Community

By Emma Jayne Williams   The 2013 Dodge Challenger lives up to the muscle car standards it has been setting since the 1970s, starting with the retro-styled exterior and, depending on the model, a beast of an engine under the hood. Among its cool design features are a sculpted hood with scoops, chrome-tipped dual exhausts, a front chin-splitter air dam, rear spoiler, and the iconic fuel filler door in chrome. For this model year, the Challenger comes in three versions in the US: the base SXT 3.6-litre, 305hp V-6 ($25,995 in the US); R/T 5.7-litre, 375hp Hemi ($29,995); and the awesome SRT8 392 ($43,995), my test vehicle for the week. And yes, this one had a big 392-cubic-inch (6.4-litre) HEMI, and came with the special 392 appearance package (included in the price). The large horizontal front air dam protrudes from the fascia and, along with the rear spoiler, assures the correct amount of down-force to maintain vehicle stability at maximum speed — which is 180mph for the 392 Hemi. While I didn’t get to check out the aerodynamics at maximum speed, I definitely noticed the “oomph” when I pressed the accelerator at highway speeds. Without cruise control, it would be easy to let the 470hp V-8 take over. The tester came with the standard six-speed manual gearbox, but a five-speed automatic with paddle shifters is available. My SRT8 was black with striking dark-slate/radar-red top-stitched Nappa leather interior and silver racing stripes. Chrysler’s special Street and Racing Technology team designs these SRT vehicles, which are available in a variety of Chrysler and Dodge models, and typically include significant performance upgrades over regular models. The stripes aren’t an option — it actually costs $250 extra to leave them off. The colour of the stripes is optional, however, with silver, red, or grey available. Since the 1960s, muscle cars have been branded with engine-displacement badges, giving the suggestion that “This car will blow you away.” There is prominent “392” badges on the fenders, using a beefy red font outlined in chrome with “Hemi” in jet black. Twenty-inch, five-spoke forged-alloy wheels with black pockets added more aggressiveness. My tester had optional three-season Goodyear tires. In addition to being powerful and looking it, this Challenger is well-appointed and comfortable. The power front bucket seats are heated; the air conditioning has automatic temperature control — set it and forget it; the leather-wrapped steering wheel is heated; cupholders and interior door handles are illuminated; the power outside mirrors are heated; and the interior rearview mirror, with microphone, is self-dimming. Safety features include advanced multistage front air bags, supplemental side-curtain front and rear air bags, electronic stability control, hill-start assist (especially nice with the manual transmission), Brembo performance brakes with rain brake support and ready alert braking, an anti-spin rear axle, and park assist. Front passengers had plenty of legroom, 42 inches, and headroom, 39.3 inches, while rear outboard passengers were a little cramped with 36.2 inches of legroom and 37.4 inches of headroom. The rear middle seat was barely adequate for a small person/child, but all three seating positions had three-point seatbelts and anchors and tether hooks for child seats. With only two doors, installing a child seat and placing the child in the seat would be a challenge. Satellite radio is standard, with a complimentary one-year subscription. The car also has Bluetooth streaming audio, an audio input jack and a USB port. Extra on the tester was a Harman Kardon audio package, which included 18 premium speakers and an Logic7 GreenEdge amplifier. The sound will blow you away, especially the bass. The subwoofers were under the cargo floor in the trunk, and had their own power source. In place of a spare — since there was not enough room for it in the trunk — my Challenger came with a tyre inflation/leak stop kit. The trunk does have 16.2 cu ft of cargo space and a wide opening. The rear seat folded 60/40 for more space to haul stuff. A stroller, a couple of golf bags, lots of beach stuff or luggage would fit the unexpanded trunk. With the seat folded, the trunk/cargo area could hold lots of larger stuff such as sports equipment or DIY supplies. A Uconnect package included CD/DVD/MP3 audio with navigation and a 40GB hard drive, SiriusXM real-time traffic and travel link. The navigation system was relatively easy to programme and follow, and had voice recognition in addition to touch-screen operation. As you might expect, the Challenger SRT8 392 isn’t a fuel-efficient vehicle. Manual and automatic alike are EPA rated for 14 mpg in the city and 23 on the highway. For this review, I averaged 17.2 mpg with mostly stop-and-go, rush-hour highway driving. — Fort Worth Star-Telegram/MCT   (Price and technical specifications may vary in locally available models)    

* Mikhail Davidov is a senior security consultant with the 20-person Leviathan Security Group. Duncan Smith, left, is his colleague. A Leviathan official says most of their clients are Fortune 1000 companies.   Cyberattacks are costing corporations — and consumers — a lot. And these programmers are at the forefront of the security battle. By Erik Lacitis He’s 26, likes industrial and electronic music, has a bleached-blond Mohawk haircut and sometimes, Mikhail Davidov said, he starts his day “at the crack of noon.” The late hours are in front of a computer, working on reverse engineering, tearing apart computer programs to find their vulnerabilities. Sometimes he works 18 hours straight. “There are few hackers out there who are ‘morning people’,”  Davidov said. These days, the front lines for security don’t only include soldiers carrying weapons. They include computer whiz kids like Davidov, who works for the Leviathan Security Group, a 20-person firm that operates out of second-floor offices in a renovated 1918 building in Seattle. Chad Thunberg, chief operating officer of Leviathan, said he can relate to Davidov, remembering his own younger days. Thunberg, who is 35 and married with two children, said, “I’m considered a grandpa in my industry. There was a time when I was the Mikhail equivalent. You live and breathe security.” Cyberattacks are costing corporations — and consumers — a lot. In a six-year span starting in 2005, data breaches in 33 countries, including the US, cost the firms involved more than $156bn, according to the nonprofit Digital Forensics Association. Every second, in various parts of the world, there are 18 cybercrime victims — some 1.6mn a day — according to a 2012 Norton by Symantec study. Recently, the Wenatchee World newspaper reported that a Leavenworth, Washington, hospital said hackers stole more than $1mn from the hospital’s electronic bank account. The treasurer said it had been able to retrieve about $133,000 by notifying recipient bank accounts, most in the Midwest and East Coast. And the Associated Press reported that LivingSocial, an online deals site, said that its website was hacked and the personal data of more than 50mn customers may have been affected — names, e-mail addresses, date of birth of some users and encrypted passwords. Then there are the Chinese hackers, who blasted into the news in February when Mandiant, an Internet security firm, released a report saying that a group linked to the People’s Liberation Army had systemically stolen confidential data from at least 141 American firms. In his State of the Union address, President Barack Obama warned: “Now our enemies are also seeking the ability to sabotage our power grid, our financial institutions and our air traffic control systems.” That makes Internet security a booming industry, at an estimated nearly $1bn a year in 2012, according to the consulting firm Frost & Sullivan. Another “white hat” hacker is Adam Cecchetti, 31, who used to work at Leviathan and then in 2010 became one of the founders of Deja vu Security, which operates out of a second-floor renovated loft in Seattle’s Capitol Hill. Sometimes, he has coloured his hair blue. Davidov and Cecchetti are on the front lines of fighting off the “black hat” hackers. Yes, that is how they describe their enemy. The latter includes those sending out phishing e-mails that look like they came from a legitimate source but are fakes trying to get your passwords and credit-card information. Or maybe they are black hats trying to compromise a company’s website just so they can boast about it in hacker circles. For the white hats, their unique skill at finding where a program is vulnerable and how to close the digital doors that the black hats use to penetrate a website is worth $120,000 to $130,000 a year, Thunberg said. “Companies are being attacked by bad people, and if they want to defend themselves, they have to attract these scarce people,” he said. “There are maybe 1,000 individuals of this nature in the world. They have this unique hacker mind-set.” Their clients aren’t exactly keen to publicise that they seek Internet security, said Thunberg, and that’s often written into their contracts with Leviathan. Thunberg said his company’s average contract size is for around $70,000. Citing privacy, he said only that most are Fortune 1000 companies. But one client that didn’t mind talking is a Washington, DC-based company called Silent Circle. For $20 a month, it offers a service that encrypts voice, text and video on a user’s smartphone, tablet or computer. Their customers, said Jon Callas, Silent Circle’s chief technical officer, include US businesses “doing work in China and Eastern Europe and other places where they don’t want their phone calls tapped.” His company, Callas said, hired Leviathan to evaluate the encrypting software for vulnerabilities and fix them. “They helped us find problems before anybody else did,” said Callas. At Deja vu Security, Cecchetti said, work that they’ve done includes posing as new employees at a financial institution, given the standard access to computers. Firms routinely give computer “administrative privileges” to only a handful of individuals. But, Cecchetti said, “within a couple of weeks, we had basically control of the entire organisation and could access pretty much anything we wanted.” Deja vu put together “a very large report” on how to fix things, he said. Hackers such as Davidov and Cecchetti have certain similarities. For one thing, they started tinkering with computers when they were kids, and that passion never stopped. Cecchetti grew up in Greensburg, Pennsylvania. He helped start a computer club in high school and said that although he ran track and played soccer, “I was plenty nerdy.” As a teen in the 1990s, he was programming video games and went on to creating simple websites, before they had become ubiquitous. Cecchetti earned a master’s from Carnegie Mellon University in electrical and computer engineering, and ended up in Seattle in 2005, working for Amazon to keep black hats from breaking in. Davidov is the son of Russian immigrants. His father worked at a tech firm in Moscow and got a visa to come to the US in 1995, moving the family to Woodinville, Washington. But even in the old country, when he was 5, Davidov said, he was using a computer his father brought home, “playing little DOS games,” the early operating system. By his teen years, Davidov was hacking into video games so he could beat them. Having promised his parents that he’d go to college, Davidov enrolled at the DigiPen Institute of Technology in Redmond, and earned a four-year degree in “Real-Time Interactive Simulation.” Said Davidov, “That means I know video games.” It is the ability to look at programs over, under, sideways and down that makes a Davidov so valuable, and in such short supply. At the University of Washington’s renowned Computer Science and Engineering programme, out of nearly 50 faculty members, “we have one full-time faculty member, Yoshiro Kohno, who is a superstar in computer security, but we’re hoping to grow in that area in the near future,” said its chairman, Hank Levy. But even with more college classes in cybersecurity, it is real-world experience that is needed, said Davidov. Outside of a school’s lab, he said, it all gets “much grander in scope.” There are also personal aspects, he said, such as when he delivers a report to developers who had spent a long time working on a program, and he points out its security flaws. The developers, he said, “can get a little defensive, and it can become a little confrontational.” For both Davidov and Cecchetti, it was a conscious, and simple, decision to become a white hat. Said Cecchetti: “I’m not in this business to harm people, or to take Grandma’s savings, or deface somebody’s website.” There is plenty of money to be made in Internet security. “Things are very good,” Cecchetti said about Deja vu, which has a staff of a dozen. Companies pay for security because getting hacked can cost plenty. At Leviathan, on one of the brick walls are a dozen or so framed exotic bugs. Chad Thunberg, as one of Leviathan’s bosses at the 20-person company, said that every time the company finds “a big-deal” bug in software, up goes another display insect. At Deja vu, a small gong gets banged when there is some good news. “Deja vu” is a very specific reference point in the hacker mentality. Cecchetti said it’s from the 1999 movie The Matrix, which he figures he’s seen 10 or 20 times. The hero, played by Keanu Reeves, is a hacker in a future time in which humans live in an artificial reality. In the movie, Reeves sees a black cat walk by, and then immediately sees the same black cat walk by again. “Whoa. Deja vu,” he says. It turns out that “deja vu” is a glitch in the matrix, and happens when something is changed in that cyberspace reality. The logo for Deja vu Security even has a black cat. Cecchetti now is one of those who hires, and said that when interviewing applicants, he wants to know: “Can they see things from the perspective of a hacker, gleeful to see how things are made? They need to want to peel away the layers. What happens if I make a very small change in the system?” If you can do that, you can come to the office in any hairstyle you want. “It’s usually a little bit of a shock,” Davidov said about how some clients react to his Mohawk. “But once they start seeing the output of the work we do, they find it almost endearing.” — The Seattle Times/MCT    

