rowder picks up her pair of Google Glass at a Google office in Los Angeles. All those selected to buy the glasses must pick them up at a Google office and go through what some say feels like a Google initiation. By Salvador RodriguezIn the past month, Google has been handing out the first editions of its much-anticipated Glass wearable computer devices to a select group that was chosen to be the first to try it out.One of them was avid bicyclist and science-fiction writer Margo Rowder, who was invited to pick up the high-tech eyewear at a Google office in Los Angeles. All those selected to buy the glasses must pick them up at a Google office and go through what some say feels like a Google initiation.Rowder allowed me to tag along and experience the whole process with her. She applied to receive an invitation to the Google Glass Explorer programme in February, telling Google she was interested in using the device to help her get around Los Angeles on her bike.In her application, Rowder said Glass could make it easier for her to record any thoughts that came to her that would be useful for the book she was writing called Thirty Decibels, which is about a futuristic society in which most people are forbidden from speaking any louder than a whisper. Rowder said she was very excited to receive her invitation to purchase the $1,500 glasses because in her book, which she began writing in 2009, she imagined a device that’s very similar to what Google has made.Riding on her blue Raleigh hybrid bike, Rowder pulled up on a recent afternoon to Google’s offices in Venice, located inside the Binoculars Building designed in the 1980s by famed architect Frank Gehry. Inside we were greeted by half a dozen Google employees, all wearing the glasses.After Rowder finished putting on her contacts (you can’t wear prescription eyeglasses with Glass) we were escorted to the Glass team’s wing of the building. Along the way, we got an inside peek at what employees have access to, including a Google LA-imprinted burgundy pool table, a large snack room and an open courtyard with a life-size chess board.The Glass team’s room looked like an Apple store that had been converted into a theatre dressing room with vanity mirrors. On one side were counters with numerous glasses in various colours, and on the other were vanity tables with black bags labelled with the Glass logo. Google’s staffers offered drinks and hors d’oeuvres.Rowder had no interest in the white, black or grey glasses and instead focused on those that were in orange (tangerine) and blue (sky).Glass is essentially made up of five parts: a titanium frame, two nose pads that hold up the frame, a counterweight on the back right side of the glasses, a toothbrush-like device that doubles as a touch pad and a glass cube, which houses the tiny screen.Once she picked out her colour, Rowder was taken to one of the vanity tables, where she was presented with an encyclopedia-sized white box. She opened the box slowly, hoping to take in the full experience like a tech geek unboxing a new device. Once she got to the Glass, she lifted the device and examined it before putting on her very own head-mounted display for the first time.Pat, a Google Glass team member, asked Rowder how the device felt before giving her tips on the proper way to wear it: The frame should sit straight across her brows and once she turns it on, she should be able to see the screen in the glass unimpeded.Another Glass staffer asked whether I would like to try on the device.After putting it on and turning it on, I had to tap the touch pad on the main device (quickly tilting your head 30 degrees also works) to bring up a floating screen with a transparent “OK Glass” written across it. It was like looking through a heads-up display on a fighter jet.Along with “OK Glass,” the see-through screen displayed the time of day. The display of “OK Glass” signalled that I could give it commands.“OK, Glass, take a picture,” I instructed, and the device snapped a photo, which I could see immediately on my display screen.With the touch pad, I could scroll the screen left or right using a finger. Scrolling to the left displayed various information, including weather. Scrolling to the right, I found the picture I had just taken.After a few minutes, my eyes were beginning to strain — I felt a little bit overwhelmed by the new technology — so I took it off and handed it back to the staffers.I rejoined Rowder as Pat helped her set up the smartphone app that works with Glass, check out the website where she can adjust Glass’ settings, and add Glass apps (or Glassware, as they are officially called). Rowder tried out all Glass’ functions, shooting video of us, searching images of actress Julia Roberts and sending her first Glass-written text message.“Hi Mom I’m talking to you from Glass. What do you think!?” Rowder said aloud, including specifying the punctuation, which Glass transcribed, turned to text and sent to her mother.After about half an hour spent setting up the device, Rowder was finally good to go. The Glass team walked us out and gave her as much information as they could before we said our goodbyes, like parents sending their daughter off to college for the first time.Outside, Rowder popped on the sun visors that came with Glass, put on her helmet and hopped on her bike. For a moment she seemed in an odd daydream-like state as she tried to get the Glass to give her directions.I told my colleagues about this weird condition that must surely happen to all Glass users as they scroll through their devices looking for information. We came up with a term for it: “Glass-eyed.” — Los Angeles Times/MCT

The 2013 SRT Viper returned after a three-year absence with a complete redesign billed under Chrysler’s newly spun-off SRT, or Street and Racing Technology, brand.By Susan CarpenterThe 2013 SRT Viper is the sort of car that should come with disability insurance for neck injuries — not only for the whiplash drivers could experience attempting to max out its 206mph top speed, but for its many admirers who rubberneck, pivot and crane to get a better look.In the weekend I spent with the dead-sexy, fifth-generation snake, men literally hung out their windows to take pictures. Police cars routinely tailgated and sidled me. Invariably, when I passed a BMW 3 Series on the freeway, that same car would speed up to pace me and smile, to which I responded as one would expect from a Viper — with a wave and a stomp of the accelerator.The attention is understandable. Curvy in all the right places, if the SRT flagship were any more voluptuously alluring, it would have to be renamed Scarlett Johansson.Returning after a three-year absence with a complete redesign billed under Chrysler’s newly spun-off SRT, or Street and Racing Technology, brand, the newest incarnation Viper is skinned, for the first time, with aluminium door panels and lightweight carbon fibre on the hood, roof and deck lid — all of which contributed to a 100-pound weight savings over the fourth-generation model, which went out of production in 2010. Even the Viper logo has been redesigned with more dramatically bared fangs, a menacing graphic that graces the one area of the car other drivers are most likely to see: its back end.The $99,390-plus Viper (price in the US) uses a slightly more powerful 8.4-litre V-10 engine mounted mid-front under a hood so dramatically elongated I had to jack up the seat just to see. A new double-bubble roof ensures that taller drivers won’t inadvertently scrape their hair on the headliner. It’s designed to accommodate helmets for the Viper’s natural environment: slithering through S curves on a track.Its pipes are as hypnotising as a snake charmer’s. The exhaust begins with an enticing grumble at idle. By 4,000 rpm, it’s become a thrum that lodges in the base of one’s brain. By 6,000 rpm, when the engine is approaching peak horsepower, it reaches its most musical, easily heard pitch. The exhaust is literally just outside the doors. It ports to the sides instead of the back.A street-legal race car, the Viper likes nothing more than speeding into a corner at 5,000 rpm, when it reaches peak torque of 600 foot-pounds — the most of any naturally aspirated sports car in the world.Tuned for extreme performance, with a new aluminium X brace under the hood to increase rigidity in the turns, a new dual-mode suspension system and a first-for-a-Viper stability control system, it’s a machine begging to be thrashed.For show-pony street driving, the suspension is a bit rough, even in its softer street mode, but it isn’t designed to soak up road imperfections. Whether it’s rolling on the track or poorly maintained asphalt, the suspension’s intent is to keep the car hunkered. And it does. If the Viper were any more planted in the corners, it would be a tree.Poised as the chassis is, no one likes to be thrown around a cabin, especially one as expensive as the Viper. While drivers have a leather steering wheel to grip, the passenger has a grab rail mounted to the centre console. Both occupants are held in place with new high-performance racing seats shelled in Kevlar and industrial-strength side bolsters that keep passengers as grounded as the car in