Sorting through the rat's nest that is Mini's model history

What do Austin, Morris, British Motor Corporation, British Motor Holdings, British Leyland, Rover Group, and BMW all have in common. Each company has had a hand in bringing the world a sprightly, fuel-efficient, front-wheel-drive fun box on wheels – the Mini. The Sir Alec Issigonis-designed car has been sold under more brand names and with more model designations than most of us would guess. For seven generations of the classic Mini, from 1959 to 2000, the car carried a bewildering number of model names as well.

Autoblog , Sorting through the rat's nest that is Mini's model history, Sorting through the rat's nest that is Mini's model history

Florida woman barely escapes certain death in Honda Accord

An unnamed woman is lucky to be alive today after her car was crushed by some heavy cargo that fell off a tractor trailer while driving through downtown Miami. The cargo consisted of some big and heavy engines that were apparently a little too tall to fit underneath the freeway overpass. Video of the news report on ABC News shows the woman's Honda Accord took a direct hit to the driver's seat area from the heavy cargo, but somehow she managed to escape the incident unscathed.

Autoblog , Florida woman barely escapes certain death in Honda Accord, Florida woman barely escapes certain death in Honda Accord

Pre-order the HTC One Unlocked 32GB model

We've been full of HTC One news today and wanted to bring you at least one more before the day comes to a close. HTC updated their Shop page on the HTC website to include several models of the HTC One available for pre-order in the US and we found one that hasn't really seen much attention on the Internet. How do readers feel about an unlocked HTC One with 32GB of internal storage. The portion of this model that is unlocked is the SIM which makes it different than the Developer Edition, because the DE also comes with an unlocked bootloader right out of the box. With an unlocked SIM customers can use this phone across multiple carriers.

HTC Source , Pre-order the HTC One Unlocked 32GB model, Pre-order the HTC One Unlocked 32GB model

Launch of Kalixa Group set to disrupt global payments market

Kalixa unveils integrated mPOS, e-wallet and acceptance products to reduce the cost and complexity of paymentsVienna, Austria – 10th April 2013 – Kalixa Group, a next generation payments company, today unveiled a range of disruptive products in issuing, acquiring and acceptance that are set to roll-out across Europe, the Americas, Asia Pacific and the Middle East. Formerly the payments division of a large online merchant, Kalixa is born of the retail industry.

Press Release Distribution , Launch of Kalixa Group set to disrupt global payments market, Launch of Kalixa Group set to disrupt global payments market

tyntec Signs With Polish Operator PLAY For tt.One Coverage

Operator partnership to enable 2-way cloud telephony and SMS in Polish marketMobile interaction services provider tyntec (www.tyntec.com) has signed a ground-breaking partnership with mobile operator PLAY (http://www.play.pl/pl/) to enable the roll out of its tt.One telco-web convergence solution in the Polish market.

Press Release Distribution , tyntec Signs With Polish Operator PLAY For tt.One Coverage, tyntec Signs With Polish Operator PLAY For tt.One Coverage

Splicing Innovations Driving Optics Industry Beyond Telecommunications says Fujikura Europe Ahead of SPIE Optics + Optoelectronics 2013

Fujikura demonstrates high-performance FSM-100P+ optical fusion splicer and glass processor at Europe’s leading exhibition for optical instruments in PraguePrague, CZECH REPUBLIC and London, UK. The number and type of optical fibres for fusion splicing applications is rapidly increasing and being diversified beyond telecommunication and into fibre lasers for the medical, defence, space and transportation sectors, according to Fujikura Europe. As the world-leader in fusion splicing technology, Fujikura has invested significantly in research and development to create its latest speciality splicer to address these markets.

Press Release Distribution , Splicing Innovations Driving Optics Industry Beyond Telecommunications says Fujikura Europe Ahead of SPIE Optics + Optoelectronics 2013, Splicing Innovations Driving Optics Industry Beyond Telecommunications says Fujikura Europe Ahead of SPIE Optics + Optoelectronics 2013

Debenhams tops EPiServer's UK Mobile Commerce study

Debenhams’ mobile shopping experience skyrockets to the top with benchmark score of 90%- Average score for top 30 UK retailers a promising 55%, up 8% on 2011- But shoppers are less forgiving of poor quality mobile experience as consumer expectations continue to rise  London, UK, 11th April 2013: Debenhams, Expedia and Argos have topped the UK Mobile Commerce study by EPiServer, published today.