* A model (left) that was digitally acquired by using a 3-D scanner, the scanned data processed using MeshLab, and the resulting 3-D model used by a rapid prototyping machine to create the resin replica (right).                               Photographs: Wikipedia  By Omar L Gallaga   If you are old enough to have experienced it, you probably had that moment in the ’90s or early 2000s when you realised everything was about to change. The sweeping Internet was changing music, reading, how we processed information, even the words we used to communicate. The change was fundamental and it happened so quickly, many of us had to catch our breath and keep ourselves from getting dizzy when we realised its significance. It may sound like hype, and I’ll try to avoid overstating it, but a lot of us who write about where technology is going are starting to feel the same kind of change in the air. It’s because of another emerging technology that will likely rush in and modify our daily lives before we even know it’s happening: 3-D printing. At this year’s South by Southwest Interactive, 3-D printing was the subject of panels, workshops and a well-received opening remarks session from Bre Pettis, a former teacher who now runs a 3-D printer company called MakerBot. Pettis did a nice job explaining the significance and practical applications of 3-D printing without sounding like a salesman. In addition to toys, trinkets and plastic do-dads like replacement parts for home appliances, a 3-D printer can mass-produce medical tools and even prosthetic limbs for children. It can also make cheap parts to build firearms. Unlike some technologies touted at the festival, this one felt less like a possible future and more like an inevitability. It no longer feels like a matter of whether 3-D printers will come along and change our lives; it now seems like only a question of how soon. Richard Goodwin, a technical product manager at Rackspace in Austin, is one of those guys who’s taking the hits on the speed bumps of new technology before early adopters even get there. He bought a printer called a Mosaic 1 from a company called MakerGear, and when he started printing small objects like Yoda heads and bracelets, he says he found “worlds of fun, small countries of frustration.” 3-D printers are still so new that they can be finicky. The way many of them work is this: In a space the shape of a box, a nozzle heats up material (typically plastic, liquid or powder depending on the device) and “prints” a flat layer on a surface, using information from a virtual 3-D model. The nozzle goes up a tiny bit (about 0.1mm in most cases) and prints another layer on top of that, molding the material together. It does that again and again, moving around in the space of the box until it has made an object. 3-D printers can cost tens of thousands of dollars, but some of the more consumer-friendly ones can be had for about $2,000 or less and are quickly getting cheaper. Goodwin says that 3-D printer hobbyists have to learn how to calibrate a printer, what to do when a printing fails and how to wait, sometimes for hours, for the process to finish. “The technology is nowhere near, say, an inkjet printer yet,” Goodwin said. He compares having a 3-D printer now to being one of the first TV owners. It might have worked fine part of the time, but sometimes you’d “spend a half hour tinkering with the dials, the antenna and smacking it on the side just to get that snowy mess to turn into a perfect picture everyone could enjoy,” he said. There’s a large online community of “Makers” who share designs for objects that can be downloaded from sites like Thingiverse.com and printed. But who owns a 3-D design if it’s modelled after, say, a Disney character? We’re due for a major showdown on the copyright implications of 3-D printing. But it also opens up the idea of a future where many of us just download and print out goods instead of buying them online and having them shipped. Feel that sea change? Clay Shortall, the founder of Austin’s Shortall Architectural Design, echoed some of the tinkering troubles that Goodwin expressed. He has a 3-D printer called a Replicator 2 from MakerBot that he’s played around with at home. “They’re really cool and fun to play with,” Shortall said, the kind of technology you want to show off to guests when they come over, he said. “It’s a fun party trick,” Shortall said. “It’s the new thing.” But Shortall has gotten more use from the Replicator 2 by testing out models for much larger projects that will eventually be printed on large, industrial machines out of materials like limestone or granite. For $25 or so, he can print a smaller version of, say a home or a skate park he’s helping design. Shortall, who also teaches at the University of Texas, has found it a useful educational tool. It’s one thing to model something virtually on a computer; it’s another to test out the structural soundness of a physical model you can hold in your hands. He says it can save students time to have a 3-D printed object created in a few hours rather than building the same object by hand. “We haven’t figured out all the nuances of it yet,” Shortall said. He imagines that before the tech can go mainstream, many more people will have to find ways to make 3-D printing useful and incorporate it into their lives in time-saving ways. How long will that be? If I had to guess, I’d say that within two or three years, as the hardware and software improves, more early adopters will want to experiment with printers and 3-D scanners. Perhaps in five years, we’ll see idiot-proof 3-D printers for just a few hundred dollars, ready for your home. 3-D printing may look different and come in a different kind of box by then, but it’s a safe bet that one way or another, it’s in our future. —Austin American-Statesman/MCT   Why are people buying ‘Bitcoins’? A new kind of online currency that favours anonymity and is (so far) very secure has been in the news recently as its value has shot up dramatically. But most people still don’t know what a Bitcoin is and where it comes from. Bitcoin’s origins are murky, but it began as a project in 2009 under the pseudonym “Satoshi Nakamoto”. Sophisticated programming creates new Bitcoins at a set rate of time. Those who trade Bitcoins install so-called wallet software on their computers that allows them to buy or sell Bitcoins online. While some exchanges for Bitcoins have been hacked, the currency itself has so far held secure; no one has yet been able to copy a Bitcoin. The wallet software keeps identities of buyers and sellers anonymous, which has caused Bitcoins to be linked to illicit markets. Only 21mn Bitcoins are planned to be created and perhaps because of that limit and the slowing rate of new Bitcoin creation, their value continues to climb. As of this writing, a Bitcoin is worth more than $200, but the pricing fluctuates wildly. The rush to buy Bitcoins as the value has soared has fuelled concerns that there may be a bubble in the Bitcoin market. A crash of the currency last week (which then rebounded) doesn’t seem to have alleviated those fears.    

By Mark Phelan   Like a butterfly breaking out of its chrysalis, the 2014 Mazda CX-5 Grand Touring crossover emerges transformed this spring. The 2013 CX-5 that debuted a year ago was the first vehicle to use Mazda’s highly touted, awkwardly named SkyActiv suite of systems to improve fuel economy. The 2014 CX-5 soars above that caterpillar, thanks to a new engine that boosts horsepower 19% and torque 23% without reducing fuel economy. The CX-5 competes with five-passenger crossover SUVs like the Chevrolet Equinox, Dodge Journey, Ford Escape, Honda CR-V, Hyundai Santa Fe Sport, Kia Sportage; Nissan Rogue, Toyota RAV4 and Volkswagen Tiguan. The new 2.5-litre engine produces 184hp and 185 pound-feet of torque at 3,250 rpm. That’s an unusually low torque peak for an engine without a turbocharger. For instance, the Honda CR-V’s 2.4-litre four-cylinder engine peaks at 163 pound-feet at 4,400 rpm. Behind the wheel, the CX-5’s higher torque at lower engine speed translates to smooth, confident acceleration and good throttle response. The CX-5 has more torque at lower rpm than the non-turbo four-cylinder engines in the Equinox, Journey, Escape, CR-V, Sportage, Rogue and RAV4. The 2.5-litre engine comes with the CX-5’s two upper trim levels: Touring and Grand Touring. The weak-kneed — 155hp at 6,000rpm, 150 pound-feet at 4,000rpm — 2.0-litre carries over on the Sport model. Prices for the 2014 Mazda CX-5 start at $21,195 (in the US) for a front-wheel drive Sport with the 2.0-litre and six-speed manual transmission. A six-speed automatic raises the tab to $22,595. Adding all-wheel drive — available only with the automatic — kicks it up to $23,845. The 2.5-litre cures what ails the Sport. Starting at $24,615 in a front-drive Touring — $25,865 for AWD — it restores Mazda to the forefront of fun, affordable driving. Prices for the CX-5 Grand Touring start at $27,620 for front-drive and $28,870 for AWD. The 2.5-litre engine only comes with a six-speed automatic transmission. I tested a very well-equipped front-drive CX-5 priced at $29,845. It featured excellent interior materials and Bose audio, a power sun roof, blind spot alert, Bluetooth phone and audio compatibility and voice recognition. I’ve evaluated several crossovers that cost more but offered less. In addition to the new engine, the quick-shifting six-speed automatic transmission locks its torque converter at low speeds to reduce internal slip and increase efficiency. The CX-5 is also one of the lightest vehicles in its class. The CX-5 leapt forward when I depressed the accelerator. Acceleration was smooth and assured, though the engine gets noisy when you floor it. Road and wind noise are also noticeable above 60mph. The crossover’s handling is the sportiest and most enjoyable among its competitors. Quick and responsive steering provides plenty of feedback and firm on-centre feel. The suspension keeps the CX-5 stable and confident in quick manoeuvres. Body roll, squat and dive are minimal. The interior provides plenty of passenger and cargo space, and is trimmed in high-quality materials. In an age of over-complicated, less than helpful controls, the CX-5 Grand Touring’s combination of a few simple buttons and dials with a small touch screen is a breath of fresh air. The voice recognition system understands words and commands well, but requires more steps than the best competitors. The attractive exterior styling features flared fenders, scalloped sides and a sloping roofline. Less gimmicky than the overdone Mazda 3 compact, it’s the brand’s most appealing-looking model in years. After a false start with 2013’s 2.0-litre, Mazda takes flight with the sporty, efficient and well-equipped 2014 CX-5 Grand Touring. — Detroit Free Press/MCT   l Price and technical specifications may vary in locally available models   In a nutshell   In a nutshell Type of vehicle: Front-wheel drive five-passenger crossover SUV Rating: Four out of four stars Reasons to buy: Fuel economy; performance; looks; interior materials; features; value Shortcomings: Interior noise; voice-recognition commands. Transmission: Six-speed automatic Engine: 2.5-litre direct-injected DOHC variable timing 16-valve four-cylinder. Power: 184hp at 5,700 rpm; 185 pound-feet of torque at 3,250 rpm Transmission: Six-speed automatic    

Some e-mails that are on Google seem to disappear when I delete them. They are not in the trash or spam. Frequently I need to return to a message and cannot find it. Where are they? Any message you delete from your Gmail inbox is moved into the trash folder just in case you decide you need it later. But that grace period only lasts 30 days. After that, Gmail automatically deletes the message from your account for good. The spam folder works a bit differently. Deleting a message marked as spam causes it to skip the trash folder altogether, so you have to be careful not to purge your account of useful e-mails that accidentally got caught up in Google’s spam filter. That’s easy to do, since Google gives you the option to delete all spam messages with a single click. If you’re having trouble locating deleted messages via search, it’s important to note that by default, messages filed as trash don’t show up in your search results. To reveal what you might have accidentally deleted (provided it hasn’t passed the 30-day expiration date), type “in:anywhere” along with your search query. This tells Gmail to look in all folders — even in spam and trash. If you’re still seeing this problem, even with messages that aren’t 30 days old, you should consider changing your password and taking other steps to secure your account (Google provides more details on that here: https://support.google.com/mail/answer/78353). A symptom like this doesn’t necessarily mean your account has been compromised, but it’s always better to be safe than sorry.   I have two desktop Macs, one purchased in 2003 and the other in 2006. That later one has developed bad pixels. When it first started, I went to the Apple store and was told there wasn’t anything I could do for the computer because it was too old and it would cost too much to repair. I asked why this would happen on the newer one when the older one had no such problem. They told me the screen was probably manufactured by a different supplier. Even though the lines are on the desktop, I can still read my sites and e-mails. What can I expect if this continues? Dead pixels on LCD screens are a frustrating problem that can range from a minor annoyance to a major impediment. That problem is amplified if your display is built into the CPU, as is the case with Apple’s iMac line. Although it’s not a terribly common occurrence, pixel death is essentially a random electrical problem, and as the Apple technician seemed to indicate, it’s often attributed to a manufacturing issue. There are also a number of solutions online for fixing stuck pixels, which display only red, green or blue. I can’t speak to their efficacy though. What you can expect in the future is difficult to predict, says Jason Childers, lead technician at the North Carolina computer repair shop Raleigh Geeks. “You honestly never know,” Childers said. “It could stay the way it is or it could get worse.” If things get really bad, it’s possible to replace the LCD altogether. But this can get expensive, and Childers said the price is hard to estimate unless he knows the specific part number. Still, it may be end up being cheaper than a brand new desktop. — By Tyler Dukes, The News & Observer/MCT