high-speed turns.The Viper is so wide and low-slung for handling that getting in and out of the car is an art form. For 2013, the seats are situated an inch lower than the last model. Any lower, and I’d feel like a dog swiping his hindquarters on the grass.The legroom has likewise expanded dramatically, by 3 and half inches — a feat enabled by pushing the cabin even further back in the Viper’s long and low chassis.Speed signs aren’t a warning in the Viper. They’re a dare to double them. A coiled snake tightly wound for attack, its acceleration is instantaneous, though it requires some double leg work to tap into its power.The Viper is the rare supercar to use a manual transmission rather than paddle shifters. Being a motorcyclist, I prefer the engagement of operating a clutch with a foot and a shifter with the hand while also managing the steering, even if paddle shifters are more convenient and faster-acting. A Viper standard, the six-speed manual has been updated with a shorter throw of the shifter stick, though the clutch feels extraordinarily long.The new Viper includes steering wheel controls for the usual features, such as audio and Bluetooth, as well as something less usual: It’s outfitted with a launch-control switch for quicker starts, the results of which are displayed on the dashboard. Every time the car launches from a dead stop, it starts a timer for its 0 to 60 acceleration time. The dash can also be customised to display quarter-mile times, braking distance, top speed and g-force, all of which can be stored and bragged about — with proof — later.Averaging 15 mpg combined, fuel economy isn’t as abysmal as one would expect for a car that bites pretty much anything else on the road. Even thinking about fuel economy while driving the Viper reminds me of my interview with Evel Knievel shortly before he died, when I inquired about the fuel economy of his motorcycle-toting RV. “If you have to ask,” he told me, “you can’t afford it.”Most people, of course, can’t, which only adds to the Viper mystique. Some cars are deserved icons. — The Orange County Register/MCT*** (Price and technical specifications may vary in locally available models.)In a nutshell Powertrain: All-aluminum, 8.4-litre, mid-front V-10, OHV, rear-wheel-drive, 6-speed manual transmission.Horsepower: 640 at 6,200 rpmTorque: 600 pound-feet at 5,000 rpmTop speed: 206 mph0 to 60 acceleration: low 3-second rangeLength: 175.7 inchesWheelbase: 98.8 inchesWidth: 76.4 inchesHeight: 49.1 inchesGround clearance: 5 inches

By Janet I TuThink of it as the guy who gets a makeover not only to keep up with the times, but maybe even to push ahead. But then the strange looks that greet him make him decide to add back elements of his old-school style that had worked pretty well all along.That’s what Microsoft Corpis doing with Windows 8.1, its update to Windows 8, which itself was a radically revamped version of Microsoft’s flagship operating system.Windows 8.1, the preview version to debut in late June, restores some of the familiar elements of previous Windows versions. Those address some of the biggest complaints about Windows 8, a system that many people — especially those using it on a PC with mouse and keyboard — found disorienting or frustrating to use.That persistent disgruntlement may have been one factor in the lukewarm sales of Windows 8 devices.Chief among the complaints: The long-familiar Start button was no longer there. The new tile-based user interface toggled back and forth with a traditional desktop interface, and the transition between the two could be jarring.Microsoft hopes Windows 8.1, which company executives introduced to some reporters last week, will address some of the chief complaints. Windows 8.1 will have a Start button — of sorts. There will be a way to make the back-and-forth transition from the tile-based mode to the traditional desktop one less jarring.Most important for a lot of people, there will be the option to boot directly to the desktop mode instead of going through the tile-based Start screen. The changes don’t mean Microsoft is backing away from Windows 8 and its tiles.But it is acknowledging it may have missed the mark on some things about Windows 8.It also adds new features, key among them the ability to search a user’s files, applications and the Web all at once.“It would be easy for someone to take a look at this and say: ‘Microsoft is saying they’re wrong and moving away from Metro,’ “ said Michael Silver, an analyst with research firm Gartner. “Metro” was the name Microsoft had used at one time for the tile interface.“Really, that’s not the case,” Silver said.“As much as 8.1 improves the ability to work with mouse and keyboard, this new platform is not going away.”Microsoft has not specified when the final version of Windows 8.1 will be available, other than to say it will be ready by the holiday season.People who already have Windows 8 machines will be able to update to 8.1 free.Windows 8 was supposed to be Microsoft’s way of getting its hundreds of millions of Windows users worldwide accustomed to a new interface that worked on both traditional PCs and touch devices.The idea was to get people used to the tile interface — all the better to transition them to tablets and smartphones running similar-looking Windows operating systems.Microsoft needed to do something that radical to get a foothold into the rapidly growing mobile-device market, which has been dominated by Apple’s iOS and Google’s Android operating systems, and which imperiled the future relevance of Windows.Microsoft executives said the company has sold 100mn Windows 8 licenses — about on par with Windows 7 sales at a similar point in its life cycle.But overall the reception has been lukewarm, with research firms saying Windows 8 didn’t help the slide in PC sales and might have even contributed to the decline.Microsoft hopes Windows 8.1 will be more appealing.“We feel good about the path we’re on with Windows 8,” said Antoine Leblond, corporate vice president for Windows program management. But “there are some things where we missed the mark.”One of those was how much Windows 8 was geared toward touch devices. That in itself wasn’t a wrong bet, said Leblond. But there simply haven’t been enough Windows 8 touch devices available at low enough prices.And Windows 8, though designed to work on both traditional and touch devices, clearly worked better on touch devices for most people.Windows 8.1 will be friendlier to users of traditional mouse-and-keyboard PCs.For one thing, there will be a version of a Start button, which Microsoft execs are referring to as a Start “tip.” With 8.1, the familiar Windows logo will appear anytime the cursor moves to the bottom left corner. In the desktop mode, that logo remains visible in the taskbar. Clicking on it brings the user back to the Start screen.Though it doesn’t function exactly as the Start button did in Windows 7 and earlier versions, that visual reminder should make it easier for users to get to where they want to go. There are also a host of new features included in Windows 8.1.Chief among them is something Jensen Harris, partner director of Windows program management, refers to as a “search hero”: the ability to conduct a single, global search that brings in results from files and data, apps, SkyDrive and the Web. “The idea is that the whole system works together,” Harris said.For instance, if you search for a band, the results could include things you’ve stored in your Word files about the band, songs from music files you already own and Web results about the band. It will even allow you to stream the band’s music from Xbox Music. “It brings together everything that Microsoft can do,” Harris said.Microsoft engineers have also “done a lot of work” to make 8.1 work on 7- or 8-inch tablets, Harris said.The boom in lower-cost, smaller-screen tablets was “something that we missed, frankly, in Windows 8, and something that’s an interesting thing for us to think about and work on for 8.1,” Leblond said.With Windows 8.1, Microsoft is “definitely making it a much more attractive option for devices without touch,” said Silver, the Gartner analyst. Overall, he says, Windows 8.1 “is definitely a plus.“We talked to many organisations that said they couldn’t deploy 8.0 because it was too touch-centric. They were afraid people couldn’t use it easily, they were afraid of all the training,” Silver said.“8.1 is going to make it much more approachable.”And like the man with the makeover, Microsoft is likely hoping the changes will make it not only more approachable but also more popular — maybe even starting a new thing that others will follow. — The Seattle Times/MCTNew features in 8.1 * The ability to display a slideshow on the Lock screen.* The ability to take Skype calls or pictures from the Lock screen without having to log in.* More tile-size options for the Start screen.* Improvements in the first-party apps that come with Windows.* More “snap” view sizes to allow viewing of multiple apps on screen at the same time.* The ability to roam your settings across different Windows 8.1 devices, thanks to use of the cloud.* Internet Explorer 11, which the company says will have faster page-load times.

