2011 AC Schnitzer BMW 550i ACS5 Sport S Saloon Concept

Engine V8, Aspiration twin turbochargers, HP 540 hp, 0-62 mph 4.5 seconds, Top Speed 199 mph

Superb, powerful and individual: the AC Schnitzer ACS5 Sport S Saloon reveals new and unusual aspects of driving pleasure

With the new BMW 5-series saloon and the new BMW 5-series Touring, in 2011 two new 5-series models have been awarded the prestigious iF Award for outstanding product design. Equally prizeworthy is the AC Schnitzer ACS5 Sport S Saloon based on the BMW 5-series saloon, which celebrates its premiere at the Geneva Motor Show from 3rd to 13th March.
With this concept vehicle, the Aachen-based tuning specialist AC Schnitzer is demonstrating new and unusual aspects of driving pleasure. With a performance upgrade from 407 to 540 HP, the AC Schnitzer engineers are pushing the boundaries of the possible - for greater dynamics and efficiency. The driving performance is at thoroughbred sportscar level: the sprint from 0 - 100 kph takes just 4.5 seconds, and the top speed is around 320 kph. A glance under the bonnet with the AC Schnitzer engine and engine bay styling shows just who is responsible for the revolutionary refinement. The AC Schnitzer limited slip differential with up to 75% effect ensures that the tremendous power reaches the point where it is needed.The AC Schnitzer twin sports rear silencer with chromed "Sports Trim“ tail pipe trims left and right combines exciting appearance and sound.
What does the sophisticated driver expect from perfect brakes? Perfect braking of course! With the AC Schnitzer high performance brake system with 8-piston fixed calipers left and right, and an 8-piece kit of brake pads and caliper holders for the front axle, all expectations of optimum deceleration and maximum stability are amply fulfilled. And the driving dynamics leave nothing to be desired. The AC Schnitzer racing suspension guides the saloon perfectly through the corners.
The AC Schnitzer tuning specialists will be focussing on the reactions to the new aerodynamic components for the body of the 5-series saloon. As well as the familiar AC Schnitzer front spoiler and chromed front grille, a new carbon front spoiler centre part gives the ACS5 Sport S Saloon an even more striking aspect. The carbon air ducts for the brakes left and right ensure adequate ventilation for the high performance brake system, and the new AC Schnitzer carbon side skirts clearly enhance the side view of the concept vehicle. The engine bay is ventilated by the bonnet vents from the current AC Schnitzer range. Together with further accessories already available, such as the AC Schnitzer rear roof spoiler, the rear spoiler and the rear skirt extension, new elements such as the AC Schnitzer sports wings left and right with Chromline Set and the carbon rear diffusor contribute to the great appearance. The AC Schnitzer loading sill protection film and the BiColor film trim harmoniously complete the sporting elegance of the body conversion. Possible and probable reactions to such a well-equipped vehicle are envious glances, which the proud driver seated behind the AC Schnitzer sports airbag steering wheel with painted spokes can enjoy in the new AC Schnitzer sports mirror.
The AC Schnitzer ACS5 Sport S saloon appears at the Geneva Motor Show with full leather trim in BiColor, painted interior trim strips and racing bucket seats with AC Schnitzer logo, which form part of the overall concept for the interior. The AC Schnitzer range already contains the
AC Schnitzer "Black Line“ aluminium cover for the i-Drive system controller, the aluminium foot rests and pedal set, velours boot mat and foot mats.

For the BMW 5-series saloon, AC Schnitzer also provides an unusual range of custom wheel/tyre combinations in both 20 and 21 inch diameter. The largest variants are the racing forged rim in BiColor and the new forged alloy wheel in BiColor in sizes 9Jx21“ front and 10Jx21“. Alternatives are the AC Schnitzer Type IV BiColor wheel and Type V BiColor forged alloy rim.

