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The Effect of Comet Flybys onto Planetary Magnetic Fields

March 11, 2016 By Kenneth Scott Leave a Comment

flyby of Comet C 2013 A1

Scientists have been studying the effect that the flyby of Comet C/2013 A1 had on planet Mars after the event took place in October 2014. Despite the fact that the comet came no closer than approximately 87,000 miles from the planet itself, it would appear that the impact was gigantic at a magnetic level; even if it only lasted for a few hours.

The way scientists are discovering these things just now is the result of months of research based on the data gathered by the NASA Mars Atmosphere and Volatile Evolution spacecraft (MAVEN) that entered the orbit of the red planet just several weeks before the comet’s flyby. The flyby had been expected for a while, and the craft was ready for defensive procedures.

As the comet was approaching, MAVEN switched all of the sensitive equipment off in order to prevent damage, a technique that all of the other Mars orbiters followed. But not all systems were turned off, with several tools such as a magnetometer remained online to be able to gather data from this extremely rare event. Thus, the MAVEN spacecraft was able to collect multiple series of ‘first-hand’ data regarding the magnetosphere of the planet and the effect that the comet had on it.

According to the study that has been undergoing at NASA since the flyby of Comet C/2013 A1, the effect was downright enormous. According to the scientists, it ‘set off the magnetosphere around Mars into chaos’, along with blowing away a small portion of the red planet’s upper part of the atmosphere.

While that sounds like a terrifying prospect for our planet, should a comet flyby take place near us next time, things are relatively different if you’re to compare Earth to Mars. Earth’s magnetic field is a lot stronger than Mars’; on top of that, the red planet’s magnetosphere is not uniform, having areas where it is patchy and doesn’t completely wrap around the object.

Comets, when interacting with solar winds, produce their own magnetic fields. As a result, when Comet C/2013 A1 flew so close to planet Mars, the former’s magnetism had an outstanding effect on the latter, creating a rather rattling effect that took several hours to calm down. Even as the comet was only drawing near, Mars’ magnetic field started reacting and realigning to various directions. According to scientists, when the comet flew by, Mars’ magnetic field began ‘flapping like a curtain beaten by the wind’, an effect that took hours to end.

Image Source: 1

Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged With: comet c/2013 a1, Comet flyby, MAVEN spacecraft, nasa

Hubble Captures Blue Bubble Star 30,000 Light Years Away

February 29, 2016 By Karen Jackson Leave a Comment

Hubble Captures Blue Bubble Star 30,000 Light Years Away

NASA’s news feed recently posted an image of the endeavors of the space telescope as Hubble captures ‘blue bubble’ star 30,000 light years away. Scientists call it the most detailed photo ever of the WR 31a star. The reason it was dubbed the blue bubble was because it is encased in a gigantic blue cloud that is theorized is made up of hydrogen, dust, helium and other gases.

The star in question is found in the Carina constellation and is part of the Wolf-Rayet (hence the WR abbreviation) set of stars, a group that is known to display unusual spectra. They are also known as plasma spheres that are distinguishable thanks to their emission lines of helium, carbon and nitrogen that reach temperatures of 30,000 to 200,000 degrees Kelvin. Some of them are massive enough to be visible to the naked eye.

The stars belonging to this category tend to have short life spans, explosive births and equally spectacular deaths. Researchers believe that the WR 31a star was born around 20,000 years ago and yet still continues to expand at an approximate speed of 136,700 miles per hour – hence the still very visible cloud.

However, it is believed that the cloud will not persist much longer as the lifespan of stars such as these doesn’t exceed around 100,000 years. It is believed that once the life of the star is over, it will turn into a supernova that will, in time give birth to new generations of stars. On a cosmic perspective, this is incredibly short; just comparing it to our own sun, that is already believed to be 4.5 billion years old and expected to live for another 5, most of the WR type stars barely last long enough for a cosmic breath. And because those stars are nearly 20, 30 times bigger than our own sun, it makes the phenomenon even more impressive.

The stunning-looking blue cloud surrounding the WR 31a star is a result – at least according to theorizing done by scientists that have been studying these stars for a lifetime – of fast-moving stellar winds. When they interact with the outer layers of hydrogen that the WR stars eject, the gloriously large nebulas are formed as a result. Very few nebulas in the part of the universe that our telescopes can see are results of Wolf-Rayet stars.