The Mercedes-Benz GLK250 BlueTEC 4 MATIC, which has a diesel engine, gets 33% better fuel economy than its petrol-powered counterpart. By Susan CarpenterIt wasn’t long ago that diesel vehicles were so deafening that conversations had to be yelled, so polluting that standing behind a tailpipe could get you a dusting of fine particulate. It’s an archaic image that has helped keep sales of diesel passenger vehicles to a mere 3% of the US market.So with its GLK250 BlueTEC, Mercedes-Benz is pulling out all the stops. For the first time in 80-plus years of building diesel cars, it’s offering Americans an SUV with a four-cylinder diesel engine that gets 33% better fuel economy than its petrol-powered counterpart — and costs $500 less.At today’s per-gallon diesel prices, that’s like getting 14,000 miles of driving for free. Drivers just need to buy the car first. The GLK250 BlueTEC 4MATIC starts at $38,550 (in the US).The smallest SUV in the Mercedes lineup now has one of its smallest engines: a 2.1-litre inline four. That engine packs a lot of punch because it’s direct-injected, twin turbocharged and diesel — all of which work to decrease emissions while boosting off-the-line performance and mpgs to an EPA-estimated 28 combined. The same engine will be offered later this year in both the redesigned E-class and Sprinter van, which speaks to its power.More energy-dense than petrol, diesel is almost magical in its performance, specifically in terms of torque. It does, however, reduce the car’s horsepower to a mere 200, which, despite Americans’ obsession with big giddyap, has little bearing on daily driving since the US lacks an Autobahn to max out the GLK’s 130 mph top speed.The GLK’s diesel engine is most apparent at idle, when, with the stereo off, drivers can hear the faint purr of the engine’s compression ignition firing the fuel, and on takeoff, which is V-8-like in its velocity.The turbocharger operates in two stages and is enhanced with an intercooler that chills the air before it’s stuffed back into the combustion chambers. The result is a significant increase in jump-the-green grunt without any discernible lag between the moment a lady goes heel-to-toe and the split-second later when she jettisons across the asphalt. The GLK250 BlueTEC reaches peak torque between just 1,600 and 1,800 rpm.Despite the recent adoption of the term “crossover” to describe smallish, all-wheel-drive utility vehicles, Mercedes still refers to its smallish, all-wheel drive GLK as an SUV, the stature of which looks like an oversized station wagon and drives like a tallish sport car. Its permanent all-wheel drive, or 4Matic, as Mercedes calls it, isn’t so much a traction-control system as a handling enhancement that’s tireless in its efforts to aid cornering.The GLK’s Standard Agility Control uses shocks with bypass pistons that, in my morning with the GLK, didn’t entirely nullify the effects of poorly maintained roads but were effective at convincing me the cracks and potholes and rubble might not need immediate attention. Off road, the pistons that smooth the street effects are bypassed to allow the full effect of the shocks to do their work.In daily use, the roof rails and skid plates serve mostly as a reminder that, yes, the GLK would happily detour from its grocery store to elementary school to soccer practice loop and scramble out of state, up a dirt road and into a camp site as far away as Tucson. The GLK250 can travel up to 515 miles without needing to refuel.First introduced in 2009, the GLK was redesigned last June with an updated interior that includes a new air vent design lifted from aviation, a repositioned gear shift from centre console to steering wheel stalk, a new colour instrument display and lots and lots of buttons. The GLK is available with a 7-inch display screen, but it isn’t operated by touch. Drivers can command the Nav, radio and other features with steering controls and voice commands or do it old school, with buttons and knobs.My GLK test car was fully loaded with $18,000 worth of optional amenities that make the living easy, including Harman/Kardon audio, a backup camera, 7-inch colour display and heated leather seats coloured clotted cream and trimmed in chocolate, as well as a driver-assistance package that let me know when cars were in my blind spots and beeped whenever I was about to hitch my front end to a stranger’s bumper.Already, driving diesel is like having your cake and eating it too. With its well-priced, high-mileage GLK250, Mercedes-Benz serves it up with ice cream. — The Orange County Register/MCT*  (Price and technical specifications may vary in locally available models)

By Caspar Tobias Schlenk   American dancer and model Dita von Teese enters the room and her audience is bowled over.  “A reporter said: ‘She’s like something out of a computer game’ and he was right,” recalls Francis Bitonti. Bitonti is referring to the dress von Teese wore that was made from a nylon mesh material embellished with 12,000 Swarovski crystals. The New York-based architect and designer created the dress in co-operation with Michael Schmidt. It was made using a 3-D printer, making it the first dress of its kind to spark such media interest. 3-D printers have the potential to mark the next industrial revolution, in the eyes of many people in the tech sector. Engineers are experimenting making replacement parts for machines. A “printed” gun was test-fired in the United States in May. Even heart valves may one day be “printable”. But artists and designers are also using the technology to create sculptures and jewellery. The technology works in a way comparable to that of a conventional inkjet printer. But instead of ink, 3-D printers use nylon, ceramic and plastic. The material is laid down layer for layer to create a three dimensional object.  Francis Bitonti has been working with 3-D printers for the past six years. He has designed necklaces, belts and bicycle stands on a computer before using the services of a company to print them. He remembers especially clearly a white chair that looked as if it had been woven together using tree branches. “It was such a complex design that it could never have been made using any other process,” says Bitonti. The 29-year-old began to take an interest in unusual shapes and patterns as an architecture student and simulated them in three dimensions on a computer screen. Today he’s printing works of art. For Bitonti it’s a new method of artistic expression: “You see no trace of a human hand anymore.” Scientists at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology are also researching how 3-D printing can be used in design and architecture. Professor Neri Oxman is experimenting with creating large objects in her laboratory.   “In the near future we will be able to print buildings,” she asserts. Oxman says by converting a robot’s arm into a 3-D printer it would be able to build a concrete wall layer by layer. One day it may be possible for everyone to design their own home and then print it. But how are 3-D printers influencing our lives today? The New York artist Josh Kline is trying to answer that question. He scanned the hands of a few of his friends and placed a virtual bottle in their hands on a computer. He filled the virtual bottles with fluids like Coca Cola to give his work of art colour.  “I liked the idea of transforming real objects into information and then creating real objects from information,” says Kline. Kline draws a parallel with our lives where the smartphone has become an integral part of our memory. “We are digitalising our lives on Facebook by placing photos online,” he says. Kline’s hand sculpture and other works of art made by a 3-D printer have been shown at the Museum of Modern Art. He believes more young artists will begin using 3-D computers. Kline thinks the technology will change art “in the same way that Photoshop and digital cameras have changed photography”. Both Bitonti and Kline think that as soon as 3-D printers become cheap enough they will become a part of everyday life. – DPA      

By G Chambers Williams III   Nissan’s cool subcompact crossover, the Juke, gets a new addition to its lineup for 2013: the track-inspired Nismo model, which gives this already fun little vehicle some key performance upgrades and unique styling cues. It’s probably safe to say that the Juke has a polarising design: You’ll either love it or not. But once you’ve been behind the wheel, if you’re a car person, you’ll have a great respect and admiration for it. And that goes double for the Nismo Juke, a product of Nissan’s performance division, which is similar to the Chrysler SRT and Toyota TRD teams. The Nismo name is derived from Nissan Motorsports, and until now was reserved for more expensive, advanced vehicles designed specifically with the track in mind. But with the Juke version, Nissan says it’s applying Nismo’s “near-50 years of engineering experience and expertise to an expanding range of affordable production vehicles.” Two versions are offered in the US: the front-wheel-drive base Nismo Juke with a six-speed manual gearbox for $22,990 (in the US); and an all-wheel-drive model, with a sport-tuned continuously variable automatic transmission, for $25,290. The Juke already was a pocket rocket, with a direct-injection aluminum-alloy turbocharged 1.6-litre inline four-cylinder engine that cranks out 188hp and 177 pound-feet of torque. With the Nismo tweaks, the engine has 197hp and 184 foot-pounds of torque. You’ll have lots of fun driving the Nismo model, but you’ll get the benefits of the Juke’s great fuel economy, as well. This is an efficient four-cylinder engine, not a Hemi V-8. EPA ratings are 27 mpg city/32 highway for the front-drive manual model, and 25/30 for the all-wheel-drive automatic. But I can’t guarantee you’ll do that well if you’re driving this little car with gusto. The Juke Nismo is offered in three colours — Sapphire Black, Brilliant Silver and Pearl White. There are red outside mirrors and a matching stripe around the base of the vehicle. Nismo’s dark-smoke interior has special touches, as well, including bolstered front seats, along with unique instruments (including a red tachometer), steering wheel, shifter knob, pedals and trim. The seats are suede with red stitching that’s the same colour as the exterior striping, and that same stitching carries over to the Alcantara leather steering wheel. There is a black headliner; no sunroof is offered. There is also a glossy piano black trim around the heating/air conditioning and audio controls. Rubber pedals have been replaced with metallic, and the seatbacks have Nismo labels. Also standard are privacy glass, Nissan’s intelligent key with push-button start, and automatic climate control. The suspension has been lowered slightly for improved looks and aerodynamics. The speed-sensing