Darren Murph
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GM Proposes Standardized Plug for Electric Vehicles
Say what you will about General Motors (okay, so maybe you should say it under your breath), but there's no denying the brilliance of this idea. On the company's FastLane blog, one Gery Kissel explains that engineers and suits will be meeting up next week to discuss the standardization of common components that will hopefully be installed in forthcoming electric vehicles. Notably, the SAE J1772 Task Force will be responsible for designing a plug that links each plug-in vehicle to an "ecosystem," ensuring that drivers can pull into any charging station from Key West to Neah Bay and see a socket that fits their ride. Specifically, the group is being charged with defining a "common electric vehicle conductive charging system architecture for all major automakers in North America," but it remains to be seen if said standard can be hammered out before the Volt's not-to-be-missed 2010 introduction.AT&T Purportedly Looking to Push iPhone Exclusivity to 2011
[Via HotHardware]
America's First 'Solar City' Coming to Florida
Given that Florida has accurately been coined The Sunshine State, it's not at all shocking to hear that America's first "solar city" will be built in the state's southwest corner. Or, at least that's the plan. According to a new report, West Palm Beach-based Kitson & Partners is currently developing a new city near Charlotte County, which will get juiced by a massive 75-megawatt solar plant. Said plant will cost around $300 million to build and will be installed by Florida Power & Light; if all goes well, homes will begin construction on a sizable plot of land dubbed Babcock Ranch by 2011. If things don't go so well, we're told that the actual power plant will still be erected and fed into the larger grid. In other words, Florida's gettin' some solar power, with or without this newfangled concrete jungle.
[Via: Fark]
Limited Edition, Prince-Themed iPod Touch -- Only $2,100
[Via All Things Digital]
National Broadband Plan Starts Rolling Out
'Personal Trainer: Walking' Bringing Pedometers to Nintendo DSi
Nintendo's DSi may have just launched, but if you figured your wallet would be safe from buying any other related hardware in the near future, you clearly aren't in tune with the rabid peripheral market. Our best buds over at Joystiq sat down with David Young, the assistant PR manager for Nintendo of America, in order to talk shop and get a glimpse into the DSi's future. Of note, Mr. Young ...SimMan 3G Patient Simulator Will Undoubtedly Creep You Out
Look, we want the next generation of robot doctors to be as competent as possible; after all, it's them that'll likely be taking care of us when our fingers lock up and our cranium-housed SSDs finally fail. That said, we can't help but be freaked completely out by Laerdal's latest and greatest patient simulator, the SimMan 3G. This almost-human can be programmed with various practice scenarios ...Sony Debuts $1,000 GPS-Packin' 1080p Handycam
Think your "high-def" camcorder is hot stuff? Think again, vaquero. Sony's swerving around the low-end and waving jovially as it laps the mid-range with the HDR-TG5V Handycam, a decidedly upscale pocket camcorder that's capable of logging full 1080p clips and holding 16GB of data. Moreover, the HD camcorder includes an embedded GPS module, minimal buttons and a new intuitive user interface for ...Time Warner to Charge Fees for Internet Based On 'Consumption'
No, folks -- this is no prank. Time Warner Cable really is throwing caution (and public opinion) to the wind and moving forward with its evil consumption-based internet billing. If you'll recall, we heard that the operator was trialing the method -- which imposes premium rates on big broadband users -- back in early 2008, but now it seems it's quietly hoping to roll it out into more major markets. ...American Airlines Bringing In-Flight Wi-Fi to Over 300 Planes
All hail the laggard! With pretty much every other US-based legacy carrier already on board, we were beginning to wonder if American Airlines even got the memo that in-flight Wi-Fi was in serious demand. At long last, the company has made clear that it plans to equip more than 300 MD-80 and Boeing 737-800 aircraft used primarily in the United States with high-speed Wi-Fi capability (over the ...
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