Press Release Distribution , Debenhams tops EPiServer's UK Mobile Commerce study, Debenhams tops EPiServer's UK Mobile Commerce study

Ford confirms 1.5-liter EcoBoost four-cylinder engine for 2014 Fusion

Earlier this week, reports were swirling 'round the internet about the 2014 Ford Fusion getting a new 1.5-liter three-cylinder EcoBoost engine. That was. half correct. Ford today confirmed that the 2014 Fusion is, in fact, getting a new 1.5-liter EcoBoost mill, but it has four cylinders, not three.
The new 1.5-liter engine will be the fifth EcoBoost powerplant from Ford Motor Company. Initially to be built at the automaker's Craiova, Romania plant, it will also be offered in the Fusion's twin, the Mondeo, in other markets.


Autoblog , Ford confirms 1.5-liter EcoBoost four-cylinder engine for 2014 Fusion

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, Ford confirms 1.5-liter EcoBoost four-cylinder engine for 2014 Fusion

Toyota, Honda, Mazda and Nissan recall 3.4 million vehicles for faulty airbags

Most vehicle recalls that take place these days are a result of some problem that happens during the manufacturing process by the automaker, but as we see here, parts suppliers can also factor in to problematic safety issues. Automotive News is reporting that a total of 3.4 million vehicles produced by Japanese automakers between 2000 and 2004 are being recalled globally due to faulty airbags produced by an outside supplier, Takata Corp. According to the report, vehicles from Toyota, Honda, Nissan and Mazda are being recalled because of passenger front airbags that do not inflate properly.

Autoblog , Toyota, Honda, Mazda and Nissan recall 3.4 million vehicles for faulty airbags, Toyota, Honda, Mazda and Nissan recall 3.4 million vehicles for faulty airbags

AutoAnything Bracketron Universal USB Power Dock Pro Flex review

The Bracketron Universal USB Power Dock Pro Flex (from AutoAnything) is a 12-volt power adapter/device holder for most any car. The dock itself can hold devices up to 5.25″ high by 3″ wide. The long neck and sturdy base, along with standard USB port with high capacity 1.5A power, will support and charge just about anything, from any 12V power port in your car. I used the Power Dock Pro with my rather large-and-power-hungry Lumia 920 in both my tiny commuter Nissan Versa and the Land Yacht Chevy Traverse to see how well it worked.










The Gadgeteer , AutoAnything Bracketron Universal USB Power Dock Pro Flex review, AutoAnything Bracketron Universal USB Power Dock Pro Flex review

LG Optimus G Pro May Land On AT&T Starting May 10 [Rumor]

We caught a glimpse of the LG Optimus G Pro at Mobile World Congress earlier this year and have seen it make its way across Asia to South Korea and Japan. Now it looks like it'll soon be the North America's turn to have beautiful Asian models posing with an LG Optimus G Pro in a promotional image as it looks like it may be making its way to the U.S. as early as May. According to sources close to Android Central who is familiar with the device's U.S. launch plans, the device is expected to release on AT&T and feature a 5.5-inch screen similar to the version launched in South Korea, instead of the 5-inch Japanese variant.

Ubergizmo , LG Optimus G Pro May Land On AT&T Starting May 10 [Rumor], LG Optimus G Pro May Land On AT&T Starting May 10 [Rumor]

Car Culture exhibit at Lentos museum will bend your mind [w/videos]

It was modern art and motorcars on display in the Car Culture exhibit at the LENTOS Kunstmuseum in Linz, Austria. We say "was" because we missed the exhibit, which was last year, but we've been tipped to a video of some of its offerings, and we wish we had gone. The image above is two Porsche Cayennes in wood in the midst of a head-on collision – and it gets far more modern artsy from there, such as with the Volkswagen Beetle with the upside down tortoise shell glued to its roof. The exhibit also showed off the pedal-powered aluminum foil Porsche 911 and the similarly powered Fahrradi Farfalla FXX.