electric power steering has been tweaked as well, for “sportier and more-direct handling,” Nissan said. During some spirited driving on a track, I experienced the great braking ability of the Juke Nismo. Standard are four-wheel antilock disc brakes with electronic brake-force distribution and brake assist. Combined with the responsive steering, impressive turbo-boosted acceleration, tight suspension and short-throw shifter, this vehicle performed flawlessly on the track as well as out on the highway. Curvy country roads were great fun with the Nismo. While front drive is the standard mode, the optional all-wheel drive can split torque 50/50 from front to rear — with up to half of the torque going to either of the rear wheels. This proved to be quite stabilising in the track environment as well as on the twisty back roads. The Juke already was the most-fun car in its class, except maybe for the MazdaSpeed3, but the Nismo tweaks bumped it up a notch. But Nismo or not, the Juke is a good answer to small-car boredom. Nissan calls the Juke a “sport cross,” and it’s available with all-wheel drive in all trim levels, but only with the automatic transmission. Juke is aimed at young, single men, but the car has appeal across a broad age range. It’s about the same size as the Toyota Matrix, but with more curb appeal and sportier performance even in the base version. As with the Matrix and other, similar small crossovers, there is room for up to five passengers in the Juke, and its rear-hatch arrangement turns it into a capable cargo hauler, as well. It’s surprisingly roomy inside, considering its compact exterior. Nismo, SV and SL models have three driver-selectable modes for the CVT: Normal, Sport and Eco, which can be set by using the Nissan integrated control system, or I-CON, which also controls the heating and air conditioning system. Juke fits in a narrow spot in the Nissan crossover lineup between the less-expensive (but also quite appealing) Cube and the larger Rogue crossover. My test vehicle was the Nismo front-wheel-drive model with navigation. Juke’s rear hatch lifts up in one piece, and the rear seatback has a 60/40 split-folding feature. With the rear seat folded, the cargo area has nearly 40cu ft of space; with the seat up, there are 10.5cu ft of storage. With the seatback down, there is a flat load floor from the tailgate to the front seats. But there is also covered storage under the rear cargo floor on the front-wheel-drive models. Turn signals are built into the flared front fenders, and the exterior also features a high beltline and a roofline that is more like that of a sport coupe than an SUV. Also included are body-colour outside mirrors and front door handles, as well as hidden rear door handles. Among standard safety features are electronic stability control with traction control, all-season tires, speed-sensitive electric power steering, and four-wheel antilock power disc brakes with electronic brake-force distribution and brake assist. Also included are front seat-mounted side air bags, roof-mounted side-curtain air bags in both rows, tyre-pressure monitoring, and the latch child-seat anchoring system. — Fort Worth Star-Telegram/MCT   l (Price and technical specifications may vary in locally available models.)   In a nutshell The package: Five-door, five-passenger, front- or all-wheel-drive, turbocharged four-cylinder, subcompact crossover utility vehicle. Advantages: Nissan’s sporty junior-size crossover, designed with the driver in mind, has turbocharged performance and great road handling. It’s in an attractive package with lots of standard amenities and a reasonable starting price, and for 2013, the track-inspired Nismo model has been added to the lineup. Negatives: Rear seat is a tight fit for bigger people, and the middle position is best left to a child seat; cargo space is limited with the rear seatback in place. Engine: Turbocharged 1.6-litre four-cylinder Transmission: Six-speed manual or continuously variable automatic. Power/torque: 197hp/184 pound-feet Fuel capacity/type: 13.2 gallons/unleaded regular.      

By Troy Wolverton   Your e-mail is likely in the cloud. Your photos and music may be there, too. So is it time to back up all the files and data from your computer to the Internet? Some storage experts and a growing number of consumers say yes. Online backup services have become more practical in recent years, offering consumers protection if their computers are lost or destroyed in a disaster. And in some cases, cloud backup costs far less in the short term than buying an external hard drive. “We see more and more user interest in adopting the cloud,” said Pushan Rinnen, research director for storage and backup at Gartner, a tech consulting firm. “When you put content into the cloud, even if your house burned down ... you have a copy somewhere else.” Online backup services have been around for years. They differ from online storage services such as Dropbox in that they typically offer more storage space and were generally designed just to archive files and data, not to provide access to that data from multiple locations. Backup services usually include a program that runs in the background on your computer, uploading new files to the Internet. Consumers usually can choose which folders they want to back up or have the software copy their entire hard drive. In case of disaster, they can simply download their files or, in many cases, have the service send them a physical drive with their files stored on it. The services typically encrypt data stored on their servers. And most require little management by consumers after they install the backup program. “Most of these are set and forget,” said Dave Simpson, a senior storage analyst at The 451 Group, a technology research firm. In recent years the backup services have begun offering additional features that make them useful in more than just emergency situations. Many services now offer mobile applications that allow users to view backed up files on their smartphones or tablets. And some, including Carbonite and Mozy, now offer a file-syncing feature that acts much like Dropbox or Google Drive. Users can access files stored in a synced folder on multiple computers. Any changes they make to particular files are reflected in the versions stored in all linked computers. The biggest shortcoming with online backup services has been the length of time it can take to transfer files to the remote servers. Depending on the amount of data users are trying to save and the speed of their Internet connection, an initial backup can take weeks or even months, even if the program runs continuously. And even after that, the service can be slow. Don Hoekwater, 49, is an amateur photographer who backs up his pictures to Carbonite. The large files he works with often take days to transfer to the backup service. “It’s excruciatingly slow,” he said. But there are ways around that problem. Faster broadband speeds are decreasing the time needed to transfer data. Some service providers, including CrashPlan, offer users the ability to speed up their first backup by saving it to a hard drive that they mail to the company. Bitcasa, a startup in Mountain View, California, has developed technology that hastens backups by looking for duplicate data already stored by other users; the service only uploads data that’s not already there. Company CEO Tony Gauda likens the service to a dictionary compiled of words from numerous books; a word in the dictionary only needs to be recorded once, no matter how many sentences or books it’s used in. “We don’t save the books, we save the words,” Gauda said, adding that initial uploads get “faster as we add more users.” On average, he said, the company’s users are already able to backup their data in a week or less. Consumers face a bewildering array of options, with dozens of different providers. And there’s a wide range of prices. Consumers can find plans that offer unlimited storage for less than $4 a month or plans that charge twice that for only 125GB of space. And while the backup services offer broadly similar services, many have unique features. CrashPlan’s software, for example, can back up data not only to the company’s servers, but also to an external hard drive and even to friends’ computers over the Internet. At the same time, many services have particular limitations. Carbonite, for one, will slow down uploads if users are transferring more than 200GB of data at a time. Many providers offer free trial periods, noted Donna Tapellini, a senior editor at Consumer Reports. “I would try it out,” she said. “You want something that’s easy to get your stuff up and get your stuff back.” Some consumers who have already tested the services are believers. Doug Edwards, 54, a former brand manager at Google, signed up for CrashPlan last year after having some external hard drives fail. Edwards has lots of photos and music files and wanted to make sure they weren’t lost if something happened to his house. “Once you experience loss of data, you don’t want to go there again,” Edwards said. — San Jose Mercury News/MCT   Online backup tips If you’re shopping for an online backup service, you’ll find numerous options. Here are some ways to compare them. Storage capacity: You’ll find plans that offer as little at 2GB of space to ones from providers such as Backblaze that offer an unlimited amount of storage. In general, the more storage you need, the more you’ll pay. Number of computers: Many services require users to have a separate plan for each computer they want to back up. But some providers, including Mozy, offer plans that allow users to back up two or more computers. Hard-drive seeding: The initial transfer of data to a backup provider can take weeks or even months. Some providers, including CrashPlan, allow users to speed this process by “seeding” their archives. For an extra fee, the providers send out a blank hard drive to users to save their backup. Users then send the hard drive back to the provider, who uploads it to their account. File syncing: Some online backup services, such as Carbonite, have taken a page from storage services such as Dropbox. Instead of just allowing users to store their data in the cloud, those services will also allow them to sync particular files and folders with multiple computers and devices. File sizes: In some cases, providers limit the size of files they will sync or force users to sync such files manually. Other providers will automatically back up all files, no matter how large. Price: Some providers, including IDrive, offer plans with a small amount of storage_usually less than 10GB, for free. But you can also pay $20 a month or more for plans that have a limited amount of storage. Unlimited plans from providers, including Carbonite and CrashPlan, tend to cost about $4 to $6 a month.  