The image that was posted by NASA on their official website is an enhanced and slightly edited version of what the Hubble Space Telescope was able to capture earlier this month.

Image Source: 1

Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged With: Hubble Space Telescope, nasa, Nebulas, Wolf-Rayet Stars

Firefox OS Phones Have Been Released in Africa

May 12, 2015 By Roxanne Briean Leave a Comment

Firefox OS

Open-source Firefox OS smartphones have begun to ship in Africa. Running on Orange’s Network, the Orange Klif, a 3G smartphone is now available in Senegal and Madagascar.

Mozilla has announced that they want to step in the untapped market that is Africa – in order to bring smartphones to the continent, and also to make themselves key players in the region. “Through these launches, Mozilla and Orange deliver on the promise of putting the mobile web within reach of millions more people not previously addressed by mobile offers.” an official Mozilla blog post states.

Firefox OS was announced in 2011, and it was put to work almost immediately in February of 2012 – a demo presented Mozilla’s OS running on Android-compatible devices.

Smartphone Running Firefox OS

The new OS isn’t going to stand-up to iPhones or Android-based flagships, instead it tries to offer an entry level option to individuals that haven’t seen a smartphone before. Smartphones are the tech of the decade, and they will continue to evolve to God knows what – here’s hoping to automation of daily tasks.

Pairing with Orange, Mozilla wants to cement their position in the African continent – a potential marketplace that could significantly grow their shares, and presence in the world.

It has been received well by critics, but Chris Ziegler of The Verge has stated some concerns regarding Mozilla taking the app-distribution to pre-iPhone era which required developers to abide by a carrier’s, and their app store, rules.

Firefox OS devices

It’s a fine line they are walking on, and it can blow directly into their face. Nowadays accessibility to apps break or make a new mobile platform, not hardware, and Mozilla seems like it’s trying to take advantage of this by implementing the built-in search functionality – a core feature to the Firefox OS.

The Firefox OS is compatible with a couple of devices for:

  • Developers

T2Mobile Flame

Geeksphone Keon

Geeksphone Peak

ZTE Open

ZTE Open C

  • Consumers

Symphony GoFox

F15 KDDI Fx0

Intex Cloud FX

Spice Fire One MI FX1

Alcatel Onetouch FireC 4020D

ZTE Open II

APC Paper

And the Firefox OS has been successfully ported to the following devices:

Sony Xperia SP

Huawei Ascend Y300

Huawei Ascend G510

HTC Pico

Nexus 4

Nexus 5

Nexus 7 (2013)

Image Source: 1, 2, 3

Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged With: Africa, Firefox OS, Mozilla, Orange, smartphones, ZTE

Telltale Games and Marvel Teamed Up for a New Video-Game

April 24, 2015 By Roxanne Briean Leave a Comment

Marvel and Telltale Games are forging  a powerful alliance

Telltale Games went to Twitter to announce their collaboration with the Disney-owned media giant – a new video game set in the Marvel Universe is due to appear in 2017.

Announced this evening in San Francisco, we’re excited to reveal an all-new partnership with the incredible team at Marvel Entertainment. We’ll be teaming up on the development of an upcoming Telltale game series project set to premiere in 2017!

Marvel and Telltale announcement

Telltale Games are the ones behind the superb interactive drama games like The Walking Dead Season 1, and Season 2, Tales from The Borderlands, and Game of Thrones – with Minecraft: Story Mode also in development, it seems that Telltale is planning on having some great years ahead. Although their latest releases – GoT and TFTB – are weak compared with the first 2 seasons of The Walking Dead, we are keeping our hopes high.

At this point we can only let our imagination go wild – there is absolutely no info regarding what the game will be about. Possibly players will take the avatar of a young super-hero that meets occasionally with our all-time favourites Iron Man, Thor, Loki, Captain America and The Hulk. It is even possible that the developers will focus more on Guardians of the Galaxy.

Marvel charactercs

If we take a look at Marvel’s movie release calendar we’ll notice that these 3 will hit cinemas in 2017:

  • May the 5th – Guardians of the Galaxy 2
  • July the 27th – The Spectacular Spider-Man
  • November the 3rd – Thor: Ragnarok

Plot wise, it can go any way, but it would seem logical to have a game that would promote these movies. I’m not saying that Marvel’s popularity is fading, but you always need to take precautions when it involves this billion dollar industry. As a fun fact, this week MCU – Marvel Cinematic Universe – is going to surpass the Harry Potter movies as the biggest film franchise in history. When you think that 15 years ago they were on the brink of bankruptcy.

