Exclusive Posting- The Royal Wedding

Kate Middleton has finally made her way from the Goring Hotelto Westminster Abbey. Wearing a tiara with a full veil, the 29-year-old looked radiant in her long-sleeved lace gown designed by Sarah Burton at Alexander McQueen. Accompanied by her father in the Rolls Royce that brought her to the Abbey, she waved to the crowd along the way.

The glowing bride was greeted by sister and maid of honor, Pippa Middleton upon her arrival at the Abbey. A full glimpse of her much-speculated dress came to full view as she stepped out of the car. Of the dress, Clarence House explained, "Miss Middleton chose British brand Alexander McQueen for the beauty of its craftsmanship and its respect for traditional workmanship and the technical construction of clothing."

"Miss Middleton wished for her dress to combine tradition and modernity with the artistic vision that characterises Alexander McQueen's work," it was further noted. "Miss Middleton worked closely with Sarah Burton in formulating the design of her dress. The dress epitomises timeless British craftsmanship by drawing together talented and skilled workmanship from across the United Kingdom."

Minutes before Kate arrived at the Abbey, Prince William left Clarence House for short drive to the Abbey. Accompanying him in the Bentley was his younger brother who serves as his best man, Prince Harry. Dressed in a full military dress uniform, the British royal waved to the crowd as his car drove by thousands of screaming people who are waving their flags.

Along the route, William was also seen making salute gesture to the military standing guards on the streets of London. Upon his arrival, he received by the Dean and Chapter. Inside the Abbey, William took off his hat before shaking hands and speaking with officials. After a brief chat with some of the guests, he and his brother Harry were conducted to the Sacrarium steps.

After the Princes arrived, Kate's mother, Carole Middleton, made her way to Westminster Abbey accompanied by her brother. Following behind were senior members of the British royal family, before Prince Charles and Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, made their way to the Abbey as well. Queen Elizabeth was later seen on her way wearing a pastel yellow outfit and matching hat.

                               

© AceShowbiz.com

Casio GzOne Commando Smartphone

Casio is known more for its line of cool watches. But that does not necessarily mean that they don’t make cool smartphones. In fact, Casio has its line of GzOne smartphones that also can hold out on its own in the tough market for mobile phones. One of its recent offerings is the new Casio GzOne Commando Smartphone.

The Casio GzOne Commando Smartphone not only looks cool, it is also tough. Built to be tough, the Casio GzOne Commando is certified MIL-STD-810G for toughness. It is waterproof, shockproof, dustproof and can even withstand temperatures as high as 86 degrees Celsius to as low as -25 degrees Celsius. Now that is one tough phone.

The rugged Casio GzOne Commando also features a 3.6″ WVGA touchscreen display, 5MP megapixel camera, 512 RAM and 1GB Flash and with a microSD slot that can accommodate up to 32GB. It is also WiFi ready, with Bluetooth connectivity and comes with large front speakers for those who need more sound. The new Casio GzOne Commando is expected to be available at Verizon on April 29. it is expected to cost around US$200 that comes with a 2-year Verizon service plan.

Image Source: Casio

Fujitsu Unveils Notebook with Built-In Pico Projector

Fujitsu has announced its Lifebook S761/C that features an integrated pico projector, which we think is long overdue. (They should have thought about this when pico projectors were all the rage.)

The projector, which displays images at 800 x 600 resolution, is located where an optical drive would have been placed in the notebook. The device includes a 13.3-inch LCD screen with 1,366 x 768 resolution, an Intel Core i5-2520M CPU, 1GB of RAM, 160GB of hard disk storage, and Windows 7 Professional.

This latest Fujitsu notebook would become available in Japan beginning May 2011 for about US$2,690. A 12.1-inch version (the P711/C) is also available, featuring a 1,280 x 800 resolution screen, costing $3,120.

Source: Akihabara News, via CrunchGear

Sony Unveils First Android Tablet

It might have taken Sony some time, but it finally has unveiled a tablet into the consumer market. The Sony S1 Android Tablet has been recently introduced and is set to put up a challenge against all the other new tablets in, or about to enter, the market. Sony may have taken the benefit of time and careful planning to get the features right for its new Sony Tablet.