By Mark Phelan Toyota sharpened its focus when it developed the all-new 2013 RAV4 crossover SUV. Gone are the powerful optional V6, outdated four-speed transmission, snug third row of seats and tailgate-mounted spare tyre that made the previous RAV an outlier. The new five-passenger RAV4 aims for the bull’s-eye in the middle of the crossover SUV market. Prices start at $23,300 (in the US) for a base front-wheel drive model. All-wheel drive models start at $24,700. All RAV4s have a 176hp 2.5-litre four-cylinder engine and six-speed automatic transmission. I tested a well-equipped AWD RAV4 XLE. It had a navigation system, voice recognition, Bluetooth phone and audio compatibility and cloth upholstery. The RAV4 competes with five-seat crossovers such as the Chevrolet Equinox, Ford Escape, Honda CR-V, Hyundai Santa Fe Sport, Kia Sportage, Nissan Rogue, Subaru Forester and Volkswagen Tiguan. It’s hard to get attention in that crowded segment. The RAV4 makes its pitch with good fuel economy, a roomy interior and excellent voice recognition for phone calls and navigation. The passenger compartment is 100.7 cu ft with good head, leg and shoulder room. The cargo area offers 38.4 cu ft behind the rear seat and 73.4 with the rear seats folded flat. The tailgate is hinged at the top, like most SUVs and station wagons. The outside-mounted spare tyre that forced the old RAV to use a side-hinged door has moved inside, under the cargo floor. The new tailgate is one of the RAV4’s greatest improvements. It’s much easier to use in crowded parking areas. The interior materials and trim are peculiar. The centre of the dashboard — an area you’re never likely to touch — is covered by a soft, cushioned pad of pseudo-leather. It’s attractive, but why not put that comfy cover on the door armrests, which are covered with a thin layer of fabric? There’s no place to rest your outboard arm and elbow comfortably on a long drive. The centre armrest — which is padded — covers a roomy bin. That storage space would be very useful if it housed the USB port and a power outlet for mobile phones. Unfortunately, those utilities reside in the centre stack, below the climate controls. Cords, phones and music players connected to them create clutter. The gaps between some interior trim pieces were uneven. None is egregious, but Toyota’s designers placed several in the driver’s line of sight, where they drew my gaze like a chipped tooth draws your tongue. The RAV4 I tested had a 6.1-inch touch screen to control phone, audio, navigation and online services. The screen is smaller and less sensitive than the best that competitors offer. Toyota’s Entune Internet functions — which include Bing searches for navigation, Pandora Internet radio and more — worked well. It was a marked improvement from the glitchy system in a Toyota Avalon I tested earlier this year. It uses your smartphone’s Internet connection, so there’s no additional cost for data, but Toyota will charge for most Entune functions after three years. The RAV4 AWD rated 22 mpg in the city, 29 on the highway and 25 combined in EPA tests. Among AWD competitors, the combined rating trails only the new 2014 Subaru Forester 2.5i. It matches Ford Escape’s 1.6-litre EcoBoost and beat the others. The front-drive RAV4 rated 24 mpg in the city, 31 on the highway and 26 combined. The quick-shifting six-speed automatic transmission teams with the four-cylinder engine to give the RAV4 good acceleration. The steering and suspension lean more toward sporty driving than you might expect from a mainstream Toyota. The RAV4 has little squat or dive under acceleration, but the chassis communicates bumpy surfaces to the passengers. The brakes are terrific, with communicative pedals and plenty of stopping power. The RAV4’s exterior design features a snub-nosed front, a fast windshield and tidy C-pillars. It’s a pleasant shape that doesn’t draw much attention to itself. That’s true of most aspects of the 2013 RAV4. It doesn’t demand the spotlight, but good fuel economy and interior space plant it firmly in the mainstream of the crossover SUV market. Detroit Free Press/MCT   (Price and technical specifications may vary in locally available models)   In a nutshell   In a nutshell Vehicle type: Front- or all-wheel drive five-passenger crossover SUV. Reasons to buy: Fuel economy, passenger and cargo room, excellent voice recognition. Shortcomings: Interior materials, minor interior fit issues, operation of some controls.      