I’m curious to what they are going to achieve, hopefully something great. And on that curiosity, a thought comes into mind. What cameo will Stan Lee have? He has been present in all MCU movies, he must portray an incredibly small role in the game also.

And another fun fact. With today’s release of Avengers 2, Stan Lee will probably surpass Steven Spielberg as number one producer in total domestic gross – almost $400 million is between these 2 giants.

Marvel has paired with Telltale

Us comic-book geeks can just jump in excitement that we get more goodies – if X-Men could make a great come back with Telltale’s new game I can die happy.

In February Telltale announced that they are trying something new – a game/TV show hybrid project called “Super Show”. It is unknown at this point if the M-Universe will be under this model.

I know I’m just giddy as a school-girl right now. How about you? What are your thoughts on this alliance?

Image Source: 1, 2, 3, 4

Filed Under: Headlines, Uncategorized Tagged With: Marvel Cinematic Universe, Marvel Universe, Telltale games

Samsung Galaxy S6 and Galaxy S6 Edge Coming to Australia this Week

March 30, 2015 By Roxanne Briean Leave a Comment

Samsung Galaxy S6 has been uncovered in Sydney along with precious information regarding the long awaited model and its pricier brother, the Galaxy S6 Edge, at a recent meeting in Australia. The gadgets will be offered for pre-order on the Internet from March 30 and for sales in stores from April 10. The basic version of the 32 GB Galaxy S6 begins at 999 AUD, while the more expensive Galaxy S6 Edge version is costing a rather unaffordable 1449 AUD.

samsung galaxy s6

That less expensive edition is at the same price as the initial iPhone 6 that has only 16 GB of memory space. It is also with 100 AUD less pricy than the Android competitor, the HTC One M9.

However, Australians will be offered only the white and black versions of the product, lacking the possibility to buy the stunning green and blue colors presented by Samsung at its conferences. The Galaxy S6 has an incredibly extremely effective octa core processor, this proving that the smart phone will be quicker and without the frustrating lag.

There is also a larger 2550 mAh battery inside the Galaxy S6 and the 2600 mAh for the S6 Edge. That is more compact than a Galaxy S5’s 2800 mAh, but the improvements in display and power technologies will hopefully show some important differences. The customers will have the occasion to find out about it, when the full evaluation is released soon.

The display is the same size (5.1” wide) as a Galaxy S5, but it comes with the Quad-HD image quality (4x high definition), this making it one of the best screens, if not the best mobile display on smart phone these days. The producer has promised even a few years ago that its series of smart phones are aimed to increase dramatically the quality of the video and pictures taken by the users.

The 16-megapixel back-facing digital camera has the same image quality as the S5, but Samsung has enhanced it in other places and believes it is the best you will find in any smart phone. The front-facing cam is 5-megapixels (in order to capture awesome selfies), while the heart rate monitor is installed into a flash unit, as it was into the S5.

In addition, there is the fingerprint-scanning device that does not require the user to run his hand over it like the old HP laptops. A Galaxy S6 Edge has a couple of shapes along each part of the smart phone, and aside from this, it is the same gadget as the conventional Galaxy S6.

Image source: www.techcrunch.com

Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged With: Samsung galaxy s6, samsung galaxy s6 edge

T-Mobile Makes An Announcement Regarding Less Expensive Phone Plans for Small Business Owners

March 29, 2015 By Roxanne Briean Leave a Comment

On the 18 of March 2015, during an event that took place in NYC, T-Mobile revealed their  ninth Un-Carrier project. It was John Legere, the CEO, that took the stage and promised a more simple and transparent telephone scheme without any kind of negotiation or hidden prices. He assured that they will have the best deals, stating that “the best price is the only price, for everyone”.

Taking a look at their offer you can clearly see that he was not kidding and that their deals are up to 40% cheaper than the very similar deals from their major competitors Verizon and AT&T.

t-mobile-smtp

Depending on your business needs you can choose how many lines you require and pick the best package for you. For example if you need less than 20 lines it will cost you $16/line where for 20 or more lines the price will go down to $15/line. The minimum lines you can get is ten and it will cost $160/month. If you require more than 1000 lines then the price is lowered at $10/line. It is extremely beneficial  for every business owner to be able to pick exactly what they need and on top of that to pay less and less as their company grows.