The AC Schnitzer ACS5 Sport S Saloon - an extraordinary concept vehicle which embodies the state of the art of technical achievement in more than just power. The AC Schnitzer definition of "Performance" will certainly inspire BMW tuning fans throughout the world.

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All-new Chrysler 300 SRT8 2012

Engine 6.4 liter V8, Aspiration natural, HP 470 hp, HP/Liter 73.4 hp per liter, 0-60 mph high 4-second range, Torque 470 lb-ft, 1/4 mile high 12 second range, Top Speed 175 mph

2012 Chrysler 300 SRT8® Offers the Ultimate Combination Of World-Class Luxury and Performance
• All-new Chrysler 300 SRT8® with its 6.4-liter HEMI® V-8 offers ultimate combination of world-class luxury and performance in Chrysler’s most powerful, best-handling sedan ever
• Fuel Saver Technology with all-new active valve exhaust system improves fuel efficiency by an estimated 25 percent on the highway
• New, exclusive SRT heated steering wheel features mounted paddle shifters for hands on the wheel shifting both on road and at the race track
• New, two-mode adaptive damping suspension allows for selectable suspension tuning and also automatically adapts to road and driver inputs for optimal vehicle control
• 19-speaker Harman Kardon® audio system with innovative GreenEdge® technology is available with 900 watts of power
• Newly formed SRT brand led by President and CEO Ralph Gilles will continue to build benchmark high-performance vehicles for the Chrysler Group
July 15, 2011 , Auburn Hills, Mich. - The success of the modern Chrysler 300 launched in 2005 can be attributed to its broad appeal. People of all ages, incomes and lifestyles were attracted to the sedan’s dramatic styling, power and performance.
As the king of the E-segment lineup, the 2012 Chrysler 300 SRT8® adds high-performance hardware to the elegant proportions and head turning design to provide the ultimate combination of world-class luxury, power and handling. With 470 horsepower (351 kW) and 470 (637 N•m) lb.-ft. of torque, the 300 SRT8 is targeted at customers that seek heart pounding, adrenaline filled excitement, but don’t want to sacrifice comfort and innovative features to get it.
“The Chrysler 300 SRT8 is the no compromises king of the hill in the 300 model lineup in 2012, featuring the ultimate combination of world-class luxury and performance in our most powerful, best-handling Chrysler brand sedan ever,” said Olivier Francois, President and CEO — Chrysler Brand and Lead Executive for Marketing, Chrysler Group LLC. “Engineered and built for those customers who live for the sport of being first, the 300 SRT8 brings a much larger power band across the rpm range, along with intelligent performance attributes and safety and creature comforts for customers who are passionate about performance driving.”
2012 Chrysler 300 SRT8
The Street and Racing Technology (SRT) performance engineering team builds upon the all-new 2011 Chrysler 300 sedan already executed for a world-class luxury experience, to deliver Chrysler’s most powerful and best handling model ever.

Performance numbers include 0-60 mph acceleration in the high 4-second range; quarter mile in high 12-second range; 0-100-0 mph in less than 16 seconds, top speed of 175 mph and stopping power from 60-0 mph in 120 feet.

The return of the 300 SRT8 to the Chrysler lineup in 2012 evokes a strong comparison to the original high-performance production car of its time – the 1955 Chrysler 300. Known for simple, strong lines, excellent engineering, high levels of luxury and outstanding performance with the first modern American V-8 engine to produce 300 horsepower, the first Chrysler 300 (C-300) was styled by Virgil Exner, who radically redesigned the entire Chrysler line and created what they called "The Forward Look" in 1955. Without much chrome on the sides, his designs were simple, but strong. Exner is credited with creating the illusion of fast, forward movement.
The Chrysler C-300 won on both the road course and the “flying mile” at Daytona in 1955. In 1956, the Chrysler 300B model won both events again. In fact, the Chrysler 300s dominated NASCAR competition in 1955 and 1956, taking the overall championship in both years. A legendary and luxurious performance car was born. The “letter cars” quickly became the most desirable of the Chrysler lineup and became known as the “Beautiful Brutes.”