By Heather SomervilleSilicon Valley is poised to upend the music industry — again. From Napster to Pandora, from the iPod to the iPhone, technology innovation has made music easier to find and cheaper to buy than ever before. At the same time, it has destabilised the music business and left artists — at least those not named Justin Bieber or Taylor Swift — fearing for their livelihoods.In this latest music revolution, companies like Google, Apple and Facebook are eyeing the streaming and on-demand music business now dominated by smaller niche companies such as Pandora and Spotify. When they do — and most analysts agree it’s really just a matter of time — they could give nearly everyone the ability to listen to whatever they want, whenever they want, and mostly for free.“There is no doubt that when companies this large enter into the field, it will be disruptive,” said Jonathan Handel, a media and entertainment attorney with the Southern California firm TroyGould.The stakes are especially high for Apple, which transformed the music industry 10 years ago when it introduced iTunes. The digital store is still lucrative, owning 63% of the digital music market, but it is up against a new crop of music services that don’t require a credit card. The reluctance of consumers to pay 99 cents to download a music file could threaten iTunes’ dominance.Apple could be close to striking a deal with major music labels to create “iRadio,” a streaming music service that Apple followers speculate will be similar to Pandora but with a larger selection and more on-demand features, such as the option to download songs as they play and unlimited song skipping.Apple spokesman Tom Neumayr declined to comment on “rumour and speculation.” The company filed for a streaming music patent last year.Google is also said to be working on a music-streaming service that would work on YouTube and could launch in the summer. Media reports say its plans include a free version with ads and an optional subscription fee for additional features.Twitter has already entered the fray, releasing a music discovery and sharing service in April to its 500mn users.Another Silicon Valley heavyweight may be next: “Facebook, we all know they’re next. Twitter just beat them to it,” said John Wright, founder of Speakerfy, an application that lets users synchronise music playing on multiple laptops or iPads.As one Pandora representative put it, “everyone’s competing for ears and their time spent listening.”The shift to free and unlimited streaming is also transforming the way consumers think about music.“Music, just like the Internet, will be broadly available for everyone,” said Tommy Darker, a musician and marketing professional who has written about technology’s impact on music. As free access to music grows, the desire to own it fades, he said. Already, he said, “the majority have stopped buying.”According to the NPD Group, just slightly more than one-third of consumers think it’s important to own music.San Jose State University student Rosa Gonzalez said she has been using her free Spotify account to explore dubstep — percussion-heavy electronic dance music she says is good for studying. And she no longer has to pay for songs on iTunes.As much as she likes Spotify, 19-year-old Gonzalez said she won’t pay $5 or $10 a month for one of the service’s ad-free accounts: “There are so many other ways to get free music.”Only about one-quarter of Spotify users pay for an upgraded version, while the rest stick with the free streaming, according to Spotify. And a fraction of Pandora users opt to pay $4 per month for the ad-free version.“That’s been a big theme among younger consumers — they’re either unwilling to pay or they have tight budgets,” said Russ Crupnick, senior vice-president of industry analysis at the NPD Group.Even iPods have been squeezed out, with shipments down to 5.6mn from 7.6mn a year.“It’s not iPods anymore; it’s phones,” Handel said.But other music fans said they would continue to buy albums because streaming services don’t always offer music from older, independent and obscure artists.“I still love buying music. It’s our way of building our individual collection at home,” said James Matlack, a dedicated Metallica fan.For others, buying music is wrapped up in tradition. Jaymie Long, a secretary at Carden Day School of San Jose, said she still browses music stores: “It’s been a part of my childhood.”More and more, though, music purchasers are the outliers, putting into question what, if anything, artists can charge for their work. Some say Internet music services help them reach new fans who would otherwise never buy a concert ticket, and social platforms like Twitter Music can help them promote new songs.“Those services provide exposure,” Darker said.But making money off these platforms is a challenge for artists. Streaming services say they pay huge royalty fees — up to 70% of their revenue — but most of the cash stays with record labels. Some independent musicians say they find their music on Spotify or another music player but never see a dime.“I’m very curious to see how folks are making money from music streaming,” said Scott McDowell, a recording engineer in San Francisco. “So far, I haven’t met anyone who is.”By giving listeners unlimited access to free music, Handel said streaming and on-demand services have created the perception that an artist’s work isn’t worth paying for; that the culmination of creative energies and talent perfected over years of practice isn’t worth 99 cents. And for a musician, that might be the most painful blow delivered by the next digital music revolution. — San Jose Mercury News/MCT

By Haiko Prengel   The story begins as a teenage boy flees a burning African village by car. “Samuel, I have something very sad to tell you,” says the driver. “Your parents have been shot dead. It is an incredible piece of luck that you have survived.” But whether Samuel really manages to get away from the gang of murderous rebels who have already killed his parents depends on the gaming skills of the 15-year-old teenager playing the computer game where Samuel is the hero. People in Flight is based on the brutal civil war in the Congo. The learning effect the game has had on youths playing it has been so impressive that Serious Games Solutions, the company that developed People in Flight, was recently awarded the 2013 German Computer Game Prize in the “best serious game” category. According to the expert jury’s verdict, People in Flight earned the award because it made the problems and misery that refugees suffer emotionally comprehensible through its virtual reality. A serious game is a game designed for a primary purpose other than pure entertainment, including educational value. The market for such games is growing quickly, which is why Serious Games Solutions, based in Potsdam just outside Berlin, has dedicated its entire business towards specialising in serious computer games. “Our orders are evenly split between German and foreign customers,” says company CEO Ralph Stock. Games can cost a five- or six-figure sum in euros to develop with the company’s customer base ranging from a German health-insurance company, AOK, to potato processing firm McCain. The contract to develop People in Flight came from a Catholic mission support charity, Missio. The objective was to educate German youth about the problems refugees experience in Africa using games rather than the usual methods involving direct instruction or books. Stock and his team developed an interactive tool which allowed children to experience for themselves with the help of an avatar the flight through a war-torn country. The multimedia journey takes place in a large truck that is currently criss-crossing Germany and stopping in schools. “The kids are then able to continue playing the computer game at home on their own PC,” explains an excited Stock. The question remains whether it is educationally meaningful if children learn about genocide by playing a computer game. “The dilemma we face is that if the game contains too much information then it isn’t any fun. But on the other hand, if enjoyment is at the forefront then the information gets left behind,” explains Hartmut Gieselmann, a games expert from German computer magazine c’t who has been observing the phenomenon of serious games for 10 years. For this reason, it is better to separate serious learning and playful relaxation in many cases. “Games can illustrate connections in a completely different manner to books or films. They can supplement them but they should not replace them,” believes Gieselmann. “The most important thing is that learning itself is a skill children have to learn, because otherwise later all they will be able to consume is multimedia content.” Game developer Stock does not agree with the “black-and-white way of thinking” that he claims motivates some critics. “It’s all about creating a meaningful media mix,” says the 44-year-old. Nobody is interested in eliminating the classic teaching and learning methods. Vocabulary and grammar still have to be learned the hard way at school by studying rules and doing practice exercises. However, sometimes it is possible to improve a particular subject by presenting the information involved in a more interesting way, argues Stock, who was also nominated for another award in the best mobile game category. In the iPad game Emergency, players have to deal with an everyday emergency situation — such as the grounding of a supertanker or a meteor strike. “That is of educational value,” said the panel of experts. – DPA      

Cover photograph: Software developer Monica Wilkinson tries out the Google Glass. Though critics fear that Glass wearers might surreptitiously record someone’s private moment — Wilkinson and the others predict those concerns will subside as Glass owners develop their own etiquette. Glass resembles a pair of high-tech eyeglasses, but without lenses: Its lightweight frame rests on the ears and nose, suspending a small prism in the upper right corner of a wearer’s field of vision. By Brandon Bailey   Back when she was in college, software developer Monica Wilkinson says, she used to dream of “being able to carry a computer in my head,” instead of lugging her books and laptop all over campus. As she tried out her new Google Glass recently, Wilkinson said, it felt like that fanciful idea had become real. Dan McLaughlin, an engineer and photography buff, has been using his new Glass to take pictures without fumbling for his camera. Tech business consultant Lisa Oshima said she likes hearing turn-by-turn directions from Glass as she walks to client meetings in downtown Palo Alto, California. Startup executive Brandon Allgood, meanwhile, has learned to remove his Glass headset before sitting down to dinner with his wife. The four San Francisco Bay Area tech workers are among the first non-Google employees to get their own early model of Glass, after paying $1,500 for the visor-like, wearable computer that’s already got critics fretting over potential violations of privacy and etiquette — even as enthusiasts proclaim it could change the way people interact with technology. “The human body has a lot of limitations. I see this as a way to enhance our bodies,” said Wilkinson, 36, who is head of engineering at San Francisco startup Crushpath. “The future can sometimes be a little bit scary,” she added, conceding that some people are uncomfortable with the new technology. “But I see Glass as a way to stay connected, to capture more