 Why music discovery service on the micro-blogging site is going to work ... By Jessica Guynn and Dawn C Chmielewski     Will a song be worth more than 140 characters to Twitter users? After testing out a new music discovery service with celebrities such as Ryan Seacrest, Blake Shelton, Ne-Yo and Moby, Twitter is clicking “play” on Twitter #Music. The free service became available recently at https://music.twitter.com and as an application for the iPhone in the US, Canada, Britain, Ireland, Australia and New Zealand, Twitter said. There is no Android app yet, but Twitter is working on one. Users can find tracks that are popular on Twitter, tracks from emerging artists and tracks that are popular with their friends. They can also check out the music of the artists they follow and the artists that those artists follow. Last week, Twitter bought music recommendation and streaming service We Are Hunted, which shut down its operation. The social media company is also reportedly negotiating with Viacom Inc and Comcast Corp’s NBC to get additional video content for its Twitter TV effort, Bloomberg reported. The music service’s debut comes less than three months after the release of a Twitter video app called Vine that lets users make six-second clips that can be played in a loop. “Twitter and music go great together. People share and discover new songs and albums every day. Many of the most-followed accounts on Twitter are musicians, and half of all users follow at least one musician,” Stephen Philips, founder of We Are Hunted, wrote in a Twitter blog post. Twitter tried to get a head start on building an audience for the music service by letting celebrities play with it first. (Wiz Khalifa last week tweeted: “Man this new Twitter music app is insane!”) Twitter users will be able to listen to previews of tracks from iTunes or subscribe to Spotify or Rdio to listen to full-length tracks. Other subscription services are interested in partnering with Twitter as well, according to one industry observer who spoke on condition of anonymity. “We will continue to explore and add other music service providers,” Philips said. The San Francisco company is expanding beyond chatter and photos into other forms of media to broaden its appeal and step up engagement with its more than 200mn monthly users in order to gain more opportunities to show ads. Twitter is expected to more than double its advertising revenue this year to $583mn, from $283mn last year. Twitter does not disclose its financial performance but is widely believed to be gearing up for an initial public stock offering this year or next. Chief Executive Dick Costolo has downplayed those expectations, saying the company has raised more than enough money to remain private for the foreseeable future. Just like Facebook before it, Twitter launched its music service without striking deals with music companies. Instead, the company used existing deals the labels have in place with subscription music services, choosing to partner with Spotify and Rdio. The earlier Facebook integration allowed Spotify to expand its reach. Twitter’s new music service could ultimately pay dividends for the artists and the music companies. Smartphones are increasingly the music player of choice for consumers. Alice Enders, a senior media analyst at Enders Analysis in London, said musical artists enjoy some of the largest followings on Twitter. “So the fans that follow these artists will enjoy sharing the snippets of tracks that Justin Bieber recommends to his followers on Twitter, rather than popping on to (video site) Vevo to check out his latest videos,” Enders said in an e-mail interview. Enders said she sees the Twitter music offering as complementary to Facebook’s artist pages, which offer a richer experience — containing photos and information about upcoming tour dates. Because tweets already can contain links to music on Vevo, it’s not a game changer in terms of how Twitter is used to share music socially, she said. “Twitter music is for snippets of tracks. To listen to the whole track, you have to go off the platform to Spotify or Rdio,” Enders wrote. “I think snippets and tracks are feature-poor in relation to the music videos on Vevo. I am doubtful that YouTube will be dethroned by Twitter as the leading site for music in general in the US.” Anthony Mullen, a senior analyst at Forrester Research, said Twitter’s music service will provide a much-needed shot in the arm for music discovery. “Apple (is) poor at discovery and especially poor at social (remember Ping?),” Mullen wrote in response to e-mailed questions. “Twitter excels in both of these areas, so their impact on discovery will be considerable.” Mullen said it will be interesting to see how people use their connections through social networks for music recommendations. “I notice from my own behaviour that the people I friend on Last.fm and Spotify are often not my Facebook friends,” Mullen said. “Leveraging the pre-existing social graphs of consumers for recommendations will be interesting, as some people use Twitter in a themed manner. ... I wonder how many people will create new accounts to steer their recommendations pool more effectively.” — Los Angeles Times /MCT  

By Stefanie Koller   To lose a passport was the least of one’s worries. To lose a notebook was a catastrophe.” Those words were written by the British novelist and travel author Bruce Chatwin (1940-1989) in his book The Songlines from 1987. Since Chatwin’s day, notebooks have come in for stiff competition. Smartphones, tablets and notebook computers are a common way to record ideas, thoughts and appointments. And yet no self-respecting stationery store would refuse to stock notebooks made from paper. Thomas Kirschmeier from the Rhinegold marketing institute says demand for classic notebooks is holding up. “In a world where almost everyone has a smartphone, a tablet or a notebook for organising appointments and making notes, the classic notebook is a clear alternative.” It stands in diametrical opposition to the digital world. “It pacifies the daily grind and helps to slow the mental processes down. That’s something a lot of people like to do.” There’s an endless array of brands on the market such as Paperblanks, Alpha Edition, Leuchtturm 1917, Ciak — and Moleskine. The Italian firm has grown rapidly over the past years. It recently became a publicly owned company with a debut on the Milan stock exchange. Experts say one reason the company is so successful is thanks to a clever advertising campaign. “Moleskine is the heir to all of the legendary notebooks owned by artists and intellectuals of past 200 years. From Vincent Van Gogh to Pablo Picasso, from Ernest Hemingway to Bruce Chatwin,” says the company on its Internet page. “The link to prominent names and long dead poets and philosophers leads you back to old values,” explains Kirschmeier. Brand expert Oliver Hupp from the market research institute GfK says the key to turning a simple product like a notebook into a success story is to transform it into a trend. The driving force behind that change at Moleskine, according to the company, was Maria Sebregondi. She discovered Chatwin’s works and suggested the small Milan publisher Modo & Modo should begin producing the notebooks again. In The Songlines, Chatwin writes that he used to buy his notebooks in a small shop in Paris until the maker died. The heirs sold the business and the notebooks were no more. “In France, these notebooks are known as carnets moleskines: ‘moleskine,’ in this case, being its black oilcloth binding,” wrote Chatwin. “The pages were squared and the end-papers held in place with an elastic band.” The new Moleskine notebooks first went on sale in 1997. Last year 15mn notebooks and other Moleskine products were sold.  Business increased 17%  and sales of €78mn were made. The main markets are Europe, the Middle East and Africa but growth is fastest at the moment in the United States and China. Along with the classic notebook, Moleskine also makes calendars, bags and pens. Over 90% of Moleskine’s business is from paper products. “Things that you need for organising your private life like high quality pens go well with Moleskine,” says Kirschmeier. “I think the one thing Moleskine cannot do is get involved with the digital world.” – DPA      

By Mark Phelan The 2013 Lexus LS 460 AWD F Sport is the best-looking and most responsive version of Lexus’ flagship sedan yet. The sedan showcases Lexus’ new design theme with a big trapezoidal grille, LED running lights and elegant lines. The attractive F-Sport package includes 19-inch, 10-spoke wheels; grille inserts; and a lowered suspension. Prices for the 2013 Lexus LS 460 start at $71,990 (in the US) for a rear-drive, short-wheelbase version. Non-hybrid versions of the LS have a 386hp 4.6-litre V-8 engine. The engine is detuned to 360hp for all-wheel drive models. All LS models but the hybrid use an eight-speed automatic transmission. The LS 460 L long-wheelbase model is 5 inches longer than the 200-inch-long base car.  The hybrid LS 600h L comes with AWD, the long wheelbase, continuously variable automatic transmission and a 5.0-litre V-8 and electric motor that produce a total of 438hp. I tested an LS 460 AWD. It had the F Sport package, 19-speaker Mark Levinson audio system, navigation, voice recognition, Bluetooth compatibility and a big 12.3-inch screen. The LS 460 AWD competes with big luxury sedans like the Audi A8 4.0T Quattro, BMW 750i xDrive, Jaguar XJ AWD, Mercedes-Benz S550 4Matic and Porsche Panamera 4S. It’s less expensive than comparably equipped models from BMW, Mercedes and Porsche. The Audi and Jag cost less, though the short-wheelbase Jag only comes with a 340hp supercharged V6 engine that’s less powerful than the LS 460’s V-8. That’s the only one of the competitive engines that trails the Lexus, however. Neither power nor fuel efficiency is the LS 460 AWD’s strong suit. The 360hp V-8 trails the German competitors by 40 to 85hp, and the LS uses more fuel than all the competitors except the aged S550, which will be replaced by a new car this autumn. The LS 460 AWD’s EPA rating is an unimpressive 16mpg city, 23 highway and 18 combined. The combined figure is 1-3 mpg lower than the Audi, BMW, Jag and Porsche. The LS 460 AWD’s 0-60 mph time trails the A8, 750i, Panamera and S550. Lexus’ eight-speed transmission has improved immensely from its early days, when it hunted restlessly from one gear to another. Shifts are now quick and nearly imperceptible. The gearbox selects the appropriate gearing and sticks with it. The Lexus’ handling is fine for a big, heavy car. The steering is direct and provides some feedback in the driver-selectable sport modes. The F Sport’s adaptive air suspension absorbs bumps for a comfortable ride. The interior is handsome and restrained. Soft leather covers nearly every surface. Wood and aluminum trim attractively lightened the all-black interior of the car I tested. The centre console and doors provide plenty of storage. The seats are supportive and comfortable. Luggage space trumps all competitors but the hatchback Panamera. Lexus’ Enform connectivity system uses your smartphone for access to Internet services like Bing, Pandora Internet radio, Facebook Places and other services. It performs well, but you have to download an app and register with Lexus to use the system. That’s more than other automakers’ systems require. The LS’ voice recognition works well for phone calls and to set destinations for the navigation system. It doesn’t respond to the command “Cancel,” however. That’s an odd oversight. A joystick near the shifter on the centre console controls the navigation, climate, audio, systems and more. It’s difficult and distracting to use in a moving vehicle. Lexus would be better off using a touch screen with big icons. Only the presence of secondary controls for some functions saves the joystick from being a complete disaster. Despite that, the 2013 LS 460 AWD F-Sport is a luxurious and accommodating sedan. While it lacks any technical or performance advantage over its European competitors, its looks, classy interior and reputation for service and quality should please its owners. — Detroit Free Press/MCT   l (Price and technical specifications may vary in locally available models)   In a nutshell   In a nutshell Engine: 4.6-litre direct-injected DOHC variable-timing 32-valve V-8 Power: 360hp at 6,400 rpm; 347 pound-feet of torque at 4,100 rpm Transmission: Eight-speed automatic Reasons to buy: Styling, interior materials, all-wheel drive, trunk size, reputation for quality and service Shortcomings: Fuel economy, power, balky controls, weight    