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Samsung Smart TV App Store Reaches 1000 Apps & 10m Downloads

Korean consumer electronics giant Samsung Electronics this week celebrated two major milestones for its HDTV-based app store, Samsung Apps. The application store for Samsung’s internet-connected Smart TV displays has now reached the first landmark of having one thousand registered apps, and a second even more impressive achievement of smashing through the ten million download barrier.

Samsung Smart TV app store reaches 1000 apps

The figures showed that the Samsung Apps store is growing both in terms of size and popularity among tech-hungry consumers. Topping the list of most downloaded apps were online video applications, which took the top spot both on a regional and an international basis. YouTube was the most popular Smart TV app in both South Korea and the United States according to the data.

In February of last year, Samsung became the first TV manufacturer in the world to launch a television-based app store. Since then the app store has gone from strength to strength, reaching five million downloads in May 2011, and growing by more than 100 percent in the space of just a few months to break the ten million barrier today. This has come about due to the number of downloads per day doubling compared to May of this year, having increased to an average of 50,000 downloads per day.

The data not only reflected the popularity of the Samsung Apps TV store, but also demonstrated how the number of active users of Smart TVs has grown. The Seoul-based conglomerate has been striving to create an ecosystem that provides a huge range of top quality content through collaborations with leading content providers, and it seems that users are lapping up the huge amount of choice and great content on offer.

Kang-hyun Kwon, Samsung’s senior vice president of media solutions centre, said that the company will continue to build on its success by seeking partnerships with more content providers who are also interested in bringing high quality apps to market.

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Apple-Samsung Patent Battle: Apple's Totally Winning

Apple-Samsung Patent Battle: Apple's Totally Winning

Samsung's not getting much love from the courts as it tries to defend against Apple's patent infringement claims.

In the United States, District Judge Lucy Koh repeatedly mentioned the visual similarities between Samsung's Galaxy Tab 10.1 and Apple's iPad. In one instance, reported by Reuters, she held up both tablets side-by-side, and challenged Samsung's attorneys to tell them apart. One Samsung attorney, standing 10 feet away, said she couldn't tell the difference at that distance. Another Samsung lawyer picked the correct answer a moment later.

Koh is now considering whether to ban Samsung's tablets from the U.S. market for the duration of the patent infringement trial. Fortunately for Samsung, Koh made a "tentative" decision not to ban the Tab based on Apple's "utility" patents, but she may still allow an injunction based on the similar designs. Apple will have to establish the validity of its design patents if it wants the Galaxy Tab 10.1 removed from store shelves.

Overseas, Samsung's luck has been worse. The Galaxy Tab 10.1 has already been banned in Australia and Germany. In the Netherlands, Samsung's attempt to strike back and gain leverage with an infringement claim on the 3G patents used in the iPhone and 3G iPad was denied. The ruling could, in turn, affect similar claims that Samsung has made in France and Italy. Samsung has been talking about launching a stronger offensive against Apple's newest iPhone, but so far the company's not getting much traction.

My non-legal mind continues to think that if Samsung's getting busted for making a tablet that looks like the iPad, then all non-iPad tablet makers should be under scrutiny. But I also think the competition is healthy and good for consumers. So whatever happens to the Galaxy Tab 10.1, I hope Samsung can move on and keep making tablets. Some of them look pretty cool.