The Sony S1 Tablet is said to come with a 9.4 inch screen and powered by a Nvidia Tegra 2 processor. The tablet will also come ready with WiFi and 3G connectivity where available. It also will run on the Android 3.0 platform and will feature the Sony Qrio Video and the Audio VoD service. The tablet will also offer a PlayStation Suite that will allow users to play PS1 games while on the go. The Sony S1 Tablet is set to be available in the market around fall of this year. No pricing information has yet been provided.

Image Source: Sony

White iPhone 4 Finally Arrives

Finally, after months and months of waiting, speculating and even doubting, the white Apple iPhone 4 has finally arrived. Yes, that rare white iPhone has been officially announced by Apple and will be made available in the US as well as all over the world beginning today, April 28. So all Apple iPhone enthusiasts, prepare to line up once again into Apple stores and authorized resellers to get your own white iPhone 4.

It is quite perplexing just how a gadget of a certain color can capture all the attention and can be so eagerly awaited. But then, you may not be an avid enthusiast of all things Apple if you can’t understand this. Although there have been white Apple iPhone 4 versions that have come out since the demand for this rare device were going up, they were not the legitimate version, or one that Apple itself has approved. The new white Apple iPhone 4 is expected to come in 16GB and 32GB models with prices at US$199 and US$299, respectively.

Image Source: Apple

Apple iMac update is coming next week

Information on another Apple iMac update has appeared about a month ago. Back then we could subject it to tasty Apple rumors, but now there is very little point that. Current iMac, or rather previous one because it has already stopped shipping, has reached the end of standard one year lifecycle and there sure will be an update to it any time soon. In fact, the time of the iMac lineup update is less clear unlike its specs which have partly been leaked or are easily estimated with a high degree of probability.

Updated Apple iMacs are expected to ship starting with next week, most likely on May 3rd or 4th. The updates themself will reportedly include Intel Sandy Bridgeprocessors and a Thunderbolt I/O port. These are the specs that have been leaked. If we look at the specifications of the previous models, there is a significant room for improvement which has to be addressed to. Firstly, new iMacs must migrate to ATI Radeon HD 6000 series graphics altogether. Then they must feature USB 3.0 ports.

At this point iMac specs prediction becomes a whish list, but the high degree of probability is still captured nonetheless. Now, unlike MacBook Air, iMac cannot be all based on Flash memory, but there should appear more SSD options or even a preventive hybrid configuration with SSD dedicated to the operating system. Speaking of which – a timely hardware refresh for OS X Lion. Wireless connectivity should be expanded to WiMAX. iSight camera should go Full HD.

The only real rumor at this point around next generation iMac is that the range will also be different. It is yet unknown if 21.5" and 27" models will remain, but there can well be a third one. Some say it will fit in between. My word though is that Apple should cramp 1 920 × 1 080 resolution Full HD display under 20 inches increasing its pixel density (get rid of optical drive if you please), call it Retina and price it under a thousand dollars.

AMD will release C-60 APU with support of Turbo Core this autumn

AMD plans to expand APU Fusion family with C-60 (Ontario). The main features of the new model will be the same as an existing model C-50: two cores running at 1.0 GHz, GPU that supports DirectX 11 and high-definition video decoder UVD3.

Its main difference from C-50 is that C-60 supports Turbo Core technologysupport - a technology that allows to increase the frequency of both cores up to 1.33 GHz. Graphics core can also be overclocked from 276 to 400 MHz. However at the moment, the technology may be applicable to only one of the components, not to exceed the TDP 9 Watts.

It is expected that the C-60 APU will be used in netbooks, which are scheduled for release this autumn.

Lenovo ThinkPad X220 notebook is shipping, tries to be a tablet as well

As we previously ensured you, Lenovo sticks to the fashion of releasing new and exciting machines based on Intel’s Sandy Bridge platform this spring. In March we covered a splash of mobile workstations and Edges coming out, some of the Lenovo newcomers were missed by our coverage, but anyway, we now have something else to look at. The new X Series ThinkPads include a classicnotebook and its tablet incarnation. By the tablet I mean of course (or rather Lenovo does) a tilting in all directions multitouch display a price tag with extra 50% of laptop’s price added to it. As always, Lenovo offers wide customization possibilities, namely Core i-processes of all families, tons of RAM, SSDs and USB 3.0. The display resolution however is locked at 1 366 × 786 and there are no discrete graphics available, but then the display is IPS and the latest X220s start well under a thousand dollars, so I guess everything is fair here. Specifications and customization options are after the jump.