Every line has 1 GB of internet data included but more can be purchased. You can pay $10/line for an additional 2 GB or $30/line for unlimited traffic. Let us imagine that you have 80 employees but out of those only 12 need additional data. T-Mobile has the solution and offers you the ability to buy more data only for those exact 12 people.

Data can also be pooled together for all employees at the price of $4.75/GB for the initial 500 GB with a minimum of 100 GB. Just like before the more you buy the cheaper it gets. You will pay $4.50/GB after 500GB and if you purchase 1 TB of data or more you will pay $4.25/GB. T-Mobile made it so you will only be charged for every GB you use making it ideal for smaller companies. Chief analyst at Jackdaw Research, Jan Dawson had this to say: “T-Mobile’s new business offerings should be very popular with smaller businesses, which buy services very much like consumers, with the buyers being office managers or business owners rather than professional IT directors”.

In today’s market first impressions can make or break a business and the more professional you look, the better. T-Mobile understands this very well and offers a free email account courtesy of Microsoft for every additional purchase. A personalized email address on your business card could attract more customers than a standard one at Yahoo or Gmail. In order to sweeten the pot even more they will also grant their customers a .com domain and a “mobile friendly” website free of charge, thanks to their partnership with GoDaddy.com.

Legere went on to say that they will cover the fees for early-termination, not more than $650, in order to make the transition more smooth for business owners. They will also buy out leasing plans and equipment installments from rival companies for every client willing to switch providers. The families of their new customers will also benefit. They can sign new personal contracts at a discount rate of up to 50%.

Image Source: 1

Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged With: T-Mobile offers, T-Mobile payment plan, T-Mobile plans

Apple Reportedly Will Launch Streaming TV Service This Fall

March 18, 2015 By Nancy Young Leave a Comment

When it comes to Apple we expect nothing but high quality products and inovative ideas. It seems that the company wishes to enter the cable TV world just like it entered the music one, with iTunes.Rumors have it, that Apple reportedly will Launch streaming TV service this fall.

No one can argue the fact that Apple is unbeatable and its technological empire keeps expanding in much more areas. So far we have been used to hearing about Apple smartphones, Apple laptops, Apple computers, Apple watches, and even future Apple cars.

This just makes us wonder what technological segment will Apple hit next? There’s no doubt that Apple has made top products and has excelled in all the devices it has created, but do you think is possible Apple might do the same when it comes to television?apple-tv-streaming-service

According to The Wall Street Journal, from what it looks like, the company is aiming to give it a try, as Cupertino is negotiating with TV content providers to offer a small pack of tv channels trough online streaming, that might happen this fall.

Even though the cited sources have not been named, the newspaper stated that services provided by Apple TV, would consist of  around 25 channels, which will include classic channels such ABC, FOX and CBS.

But so far the discussion with the program suppliers didn’t include NCBUniversal, and have excluded channels like USA and Bravo, because of a fall out between Apple and the founder company of NBCUniversal, Comcast, stated the Journal.

It has been once rumored that Apple and Comcast were talking about a potential partnership, and Comcast clients would be allowed to access the content of the cable provider with the help of an Apple TV set top box. But, it appears that their relationship has presently turned colder.

But, even without having NBC in the plan, Apple is reaching Walt Disney, CBS, and other smaller popular channels, like FX and ESPN.

The monthly price for the Apple tv package would cost between $30 and $40,a pretty high price, if we think about the extremely packed streaming and on demand market.

However, for example, HBO NOW costs $14.99 a month and the new Sling TV, costs $20 a month, they are both offering much cheaper packages, but none of them is providing such a large channel selection like Apple is believed to be planning.

Other networks, such CBS and NBC, offer on demand programming for monthly fees and the prices vary between $3 to $6, while Hulu Plus, has a price of 47.99 per month.

Apple has not given any comments concerning the reports. But apparently, the technology mogul, is planning to unveil all this in June, before  the launch from September. The TV service will be compatible with all the iOS devices, Iphones, iPads and Apple TV boxes, included.

Before going for the, what just might be the next big Apple thing, the company is partnering with HBO for the launch the following streaming service, called HBO NOW.

The HBO NOW app is set to be released in April, and the subscription will have a price of $14.99 per month, and will allow subscribers to watch all The Game of Thrones or Girls series they want on their iPhone, Ipad, iPod Touch and Apple TV, but also on a PC trough HBONOW.com.