By Michael Fischer   Germany’s armed forces are squaring up to one of the most challenging logistical tasks in their entire 58-year modern history. The mission is to transport as many as 4,800 containers of valuable equipment and 1,200 vehicles back to Germany at the end of deployment in Afghanistan. What is more, they only have 100 weeks in which to do it. Turkey is the hub for most of the operation which brings the German force in Afghanistan full circle. It was 11 years ago that the first detachment flew via the Turkish port-city of Trabzon in a Transall cargo plane on its way to the Hindu Kush. The containers, military material of all kinds and the vehicles will be funnelled back to Germany via Turkey up until the end of 2014. The operation will take place in two stages. The first leg will be by air from the Bundeswehr armed forces HQ at Mazar-e-Sharif as far as Trabzon. The second leg back home again will be mainly by sea from the Black Sea port. Bound for Germany is a wide range of equipment ranging from machine-guns to steel lockers and computers. Current planning envisages around 85% of the material being shipped via Trabzon. “The Bundeswehr has never had an operation on this scale,” said Lieutenant-Colonel Gabriele Voyé, a logistics expert with the Bundeswehr at Geltow near Potsdam. Up to 300 specialists will be stationed in Afghanistan itself to ensure that operation “Relocation”, as the Bundeswehr terms it, goes ahead smoothly. Their main task is to speed through the movement of material at the Bundeswehr HQ in northern Afghanistan. Everything is being gathered there — from armoured cars to field kitchens — indeed the entire gamut of items which have seen service over the last decade. Each piece of equipment is being catalogued, packed for despatch and disinfected in order to rule out animal diseases being imported into Germany. For the trip to Trabzon, the Bundeswehr has hired a small fleet of transport aircraft from Russian and Ukrainian makers Antonov und Ilyushin. The giant planes are more than twice the size of the Germans’ own planes. The hold of an Antonov is 37m long — more than enough to accommodate two Marder armoured infantry vehicles. Up to 200 soldiers will secure the Trabzon hub during the operation. The Bundeswehr has rented 30,000 sq m of quayside storage. “The plan is that a ship will leave here roughly once every three months,” said a Bundeswehr spokesman in Trabzon. Some 300 Bundeswehr vehicles can fit onto a freighter which will set off for Germany via the Mediterranean, the Atlantic and the North Sea. The trips will take around two weeks. Some equipment with sensitive technology, which must not fall into the wrong hands, cannot be shipped home via Turkey. Arms, armoured vehicles and related items will be flown directly from Mazar-e-Sharif to Germany. Weapons account for only 5% of the shipment volume. The cheapest way of getting the machinery back to Germany is by road, but this method plays little more than a symbolic role. After lengthy negotiations, Nato last year reached deals with neighbouring Uzbekistan and with Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan on transit rights. Despite that accord, scarcely more than 10% of the Bundeswehr equipment will be routed this way, moving via Latvia and finally by roll-on-roll-off ferry from the Baltic port of Klaipeda. Sending equipment by land and sea costs only a tenth of the air-freight charges, but it takes five weeks to complete the trip. Not only that, en route from Afghanistan to Germany are five national borders to be crossed, which makes it difficult to compile a reliable timetable. “We are very much dependent on the speed of transit through the individual countries,” said logistics expert Voyé. One way around this would be to use the Pakistan port of Karachi, reached via the Khyber Pass, but this would only really make sense for material from the Afghan capital Kabul, where the Bundeswehr has only a modest presence. It is still not clear just how much equipment will end up back in Germany. This is down to a lack of political certainty over Germany’s post-2014 role in Afghanistan when Berlin’s authorisation for the Nato military operation expires. Berlin has offered to keep training officers and advisers in Afghanistan, but no firm decision on the matter has been made. German Defence Minister Thomas de Mazière appeared to be keeping his options open when he spoke during his last visit in March. He said soldiers should ponder a number of possible scenarios. “They include the option that we switch off all the lights here on December 31, 2014, through to a continued presence of some kind in the north and in Kabul and all the eventualities in-between.” More detailed plans of Germany’s Afghan presence are likely to be presented before national elections slated for the autumn. — DPA        

By Kirk Ladendorf     Mobile payments technology, over time, could have a profound impact on the way products are sold, bills are paid and money is transferred around the world. But some of the experts who look at the new technology say they have unanswered questions about the security and privacy issues tied to the payments format. Payments industry executives say the technology is good and getting better. But security experts say the swift growth of smartphone use inevitably is going to attract fraud. And as more consumers use their mobile phones as payment devices, the potential risks can increase. Dallas-based NQ Mobile, which provides security software for smartphones, says it saw more than 65,000 new malware threats released worldwide in 2012, up from 24,000 the year before. Malware and phony app sites can direct unsuspecting phone users to sites where they give up sensitive personal information, such as bank account passwords. “It is a real problem, and it is growing,” said Gavin Kim, chief commercial officer of the company. “Smartphone sales are booming, and they are becoming a much more targeted device by hackers.” The company sells software that can identify mobile phone apps sites and protect users against malware and viruses. Interest in the mobile phone security software is growing, but the company estimates that only about 8% of the mobile market actually uses security products on phones. Executives in the payments industry say payments processors and their network of affiliated merchants are constantly improving technology and processes to combat fraud. “I am completely comfortable and confident in the level of security of these transactions. In our system, the information is encrypted from end to end,” said Brent Warrington, CEO of Austin, Texas-based SecureNet, which processes both online and mobile payment transactions. While security concerns are being addressed rapidly, privacy advocates see no quick remedy for concerns about potential misuse of growing mountains of electronic data tied to the spending patterns of individual consumers. The same technology that makes mobile payments convenient also makes it easier for data analytics companies to get a better fix on where they spend their time and where and what they buy. Data analytics companies already pore through massive amounts of consumer data in order to give retailers and lenders a better idea of how to market to them. Some of those tech analytics companies compile secret “e-scores” that rank consumers and that are claimed to predict consumer spending. That trend alarms some privacy advocates, such as Jeff Chester with the Center for Digital Democracy in Washington. Chester says mobile payments can create another deluge of data that enable some clever analytics companies to score and secretly rank them as consumers. Mobile payment “is about exposing your financial behaviour to a daisy chain of financial and other marketers who have a very detailed understanding of where you are, how you spend your time and what you buy,” Chester said in an interview with McClatchy Newspapers. Personal health information and credit scores are closely guarded information in the US. Chester believes other data that go into e-scores also should be regulated to prevent invasion of privacy and unfair discrimination by retailers and other businesses. At present, he said, there are no such protections to the new kinds of data, which will proliferate with mobile payments. The collection of data, Chester said, “needs to be transparent and accountable. All these new, nontraditional data services are unregulated, and they need to be regulated. There should not be any kind of financial profile on a consumer that he or she can’t have access to review and to challenge.” —Austin American-Statesman/MCT   Security tips n “Locking” the phone with a password to protect stored data if the phone is stolen or lost. n Installing security software on the phone. n Keeping the phone clean of personal data such as address information and bank account information. n Being very careful not to provide personal information when downloading new apps from unknown sources. n  Being wary of using personal information when connected to the Internet over public Wi-Fi hotspots. n Notifying the mobile carrier quickly when the phone is stolen so it can disable both the phone and the apps that are on it.        

For now, they are banned for commercial purposes in the US. But in five years, experts predict, more than 10,000 drones will be working overhead for American businesses. Some say the number might soar as high as 30,000. By Edward M Eveld & Lee Hill Kavanaugh   Tiger One sits on the ground like a hubcap-sized, four-legged spider. Or maybe a Lego-coloured prop for a sci-fi movie. In minutes, journalism students will try to pilot this thing they call a J-bot, but the world knows it as a drone. They’re not computer engineers or information technology experts. They’re future story-tellers learning how a cheap technology can enhance their reporting with a bird’s-eye view of a story. The US national media has zoomed in on the University of Missouri journalism drone class in recent weeks. Is this yet another dimension of the coming of the drones, the future tool of the celebrity-chasing paparazzi? For now, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is holding them back, along with hundreds of other business applications, creating frustration over lost opportunities. In five years, experts predict, more than 10,000 drones will be working overhead for American businesses. Some say the number might soar as high as 30,000. That’s a lot of cameras staring down, some with infrared imaging, swiveling to see ever more. Every day advancements are made in the technology. As the machines become more weather-proof, with longer battery life, lighter, smaller, even bug-sized, the list of possible uses — and concerns — grows. Drones for “commercial” use are strictly banned, and the FAA has a certification process for applications beyond hobbyist uses. Several hundred certificates have been issued, mostly to government entities and to commercial operators and universities for “experimental” purposes. “Europe and Asia are flying rings around us,” said Patrick Egan, a director at the Remote Controlled Aerial Photography Association. Already, he said, Japan has issued 14,000 drone permits — mostly used for farming. Last month in London, 30 quad-copters flew in formation above the darkened London Bridge. Their mission? Create a glittering logo in the night skies promoting the next Star Trek movie. This could not be done over Hollywood or New York Harbour. The FAA is under orders to open US skies to commercial drones by late 2015, and it’s in the process of writing the rules. But two years is an unprofitable eternity for an industry already exploding in other countries. A recent report by the Association for Unmanned Vehicle Systems International predicts an economic impact of $13.6bn in the first three years of the integration of drones into airspace. No wonder more rogue drones are appearing week after week. “Some people are taking their chances and doing it anyway,” said Egan. “The FAA’s enforcement is inconsistent, but people are finding the loopholes in the rules.” Jump on YouTube to see all the dizzying angles, the sweeping visuals that hobbyists are filming with drones. Drones circle the Statue of Liberty and dart under the Golden Gate Bridge. The FAA recently grounded a Minnesota business, Fly Boys Aerial Cinematography, after someone alerted the agency. On March 25, some people say the first published drone photo in a newspaper (at least in Missouri) appeared in the St Louis Post-Dispatch. The photographer, Chris Lee, an unmanned aerial vehicle hobbyist, used his own machine and his personal camera on his day off to take a panoramic shot of a sledding hill. But a few years back, the News Corp’s iPad newspaper used what was called “a journalistic secret weapon” to record flooding over Alabama, Missouri and North Dakota. The FAA sent the group a letter with a warning, according to Reuters. That was hardly as serious as the FBI investigation about a drone that last month came within 200ft of a commercial jet landing at New York’s JFK airport. (Or as serious as the case of the Massachusetts man who plotted to load the explosive C-4 on three remote-controlled airplanes for an attack on Washington, DC. He got 17 years in prison.) Last year, the NFL petitioned the FAA to speed up regulations for commercial users. The Motion Picture Association of America has been lobbying the FAA for access for years. Television viewers already are watching drone-recorded video, experts say, such as in shows like Survivor, filmed in other countries. Rumours began late last year that TMZ, the television tabloid gossip site, was seeking drones. “While drones are, in fact, awesome,” TMZ responded, “it just ain’t true.” Mizzou’s journalism drone course — where the students practice with smaller toys that they call Baby Jayhawks because they crash all the time — is not the first. The University of Nebraska began teaching theirs last year. “You are pioneers,” says Bill Allen, an assistant professor of science journalism at Columbia, where journalism ethics are drilled into the ground pilots along with federal aviation regulations. “You don’t want to blow it by flouting the FAA rules.” At another point, he said, “Years from now, I don’t want to hear about a reporter who crossed the line and then find out that he was one of ours.” The Senate Judiciary Committee held drone hearings a few weeks ago, and the hot topic was privacy. More than 30 state legislatures are looking at new laws to regulate unmanned aerial systems, particularly those launched by government agencies but also by commercial businesses, the media and individuals. To Missouri state Rep Casey Guernsey, a family farmer in northwest Missouri, drones are a threat. “It’s very exciting to see how all of these applications can be used in the business of farming, especially in the state of Missouri,” he said. “But in terms of government surveillance, that’s a whole different ball game. “An individual’s privacy is sacred and needs to be kept sacred. We can’t do too much to protect that.” He proposed a bill, the “Preserving Freedom from Unwarranted Surveillance Act,” in response to news last year about the Environmental Protection Agency’s aerial surveillance of cattle farms in Iowa and Nebraska. However, the EPA said its observations were made from piloted planes, not drones. The measure, which passed the House by 87-66 a week ago, would make it illegal to use drones for surveillance of individuals or property without consent, except for certain law enforcement purposes. The measure also restricts the use of drones by news organisations. Testifying in favour of the Guernsey bill was the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of Eastern Missouri, a group the Republican typically doesn’t expect as a supporter. But the ACLU isn’t the only privacy group unsettled by drones. Amie Stepanovich is the director of the domestic surveillance project for the Electronic Privacy Information Center, a leader in calling for new privacy protections. Drones, said Stepanovich, “are almost a breeding ground for surveillance. Automatic licence plate readers, motion detectors, the list goes on. And they are cheap to own and operate.” Seattle police dropped a planned drone programme in February following a community outcry over privacy concerns. Bills in Indiana and Nebraska would restrict some law enforcement uses of drones. When technology is cheap, people tend to use it more, and that’s one of the chief reasons additional privacy protections are needed, Stepanovich said. Brookstone sells a quad-copter for $300. There’s also the matter of degree. Some argue that public cameras are watching us all the time anyway, but Stepanovich says even a string of building and street-level cameras have an “ending place.” “And drones can do it in a way that’s quiet, unseen, unnoticed by the individual,” she said. Although there are statutes and case law that cover privacy matters, it would be best for all if the laws were written specifically to this technology, she said. “You could promote the technology while still making sure people’s rights are protected,” she said. The unmanned aerial systems industry has a different message: Privacy issues are overblown, and drones can deliver jobs. The report by the Association for Unmanned Vehicle Systems International projects more than $82bn in economic impact by 2025, with 100,000 new jobs. That assumes the adoption of “sensible regulations.” Kansas is among the top 10 states expected to reap the most benefits. (A programme at K-State in Salina is competing to be one of the six test sites authorised for drones by the FAA.) Regions with established aerospace industries are projected to do well, and 90% of the promising commercial markets are in precision agriculture and public safety. Now is the time to promote unmanned systems, not hamper them, especially in the face of international competition, said Michael Toscano, AUVSI president and CEO. Although privacy issues get the most attention, the potential benefits of drones need to be emphasized, he said. “This technology allows us to extend our eyes and ears and hands — and our minds as well,” said Toscano, who recited all the ways he’s seen it work. Robert Blair, an Idaho farmer, is tired of naysayers who only see a boogeyman in the technology. Unmanned aerial vehicles “are a platform to gather data. We need this technology now. Our government has gotten in the way.” Blair writes a blog called the Unmanned Farmer, and he sees drones as the next evolution of precision agriculture, which uses technology to gather a cascade of information that reduces costs, increases productivity and reduces environmental impacts. Farmers only get a look at a small proportion of their fields by observing on foot or driving around them. Drones can provide aerial surveillance of crops at a fraction of the cost of piloted planes. “We’ll be able to see gradual changes in crops, insects, disease, weeds, overall plant health,” he said. Just tweaking fertiliser rates based on information from drones can easily save 20 to 25% in nutrient costs, Blair said. Multiplied over several thousand acres of farmland, that’s tens of thousands of dollars in savings. To him, drones are on a par with Eli Whitney’s cotton gin and John Deere’s plow. “There are few points in history when someone in an industry can see a long-lasting change like this.” — The Kansas City Star/MCT        