Lenovo ThinkPad X220 specifications:

Processor: Intel Core i3-2310M @ 2,1 GHz, Intel Core i5-2520M @ 2,5 GHz, Intel Core i5-2540M @ 2,6 GHz, Intel Core i7-2620M @ 2,7 GHz

Memory: 2 GB DDR3 @ 1 333 MHz, 4 GB DDR3 @ 1 333 MHz, 6 GB DDR3 @ 1 333 MHz, 8 GB DDR3 @ 1 333 MHz

Graphics: Intel HD Graphics 3000

Storage: 250 GB HDD @ 5 400 rpm, 320 GB HDD @ 5 400 rpm, 320 GB HDD @ 7 200, 128 GB SSD, 160 GB SSD

Display: 12,5" HD 1 366 × 786 IPS LCD

Camera: 720p HD

Wireless: Bluetooth 3.0, b/g/n Wi-Fi, WiMAX

Battery: 6-cell, 9-cell

Base price: $850

Lenovo ThinkPad X220 Tablet specifications:

Processor: Intel Core i3-2310M @ 2,1 GHz, Intel Core i5-2520M @ 2,5 GHz, Intel Core i5-2540M @ 2,6 GHz, Intel Core i7-2620M @ 2,7 GHz

Memory: 4 GB DDR3 @ 1 333 MHz, 6 GB DDR3 @ 1 333 MHz, 8 GB DDR3 @ 1 333 MHz

Graphics: Intel HD Graphics 3000

Storage: 250 GB HDD @ 5 400 rpm, 320 GB HDD @ 5 400 rpm, 320 GB HDD @ 7 200, 128 GB SSD, 160 GB SSD

Display: 12,5" HD 1 366 × 786 IPS LCD

Camera: 720p HD

Wireless: Bluetooth 3.0, b/g/n Wi-Fi, WiMAX

Battery: 6-cell

Base price: $1 250

New Intel Atom-based Epson Endeavor NP15 nettop shrinks under 0

Desktops really are on their way out. Yearly studies show that portion of desktops sold declines every year compared to notebooks, all-in-ones, nettops and now tablets. All-in-ones and nettops is where many former desktop users go who know they don’t need mobility, so we really see a lot more of this form-factor machines coming out these days. Epson, in computer terms, has forever had a nettop lineup which the company has recently updated. The new Epson Endeavor NP15 is an Intel Atom-based machine. We are not speaking performance here, but the yet fresh processor and DDR3 memory are huge improvement to what most nettops could offer about a year ago. Just remember that you have to bring your own optical drive, wireless LAN adapters, sound system, peripheral, cookies and milk. Epson Endeavor NP15 is announced in Japan for price equivalent to $360. Specs follow.

Epson Endeavor NP15 specifications:

Chipset: Intel NM10 Express Chipset

Processor: Intel Atom D525 @ 1,8 GHz

Memory: 2 GB DDR3 @ 800 MHz

Graphics: built-in w/ 256 MB (shared), up to 1 920 × 1 200

Storage: 250 GB 2,5" Serial ATA HDD @ 5 400 rpm

LAN: 1 Gbps Realtek RTL8111E

Connectivity: 6 × USB 2.0, VGA

Dimensions: 3" × 6" × 7,8" w/ stand

Weight: 27 oz

Price: $360

Fisker Karma PHEV headed to showrooms after company raises US$1 billion

              

Following a series of funding setbacks that has seen the launch of Fisker Automotive's Karma four-door saloon plug-in hybrid electric (PHEV) sports car pushed back from the initial late 2009 launch date a number of times, there's finally some good news. According to Gigaom, the company has surpassed its US$1 billion funding goal and plans to have vehicles in dealer showrooms in May or June and will begin fulfilling its 3,000-some pre-orders from June or July.

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The funding comes courtesy of backing from investors including venture capital firm Kleiner Perkins, battery manufacturer A123 Systems – which also supplies battery systems to Chrysler – and Fisker Automotive securing a load award totaling 528.7 million from the Department of Energy for green car manufacturing.

The extended-range Karma was first revealed to the public at the 2008 NAIAS in Detroit with a projected US$80,000 price tag. That has now increased to $95,900, with the car also going from the originally predicted 2,086 kg (4,599 lb) to around 2,495 kg (5,500 lb).