The partnership of Apple on HBO NOW  is reportedly an exclusive deal, but according to Cablevision’s announcement of this week, HBO NOW will also be offered to the Optimum Online Customers, living in the New York area.

Image Source: ibtimes

Filed Under: Tech & Science, Uncategorized Tagged With: appl tv streaming, apple launcehs tv streaming service this fall, apple tv streaming service, apple will launch tv streaming service, apple will launch tv streaming service with 25 channels

A Mysterious Device Will Be Announced By Motorola On February 25th

February 24, 2015 By Nancy Young Leave a Comment

motorola

Brace yourselves, as in a few days Motorola will be revealing a secret. A mysterious device will be announced by Motorola on February 25th.

It seems that Motorola is preparing for a surprise release, on Wednesday, as the company has been sending out a number of emails to people part of the tech press. Motorola said that they will be shipping a box, hinting that inside of it there would be, everything that a person could need.

Even though details regarding its content are poor, the company did mention the exact day the box will be delivered.
In the invitation, Motorola, talked about revealing something very exciting and that they wanted everybody present, in the front row, to witness it and that the best part about it, was the fact that people could choose where and when they would like to experience it. All people need, could fit inside a box which will be delivered to their doorstep on Wednesday.

It is obvious that the intriguing invitation has caused a stir, and a lot of speculations have been made, regarding what could possibly be Motorola preparing to dish out in just a couple of days.

Some speculations, said that the surprise inside the box, was a new version of the Moto 360 smart watch. Others have said that Motorola, could be preparing to release an improved version of its Moto X device.

Moto-360-13

Not long ago, the company has announced that it was planning to make an official return to China together with Lenovo as its newest parent company. When that will be accomplished, the action will be marked by launching in its new home country, several Motorola products, like the Moto G, Moto X and Moto X Pro. A Motorola statement, has said that all these products could be arriving into stores after the Chinese New Year celebration.

People have forgotten that Motorola used to own 40% share of the smart phone market in China, meaning there may be a residual brand value left, which they might manage to capitalise on, explained Bryan Ma, from IDC, research firm.
China is one the biggest and fastest growing markets in the world when it comes to smart phones, a thing which Apple was familiar with straight from the beginning. Exactly like Apple, Motorola is looking to obtain a strong position in the device market from China.

Presently, Motorola is producing a lot of devices, which include tablets, smartphones, wearables, batteries, chargers and many others. Every one of these products can fit in a small box. If one of these objects will be presented on February 25th, it remains to be seen in a few days. There is also the possibility that the company will be launching something completely new, that has never been done before and will completely revolutionise the technology market.
Image Source: endgadget
Image Source: fonearena

Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged With: A Mysterious Device Will Be Announced By Motorola On February 25th., motorola devices, motorola prepares the launch of new devices, motorola surprise release

Android 5.0 Lollipop is Finally Coming to Samsung Galaxy Note 4

January 25, 2015 By Roxanne Briean 17 Comments

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It’s happening, folks. The 3 month timeframe that Google promised for the latest and most delicious operating system update for Android devices is close to an end and while the Samsung Galaxy Note 4 hasn’t yet received it, all signs point towards it happening very soon.

Worst case scenario is we get the update on the very last day of the 3 month timeframe – which is the 1st of February. But given all the signs, it might – happily – be a little before that. Recently, a new used manual has made its way out in the spotlight for the Samsung Galaxy Note 4. While that might not seem as a big deal, it suddenly becomes one when you realize that the manual includes information on what kind of changes you should be looking at when you update your device to the latest Android 5.0.1 Lollipop operating system.

Yes, that’s right, the manual indicates a direct update to the latest 5.0.1 Lollipop version, including the latest version of the firmware for Samsung Galaxy Note 4 users. The 5.0 Lollipop update was something that people spoke of months and months prior to its actual release.

The hype was pretty big, and for good reason: along with what developers call Material Design – a style of visual design that focuses largely on the way the fundamentals of light, surface and movement interact together, bringing new animations and flourishes that give the operating system a completely new feel – the functionalities of the program changed here and there. While the system remains as familiar to Android users as previous versions did, few things have changed; and luckily, for the better.