moments and get answers more quickly.” Glass resembles a pair of high-tech eyeglasses, but without lenses: Its lightweight frame rests on the ears and nose, suspending a small prism in the upper right corner of a wearer’s field of vision. The prism displays pictures, video or text, including e-mails, directions from Google’s navigation service and answers to Internet search queries. Along with a digital camera, Glass has a tiny touch pad built into one earpiece and a microphone to pick up voice commands. The earpiece uses “bone conduction” to deliver sound by vibrating against the wearer’s skull. Glass connects to the Internet through Wi-Fi or a Bluetooth link to the user’s smartphone. So far, early adopters say they’ve received curious stares and friendly questions, but no hostile reactions while wearing something that resembles a prop from ‘Star Trek’ around the tech-friendly Bay Area. Construction workers and mass-transit riders have told Oshima they think Glass is cool. And despite critics’ fears that Glass wearers might surreptitiously record someone’s private moment — or use Glass to rudely surf the Web while someone is talking to them — Wilkinson and the others predict those concerns will subside as Glass owners develop their own etiquette. Allgood, for example, said he removes the headset in the evening because his wife is less enthusiastic about new technology than he is. He has also made a practice of sliding it to the top of his head when he enters a men’s restroom, so the camera is pointed at the ceiling and no one gets alarmed. “There probably is going to be some drama at some point,” Wilkinson predicted. But she noted that non-Glass wearers can tell when Glass is recording, because its tiny screen lights up. “If people look apprehensive,” she added, “I just tell them, ‘I’m not recording you.’ “ Google doesn’t expect to sell Glass on the mass market before next year. It’s unlikely to be a big moneymaker right away; analysts say Google must lower the price to appeal to more consumers. But CEO Larry Page has said he views Glass as the first in a wave of new computer devices, and others say it makes sense for Google to get in front of that trend. The introduction of Glass “is a watershed moment that will lead to the Internet being available more often” through a variety of wearable gadgets, Macquarie Equities analyst Ben Schachter wrote in a report last month. Anything that increases Internet use, he added, is good business for Google and other companies that make money by delivering ads and services online. For now, Wilkinson and others in what Google calls the “Glass Explorers” programme are among the first few hundred people to get their hands on the gadget. They’re software developers and tech enthusiasts who signed onto a waiting list last summer, after a blockbuster demonstration by a troop of Glass-wearing sky divers at Google’s annual software conference. McLaughlin, a 46-year-old Agilent engineer, said he has been wearing his Glass throughout the day. He said it’s convenient for checking e-mail, but as an amateur photographer, McLaughlin especially loves taking photos by voice command. He and his 10-year-old son have made up a game where they lean their heads together and — when his son says the magic words, “OK Glass, take a picture” — the device on McLaughlin’s forehead snaps a photo that’s automatically uploaded to his online Google+ account. Wilkinson has been wearing hers during video conferences with colleagues in other offices, writing code on a whiteboard and using Glass to show them the board as she is looking at it. She also uploaded a video showing what she sees as she volleys a ball at her tennis club. For Allgood, the “killer app” on Glass is Google Now, an online service that automatically delivers information tailored to a user’s recent searches and activity on Google. If he has a business meeting listed on his Google calendar, for example, Glass will alert Allgood when it’s time to go to the meeting and show him directions and traffic updates. The same information is available on a smartphone, but it’s more convenient when it pops up on Glass, said Allgood, a 38-year-old executive at the health technology company Numerate, who says he played cyborg games and daydreamed about “retinal implants” as a youngster. Allgood said he believes Google has only scratched the surface in thinking of uses for Glass. The company is encouraging independent developers to build a variety of apps, which experts say will help make Glass more appealing to ordinary consumers. And Oshima, whose consulting firm, Socialize Mobilize, works with app developers, says she knows several who are eager to get started. For those who say Glass seems like a nonessential toy, she added, “I remember when people used to say that about mobile phones. There was a time when people would tell me that social networking was “kids’ stuff” and that adults would never use Twitter or Facebook.” — San Jose Mercury News/MCT * A team member (right) can see what software developer Monica Wilkinson (above) is writing on a white board while she wears Google Glass at Crushpath in San Francisco. The electronic glasses are not available to the public yet, but some developers have been able to buy them to prepare apps.      

By Peter Delevett & Brandon Bailey   Its chief executive claims it has more users than Twitter. It’s rumoured to have just rebuffed a $1bn buyout offer from Google. So what’s up with WhatsApp? And how has a San Francisco startup that many Americans still have never heard of come to lead a fast-growing field of mobile messaging services that are shaking up the phone and Internet industries? Easy, says Andreas Sanchez, a junior at San Francisco State University who has used a number of such services. “I can text, I can send pictures, I can call, all through Wi-Fi,” he said. “They make it fun for people my age — and, I guess, any age.” The popularity of online messaging, especially among younger Internet users, has sparked a boom in apps — such as WhatsApp, WeChat, TicToc and Tango — that operate on a mix of advertising and subscription models. By sending messages over the Internet, often via Wi-Fi or mobile data networks, these services let users avoid paying the SMS text-messaging fees charged by telecommunications carriers like Verizon or AT&T. And WhatsApp, by many measures, is at the head of the class. The company was launched in 2009 by two former Yahoo executives who, unlike the founders of other recent sensations like Facebook and Pinterest, wouldn’t be carded at the local bar. Jan Koum, 36, and Brian Acton, 40, remember not only the dot-com boom but how it went bust. People who know both men say it’s a big part of why they’ve tried to build the 40-worker company with a minimum of hype. In a rare interview, Koum and Acton told the San Jose Mercury News via e-mail that traditional text messaging is a 20-year-old technology. “We are in the middle of the smartphone revolution,” they wrote, “and it is just beginning.” CEO Koum, at a New York conference in April, said the service has surpassed 200mn daily users who together send more than 20bn messages a day. Greg Woock, head of San Jose, California-based competitor Pinger, looks on such numbers with envy, considering his own startup carries as many messages in a month as WhatsApp claims to in a day. But, Woock said, Koum has yet to figure out how best to turn that traffic into dollars. “His business model is, you pay me once a year, 99 cents,” Woock said of Koum, whom he considers a friend. But that’s only true of iPhone users; WhatsApp is currently free for owners of Android phones, at least in most countries. “I’d argue,” Woock said, “that the vast majority of his users will never pay.” Sanchez, the college student, illustrates the point. During a recent trip to Barcelona, he downloaded WhatsApp to stay in touch with friends and family. But he quickly dropped it in favour of a competing service, Viber. The reason? “They both do the exact same thing, but Viber’s free,” said Sanchez, who at home is a heavy user of Facebook Messenger and Apple’s iChat. He says he only uses e-mail to communicate with “my older relatives.” Pinger also is free but earns money by showing ads to customers. Woock said if Koum would use Pinger’s advertising engine, “I could make him $1mn a day. With that kind of reach, that company’s worth $5bn.” Koum and Acton, though, say they’re confident in their business model. “Nothing comes free in this world,” they wrote in their e-mail. “Services that claim to be free collect user data and target ads or promote games.” The founders say such “gimmicks” clutter the user experience. Macquarie Securities, in a recent survey of WhatsApp users, found deep passion for the product. While popular features include group texting and the ability to send photos and videos, the greatest appeal is in avoiding texting and roaming charges, especially outside the United States. Woock — who said Pinger’s user traffic actually outstrips WhatsApp’s domestically — noted that overseas is where the messaging battle is being fought most fiercely. “It’s so expensive everywhere else in the world,” he said of text messaging. Despite its popularity, WhatsApp’s record on privacy and security has come under fire. Earlier this year, Canadian and Dutch authorities accused the company of violating international privacy laws because it required users to upload their entire phone book contact lists — whether or not those contacts use the app. WhatsApp now allows customers to opt out of that requirement. Koum and Acton, via e-mail, said they’re “unusually protective of our user experience” and don’t share user data with outside marketers. Woock and others predict the market for mobile messaging ultimately could outstrip that of social networking, which is built on users’ “graph” of connections. “Let’s call it 3bn people in the world who use mobile,” Woock said. “Mobile is the real graph — that’s who your friends really are — and that’s why Facebook and Google are so interested in this.” —San Jose Mercury News/MCT   The field A host of fast-growing mobile messaging services are taking a big bite out of phone carriers’ text-messaging revenues — as well as old-school communication platforms such as e-mail.   Just.me: Launched in April by former TechCrunch CEO Keith Teare and funded by Google’s investment arm.   KakaoTalk: Based in Korea, it makes money from advertising and promoting mobile games.   Kik: Canadian company’s application is popular with teens but has been criticised by parents concerned that it lets users message anonymously.   Line: Especially popular in Japan, it offers cartoonlike characters along with games and the ability to “follow” celebrities.   MessageMe: Launched this year, it has drawn notice for features that let users create and send artistic “doodles” to their friends.   Pinger: San Jose company offers ad-supported free texting and phone calls.   SnapChat: A photo-sharing app whose images self-destruct.   Tango: Lets users send text messages and play games but also offers free voice and video calling.   TicToc: Another Korea-based messaging service that offers unlimited calls and messages and group chat.   Viber: Claims 175mn users; recently signed a deal with an Indonesian telecom carrier to be its preferred messaging app.   WeChat: With more than 300mn users, it’s owned by the Chinese Internet conglomerate Tencent.   WhatsApp: Fast-growing but low-profile San Francisco startup claims its user base now outstrips Twitter’s.  