But despite the weight increase, little else, including the performance figures, has changed. Fisker is still touting a sub-six second 0-60 mph and top speed of 125 mph for the Karma in a Sport Mode that combines power from the vehicle's electric and internal combustion engine, as well as a range of 50 miles (80 km) in electric mode.

The car draws on the design and engineering expertise of people responsible for vehicles such as the Rolls Royce Phantom, Ford GT and BMW 5-Series, not to mention that Henrik Fisker is the man behind the Aston Martin DB9, V8 Vantage andBMW Z8.

Source: Gigaom

Audi shows petrol-electric A3 E-Tron Hybrid Concept in Shanghai

                 

Audi's A3 e-tron concept to be shown at Auto Shanghai for the first time today, is a plug-in hybrid technical study based on the company's four-seat RS 3 Sportback. It uses a turbocharged, direct injection, 211 hp, 1.4 liter TFSI unit and a 27 hp electric motor to give the E-Tron a top speed of 144 mph plus exceptional frugality and energy efficiency.

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Technical highlights abound, including a regulated oil pump, the intelligent Audi thermal management system, a start-stop system and an energy recovery system.

The 12 kWh lithium-ion battery is charged by the energy recovery system when in use, and by a household power socket when it is parked, offering an electric-only range of up to 34 miles – which means the A3 e-tron can be operated entirely emission-free in city driving.

The e-tron's seven-speed S tronic transmission is in effect, an automatic direct shift gearbox using two transmission structures, operated by two clutches, to shift gears so quickly that there is no perceptible interruption of power delivery to the driver. It can be operated in automatic mode or as a manual gearbox changing gears using the F1-style steering-wheel paddles. Completing the F1 mimicry is a launch control system which will ensure you never get smoked by Mrs Klump at the traffic lights ever again.

First F-35 full mission simulator delivered

               

Eglin Air Force Base has just taken delivery of a piece of hardware that would surely be the ultimate toy for flight sim gaming fans. The F-35 Lightning II Full Mission Simulator (FMS) system includes a high-fidelity 360-degree visual display system and a reconfigurable cockpit that can simulate all three variants of the F-35 Lightning II for U.S. and international partner services – the conventional takeoff and landing (CTOL) F-35A, the short takeoff and vertical landing (STOVL) F-35B, and the F-35C carrier variant.

The system is the first designed specifically to train pilots for Lockheed Martin's fifth generation, multi-role F-35 Joint Strike Fighter (JSF). To ensure pilots receive the most realistic experience and allow for software upgrades in step with the F-35 development, the simulator uses the same software used in the actual aircraft and accurately replicates all F-35 sensors and weapons deployment.

"The smooth surface, high-resolution dome is a dramatic improvement over legacy fighter simulators. The high visual acuity and utilization of a significant amount of real aircraft parts and source code will allow us to train a wide variety of mission tasks previously not accomplished in simulators. The F-35 FMS will be our primary pilot training device, and we are anxious to start putting it to good use," says Col. Arthur Tomassetti, 33rd Fighter Wing Vice Commander.

Preparation and assembly of the Lockheed Martin-built system is now underway at Eglin Air Force Base's F-35 Integrated Training Center (ITC), with training due to commence later this year.

Source: Lockheed Martin

The Lito Sora - the biggest, baddest electric motorcycle in Montreal

                    

Montreal's Lito has thrown its hat into the ring with a new electric motorcycle that makes some pretty outrageous claims. A full 12 kilowatt-hours' worth of onboard lithium polymer batteries gives the Sora a massive 300 km range – that's 185 miles between charges. Or you can choose to wrap the throttle on and scream up to a top speed of 200 km/h (125 mph). With chopper/fighter bad boy looks and some interesting and innovative features like in-dash touch screen GPS and electronically adjustable ergonomics, the Sora looks like an absolute animal of a machine. You can't help but think that if it had an accessible pricetag, it would look very tempting to the average biker.

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Zero Motorcycles has chosen light weight and low cost as its dual strategy to get the electric motorcycle market started in the US – we assume both those considerations have gone out the window at Lito.

But then, dropping feather-light weight as a priority opens the door to some things that simply couldn't fit on the Zero S. The Sora uses regenerative braking, for example, which is inefficient on lightweight machines but a handy tool on heavier bikes like this 240 kg (530 lb) beast. It also packs a CV transmission, in a segment where most bikes avoid transmissions altogether – which keeps the engine output efficient at a broader range of speeds and enables the Sora's 125 mph top speed.