Probably the largest change of note that came with the Android 5.0 Lollipop was the one brought to the way notifications work. They can still be displayed in the pull-down menu, they now have a new, comfortable home as well – the lock screen.

samsung-galaxy-note-4-7290-002

Similar to the way the iOS handles its notifications, 5.0 Lollipop will also display notifications plastered to the center of your screen, visible without even having to unlock your phone. Besides the ease provided by this feature, the new Android operating system also allows you to undergo heavy customizing processes on your phone when it comes to notifications – it will allow you to choose what the notification system can show, when it can show it, where and how often.

Generally, personalization seems to have received a lot of attention in the new operating system – considering that the interface itself has changed a whole lot with the new design, making it easier to understand, access and much cleaner looking in general. With less clutter on your screen than ever, the newest Lollipop operating system also gives you a whole lot of freedom when it comes to customizing many of the aspects it pertains to, allowing you to create your own, personal experience in relation to your phone – in this particular, happy case your Samsung Galaxy Note 4.

The 5.0.1 update and its timely arrival came to fix the little minuses the original version brought even after extensive beta testing. Considering the humongous amount of devices it was promised to be hosted on in the following 3 months after release towards developers, problems were bound to appear here and there.

But the small patch released in December brought a fair amount of remedies and fixes for the freezing, various application crashes and the occasional system instability on some devices that had already adopted the new operating system. Other than that, there were no visual changes brought to the OS whatsoever, users being able to enjoy themselves on the same platform that they had gotten accustomed to. The various app incompatibilities with the new operating system seem to have received attention as well, most disappearing overnight come the 5.0.1 update.

Some users seem to be reporting battery life issues on a number of devices and models with the new Android 5.0 Lollipop, including post-patch. There’s no telling if the Samsung Galaxy Note 4 will have the same issue however until the update actually makes it live to the devices.

And speaking of the phone and subject of our focus here. It’s no surprise to anyone if I say that the phablet in question – because it does fall into that category with zero doubt whatsoever – has been one of the most successful, famous and well received electronics of the year. So successful that Samsung actually had to boost up production of the unit upon release when they realized all the already fabricated ones had already sold out and they still had incoming and unfulfilled demands for the Samsung Galaxy Note 4.

The Galaxy Note 4 Edge variant, while approximately $150 more expensive than the basic model also drew a lot of attention on itself by sporting the ever growing in reputation curved display technology. While not at the extent as other devices have gone to, the Samsung Galaxy Note 4 Edge only displayed the curved strip of display on its right hand side, replacing the edge.

Even though after long sessions of reviewing and discussion it has pretty much been agreed on that the curved edge served minimal purposes, being more of a fashion statement than anything else, it remained a pretty neat thing to make use of. And given the fact that technology is adopting the curved technology more and more, app developers all over the world will begin focusing on creating inventive apps to make use of the curved, side screens in no time.

We sadly don’t have any leaks to show us how the Android 5.0 Lollipop is going to fare on the Samsung Galaxy Note 4 – either the regular or Edge variant. But as it has been confirmed by Samsung, the update will also be including some slight visual changes made around the notifications to suit the Note 4, along with promised performance and battery life improvements to ensure your phablet’s survival throughout the day.

Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged With: android lollipop on galaxy note 4, galaxy note 4 android lollipop, lollipop 5.0.2 Galaxy note, lollipop 5.0.2 samsung, samsung galaxy note 4 lollipop

Auto Industry Innovations in 2015: Hybrids, Self-Driving Cars & More

January 21, 2015 By Roxanne Briean Leave a Comment

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The auto industry is moving forwards at alert rates. A car is no longer just a tool for you to travel from place to place, it’s fashion, it’s status, it’s performance, it’s technology incarnate.

When taking environmental issues into consideration, cars proved to be a huge detriment to the very air we breathe and a delight we could own on limited resources. And thus came a new branch of technology altogether – how to make cars better, cheaper, stronger and less costly?

Answers did not hesitate to pop up and so we found ourselves dealing with all new types of vehicles – hydrogen-fueled cars, electric cars, hybrid cars and lately, even autonomous, self-driving cars.

While many of the things we’ll be talking about will be no surprise to many of you, having been around for quite some time now, let’s just sit back for a while and see what has been cooking lately in the world of innovative cars.