Autoblog , Car Culture exhibit at Lentos museum will bend your mind [w/videos]

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, Car Culture exhibit at Lentos museum will bend your mind [w/videos]

Bethesda Plans To Make More Noise This Year, Possibly With Fallout 4

Are you looking forward to playing Fallout 4 possibly this year. If you are, there is a good chance that Bethesda could be announcing the game sometime later this year, possibly at E3. This was hinted at by the studio's vice president, Pete Hines, who revealed that the publisher was planning on making more noise this year. Hines stated that games such as Elder Scrolls Online and the Dishonored DLC have already been revealed, meaning that the studio will be announcing "new stuff" and that it will be worthy enough for gamers to sit up and take notice.

Ubergizmo , Bethesda Plans To Make More Noise This Year, Possibly With Fallout 4

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, Bethesda Plans To Make More Noise This Year, Possibly With Fallout 4

GoNote Mini Introduced

It was not too long ago that UK-based electronics firm Ergo Electronics brought the GoNote to the masses, which is basically a new take on dying technology, with the GoNote being a 10" Android-powered netbook. All right, dying because netbooks have long ago gone the way of the dinosaur in the new world order of mobile devices, but perhaps running on Android could have proven to be its saving grace. While the GoNote is no more, the brand still has a breath of life in it – that is, the GoNote Mini, which is a smaller 7" model.

Ubergizmo , GoNote Mini Introduced, GoNote Mini Introduced

Study Finds That 50% Of Teens Own An iPhone

Interestingly a while back there was a study done in which it was suggested that the iPhone was starting to lose its cool factor amongst teens and started appealing more to the older generation. Considering that my parents and older relatives have started adopting iPhones and iPads, while younger cousins have gone the Android route, that study seemed pretty spot on. Thanks to a new poll conducted by analysts Piper Jaffray, they have found that out of the 5,200 teens they polled, half of them apparently own the iPhone and is actually an increase of 8% from last fall.

Ubergizmo , Study Finds That 50% Of Teens Own An iPhone, Study Finds That 50% Of Teens Own An iPhone

Boxee Box Rebranded To Cloud DVR

Boxee has just lifted the curtain on a new offering for a cloud-based DVR, where this rebranded Boxee TV has been given a new moniker, which would be the Boxee Cloud DVR that delivers up to five hours of DVR playback each month when it comes to the new free plan for users of the hardware. If you are one who participated in the paid tier, then unlimited, indefinite storage would still be available. The first round of rollout would be limited to just eight major metropolitan areas, and they will include Washington DC, New York City, Chicago, Philadelphia, Atlanta, Houston, Dallas/Fort Worth, and Los Angeles.

Ubergizmo , Boxee Box Rebranded To Cloud DVR, Boxee Box Rebranded To Cloud DVR

Divoom Bluetune-solo portable Bluetooth speaker review

The Divoom Bluetune-solo is a portable Bluetooth speaker that will let you enjoy your tunes wirelessly, while also providing speakerphone capability, all in a package that is half the size of a can of soda. There are a lot of portable Bluetooth speakers on the market right now, let's see if this one is worthy of your consideration. Note: Images can be clicked to view a larger size.





The Gadgeteer , Divoom Bluetune-solo portable Bluetooth speaker review

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, Divoom Bluetune-solo portable Bluetooth speaker review

Google Pulled Over 60,000 Low Quality Apps From Play Store In February

Getting an app approved on the iTunes App Store is no easy task. Apple has strict guidelines that developers have to follow, or their apps wouldn't be accepted. This is not the case with Google, who has often been criticized for its rather “open” app ecosystem for Android. Nevertheless Google regularly removes apps that are spam or are non-compliant. The company reportedly removed as much as 60,000 low quality apps in the month of February alone, making it the largest round of low quality app cleanup to date.
Google is a bit different from Apple when it comes to accepting apps.