A higher weight ceiling also opens the door for more battery cells – in this case, nearly three times the power capacity of the Zero S at 12 kWh. That means there's more power to spend, whether you choose to spend it conservatively on longer range, or more gregariously on massive acceleration and high speeds.

The downsides to such a huge battery pack are equally compelling; the Sora takes a whopping 8 hours to charge from empty (although it does have the nifty feature of sending you an email when it's ready to go). Also, battery packs are still stupendously expensive. So 12 kilowatt hours' worth of lithium polymer will cost around as much as a new Japanese superbike, or maybe more.

One interesting innovation on the Sora is the way the tank-mounted GPS system is integrated with the battery management system. Punch in your destination, and the Sora will calculate how much power it needs to get you there – and it will adjust your available power along the journey to make sure you get there with charge to spare. It's a very smart feature designed to eliminate the range anxiety you tend to feel on an electric knowing that your battery is dwindling and it'll take anywhere up to several hours to get it charged back up.

Another new touch is the idea of on-the-go adjustable ergonomics – the Sora's stubby seat unit can move as much as 10 cm (4-inches) up and down to completely change the feel and handling of the bike. Drop it down for a relaxed, cruisy highway position, crank it up for extra agility and a more aggressive sporting stance. It'll be fascinating to see what sort of difference that system makes to the feel of the bike.

The Sora is more than just a concept – Lito has built at least one of these things, and in the flesh it looks, well, about 80% as tough as something Confederate might make. Which is TOUGH! The bizarre downward slope of the aluminum frame quickly becomes familiar to the eye, the front end is clean and muscular, and the bobbed back end looks absolutely superb. The flared battery cells are an acceptable substitute for a big lump of engine down below, the belt drive and swingarm look techno-amazing and the overall effect is one hell of a sexy bike.

There's no price listed for this beauty, but it's going to be expensive. The batteries alone will propel it pretty high up the list of motorcycle prices – and then there's the lightweight aircraft-grade chassis, the carbon fiber fairings, the CVT, the GPS, the proprietary software, the Elka suspension … we shudder to think what the final pricetag will be.

But by Odin we'd love to ride it.

Two new Suzuki Kizashi Concepts - one frugal, one powerful

             

Suzuki is having a bet each way in the performance vs fuel efficiency stakes with the unveiling of two new additions to its long-running line of Kizashi concepts at the New York International Auto Show. While the Kizashi EcoCharge hybrid concept combines a 2.0-liter petrol engine,15kW motor and a 115-volt air-cooled lithium-ion battery to optimize fuel efficiency, it's show floor stablemate the Kizashi Apex Concept is geared toward performance.

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Kizashi EcoCharge Concept

The EcoCharge Concept's hybrid system is made up of a 2.0-liter, four cylinder petrol engine, a liquid-cooled 15kW motor and a 115-volt air-cooled lithium-ion battery. Throw in regenerative braking, engine stop-start system, fuel cut-off during deceleration, a six-speed automatic transmission, lightweight alloy wheels and low-rolling resistance tires and Suzuki says the Concept will better the petrol only production version by 25 percent in terms of fuel economy.

"The basis for the Kizashi EcoCharge Concept was to attain substantial gains in fuel economy without the traditional sacrifices in drivability. While delivering a substantial fuel-economy gain, the electric charge to the powertrain system has still retained the dynamic handling advantages that make the Kizashi a standout category performer," said Steve Youman, director of automotive marketing and product planning for American Suzuki Motor Corporation.

Kizashi Apex Concept

On the other end of the scale, the Kizashi Apex Concept meanwhile is aimed squarely at performance. Splicing some of its DNA from the company's GSX-R Superbike, the Apex Concept packs a Garrett turbocharger, six-speed manual transmission and electronic boost control to achieve a claimed peak output into the 210-220 kW range (just under 300 horses) with maximum boost of 8.5 psi.

The air-to-liquid intercooler design has also been scaled down to reduce turbo lag and improve throttle response.

On the outside the Apex gets a makeover based on the Suzuki's motorcycle racing colors, LED-based fog lights and 19 inch alloy wheels while the interior gets the black leather treatment.