Hydrogen-fueled cars

Spotify-Mobile

It’s no joke, and it’s finally here. Presented at CES 2015, the Toyota Mirai is the first hydrogen fuel cell vehicle that has been put on sale for the general public. While there’s a handful of companies actively working to develop technologies applicable in automobiles in day to day life, so far we have only seen few test models and prototypes on display.

From many perspectives, hydrogen-based technology for vehicles seems to be the answer to a pollution free future. By burning hydrogen in an internal combustion engine or alternatively, by reacting hydrogen with oxygen in a fuel cell, you can get a car that will run on the one element our universe is literally packed with.

Dr. Michio Kaku, famous theoretical physicist was a special guest at the Consumer Electronics Show 2015 in Las Vegas and held a speech regarding the many reasons he believes that Toyota has finally managed to nail the perfect car.

A few of the arguments presented were the abundance of hydrogen, lack of exhaust or any form of fumes, the way the engine is built – scoring a complete absence of moving parts, and lastly the diminishing costs that we can expect in the future for hydrogen fueled vehicles.

Now, sadly, when I say diminished, we’re still talking tens of thousands. However, it was originally estimated for these types of automobiles to go up to hundreds of thousands of dollars – the $57.000 that consumers will have to pay for the Toyota Mirai is a surprise to us all.

Furthermore, Dr. Michio Kaku also insists that as governments begin to fund the mass production of these types of cars and fueling stations go through the adaptive transformation that comes with it, prices will drop even further.

And that’s not even the best news yet. Toyota has announced that all of the 5,680 patents that it owns in regards to hydrogen fuel cell technology will be made available and royalty free for anyone who wishes to take this trade a step further and bring the next level of innovation to this branch.

The Toyota Mirai has a range of 300 miles per fill and goes from 0 to 60 miles per hour in nine seconds. It’s not your regular sports car, but it’s definitely impressive.

Unlike electric batteries, a complete refill would only take 3 to 5 minutes and no more. It’s almost like your regular gas-based vehicle, but unlike it, the fuel cell technology implemented combines oxygen and hydrogen to create electricity to power up your car and exhausts nothing else but… water.

It will be made available in Japan and California first given that the areas in question are already host to several hydrogen fueling stations.

What else is there to expect from the world of hydrogen-fueled cars? As we speak, fuel cell buses are being trialed by a number of manufacturers all over the world. An already developed hydrogen-fueled bus developed by Tata Motors and ISRO is currently being tested in India and expected to make it out on the roads sometime this year.

Quads and tractors are also in the plans, but currently only in concept phase. Either way, out of all the possible options given by technology right now, hydrogen seems to hold the most potent key to what we’re looking for.

Electric cars

Bolt EV

The history behind electric cars is a little strange to say the least, popping up and vanishing from records several times in the last century and a half. The first one that first made its way into existence is the one built by Thomas Parker in 1884, unlike to popular belief. Many attempts, models and prototypes were built over the course of the next 100 years, with a sudden revival of interest towards battery-powered vehicles only being manifested in late 90s and early 2000s.

So, starting with the global economic recession that settled in in late 2000s, manufacturers starting to look for new methods of making up for the worrying increase in gas cost and gas consumption by many of the cars that were being developed.

The first new-gen electric vehicle available for purchase for the general public was delivered in 2008 – the Tesla Roadster. It didn’t get an amazing amount of attention, having only sold 2,250 units over the length of almost 4 years.

Many more cars manufacturers picked up on the trend and continued to release more and more models of battery-powered cars onwards. In the United States for example, even President Barack Obama got involved in the transition towards an electrically-powered age, and focus less on oil technologies.

In comparison to internal combustion engine vehicles – that’s saying cars that rely on oil fuel – electric cars are significantly more costly than their counterparts due to the increase in lithium-ion battery packs.

Recharging can either be done at specialized stations or even in your own home but the process takes quite a hefty amount of time – ranging from 30 minutes for a partial charge, and up to hours for a full refill. Not only that, but the range that a “full tank” will get you oscillates somewhere at 200-250 kilometers.

So while they are a considerable asset to transportation done right for the environment, all of its  aspects seem to be pointing at high prices and not much way for the technology to expand and become viable on long term.

However, this year at NAIAS 2015, Chevrolet has unveiled a concept for a new cars that promises to deliver 200 miles ranges for no more than $30,000. The name of the car is Bolt EV, and prides itself on space, a sleek glass roof and clever gadgets to compliment it.