Called the Argus II Retinal Prosthesis System, the unit includes a small video camera, a portable computer and a tiny implant that is placed near the retina during a two-hour surgical procedure. By Ronald D White   Robert Greenberg got tired of hearing from senior engineers that it wasn’t possible to build his product idea: a bionic eye that gives sight to the blind. “A lot of the folks straight out of school didn’t know any better, so I hired them instead,” quipped Greenberg, chief executive of Second Sight Medical Products Inc, a Sylmar, California, biotech company. “They didn’t know how hard it was going to be, that it was impossible. And so they tried.” Greenberg can laugh now that he once thought developing the device would take a year and $1mn. Some 20 years and $200mn later, the first bionic eye has helped more than 20 European patients regain some of their sight. Called the Argus II Retinal Prosthesis System, the device recently was approved by the US Food and Drug Administration. Second Sight, which has 100 employees, is allowed to sell the bionic eye system to patients in the US with advanced retinitis pigmentosa, a degenerative eye disease that can cause blindness. “We are a far cry from restoring 20/20 vision,” said Brian V Mech, Second Sight’s vice president of business development, who holds a doctorate in materials science and an MBA from the UCLA Anderson School of Management. “We are taking blind people back up to low vision, and that is pretty significant.” Mech likes to show videos of once-sightless patients who, after receiving the retinal prosthesis, are able to follow a person walking down the street and discern a street curb without using their canes. “Until our product, these patients had no other option to obtain the ability to see,” Mech said of the $100,000 device, part of which rests on a pair of Oakley Inc sunglass frames. The cost to European patients has been paid by insurance companies in most cases. Palo Alto attorney Dean Lloyd, who lost his vision 17 years ago, got the bionic eye system as part of the US testing process. It allows him to see “boundaries and borders, not images” but has had a profound effect on his life. Lloyd cites an incident before he received the eye system that still rankles. In the middle of a courtroom trial, an opposing attorney said Lloyd didn’t stand a chance with his case because he couldn’t even keep his socks straight: Lloyd had mixed up his black, courtroom socks with his white athletic ones. “What did I do after the surgical procedure that I hadn’t been able to do?” Lloyd said. “I went home and sorted all of my socks.” The story of how the bionic eye came to be made in Sylmar underscores the state’s long record of medical device advances and involves top university researchers who were brought to Southern California to work on the project. Greenberg likened the degree of difficulty to “shrinking a television set to the size of a pea, then throwing it into the ocean and expecting it to work.” For Greenberg, it began in the early 1990s when he was a doctoral candidate in the Department of Biomedical Engineering at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore. Some of the first work was being done there, testing patients who had lost their vision because of retinitis pigmentosa, to see if electrically stimulating their retinas would produce results. It did. “Using one electrode, the patient saw one spot of light,” Greenberg said. “Second electrode, and the patient was seeing two spots of light. During that experiment, I was hooked.” Greenberg said he thought: “This is just engineering. Put more spots and you could make more pixels, like lights on a scoreboard or pixels on your computer monitor. You could see images.” There was a breakthrough of another sort a few years later, in Washington. There, Greenberg was working as a medical officer and a lead reviewer for the FDA’s Office of Device Evaluation when he met entrepreneur Alfred E Mann. Mann had already established himself as a medical device developer through Mannkind Corp and several other Southern California companies. During the 1980s, the self-made billionaire founded Pacesetter Systems, which made cardiac pacemakers. From there, he moved on to insulin pumps and related equipment. Another Mann-funded company, Advanced Bionics Corp, took on cochlear implants, which could restore hearing to the deaf. It was the electrode-based cochlear implant that formed the rough basis of Second Sight’s first bionic eye. In 1998, Second Sight opened with the financial backing of Mann and Sam Williams, another successful entrepreneur whose company, Williams International, designed and built small, efficient turbofan jet engines. “Sam Williams was blind from retinitis pigmentosa, the disease that we are treating,” Mech said. “He had invested along with Al in Advanced Bionics, which restores hearing for deaf people, and they were already on the market in the '90s. Sam said to Al, ‘Why can’t we do the same for blind people?’” Mann and Williams weren’t the only ones who recognised that the technology behind the bionic eye held promise. In 2001, the University of Southern California recruited the two doctors that Greenberg had worked with at Johns Hopkins. There was more to come. Greenberg was still flying back and forth to Baltimore and Johns Hopkins when Steven J Ryan, president of USC’s Doheny Eye Institute, put up the money to “move our entire Johns Hopkins team out here to Los Angeles,” Greenberg said. “It was a big deal, five people and their families,” Greenberg said. “The work would not have progressed as fast if that hadn’t happened. It was part of how we got a dedicated team focused on this one project.” The Argus II has three parts. One part includes a small video camera that sits on sunglasses. Another part is a portable computer, which can be worn on a belt or carried in a purse. The most complicated part is a tiny implant that is placed near the retina during a two-hour surgical procedure. The implant carries 60 electrodes, up from 16 in the first version. The computer processes signals from the video camera and wirelessly relays the information back to the implants. The bionic eye system requires an unusual manufacturing process involving highly trained engineers working with microscopes to manually connect each of the 60 electrode arrays. The microscopes range from relatively low power models, normally used for dissections, to high-powered metallurgical scopes, all the way up to scanning needles that can measure at the nanometer level. “Almost every step is done under a microscope,” Greenberg said. The lines on the retinal implants are only 25 microns, or 1/1,000th of an inch wide. There are additional manufacturing problems when the product you are making involves such small scales. Regular platinum will not work in such small electrodes and would actually dissolve, Greenberg said. Second Sight had to develop a different platinum-based material. All of the manufacturing work is also done in clinical-standard clean rooms, with each of the engineers so fully suited up that they look like biohazard technicians from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. A single speck of dust could ruin the device. Part of the work is done under yellow lights, which act as a kind of photography darkroom during a part of the process that involves a photographic plate, Greenberg said. Much of the process is patented and proprietary. In fact, Second Sight already has more than 200 patents in the US and Europe, and more than 100 others are pending. And when you are building something for the first time that has to endure the hot, salty environment of the eye, the means to test the device can’t just be found on a store shelf. The test devices too had to be manufactured by Second Sight. Some of the most important devices subject the implants to temperatures much higher than they will encounter in the eye and to movements that are much more severe than eye movements. The venture has tapped into a storied history, Greenberg said, noting that some of the most important medical devices from Mann’s companies were made in the Sylmar facilities. “The first rechargeable pacemakers were made here. The insulin pumps were also made right here, in these clean rooms,” Greenberg said. “This place has incredible karma.”  — Los Angeles Times/MCT     Cover photograph: A technician in the clean room, under yellow light, inspects electrodes used on the Argus II Retinal Prosthesis at Second Sight Medical Products.