Subaru XV Crosstrek ready to whisk you to the action. By Barry Spyker   So I’ve just rambled down a gravel road, kicking up some dust and getting some grins. I step out and look around the exterior to make sure I didn’t do anything to the all-new XV Crosstrek that the folks at Subaru might frown upon. I take in the front end with its aggressive, sweep-around headlights and a grille that seems to be sneering at me. That’s when it hits me: This car’s got some attitude. Even looks aside, that’s what Subaru engineers had in mind with the Crosstrek’s 8.7 inches of ground clearance and standard all-wheel-drive. It’s a go-anywhere, anytime attitude and, while it’s not ready for rough-housing with the serious off-roaders, it is ready to take the adventuresome types where they want to bike, kayak, surf or ski. The recipe was simple enough: Subaru took its Impreza Sport hatchback, raised it some, jazzed it up with fender cladding, lowered the front scoop, and added some neat wheels and cool colours like Tangerine Orange Pearl. Oh, and a tonne of accessories to customise the Crosstrek, like a sport mesh grille, body-side mouldings or a hitch-mounted bike carrier. The result is a compact crossover that’s eager to please and fun to drive. Propelling you on your excursion is the one and only engine available: a 2.0-litre boxer four, which — no surprise here — is the same one found in the Impreza. It puts out 148hp and 145 pound-feet of torque, which is enough to get it done but not enough for real road thrills. Fact is, it drives pretty much like an Impreza, which is uneventful. Zero-to-60 happened in 8.1 seconds, nothing special but not awful for a 2.0 engine. It has a tow rating of 1,500 pounds. The good news is it gets similar mileage at 25 mpg city, 33 highway. Some of the thanks goes to the CVT (continuously variable transmission), which most will probably select. It offers paddle shifters, too. A five-speed manual is available if you want it. Tackling the rougher surfaces is managed nicely with Subaru’s symmetrical all-wheel-drive system, which divvies up engine torque to all four wheels at all times. On soft, uneven surfaces, the wheels grabbed adequately as I revved it up. On-road performance is enhanced by MacPherson struts up front and rear double-wishbones and coils at every corner. The fact that it’s raised taller by 4 inches doesn’t seem to affect the roll factor on corners. The electric-assisted steering is rather dull, lacking any sense of sportiness. Braking was firm and gripped well even on steep inclines. Inside there is decent room for everything from your backpack and pals and dog — plus the Big Gulp in the large beverage holder. There are bottle holders in every door so the pals ain’t griping, and the various cabin-storage areas can handle 38 CDs, Subaru says. The cargo area gets a removable liner so it’s ready for rough treatment followed by easy cleaning. As in the Impreza, the 23 cu ft of space can handle a decent amount of stuff. Fold the rear seats and it expands to 52 cu ft. Roof rails offer even more carrying capability. With the roomy feel inside comes ample headroom, legroom and shoulder room. Rear seats can accommodate three and offer an impressive 35.4 inches of legroom. The instrument panel is clearly marked with white numerals on a black background. And the centre console is easy to reach and use. And Crosstrek is ready for all your electronic needs. Hands-free phone connectivity is standard in the Premium model, as are iPod and USB ports. So is a stereo with six speakers and single-disc CD player. The Limited adds HD radio, 4.3-inch LCD screen (6.1-inch if you opt for the nav system), and rear-vision camera. The Crosstrek is a top safety pick by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety. It offers side-curtain air bags, side air bags and driver’s-side knee bags, plus rear-seat headrests for all three seating positions. Also available are ABS with brake assist, traction control and a stability system with rollover sensor. Crosstrek comes in two flavours, the base Premium — which for my money has everything you need — and the Limited, which adds leather, automatic headlights, rear sensor and a 4.3-inch LCD screen for navigation and other controls. This is a vehicle like no other. It has virtually no direct competitor. The Suzuki SX4 also has the 4-wheel-drive and is a few grand less on the sticker. But I think Crosstrek will carve out a little niche for itself, especially for the young and active who go for the rugged. Yeah, those with that same attitude as the Crosstrek. — The Miami Herald/MCT   l Price and technical specifications may vary in locally available models      

I have a 25-by-20 room and need a sound system for TV and movie watching. I am torn between tower speakers or a soundbar and would prefer to avoid placing a separate subwoofer. I do not want to place surround speakers so the system will be limited to the towers or soundbar, and possibly the subwoofer if absolutely required. I want quality and am considering the GoldenEar towers or soundbar you have mentioned, as well as a few others. Would I be better off with tower speakers or a soundbar?   The first thing to consider is placement. If you are using tower speakers ideally the speakers will be an equal distance from the left and right of the television, with the listeners grouped towards the centre of the viewing area. Otherwise the sound, especially the dialogue, may seem unbalanced to one side or another. If you add a centre channel to complete the front stage the listeners will hear the dialogue coming from the proximity of the television screen. I recommend you add the centre channel if you decide on tower speakers. The GoldenEar Triton tower speakers have built-in subwoofers, making them a good choice since you want as little a footprint as possible. The Triton Twos are $3,000 per pair and the Triton Threes are $2,000 a pair. (www.goldenear.com) Another highly acclaimed tower speaker with built-in powered subwoofers is the new Bipolar SuperTower series from Definitive Technology. These speakers radiate sound from the front and the back to produce a big, spacious sound that would be very impressive in your large room. Prices range from $1,200 / pair for the BP-8020ST to $5,600 / pair for the BP-7000SC. For those looking for a complete system, the Definitive BP-8020ST system is one of the best deals going at $2,200 for the entire 5-channel setup. (www.definitivetech.com) These two top-tier brands are probably the most prominent manufacturers offering towers with built-in subwoofers. Both Definitive and GoldenEar have extensive dealer networks so give both a listen before deciding. Almost all premium quality soundbars require a separate subwoofer. There are a few that have built-in subwoofers but they are meant for smaller rooms. It sounds as if I am repeating myself, but my favourite soundbars are from GoldenEar Technology and Definitive Technology. The $999 GoldenEar SuperCinema 3D Array soundbar is a three-channel soundbar with left, centre and right speakers. Your receiver will mix the surround information into the left and right speakers, but at a slightly lower volume than the front information. Special processing in the soundbar creates spaciousness, and the sound is incredibly sweet and detailed. Since it is 3-channel many owners add surround speakers as well. The Definitive Technology Mythos SSA surroundbars are complete 5-channel speaker systems with left, right, center, left surround, and right surround speakers. They comes in 42-inch and 50-inch sizes for $799 and $1,099, respectively. They are punchy, crisp and really fill a room with sound. A powered version with HDMI switching, the SoloCinema XTR, is available for $2,000. I reviewed it recently and will have more about it in a future column. As for my recommendation, you can’t lose with any of these choices but if it was me, given the room size I would get the best, biggest towers I could and match a centre channel. — By Don Lindich/MCT  

By Troy WolvertonBlackBerry’s new Z10 is the company’s closest thing to an answer to Apple’s iPhone and smartphones running Google’s Android, but the long-awaited phone offers little to lure users of those devices.The Z10 takes its design and interface cues from other contemporary smartphones. Like many of its rivals, it’s a thin, black slab built around a large touch screen. It’s got a new operating system designed for touch-screen devices, and its key features resemble those of the latest iPhone and Android devices. It’s got a built-in application store, front and rear cameras, a high-resolution display, the ability to switch quickly between multiple apps, and an LTE radio to connect to wireless carriers’ new, high-speed networks.BlackBerry has made much of the Z10’s new and different interface. But it feels like it’s been cobbled together from pieces of other operating systems. It has an app grid that looks and acts like the ones you’ll find in Apple’s iOS or Android. It has a screen of running applications that’s very similar to the one shown on Windows Phone devices. And a feature called BlackBerry Hub, which is essentially both a universal inbox and notification centre, isn’t all that different from the notifications areas on Apple and Android phones.One thing that is different on the Z10 is that it has neither a physical nor virtual home button. To get back to the home screens from an application, you have to swipe up from the bottom of the display.The advantage of this approach is that you can check for new messages without leaving your current application by doing a partial swipe. Or, by combining a swipe upward with one to the right, you can go directly from your current application to the Hub.But these features aren’t much different from pulling down the notification shade on an iPhone or Android device. And on those devices, you can go directly from an app to a particular message or alert — something you can’t do on the Z10.One cool Z10 feature is an updated version of the iPhone’s autocorrect system. As you type, the Z10’s keyboard offers word suggestions, positioning those choices above various letters on the keyboard. To choose one, you simply swipe up from the letter below it.The more you use the Z10, the better it is supposed to understand your personal lexicon, allowing it to better predict the words you want to type. I found the feature to work pretty well and was typically more accurate than the often aggravatingly inaccurate version on my iPhone.But as much as the Z10 has tried to copy and improve upon the success of the iPhone and Android devices, there are ways it just doesn’t measure up.For one thing, it’s buggy. Several times while trying to select a word on the keyboard, I ended up back at the home screen instead. I tried numerous times to initiate a call using the phone’s voice-control feature while connected to the hands-free system in my Prius, but without success; the phone kept canceling the call. The built-in turn-by-turn navigation system crashed at least once while I was using it. And even when it worked, the navigation feature can only be used in portrait mode; it doesn’t adjust its orientation when you turn your phone on its side.But the bigger problem with the Z10 is the paucity of applications available for it. BlackBerry says that you’ll now find 100,000 apps in the BlackBerry World store. But from my observation, the vast majority of those apps are junk. And the store lacks many of the most popular smartphone apps, including Pandora, Spotify, Netflix, Hulu, Skype and Gmail. In fact, of the top 10 paid apps in the iPhone App store, just two — WhatsApp Messenger and “Angry Birds: Star Wars” — are available for the Z10.To be sure, many of these apps may end up on the Z10 over time. BlackBerry representatives said they expect some to show up in coming weeks.But even if they do, there’s little about the Z10 that would encourage someone with an iPhone or Android device to switch. BlackBerry may have checked the feature boxes, but it hasn’t created something that offers anything that’s terribly unique or compelling. — San Jose Mercury News/MCTIn a nutshellIn a nutshellLikes: High resolution screen, refined autocorrect system, includes many of the features found on rival devices, thin and sleek design.Dislikes: Paucity of apps, numerous bugs, lack of a home button, lack of compelling or unique features, interface feels cobbled together.Specs: Dual-core, 1.5GHz processor; 4.2-inch, 1280 x 768 pixel display; 16GB of storage; 2-megapixel front and 8-megapixel rear cameras.Web: www.blackberry.com