Read more: http://techland.time.com/2011/10/14/apple-samsung-patent-battle-apples-totally-winning/#ixzz1alvgPoCq

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Samsung Galaxy S Stratosphere Takes iPhone 4S Head-on Tomorrow Read more: http://www.itproportal.com/2011/10/12/galaxy-s-stratosphere-takes-iphone-4s-head-on-tomorrow/#ixzz1ae1U2W9j

Samsung Galaxy S Stratosphere Takes iPhone 4S Head-on Tomorrow

Just a day before Apple's flagship iPhone 4S becomes available, Samsung's 4G LTE Galaxy S Stratosphere will go on sale.
Verizon was the only major US carrier that didn't include the Galaxy S2 (newly crowned T3 'phone of the year') in its line-up, and now the Galaxy S Stratosphere promises to take advantage of the pent-up demand. In addition, the Stratosphere is the first smartphone with a physical Qwerty keyboard supporting the 4G LTE network available on Verizon.
In order to get the Galaxy S Stratosphere Verizon subscribers will have to sign a two-year contract and pay a subsidized price of $149.99 and additional $70 monthly fees for voice plan and 2GB data plan.

However, both companies hope that the features integrated in Stratosphere make the price worth. The distinctive characteristic is the five-row physical keyboard, important for business users as well as 4-inch AMOLED touchscreen. The two cameras, one in front with 1.3 MP for video chatting and one in the rear with 5 MP are also meant to impress the users. Additional business features as Cisco AnyConnect 2.1 SSL VPN security, support for Exchange ActiveSync and Sybase Afaria Mobile Device Management should attract business users that are currently more loyal to RIM devices.  Verizon's LETE network with data speeds up to 12 Mbps is also perceived as a convincing selling motivation.

Meanwhile Stratosphere' s great rival iPhone 4S already breaks the selling records as pre-orders figures show.

 

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Samsung Galaxy Tab 750 review

Anorexic is in…amongst tablets and the first Samsung tablet that we reviewed – the Galaxy Tab – didn't exactly fit that profile. But Samsung did make an impression with its debutante's quality and prowess.

The second in the series was released almost a year later. Samsung missed out on some opportunities because in the interim, a lot of companies had entered the foray, each of them bringing in more innovation targeted at outdoing competition. Samsung is now striking back with the new Galaxy Tab 750 and Galaxy Tab 730. Both tablets are similar as far as the tech specs are concerned, differing only in the screen sizes they come in. I spent some time with the 10.1-inch Galaxy Tab 750 figuring out how well it fares as my primary media consumption device.

Music and movies

The Samsung tabs have shed the original's girth and gained some tech weight instead. In fact they are marginally thinner than the iPad. The Samsung review unit's 10.1-inch screen with a resolution of 1280x800 pixels reproduced images and videos beautifully. I watched a long-pending BBC documentary ‘The Life and Death of a Mobile Phone' on the tablet. The speaker grilles placed on either side of the bezel tended to get covered when I was holding the tablet by the sides, muffling the output. However, the audio quality on the tablet was definitely above average. It did not match the loud volumes on the Motorola Xoom, but dialogues and music were pretty clear. The display on the tablet too, turned out to be quite brilliant.

Checking out the clicker

The Samsung Galaxy Tab 750 is endowed with a 3MP camera at the rear, surprisingly no better than the original Galaxy Tab. The results were as anticipated – decent shots under sunlight and slightly grainy pics indoors even with most lights on. This camera also lets you capture high-definition videos (in 720p). The video-conferencing camera at the front has been upgraded to a 2MP clicker and the results were marginally better.

One of the best uses I could put the Galaxy Tab 750 to was using it as an e-reader. On the massive screen, books were not only perfectly legible by default (no pinching and zooming to get it to the right size) but it also felt like an original book in my hands owing to the tablet's dimensions.

Power specs

The Samsung Galaxy Tab 750 runs on a 1GHz dual-core NVIDIA Tegra-2 processor – the same as LG Optimus Pad, Motorola Atrix and Asus EeePad Transformer. The tab never froze during use but there were a handful of times when there was a visible lag during functions. At times, the homescreen's orientation stuttered while I was changing it from landscape to portrait. I also noticed the same problem while swiping through homepages once in a while.