Ubergizmo , Google Pulled Over 60,000 Low Quality Apps From Play Store In February, Google Pulled Over 60,000 Low Quality Apps From Play Store In February

Know what time it is in 16 regions with the The Time Traveler Watch

If you travel often or deal with people in all corners of the world, knowing the local time can be a challenge… unless you have a Time Traveler watch from Watchismo. The watch uses 16 landmark buildings to mark the time in different countries. Big Ben for London, Eiffel Tower for Paris, Statue of Liberty for New York City. The unique 24 hour mechanism features an hour hand that makes only one rotation every 24 hours. The upper half of the watch face marks the hours from 6am to 6pm and the lower half 6pm to 6am. When the hour hand is pointing horizontal left (9 o'clock on a regular watch) this corresponds to 6am.

The Gadgeteer , Know what time it is in 16 regions with the The Time Traveler Watch, Know what time it is in 16 regions with the The Time Traveler Watch

Facebook Starts Placing Invitation Limitations For Events

We're sure that many of you guys receive invitations from "friends" on your Facebook list from time to time. Usually these invites are to events which you probably aren't too interested in, and while it's not a big deal to ignore them, being spammed by them can be pretty annoying. However it seems that Facebook might be doing something to curb on the spamming, and according to social media expert, Mari Smith, she has discovered that Facebook has started to restrict the number of invitations one can send out when creating an event.

Ubergizmo , Facebook Starts Placing Invitation Limitations For Events, Facebook Starts Placing Invitation Limitations For Events

Apple To Reveal New Mac Pro Revamp This Month

Apple is expected to reveal a revamp of Mac Pro. The company's desktop offering was last updated in June 2012 with new processors and greater RAM. Many essentials such as Thunderbolt, USB 3.0 and Serial ATA were not included. An entirely revamped Mac Pro offering is expected to be revealed later this month. Apparently the source has not divulged whether this Mac Pro revamp will be a tower, mini-tower or something else, but did mention that the announcement cloud “slip” in to May or June, around the time when Apple organizes its Worldwide Developers Conference.

Ubergizmo , Apple To Reveal New Mac Pro Revamp This Month

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, Apple To Reveal New Mac Pro Revamp This Month

Toyota unintended acceleration lawsuit settled for $16M

Slowly, the many loose threads still dangling after the unintended acceleration issue Toyota faced a few years ago are being resolved. The Orange County District Attorney's office was believed to be the first DA's office to take Toyota to court, its suit alleging that Toyota knew its cars had defects and continued to sell them. The suit sought to "permanently enjoin Toyota from continued unlawful, unfair, deceptive, and fraudulent business practices as it pertains to both consumers and competitors" and asked for $2,500 "for every violation of the Unfair Business Practices Act," plus costs.

Autoblog , Toyota unintended acceleration lawsuit settled for $16M, Toyota unintended acceleration lawsuit settled for $16M

Lamborghini Miura SV burns to the ground in London

If there's one thing Italian supercars seemingly love more than moving quickly, it's being on fire. That even applies to iconic machinery like the Lamborghini Miura SV, one of our personal favorite exotics of all time. One such Lamborghini owner just witness their machine go all flambé during a photo shoot in London. Details are scarce at the moment, but it looks as if something went awry in the engine bay.
You can watch the disaster in the video below, but just make sure your stomach is well prepared for the nauseating sight.



Autoblog , Lamborghini Miura SV burns to the ground in London, Lamborghini Miura SV burns to the ground in London

ZAGG's Animatone Earbuds and Headphones protect your child's hearing

ZAGG may be more known for their protective device skins, but they've long offered their ifrogz line of earbuds and headphones.  They now have some Animatone products that are designed just for children.  As you know, the loud volumes produced by earphones and headphones can damage hearing.  Some devices include maximum-volume settings for their audio functions, but not all do.  With these Animatone products, you won't have to worry if your device doesn't have a limit or if your child has found some way to by-pass the limits, because these Animatone products have a built-in volume limit.