By G Chambers Williams III   One of the first of the now-popular class of vehicles known as crossovers, the compact Honda CR-V deservedly has always been a star in its niche, even as the competition grew. Introduced originally for 1997, the CR-V last year entered its fourth generation, with an all-new design that gave it a sleeker, less boxy exterior; a more refined interior; and some new technology to help it keep up with the tech-savvy buyers to whom the CR-V consistently appeals. For 2013, prices begin at $22,795 (in the US) for the base front-wheel-drive LX version, and run as high as $30,295 for the top-of-the-line EX-L version with all-wheel drive and the navigation package. The “L” designation stands for “leather.” In between are the LX all-wheel-drive version and a variety of EX (no leather) and EX-L models, with either two- or four-wheel drive. Our tester was the top model, the EX-L all-wheel drive with the built-in navigation system. This model was equipped with everything one can buy on the CR-V except the rear-seat entertainment system, which apparently is not available on models that include the nav system. There’s also an upscale version of the CR-V sold under the Acura name — the RDX. It has its own unique exterior and interior styling, but essentially is just a fancier CR-V underneath, although it is about five inches longer. It comes with either front- or all-wheel-drive. The CR-V has room for up to five passengers. No third row has ever been offered in this model, although its biggest competitor, the Toyota RAV4, did have a small third-row seat in its previous generation; it lost that feature with a complete redesign for 2013. Other competitors in this burgeoning class include the Ford Escape, which was also redesigned for 2013 and now looks a lot like the CR-V; Nissan Rogue; Mitsubishi Outlander and Outlander Sport; Subaru Forester; the new Subaru XV Crosstrek; Subaru Outback; Buick Encore; Kia Sportage; Hyundai Tucson; Jeep Patriot and Compass; Mazda CX-5; Volkswagen Tiguan; Chevrolet Equinox; and GMC Terrain. Even with all of that competition, the CR-V holds its own in the market. Although sales are off slightly so far this year from last year’s totals, Honda sold 281,652 of the CR-V during 2012, a 29% increase from 2011. That outpaced the RAV4 by more than 100,000 sales and made the CR-V one of the US’ best-selling vehicles for the year. The CR-V also garnered some accolades, such as making Kelley Blue Book’s list of “Top 10 Family Cars,” among others. Its popularity is based on a variety of attributes, including comfort, safety, reliability and even its fuel economy — 23 mpg city/31 highway for the front-drive models and 22/30 for the all-wheel drives. It’s not best in class for mileage, though. Mazda claims 26/35 with the manual-transmission version of its CX-5, and 26/32 with the automatic version. Still, the CR-V’s fuel economy is comparable to most of its competitors, even though its standard five-speed automatic transmission is getting a bit dated; most vehicles in this class have a six-speed, which generally gives slightly better highway mileage. Under the hood of all CR-V models is a 2.4-litre four-cylinder engine, rated at 185hp and 163 foot-pounds of torque. We found it to have plenty of power for this vehicle, even with a couple of people in the back seat and some luggage in the rear. We gave it a run on some hills, too, and the CR-V never felt underpowered, although the cruise control didn’t hold the speed on the uphill runs as precisely as I expected — it dropped as much as 5mph at times. Among standard equipment are leather seats/steering wheel/shift knob; heated front seats (10-way power-adjustable for the driver); a power tilt/slide sunroof; a rearview camera built into the voice-activated navigation system; a premium audio system with seven speakers (including subwoofer); power windows/mirrors/door locks with remote; and dual-zone automatic climate control. Honda says the new exterior design was intended to give the CR-V a more aggressive look, but to me it’s actually softer than before, with lines that seem to flow. It’s remarkably similar in appearance to both the Escape and RAV4. There is a new horizontal three-bar grille and deep-set multi-reflector headlights, bolder fender flares and a lower rear roofline with a liftgate that tilts slightly forward at the top. Inside, the CR-V is now more carlike, and the seats are lower than before. Outward visibility is still excellent, though. As longtime CR-V owners, we noticed how quiet the newest generation is, even at high freeway speeds. Honda attributes that to a more-rigid body structure, improved suspension isolation, more insulation, and better aerodynamics — including underbody covers and a rear spoiler. During our test, we averaged about 27mpg in a mix of highway and city driving — with the highway miles about 70% of the total. That was using the provided ECON mode, which sets transmission shift points to optimise fuel economy rather than provide jackrabbit starts. Safety features include electronic stability control, four-wheel antilock disc brakes with brake assist, roof-mounted side-curtain air bags with rollover sensor, and front seat-mounted side air bags. — Fort Worth Star-Telegram/MCT   l (Price and technical specifications may vary in locally available models)     G

By Susan Carpenter We’ve all seen them: The minivans advertising restaurants, the hatchbacks trumpeting services, notaries and plumbers. But there’s a growing niche in the vehicle wrap business: Drivers who are customising their cars with personalised graphics. “Only 20% of the public has started to understand this is not paint. These are stickers,” said James Naccarato, general manager of Iconography Studios in Los Alamitos, California. The vehicle wrap company has, in recent months, outfitted a Nissan Cube in wood-print vinyl to emulate a vintage woody wagon and a Mazda Miata with a Japanese anime design. A decade ago, vinyl graphics were single-colour cutouts mounted on a car door or window. “Now the guy who owns a Maserati and a couple of small businesses can dress up his personal car. He doesn’t have to own 100 fleet vehicles to make it affordable,” said Iconography President Sarah Naccarato. Personal full-vehicle wraps cost between $3,000 and $4,000 in the US and require two to five days to complete. Partial wraps, such as a custom graphic on a hood or side panel, typically cost less than $1,000. “It’s a relatively inexpensive, non-invasive process for an automobile mod. (Vinyl) allows people to really play around with what they have without devaluing their cars,” Naccarato said. While vinyl wraps have been around for almost a decade, what’s new is an explosion of colours and textures. Vinyl comes preprinted in hundreds of colours and finishes that can be customised into personalised designs printed on enormous digital printers that are laminated in finishes ranging from matte to metallic and applied to the car’s exterior. They stick with microscopic glue bubbles built into the vinyl’s backing that, when removed, in most cases leave the car’s paint intact and without damage. Personal vehicle wraps are “a very quickly expanding area,” said Dan Marx, vice president of markets and technologies for the 225 companies that make up the Professional Decal Application Alliance in Fairfax, Virginia. “I think we’re on the edge of seeing a lot more of this in the consumer area,” he said, especially as prices come down due to increased competition. The growth in vinyl wraps is due in large part to the technological advances that have dramatically reduced the amount of space needed to make and apply a wrap. Still, the process can be complicated. Matt Richart teaches semiannual Born to Wrap workshops in Irvine, California, to show aspiring wrappers how to use the large-format Roland printers that have become the industry standard. Richart is a former sign maker who switched his business to vehicle wraps when he “noticed customers who put lettering on a work van were getting more business off their vehicles than the banners and signs.” While 85% of Richart’s Digital EFX Wraps customers are commercial, 15% of his business is personal. “The wrap industry is moving toward the retail side more and more each year” as the world becomes more custom, said Richart, who recently applied a racing stripe to a Maserati emblazoned with the owner’s initials. At Iconography, 97% of the business is commercial, according to the Naccaratos. Just 3% is personal, but it’s the personal side of the business that’s seeing the most interest and growth. The Naccaratos have recently fielded calls from a woman requesting her Smart ForTwo be wrapped in argyle print, a man who thinks his Ford Mustang would look better dressed in anime, and another customer who had asked about mimicking Scooby Doo’s Mystery Machine. — The Orange County Register/MCT   Strut renewal is possible at home I have a question about struts. The dealer gave me a quote of more than $1,800 to replace the front struts on my 4-cylinder 2001 Toyota Camry. Yikes! The independent shops are pretty steep, too. Then I found out about KYB Strut-Plus and Monroe Quick-Struts for a lot less money. I’m thinking about just tackling the job myself using one of these products. They are a complete unit with pre-compressed new coil springs, the strut and strut mount. I am pretty mechanically inclined. Is there a downside to using these units and installing them myself? I’m leaning more toward the KYB Strut-Plus. We plan to keep the car for several more years. It has about 95,000 miles on it and runs great. Or should I have the dealer or an independent shop just put on struts and use the old coil springs?   Yikes is right! I can’t fathom the price you were quoted for this simple service procedure. Periodic renewal of struts is necessary, as these tubular suspension parts contain the shock absorber. Shock absorbers wear out somewhere between 50,000-100,000 miles, which can affect vehicle stability, tyre tread life and ride comfort. Replacing struts on a typical MacPherson strut vehicle involves removing the complete strut assembly, which is a fairly simple initial process. The strut is then mounted in a spring compressing fixture and disassembled. Typically the coil spring and upper strut mount, if in good condition, are transferred to the new strut and reassembled. On some vehicles, the strut contains a replaceable cartridge, and the strut housing and other parts are reused. The quick replacement and complete strut assemblies you mentioned are a great idea, as renewing the complete assembly is a real time-saver and eliminates the inconvenience and danger associated with compressing the spring or disassembling the strut if attempted at home. Also, the new assembly includes the spring insulators, upper bearing and mount, which often need replacement. You’re paying for a new coil spring, which may not be a bad idea either, as springs can sag, affecting ride height and wheel alignment. Replacement (bare) name-brand struts run about $60 to $80 apiece, and after you include the insulators and upper bearing, you’re only a bit shy of the cost for the complete unit — $160 or so. The prices I mentioned involved some frugal shopping and may be a best-case scenario. The standard answer is yes, you should align the front wheels after renewing struts. Your Camry has elongated mounting bolt holes at the bottom end of the strut, allowing a camber adjustment, in which the wheel leans in or out. It would be difficult to accurately guess or estimate proper reassembly position, and differences in manufacturing tolerance of new versus old strut can also affect wheel alignment. On vehicles with wishbone suspension, on which the strut is more like a simple shock absorber, or with cartridge-type or non-adjustable struts, you might forego the alignment process. When removing your original struts, note the paint deformity and crush position of the lower mounting bolt washers. Imitate this as closely as possible when bolting up the replacement units. Wheel alignment will be close enough to allow a day or two of vehicle use prior to getting in to the alignment shop. Thanks for bringing up this topic — it’ll likely be of use to quite a few other folks. — By Brad Bergholdt/MCT      