 As if that was not enough and as a major plus, the Bolt EV promises to allow you to fetch and drop off your car via your smartphone application. Yes, it’s a self-parking car.

Hybrid cars

Chevrolet Volt

More commonly known as HEV (hybrid electric vehicles), hybrids combine the usual combustion engines with electric propulsion systems. The electric fragment of the ordeal has been developed in the last few years to make use of regenerative technologies that concert kinetic energy created when driving the vehicle into electric energy to charge the battery back up.

While not as clean and pollution free as its fully electric or hydrogen based counterparts, HEVs still score reduced emissions by shutting down the internal combustion engine and shuffling it back on only when needed.

With the limits set on gas emissions making their way into more and more countries’ legislation, hybrid vehicles seemed to have gained a lot of ground and popularity in purchases, many of the models made available for sale selling a number of millions over the course of several years.

While not so much has moved in the world of hybrids lately, most recent developments have been focusing on shifting from the regular combustion engines to hydrogen based ones or biofuels to compliment the electrical propulsion system. One of the most expected hybrids of 2015 is the Chevrolet Volt, arriving at retailers somewhere in mid-2015.

It promises a spacious car that hits the 60 miles per hour mark in 9.1 seconds, can go up to a speed of 101 mph and is powered by two separate engines – the 149-hp electric motor gives the Chevvy an electric-only 38 mile range, while the 84 hp four cylinder gas engine will be working to keep the battery charged and going.

The price for the Volt will start somewhere at $35,000. There is however, one impressive hybrid car concept lurking out there but I’ll hold it for the last chapter of this list.

Between April 8th and 9th 2015 there will be an event being held in New York, US entitled Hybrid Energy Innovations 2015 that focuses on covering the broad hybrid energy landscape and providing a vital networking forum and discuss the newest innovative tools, techniques and strategies that will be put to use in revolutionizing the energy industry in the following years.

Key companies that will be attending include Ideal Power, SMA America, Keybank, Navigant, Sgurr Energy, TDX Power, Green Mountain Power and Car Charging Group.

Self-driving cars

Mercedes-Benz F 015

Alright, so self-parking cars are not that impressive anymore? How about completely autonomous, self-driving cars? This year’s CES has given us an outstanding amount of viewing pleasure when it came to what is probably the most fascinating innovation brought to the auto industry by far.

The most awe-inducing display was the Mercedes-Benz F 015 Luxury in Motion – while still just a concept, it baffled attendees with its largely futuristic design. Mercedes depicted how they see the future of automobiles as not just tools of mere transportation, but “private retreats” and places of comfort.

The interior of the F 015 is even more impressive than the exterior – with no less than 6 LED displays set all around the vehicle, you are greeted by 4 chairs facing each other in pairs, with glass panels giving you a grand view of the outside. Even if it’s a self-driving car, you can gain control of the F 015 by making use of the steering wheel – hidden in a storage from the dash when not used.

The entire car can be commanded through spoken instructions and gestures or touch, while laser projection system are used to sense traffic and obstacles. Displays placed inside the car glow white when the car is in manual mode and blue when in autonomous – creating what Mercedes manufacturer calls a “digital living space”.

Overall, the entire model looks absolutely stunning and promises future on a plate. Sadly, there’s no official announcement in regards to when we would expect such a car to become available for purchase. Even when it does, however, the initial price that we can hope for it to go by will surely not go below the 6 digit mark, and it will probably be a long time until the technology is made available to a larger scale. But one can dream still.

While on the autonomous cars, we cannot wrap up without mentioning one model that might become reality way sooner than we thought – the Google driverless car. The license for development has been issued nearly 3 years ago and on May 28th 2014 we were presented with its first prototype.

The testing for the Google driverless car is scheduled to begin in 2015, in the San Francisco Bay Area. The car uses a 64-beam laser mounted on its roof to detect its surroundings and built a detailed 3D map of its location.

However, currently there’s a number of known limitations to it as well such as the inability to function in rainy or snowy weather or detect objects such as trash, debris, potholes or even humans – which would mean it would blatantly just pass signaling traffic officers.

The car also seems to be incredibly cautious in unmarked 4-way stops due to the driving algorithms that were built for it and cannot navigate through parking lots. Sadly. Surely, this vehicle will be used solely for Google’s Maps applications but rumors of Google developing a Robo-Taxi have been resurfacing in 2014, suggesting that an autonomous transportation service might become a reality sometime in the near future.

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