The Gadgeteer , ZAGG's Animatone Earbuds and Headphones protect your child's hearing, ZAGG's Animatone Earbuds and Headphones protect your child's hearing

Ecclestone wonders if F1's upcoming turbo V6s should get augmented sound [w/videos]

While every team on the Formula One grid is worried about making a good showing in this year's championship at the same time as they develop a brand-new car for next year's championship, Bernie Ecclestone and F1 circuit promoters have a different concern: how next year's cars will sound. The current cars use 2.4-liter, naturally-aspirated V8s that can reach 18,000 revolutions per minute and employ dual exhaust, next year's engine formula calls for 1.6-liter turbocharged V6s that are capped at 15,000 rpm and are constrained to a single exhaust outlet.









Autoblog , Ecclestone wonders if F1's upcoming turbo V6s should get augmented sound [w/videos]

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wgitn, Ecclestone wonders if F1's upcoming turbo V6s should get augmented sound [w/videos]

Nokia Lumia 920 Firmware Update Runs Into Plenty Of Issues

Life is not all a bed of roses for some folks, and the same adage too, can be applied to the world of smartphones. Having picked up the latest firmware update at the end of last month, the Nokia Lumia 920 has since seen handsets on the AT&T network run into firmware update issues, and folks who lived across the pond, too, managed to enjoy the Lumia 920 firmware 1308 update sometime last week as well.

Ubergizmo , Nokia Lumia 920 Firmware Update Runs Into Plenty Of Issues, Nokia Lumia 920 Firmware Update Runs Into Plenty Of Issues

Taser Axon Flux Is Their Latest Policing Tool

Taser International is most famous for their self-defense device of a similar namesake, Taser, where it will discharge a bolt of energy at the attacker in an effort to disable said person who is fast closing in and violating your personal space, blanketed with an evil intention. Well, their stun gun has proved to be quite a seller, where it has been reported that around 90% of police departments in the US rely on the Taser.

Ubergizmo , Taser Axon Flux Is Their Latest Policing Tool, Taser Axon Flux Is Their Latest Policing Tool

Samsung SPH-L500 Appears On The FCC With Sprint As Its Destination

Another day, another device arrives at the FCC for inspection, and this time around it would be the Samsung SPH-L500 that is on the receiving end. It seems that the Samsung SPH-L500 is well on its way over to the market, especially when it has already arrived at the FCC for further inspection and subsequently, approval of course. This Sprint-bound Samsung handset has already picked up its FCC stripes, where it is noted that it will arrive with CDMA/EV-DO connectivity on board, in addition to 4G LTE band 25 support, and when probed further, that would refer to it being Sprint's preferred flavor of LTE.

Ubergizmo , Samsung SPH-L500 Appears On The FCC With Sprint As Its Destination, Samsung SPH-L500 Appears On The FCC With Sprint As Its Destination

Canadians To Receive Facebook Home Weeks After US Neighbors

What is your opinion on Facebook Home as well as the HTC First which was er, for the lack of a better word, first announced just last week. Well, we do know that AT&T in the US will be the only mobile carrier to carry the HTC First on an exclusive basis, where this particular smartphone will arrive right out of the box alongside the Facebook Home launcher pre-installed to get you started straight away. Apart from that, April 12th is also the date that the launcher will be made available in the Google Play Store.

Ubergizmo , Canadians To Receive Facebook Home Weeks After US Neighbors, Canadians To Receive Facebook Home Weeks After US Neighbors

Facebook Explains What Data 'Home' Collects And Why

Facebook Home was only recently announced. Dubbed their new Home on Android, it debuts with the HTC First which will be released on April 12th. Facebook has now posted a document online in which it answers some of the questions that users have been asking in regard to what information Facebook Home collects and why. This document is a move on their part to quickly address any and all privacy related concerns that potential users may have at this point in time. At the very beginning it is explained that Facebook Home in no way changes a user's privacy settings on Facebook and that their privacy controls work exactly the way they've set them.

Ubergizmo , Facebook Explains What Data 'Home' Collects And Why, Facebook Explains What Data 'Home' Collects And Why