MINI Shows Off Lifestyle Collection for Very, Very Early Christmas Buyers

When not in the business of car-making, MINI promotes its online shop. And with Christmas only [...] two-and-a-half-months away, the company thought it would be a good idea to put together a selection of gifts for early birds. We guess it could be worse as we've seen companies advertising their Christmas goodies (or ideas) from the end of summer.

In any case, MINI's latest Lifestyle Collection includes numerous items ranging from the Sonoro Internet Radio that can receive over 18,000 web radio stations via WiFi or LAN and the Cuckoo Clock, to the Snow Rocker toboggan and Baby Racer push-car. If you're interested, scroll down for the gallery.

Link: MINI Shop

Google’s Latest Killer App is one Step Closer to the Driverless Car [with Video]

It came from San Francisco Bay. A hybrid killing driving machine with a singular purpose: to destroy mankind to further the cause of safe motoring. A Toyota Prius infused with advanced technology that allows it to kill without remorse drive itself and created by the Devil himself Google! Pardoning that brief flight of fancy, here's the real scoop:

Google is working on an automated / driverless car with the help of DARPA Challenge luminaries Chris Urmson and Anthony Levandowski. Mr. Urmson was the technical team leader on CMU's 2007 DARPA Urban Challenge winning entry, whilst Mr. Levandowski built the world's first autonomous motorcycle for the DARPA Grand Challenge as well as an automated pizza delivery vehicle.

Though still in the experimental stages of development, Google's test vehicles have covered 140,000 miles (225,300 km). Their unpiloted yet still manned Priora (that's the plural of Prius, dontchaknow) have travelled from their Mountain View campus to their Santa Monica office and onto Hollywood Boulevard, down Lombard Street, across the Golden Gate Bridge, along the Pacific Coast Highway and all the way around Lake Tahoe (albeit, not in a single journey).

Here's how it works:

First a human operator takes a conventional car out and maps the route and road conditions, including lane markers and traffic signs. The local police are then briefed on the expected route just in case.

Then the automated car (always a Toyota Prius in the pictures we've seen) hits the road, piloted by a trained safety driver and software operator who monitor the car's progress and can take over at a moment's notice. The automated vehicles are fitted with video cameras, radar sensors and a laser range finder, all of which helps the car to "see" the road ahead, other vehicles and any obstacles in its path. All in all, a very clever bit of engineering.

Google hopes that the technology can be used in the future to reduce road traffic accidents. The automated vehicles are part of what the company calls their "highway trains of tomorrow"; automated vehicles that obey the road rules, can never drive intoxicated and will always keep a safe distance behind the vehicle in front. All in all, a very bright future for A to B motoring.

By Tristan Hankins

Link: Google Blog

Sony Upsets Fans by Delaying Gran Turismo 5 Yet Again

There's an old saying that I think is appropriate here: when it rains, it pours. Sony has announced further delays to its much anticipated Gran Turismo 5 (GT5) arcade racing title. The game, which was scheduled for an early November release, has been once again pushed back, this time to the "holiday season".

In a statement on the official Playstation blog, GT5's North American Producer Taku Imasaki said:

"We sincerely apologize to GT fans for the delay, however, creator Kazunori Yamauchi and the team at Polyphony Digital. I want to make certain they are creating the perfect racing experience, and we are confident that this ambitious game will exceed expectations when it launches."

The release of GT5 Prologue at the 2007 E3 Convention appeared to indicate a release in June of 2008. Further previews of the game followed, but no release date was given. Finally, just last year Sony indicated that GT5 would go on sale in March of 2010. Just three months later, at E3 2010, that date was pushed back to November.

The final specifications and release date were confirmed as recently as last month's Tokyo Game Show. A media event last week seemed to confirm that everyone was set for a November release. This latest delay has come as a shock to everyone, including Sony's North American arm.

Mr. Imasaki told the New York Times in a phone interview:

"We're really close, but this was an executive decision that was made yesterday. Realistically, we thought we had a good date. We're not happy over here."

He went on to suggest the game could be delayed even further, something no fan of the series wants to hear. Carscoop will keep abreast of the issue, and provide updates as they come in.

By Tristan Hankins

Source: Sony & NY Times

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2020 Apple iMove Study: Macintosh thinks differently as it hits middle age

A while back there was a rumor going around that Apple and its overlord Steve Jobs were going to be getting into the city car game. Although nothing official has been announced in the years since those rumors started - and Google looks ready to shut down anything Apple has coming with its driver-less cars - the iMove, an independent design study, is likely close to what people were thinking as soon as Apple mentioned "car".

Designed by 20-year old Liviu Tudoran, the iMove is simple, smooth, cute, and most of all, blends right into the Apple product lineup of pods and user-friendly design.

The exterior uses "photocromic material" to adjust the exterior hue of the vehicle (at least on the transparent parts) based on a variety of presets. Think of it like the Mustang's MyColor gauges, but on the outside of your ride.

Have a look at the pics below (and use our new zoom function, if necessary) to check out some of the designer's ideas and explanations behind them. While the spelling may be a bit off, the idea seems to be fairly on.

The iMove, though currently just a sketch and rendering, will be right at home in the cities of the future. I'll take mine in Vintage Mac Beige please.

By Phil Alex

Source: Liviu Tudoran

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