New Mercedes S-Class rocks Night View Assist

Filed under: Displays, Transportation

It’s not too often that we hit up advances in car technology over here but this is just a bit too tasty to pass up. Now in addition to a PCMCIA slot, Mercedes-Benz is premiering their “Night view assist” system on their new, 2007 S-Class series which is said to increase nighttime visibility by up to 125 percent -- without blinding on-coming motorists. It uses infrared light to cast a broad beam ahead of the vehicle and then displays the 8-inch grayscale image on the dashboard LCD. Yeah, we know, what’s the big deal, other cage manufactures have offered these options in the past. But check out the vid over at AutoSpies though, we think it's worth your while.

Apple iPhone: New Details, Good and Bad

With less than six days left before the Apple (AAPL) iPhone arrives, there's a flood of press coverage but new details about how the gadget actually works are hard to find. A few drops of news are dribbling out, however.

The 24 minute "guided tour" Apple released late last week (see here) is basically an infomercial designed to head off any negative feedback from independent reviewers. Mostly it delivers the same information contained in the TV commercials, but at a glacial pace. But Jason Chen at Gizmodo scoured the video for fresh information and offered this summary:

• Confirmed in-line viewer for PDFs, Microsoft Word, and Microsoft Excel docs in email. Microsoft complained about lack of support before. This is a huge deal, even if it is read-only.
• Turning off the phone requires you to slide your finger across the top (like unlocking it) to confirm.
• You can rewind voicemail like a sound file.
• You can finger-scroll through contacts using the alphabet on the right.
• The special iPhone headphones have volume and call control.
• IMAP/POP support confirmed
• Typing with two thumbs actually looks manageable
• Limited amount of ringtones can be selected from the settings menu. Doesn't look like songs can be used.
• Confirmed turn by turn directions and up-to-date traffic info for Google maps. (link)

Over at rival Engadget, Ryan Block pried a few less-than-flattering reactions from "a very trusted source" who has spent time with a pre-launch iPhone. Excerpts:

• "It won't replace a BlackBerry. It's not good for text input. It's just not a business product."
• The browser "worked well" but page load speeds on EDGE were just as slow as expected. It sounds like 3G users will have a tough run with this.
• Users must scroll through the address book (or use the alphabet-drag on the side) -- one cannot bring up the keyboard and type in a name, as many of us are used to.
• Shocker: YouTube over EDGE didn't work well at all, and will basically necessitate use of WiFi. (For the full list go to Engadget here)

Finally, there are these observations from Balsu Thandu, one of the 200 AT&T (T) field technicians who reportedly spent the past 10 weeks putting the iPhone through its paces incognito (see here). According to Mobility Today,

Now the first news report about p220 launch

Priced at Rs 84,000, about 20 units of the bike have already been booked.

Bajaj has launched its powerful motorcycle, Pulsar 220 DTS-Fi, in Pune, while Mumbaikars will have to wait till January for the bike.

The launch of Pulsar 220 was a low-profile affair, away from the media glare.

Priced at Rs 84,000, ex-showroom Pune, about 20 units of the bike have already been booked by customers with a down payment of Rs 10,000. A total of 35 units are allotted to the showroom and is sold on a first-come-first-serve basis. The next batch of the bikes will only be delivered by February.

The bike is expected to be launched in Mumbai by the second half of January next year. The bike will be in all the Bajaj showrooms across the country by the start of February.

In Mumbai, the bike will be priced in the range of Rs 87,000 to Rs 88,000, ex-showroom Mumbai.

Bajaj has gone for a soft launch technique known as ‘test launch’, wherein the company will be playing a wait-and-watch game to see the initial response.

Bajaj’s second big offering for 2007 is Pulsar 200, which is expected to be launched in January next month. Sources said the bike will be a direct launch, priced in the range of Rs 70,000 to Rs 80,000, ex-showroom Mumbai.

Interestingly, only those customers who are able to produce a proof of residence in Pune will be able to buy the vehicle.

The waiting period for Pulsar 220 is 10 to 12 days and is available in three colours – blue, black and red.

The bike will be directly pitted against the company’s arch rival Hero Honda’s Karizma, which is priced in the same range with relatively same power output. Hero Honda is also currently testing the fuel injected version of the Karizma with the launch slated for February-March 2007.

Bajaj Pulsar DTS-Fi 220 has a single-cylinder, air-cooled, 4-stroke engine, belting out 20 bhp of power with 1.95 kg of torque.

This results in high combustion efficiency and low performance variability between engines, precise metering of fuel for highest outputs and lower emissions. It also helps in easy engine starts in all-weather conditions and altitudes.

The bike also boasts of the best-in-class fuel economy with natural, air-cooled, 4-stroke engine employing a oil cooler, a first in India.

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