Designers of solar airplane prepare for first big endurance test. By Bruce Newman   Bertrand Piccard was flying from Morocco to Spain last year — finishing up another highly successful test of Solar Impulse, the revolutionary airplane he helped design that gets all its power from the sun — when he made a profoundly disturbing discovery: he was actually flying backwards. At 3,500lbs, Solar Impulse weighs less than a Hyundai, and its four motors each generate only 10hp, about the same as a motor scooter. Its trim body design makes the plane highly susceptible to headwinds, which at that moment meant Piccard and his Pterodactyl-shaped solar array were at 27,000ft, going in reverse. “That was an interesting experience, quite strange to live,” Piccard said at the plane’s first public appearance, inside Moffett Airfield’s historic Hangar 2 last week. If the winds are at its back, that fate will not befall Solar Impulse when it embarks on its most ambitious journey on May 1, setting out across America on an adventure that’s not scheduled to finish until early July at New York’s JFK Airport. That’s not far from Roosevelt Field on Long Island where Charles Lindbergh took off in 1927 on aviation’s first trans-Atlantic solo flight. “This airplane could do it nonstop,” said co-pilot and project CEO Andre Borschberg, “but because the pilot is not as sustainable as the technology, we have limited ourselves to 24-hour flight duration.” The plane isn’t really that slow — stops that could last 10 days are planned in four cities along the way — but even with the ability to fly day and night using only the sun’s power, it’s no speed demon. With the wind at its back, the plane cruises at 35mph, about half the speed of the airship Hindenburg. If all goes well during its first big endurance test, Solar Impulse will attempt to circumnavigate the globe in 2015. That trip will require at least one nonstop stint of five days and extremely nervous nights over the Pacific. The cockpit can only accommodate one pilot at a time, so Borschberg said he will use meditation and Piccard will hypnotise himself while the plane flies on auto-pilot. The plane looks like something you might install on your roof, although if all goes well during test flights over the San Francisco Bay Area that begin next week, it won’t actually end up there. It’s basically a giant wing with a glider’s fuselage and a Port-A-Potty attached. That’s where the project’s Swiss big cheeses, Piccard and Borschberg, sit in chilly solitude. From wingtip to wingtip, Solar Impulse has a girth wider than a jumbo jetliner, and yet everything else about it is meant to be lean and mean. It draws all its power from 12,000 solar cells, each the thickness of a human hair, with the energy stored in a lithium polymer battery nearly identical to the one that powers the Tesla Model S. At the recent public rollout, an introductory video stalled briefly — one of the perils the plane confronts during flight — and when it resumed, Piccard’s voice was sped up as if he had inhaled helium. A balloonist who circled the planet in 1999, Piccard is a natural born adventurer, following a path similar to his grandfather Auguste, a renowned balloonist, and father Jacques, who in 1960 became the first to explore the Mariana Trench in a submarine. “When I was a child, I was reading books about exploration, about aviation, about the conquest of space,” he said. His family moved to the US because of his father’s work in 1968, a year before Apollo 11 landed on the moon, propelling Bertrand into suborbital flights of fancy. “Then I saw that the reality was much better than the dream.” To bring the decade-long dream to life, the project’s co-founders have assembled a lineup of 80 sponsors, among them Schindler, the world’s largest manufacturer of elevators and escalators. An executive from the company compared Piccard and Borschberg to the Wright Brothers, just before using the press gathering to announce the Schindler Solar Elevator. Even in the darkened hangar, the sun always seemed to be shining on Solar Impulse, with one speaker after another extolling its promise. But the technology has aroused at least modest skepticism. “This is something to capture the imagination of kids, of innovators,” said Ben Lenail, director of business development at AltaDevices, a Sunnyvale company that manufactures thin solar cells with a far more practical application — powering drones already used by the military. “You have to have everything go right. It’s a beautiful dream, but in terms of practical application, I think we’re still about 15 years away.” Piccard was asked at one point if Solar Impulse — which is already being redesigned for the trip around the world in two years — is the airplane of the future. “It would be crazy to answer yes, and stupid to answer no. Because today, we cannot imagine having a solar-powered airplane with 200 passengers. But in 1903,” he said, referring to the Wright Brothers’ first flight, “it was exactly the same. And when Charles Lindbergh crossed the Atlantic, he was alone on board, in an airplane full of fuel. We don’t know what’s going to happen in the future. But we have to start.” — San Jose Mercury News/MCT      

From iPhone to iWatch and beyond, the new chapter on innovation is more practical and intimate use of computing power in our everyday lives. By Patrick May You can wear your heart on your sleeve. Why not your electronics?In a burgeoning trend that has captivated Silicon Valley, a mind-boggling array of “wearable electronics” has begun to arrive, not just at a website or clothing outlet near you, but on an arm, a face, a wrist and even a pinkie finger.“Everyone’s recognising that tech’s next great, innovating chapter is more practical and intimate use of computing power in our everyday lives,” said Scot Herbst with San Jose, California-based design firm Herbst Produkt. “And that means not having to reach into your pocket, grab your phone and put in a password. It’s all about making computers more organic in their interaction with you.”Hold on to your hats, which also happen to be undergoing digital makeovers of their own with things like snowboard helmets decked out with a pair of $599 Oakley Airwave goggles with GPS and streaming audio. From Apple’s rumored iWatch to Google’s in-the-works eyeglass-like ‘Glass’ ($1,500 for an early pilot version) to tech-embedded clothing from Uniqlo that uses the body’s evaporating moisture to heat knee-high socks that cost about $13 a pair, the wearable digital revolution is upon us.“The trend is gaining momentum because the cost of chips, along with sensors like gyroscopes and heat- and light-sensing devices, has dropped dramatically,” said analyst Avi Greengart, research director for consumer devices at Current Analysis.He knows firsthand the wonderful allure of this wearable technology. Greengart uses it himself. “Unlike a lot of bleeding-edge tech, these things work,” he said. “I have a Fitbit, which is a little clip you put on your belt, and it’s a glorified pedometer. But it does much more, and it makes it easy for me to see how much physical activity I’ve had during the day, for example, and that motivates me to exercise even more.”An army of engineers, fashion designers, futurists and gadget geeks is hard at work, trying to extend the reach of computing power along those precious few inches from pocket and purse to forearms and ears.At Intel Labs, user-experience researcher Cory Booth said his team is looking even beyond that, “past the near-term fascination with specific locations on the body, like the wrist, to a more long-term view. We see an entire new ecosystem of devices that will multiply over time and interact with one another.”Many of these gadgets will simply piggyback on the muscular computing prowess available in the cloud, said Mike Roberts, an engineer with PARC, a Xerox-founded research-and-development centre in Palo Alto, California.Computers take the mountain of input from your device, crunch it, and immediately suggest ways for you to, say, improve your athletic performance.Roberts talked about one very human application of wearable technology, a beta version of a head-mounted computer that PARC worked on with Motorola Solutions. It connects a user in the field — say, a sailor trying to fix a broken generator on a naval ship — with an expert thousands of miles away.“This remote collaboration enables the expert to help someone in the field solve a complicated problem in real time,” Roberts said. “The helmet’s video camera captures the generator, then the expert takes stills from the video and annotates them to show the guy which bolts to remove to fix the generator. This gives you expert advice anywhere in the world, and it’s all hands-free.”Over time, experts say, consumers will be dazzled by an assortment of electronic gear woven into their clothing, strapped to their limbs, wrapped as thin membranes over their fingers, or hung from their belts. Challenges with wearable tech abound, from harnessing enough computing power onto ultrathin devices like pieces of tape to persuading average consumers to wear silly-looking glasses and bulky watches without “nerding them out” too much. As futurist Paul Saffo puts it, “I’m convinced the Segway failed because no matter who drove it, they looked like a dork.”Cool tech toys are one thing, but merging them with fashion raises all sorts of issues for designers. Said Saffo, “Wearable technology is absolutely the way we’re heading, but the secret is how designers work out the details. The genius of Apple is that it’s a fashion company that also does tech. Look at the iPhone — it’s a beautiful polished talisman, even when it’s just sitting there.”John Edson, president of San Francisco-based design firm Lunar, said that with the proliferation of these devices, “my smartphone becomes just the collector of all the data coming from the sensors I’ve got on me. Like the swipe and pinch features on the iPad, we’re just starting to scratch the surface of things we can do with gestures.”Edson said test audiences seem to love wearing the devices his firm has worked on with BodyMedia. “Some of these tools help users achieve weight loss through a wearable sensor,” he said. “They have really proven algorithms that can clearly and accurately tell you about your calorie burn, just by wearing a device that tracks a few different body metrics.”The road ahead will undoubtedly be littered with the detritus of wearable electronics that consumers will refuse to wear. But engineers and designers will keep throwing ideas against the wall until something sticks.“You got the iPhone,” said PARC’s Mike Kuniavsky, “then you got the apps, and now the apps are jumping off the screen and becoming devices you can wear.” — San Jose Mercury News/MCT

The 2013 Hyundai Santa Fe is available in two versions — a six-seat Limited with a two-seat second row and a seven-seat-GLS with a second-row bench seat for three.By Susan Carpenter Parents who vacuum fossilised french fries and scrub — vainly — to remove grape juice spills from their cars’ seat cushions are likely to appreciate the stain-resistant interior of Hyundai’s new seven-passenger Santa Fe.Those who unwittingly commit these childhood crimes, meanwhile, could very well appreciate the duplication of front-row amenities in the seats just behind their parents, most notably heated and reclinable captain’s chairs.It’s all part of Hyundai’s bid for price-minded families who yearn for a midsize crossover to haul the boogie boards, the bicycles and the suitcases without cramping their or their wee ones’ style. The larger Santa Fe, which went on sale in March, starts at $29,195, including freight and handling.A replacement for Hyundai’s Veracruz, which is being put out to pasture because of the difficulty of marketing a separate crossover nameplate, the longer Santa Fe is available in two versions — a six-seat Limited with a two-seat second row and a seven-seat GLS with a second-row bench seat for three. Both vehicles scavenge their front halves from the recently updated five-passenger Santa Fe Sport but stretch its wheelbase to accommodate more seats and an additional 38.6cu ft of passenger volume.There’s a good amount of leg room in the second row, even with a tall driver in front. But the third row will only be comfortable for children who haven’t reached puberty. The floor of the longer Santa Fe is taller in the third row, which brings the seats lower to the ground and, as a result, makes adult knees angle upward.Chances are the third row will spend most of its time collapsed. That, at least, is done easily with the tug of a strap on the back of each seat that flips the head rest forward and nestles the seat into a flat and spacious cargo area.To help move this larger load, there’s a new direct-injection 3.3-litre V-6 tweaked for greater efficiency and fuel economy with chromium nitrate coatings on its sliding surfaces. The longer Santa Fe is the only V-6 midsize crossover to weigh less than two tons. Still, its EPA estimated fuel economy is just 20 mpg combined for the all-wheel drive version I tested during a daylong Hyundai drive event in San Diego last week. The front-wheel drive version gets an additional 1 mpg in highway or combined driving.Manoeuvring the Limited, it didn’t feel like a car that could carry an entyre peewee football team. It angled into parking spaces without the drama of a five-point turn. It had good power off the line, and its six-speed automatic transmission was unobtrusive.More impressive was its customisable electronic power steering. At the press of a button, the steering effort can be softened or hardened by 10% with distinctly different comfort and sport modes that, according to Hyundai, appeal to women and men, respectively.Other steering wheel controls include Bluetooth and audio, which can also be operated with the Santa Fe’s standard 4.3-inch touch screen. An optional technology package included in the Limited that I tested upgrades the car with a larger 8-inch touch screen, 12-speaker surround sound, built-in sun shades for the rear side windows and a panoramic sunroof, which elevated the price to $38,730.For that kind of money, Hyundai lacks some of the safety technologies that are now standard on less-expensive vehicles, such as blind-spot monitoring and adaptive cruise control that keeps the car at a safe following distance. Both technologies are no-brainers for parent drivers who may be distracted while negotiating backseat battles, but Hyundai opted against including them, even as options. — The Orange County Register/MCTTechnical specifications may vary in locally available models.In a nutshellPowertrain: Direct-injection, 3.3-liter, V-6, six-speed automatic transmissionMaximum horsepower: 290 at 6,400 rpmMaximum torque: 252 pound-feet at 5,200 rpmUS base price: $29,195