The tablet supports Bluetooth 3.0 connectivity letting you transfer media at a speed ten times faster than on a USB 2.0. The tablet has a mini-HDMI port so you can hook it up to a larger display to watch high definition videos. The 7000mAh battery keeps the Samsung Galaxy Tab 750 powered on for almost 8-9 hours with the Wi-fi connected, occasional downloads, gaming, and streaming music videos on YouTube. You have the option of choosing between 16GB and 32GB of internal storage on this tablet.

App talk

The apps bundled with the tablet include Polaris – to create and edit power-point presentations, Word documents and spreadsheets. Social Hub lets you have your entire list of contacts, emails and status updates integrated from various platforms like Twitter, Facebook, Gmail etc., in one screen. You can choose from more than 15 social networking sites that are available within the Social Hub.

The 3G SIM card slot is at the top ridge of the tab, where the 3.5mm headphone jack, volume rocker and the power button are also lodged. With a glass fascia and pristine white rear panel, the Galaxy Tab 750 looks really elegant. Weighing in at about 565 grams, the device is probably one of the lightest in the genre, as of now.

The verdict

The Samsung Galaxy Tab 750 has a couple of factors that tip the scales in its favour. The lightweight construction, elegant design, high-res screen make for a device that takes care of most of your multimedia needs. As far as claims of this being an iPad killer are concerned, I'll have to say this tablet has its moments but in its entirety doesn't really give you the kind of experience that the iPad 2 delivers. Nevertheless, Galaxy Tab 750 turns out to be a nice sequel to the original Galaxy Tab and remains one of the top buys in the market. How long it'll be able to retain that position is something that remains to be seen.

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Samsung ambushes Apple's iPhone 4S launch in Sydney 

   

iPhone 4S and Samsung Galaxy high street battle

Apple fans queue outside Sydney's Apple store for Friday's delivery of the new iPhone 4S as bargain-hunters queue for the $2 Samsung Galaxy S II, just one shop away. 

Samsung has ambushed the launch of the iPhone 4S by offering $2 smartphones in a temporary shop just metres away from the official Sydney Apple store.

A queue - longer than that outside Apple's store - was seen outside the Samsung "pop up" store at 8am today, with those in line hoping to get their hands on a new Samsung Galaxy S II smartphone for the nominal price of $2.

Some waiting in line had been there since Monday, with the store only letting the first 10 in line each day receive the $2 phone. Those waiting since Monday were those wanting the next day's batch of phones.

It comes just days after Samsung said it halted the unveiling of a new Google Android phone as a sign of respect for those mourning the death of Apple founder Steve Jobs.

The South Korean company this week rented a store just two doors down from the Sydney Apple store to promote the Samsung Galaxy S II smartphone and its new online music subscription service, Music Hub.

Samsung's temporary "pop up" store on George Street. Photo: Samsung

The iPhone 4S, Apple's latest revision of its smartphone, goes on sale at 8am on Friday.

Samsung is one of Apple's strongest competitors, with its Galaxy S II smartphone making inroads against the iPhone 4.

Samsung's tablets are also receiving favourable reviews despite attempts by Apple to use the courts to prevent the tablets from going to market.

Inside Samsung's "pop up" store. Photo: Ben Grubb

Samsung has also filed suit in both France and Italy in an attempt to block the iPhone 4S from launching but has not filed a similar suit in Australia.

It's not the first time the smartphone wars have extended into guerilla marketing tactics. At an HTC event last year Nokia representatives were outside HTC's launch venue in London and the Finnish phone maker even handed out HTC press conference "survival kits" to journalists.

Nokia also purchased advertising on high-profile sites such as Fairfax Media's smh.com.au on the day the iPhone 4S was unveiled last week, which advertised its N9 smartphone.

John Kim, 19, and Russell Lee, 20. John plans to sell his $2 Galaxy S II and Russell plans to keep his. Photo: Ben Grubb

An embargoed version of Samsung's Music Hub release that went out to select media on September 30 did not include the fact that Samsung would rent the "pop up" store on George Street.