By Sakshi VashistWhen decades ago, Nokia was introduced with its catchy tag line “connecting people”, who knew mobile phones would eventually become more than just a necessity? For years after the first mobile phone was introduced, it remained a luxury item, out of reach to most middle-class users. With the advancement in technology, the number of players in the market increased and mobile phones became more affordable, and therefore ubiquitous. The first phones had just the bare minimum function of dialling or receiving a call. Later, there was a phenomenal growth of SMS or Short Message Service. With these two functions, the requirement of a “mobile telephone” was met. And today, ‘smartphones’ feature many different useful functions like alarm, calendar, portable camera, Internet connectivity, media players, video recorders, and even GPS units.Lately, the mobile phone industry took a step forward to introduce smartphones. And like every new product in the market, it remained exclusive for the richer class of customer. In the last few years, however, even this trend has completely changed. More than two dozen companies have now introduced affordable smartphones in the market. So how has this trend affected the recent generation of users?The requirement of a mobile phone surfaced when there was a need to stay connected to people while one was on the move. Without a doubt, a mobile phone allows a child travelling alone, for instance, to have a means to connect with his or her parents or dial emergency numbers. Nowadays, even if a bunch of kids are going out together for classes/tuition, their parents prefer that they carry a cell phone along; although a few teenagers feel otherwise. Mohamed, a Class 10 student says, “Landline calls are free in Qatar and people are very co-operative, they let you use the land line even if they don’t know you. I don’t feel the need to carry a mobile.”Smartphones are no longer only a tool for communication but a necessary instrument of social and work life for most of us. In a developed country like Qatar most people have adapted the use of mobile phones in education as well. They are an attractive tool for communication and interpersonal relations, and have become increasingly used in an educational context. This is the reason why the craze for smartphones has traversed all age groups. Specific applications are designed to meet the need of businessmen, working executives, women and children.The most ambiguous area of concern for this smartphone technology remains its effect on the developing brains of children. As smartphones have, with unsettling speed, gone from a useful novelty to a practical requirement, their availability has also broadened — and they’re found in the hands of young children, for placation and entertainment. Designed to be incredibly intuitive devices, children have been widely observed to quickly grasp the technicalities of a smartphones. There are now even several apps (short for “applications”) designed for preschool age children.Not surprisingly, as the number of apps for children has grown exponentially, so have the number of apps aimed at making kids smarter. One look at Apple’s iTunes App Store confirms this trend. Currently, there are over 4,000 education apps available for download at the iTunes store, with a large number of them targeted for children between the ages of two and five.In a recent study, Carly Shuler, a researcher, developer, and author in the children’s media and toy industry, explains how younger children get into this habit. It is called the ‘pass-back’ effect, where the parent passes their own device to the child. Parents’ devices like phones have always been amongst children’s favourite ‘toys’, so as these devices become more functional for adults they simultaneously get more fun for kids.Certainly, teens have varied views on the need for smartphones. On one hand some confide that engaging in conference or video calls, playing various video or online games are a distraction for them. On the other, some students argue certain apps actually help them improve their IQ. Dr Amira Najah, a clinical psychologist practicing in Qatar cites an example. “Just chatting on BBM (Blackberry Messenger) or Whatsapp does not engage children in a healthy way. But certain apps aim at testing and improving mathematics and logistic skills of its users like specific apps which prepare students for SATs and GRE. So if students are accessing such apps, it does benefit them.”Studies on the effects of texting in teenagers concluded that the concrete social anticipation combined with the chemical reward that came with receiving, opening and replying to the message was what made it so addicting. Smartphones, with their unprecedented amount of offerings, take that subconscious formula and multiply it many, many times. Dr Amira explains, “Kids between the ages of 10 to 18 are going through a phase of emotional development. They seek out to make more friends just to feed their self-esteem. They seek attention by engaging themselves on sites such as Twitter or Facebook on their phones and checking notifications time and again; it becomes an addiction.” Additionally, some kids try to get attention from their busy parents by finding a new function or app which fetches them praise.So, it should come as no surprise to parents that as smartphones become more popular, the attraction of children towards them is also increasing. A few parents fear the detrimental effects of smartphones while many have claimed to have witnessed positive educational effects. Lots of parents let their kids carry and use smartphones even in their young, formative years. The convenience and accessibility offered by these modern devices are indeed advantageous for most people. These parents need to be aware of the negative effects that smartphones can bring to their kids in the long run.While young children are probably free of the intoxicating social anticipation of the smartphone, the fact remains that it discourages social interaction. Children need to be used to being in tune with their surroundings and free from digital distractions as much as possible. “Touching, talking and physical playing and movement ensure a child’s full development. If they don’t go out and experience the world, how will they develop their personality?” exclaims Dr Amira.Additionally, smartphones can weaken children’s eyesight. Excessive exposure to the use of smartphones at an early age can trigger poor eyesight for kids. Their eyes would constantly have to adjust to the phone screen which can also be a cause for headaches and even migraines at a very young age. Doctors also claim that the radiations emitted from these devices have harmful effects on the heart and the brain.The mobile learning technologies enable a more personalised learning experience. Still, some parents and educators are bound to be sceptical. They ask only one question: ‘Will smartphones make my kids smarter?’ While some might view smartphones as yet another digital distraction, some argue the potential advantages of mobile learning outweigh any disadvantages. First, these devices are mobile and allow the parent to encourage anywhere, anytime learning. Secondly, because of their relatively low cost and ubiquity, these devices allow educators to reach underserved children that are geographically or economically disadvantaged. Thirdly is that these devices can encourage 21st century skills like communication and collaboration.Using smartphones in initial ages can help teenagers to silently learn the user interfaces and operating systems. There are many examples of great engineers who were introduced to computing devices in early childhood and hence by the time they completed school, they were much ahead of peers. Bill Gates was familiarised to computers and Steve Jobs to electronics at an early age.Mobile devices are a part of children’s lives today whether we like it or not, so we might as well be using them for good purposes. The greatest advantage of mobile learning is the instantaneous access to information. Phones using the Google Android software platform, for example, now have barcode scanning which enables users to get instant information about products and services. Imagine a time when students on a field trip can simply scan a barcode next to a monument and have a wealth of information appear at their fingertips. Or designing lecture notes to be viewed by the students on their mobile phone for their preparedness for school work.For parents and educators who aren’t sure what kinds of apps or podcasts are best for kids, the “Three C’s” approach is proposed to evaluate children’s media:Content — What is the basic premise of the app? Is it age appropriate? Does it come from a trusted source? Context — Who is interacting with the child? Is the child learning through a game, then applying that in another activity? Is the child telling stories about what he or she has experienced?Child — How much stimulation can this child take? What types of media trigger the most curious questions, playful re-enactments, engagement and joy? What is he/she missing out on by spending time on the device — is he/she still exercising, socialising, and doing schoolwork?Dr Amira suggests parents find fresh ways to keep a check on the use of phones by their kids. For example, handing over the phone only for a limited time in a day or only on the weekends (some parents are practising this). Or contacting agencies and setting a bar on the outgoing calls on the connections of the younger ones. The most effective way, although, is to be strict in supervision and explain the kids about repercussion of disobeying them.With a little common sense, smartphones and other mobile devices can be useful learning tools for children of all ages. Today’s children will benefit if mobile becomes a force for learning and discovery in the next decade.The smartphone is doubtless a tool that has the power to make its user master of his or her own sector of the digital world. But, as is true for most tools, the smartphone can harm its consumer as much as it can help them. Used without caution and self-awareness, it can cause self-damage, wastefulness, and depersonalisation just as easily as it can be a gateway to easier living and enlightenment. Applications to check out General (an app for everyone) Wikiweb — a Wikipedia app that serves up the usual content crowd-sourced from willing bodies around the world and also visualises the connections between articles. * * *For young kids (age 5-10) Eye Paint Animals — discovery tools aimed at energising kids to play, create, invent, explore and learn in enjoyable ways without the limitations of set parameters. Native Numbers — provides a deeper understanding of number concepts and imperative math vocabulary; builds a strong foundation.  Red in Bed — teaches kids about the colours of the rainbow; each colour gets its own musical note, too. Bee’s ABCs — singing along to the alphabet song, spelling simple words and learning about pronunciation. I See Ewe — explore more than 50 shapes, colors, objects and animals; adjustable levels of difficulty, verbal prompts and four different languages included. Preschool Jobs — learn and explore various professions such as a doctor, astronaut, rock star, police officer and a construction worker, see their work environments and examine the tools that they use each day.  * * *For middle and high school students (age 11-16) Tense Builder — teaching the tenses; includes the English words that do not follow the rule, otherwise known as irregular verbs. MyHomeworkApp — keeps track of homework, projects, tests, and other assignments; set reminders for when things are due, set level of priority and keep track of schedule of classes. TED Talks — customised quizzes, discussion guides, and other supporting materials to facilitate making a great lesson plan. Ankidroid — perfect for exam cramming; helps students memorise anything through information flashcards which they can create themselves. Once loaded they can quiz themselves anywhere, anytime. Wolfram Alpha — uses a vast database and various algorithms to answer to any questions of wide range like physics, chemistry, astronomy, maths, etc. Khan Academy — over 2,500 free videos on everything from basic maths to venture capitalism Languages — a fast offline translation dictionary app  * * *For students appearing for tests (age 13+) BenchPrep — choose your course (high school, higher education, graduate and professional), choose your device, and study independently or with friends.SAT Vocab Cards — browse and quiz on 1,000 high-frequency SAT words for free, with 1,000 more available for purchase. SATLadder — a competition-based question answering structure including over 2,000 SAT questions. MCAT — features over 2,000 flashcards so you can study on the go. GRE Word Boost — with 500 essential GRE words in its database, study and quiz anytime.  * * * For teachers ClassDojo — teachers can create a free account, add their students’ names and customise the behaviours they want to encourage. During class, positive behaviour is reinforced by dishing out feedback points to students; these feedback points automatically compiles the data into reports, letting teachers monitor progress, trends and share information with parents. * * *For parents Famigo Sandbox — a brilliant and free way of making your Android device safe for your kids. It includes a free app of its own for kids to play as well as listing certified safe apps for parents to browse and choose from. There are no ads or in-app purchases and you get shown games and activities that are platform and child specific. App Timer Mini (ATM) — simple tool to track user’s time on selected apps; the app timer can be set for all the apps, based on how much time should be spent on each which will be shown on the screen while you are using an app. * * *Other fun apps Auryn Ink — digital watercolour-painting app; feels like real watercolour painting, right down to choosing between wet or dry canvases, and watching the paint dry on the page. Tapestry — offers short stories from various authors, displayed full-screen rather than in e-book style layout; readers are encouraged to give feedback to the authors too. Celeste — combines 3D graphics of the heavenly bodies with fun facts about astronomy; aim the device’s camera at the sky and see exactly where each object is located, day or night. Famous Artists and Their Paintings — learn about more than 100 famous works of art from Michelangelo, Rembrandt, da Vinci and more and test your knowledge with a time-trial quiz. Britannica Kids — encyclopaedias come alive on a range of topics; info presented alongside videos, games and quizzes. Robots for iPad — learn about electronics and robotics through videos and interactive examples of more than 100 real life robots like Sony’s Aibo dog. How it Works: Machines by Geek Kids — get an introduction to engineering and learn how various machines work by taking them apart and reassembling them.