A general media release sent on the night of the Music Hub launch last Thursday - the day Jobs died and just one day after the announcement of the iPhone 4S - did, however, include the fact.

Fife Capital's Gareth Sneade, who manages the $24 million building Samsung has used part of for the week, told Fairfax that Samsung approached it within the last three months to rent the bottom floor store front of the building.

People waiting outside Samsung's store on Monday. Photo: Samsung

Mr Sneade wouldn't disclose how much Fife was leasing the property to Samsung for but said it was providing short-term month-to-month leases to anyone who wanted one. He was ''unaware'' of Samsung's future intentions with the property after Friday and said Samsung ''was a good fit'' to have renting its property. Samsung said it had "no plans" to continue renting the property beyond Friday.

The building is yet to be renovated and had a development application approved by the City of Sydney in May. Clothing store Fletcher Jones previously rented the store front, according to land title records.

Apple line

How Fife Capital envisages the store Samsung is currently in temporarily to look like after it is developed. Photo: City of Sydney/Fife Capital

Sydney school students Tom Mosca, of West Hoxton, and Wil Batterham, of Chatswood, both 15, have lined up outside Apple's George Street store before Friday's iPhone 4S launch. They arrived at 10.30am yesterday.

The two boys - who are good friends and first met in line waiting for the iPad 2 earlier this year - said many people had approached them trying to convince them to stand in the Samsung line instead of the Apple line.

"There's this guy who has come up to us trying to convince us to buy the Samsung Galaxy S II two days in a row now," said Tom. "And he's an idiot.

Russell Lee will be using his $2 Galaxy S II to replace his old Nokia 100 phone. Photo: Ben Grubb

"The amount of people asking what we are lining up for is absolutely astonishing," said Wil.

Wil said the iPhone 4S was "so much simpler, it's better, it's classier, it's sexier" than the iPhone 4.

Both boys said their parents knew they were camping at Apple's store. Tom's parents told him that if he wanted to camp out he could, he said.

Caroline and Jessica Kim waiting in the Samsung line. Photo: Ben Grubb

The last time the two lined up - which lasted 50 hours - was at the same Apple store for the iPad 2. Tom was third in line then, he said, as two others beat him to being first. "The reason I was third was because the other two guys were tourists and they didn't have any place to stay."

Tom recently sold his iPhone but is keeping it until he gets the 4S on Friday. He said he laughed when he saw the Samsung store and people waiting in line there. "I mean we're no better than them but at least we're getting an iPhone." Wil interjected with a laugh, saying the two were better.

Wil said he wasn't lining up at the Chatswood Apple store that was closer to him as the experience was not as good. "Lining up at the Chatswood store you have to wait outside a mall and you don't get the experience that you would here."

Tom Mosa and Wil Batterham, both 15. Photo: Ben Grubb

Samsung line

Two people Fairfax spoke to in Samsung's line - brother and sister John, 19, and Jessica Kim, 20, from Lidcombe and Burwood respectively - said they would sell their $2 Samsung Galaxy S II smartphones to go on a trip to India. John used an iPhone and would be sticking with it, and Jessica an Optus MyTab, which she used as a phone and tablet. They said the were planning on using the funds to finance some of their India trip.

A cousin of theirs, Caroline Kim, 21 and from Strathfield, said she would keep the Galaxy S II. Her boyfriend, Russell Lee, 20 and from Lidcombe, would also keep his. He's using it to replace his old Nokia 100 mobile.

Both Jessica and Caroline were sleeping in a bright orange tent while John and Russell kept each other company on camping chairs.

Jessica couldn't believe why the two boys at the Apple store were lining up so early. "I can't believe people are lining up for three days just to get it earlier."

"They're waiting three days to pay the full price of the iPhone," said John, suggesting they could've waited in Samsung's line and paid $2 for the Galaxy S II and sold it and used the funds to purchase an iPhone 4S.

This reporter is on Facebook: /bengrubb

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