The Navman F15 In-Car GPS system which is exclusively sold at Radio Shack is an excellent value. It has numerous features to choose from. The software is very user friendly and touch screen capability allows for quick function changes while driving. It comes fully loaded with current US maps as well as a variety of popular predetermined destinations such as gas stations, hotels, and restaurants. Installation in your car is a cinch by simply applying it to your dashboard with the very strong and durable adhesive strip, or placing it on your windshield with the mount provided.

Many consumers have found the Navman F15 to be easy to use. The screen is large enough to view easily, yet isn’t distracting. In addition, the overall functions of the unit are very easy to manage while driving down the road. If there is a drawback to this device, it is the signal from the satellite tends to be a bit slow in certain situations.

Here are some specs:

• 3.5″ touch screen
• New, easy-to-use software
• Latest US maps (including Puerto Rico)
• Works straight out of the box
• SiRFInstantFixII™ for 5 times faster GPS fixes
• Preloaded Points of Interest (POIs) including restaurants, gas stations, emergency assistance, hotels and more

It costs $100 at Radio Shack.

UPDATE: (oops radio shack link is no good - anyone knows where you can get a Navman F15?)by devicepedia

Filed under: Peripherals, Portable Audio, Portable Video

Scosche Passport FireWire-to-USB iPod adapter gets reviewed originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 21 Nov 2008 08:36:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

This post is syndicated with permission from GamerFront.net

In case you missed it, Microsoft released their dashboard update for the Xbox 360, dubbed the New Xbox Experience. Now those of you that also happen to subscribe to Netflix may have noticed something else. Upon trying to stream certain movies, you may have been greeted with a message stating that the film you are trying to watch is currently unavailable. Here’s the least surprising part of the whole thing. All of the movies which are currently unavailable happen to be from Sony Pictures Entertainment. Coincidence?

Lets see, what motive would Sony have to pull their catalog of films from being streamed to the Xbox 360? That’s right, they don’t want owners of a competitor’s product to enjoy it any more than possible. We know this to be true, since all films in question are still available for viewing via your PC and other streaming devices, just not the Xbox 360.

This really only makes Sony look bad. For them to pull their catalog of films right as the NXE is being launched is just plain underhanded. They’ve obviously known that their movies were going to be streamed to the 360, so why wait until now to pull them? So the question now is if they will ever allow their catalog to be streamed to Microsoft’s console. I guess we’ll just have to wait and see.

VIA [ GamerFront ]

The new dashboard will feature a horizontal row of boxes to navigate through, instead of the previous side blades that acted as the menu screens for the different functions. You'll get boxes dedicated to Xbox Live, your games, music, photos, and media, as well as tabs dedicated to Xbox events, game and music marketplaces, and your friends. But what's my favorite part about the new dashboard? Find out when you

read more

The Mediasmart 2.0 software lets you watch movies, look at photos, play music, listen to radio and watch TV on demand. HP is partnering with MTV networks to bring IPTV content in from MTV, Comedy Central and Nickelodeon. On the hardware side, you can carry out a variety of gestures on the TX2 including select, drag, double tap, pinch, zoom, arc, rotate and flick. In addition to working with the MediaSmart software, the multitouch gestures will also work with a variety of Windows software out of the box including Microsoft Office, most internet browsers, and most photo applications.

In addition to the 1200x800 multitouch capability, the 4.5-pound TX2 has 2.1GHz AMD Turion X2 processor, ATI Radeon HD 3200 Graphics, 8 GB RAM, 500 GB HDD (5400 RPM), Bluetooth, integrated webcam, 8x DVD burner, VGA out and a digital pen.

As far as Windows 7 Beta compatibility goes, the TX2 currently will not work with the new OS, but HP says they are working with Microsoft and they can't comment on unreleased products. The HP Touchsmart TX2 is available for pre-order beginning today over at HP, starting at $1200. It will begin shipping at the end of November. [Touchsmart on Giz]

HP TouchSmart tx2 Notebook PC

THE WORLD'S FIRST MULTI-TOUCH CONSUMER NOTEBOOK*

• Experience intuitive, two-finger control of entertainment within HP
MediaSmart.
• Enjoy music, photos, movies and TV programs within HP MediaSmart.
• Get fast, direct access to an HP tx2 Support Specialist @ 866.408.5408
(U.S. only).
• Twist the display up to 180° to share content and watch films — or fold it
flat for writing.
• Surf the Web(15) and use applications intuitively by touching the screen
with a finger.
• True Tablet PC: Write, draw and erase accurately with the included pen.
• Simplify your password management with the optional integrated
fingerprint reader.
• Engage in live video chat using the HP Webcam(15) and
integrated microphone.
• Enjoy the ultimate audio entertainment experience with SRS Premium
Sound.
* All disclaimers shown on the bottom of page 2.

KEY SPECS

• AMD Athlon™ X2 Dual-Core Processor QL-64 (2.1 GHz, 1MB L2 Cache) (3)(4)(5)(6)(7) OR,
AMD Athlon™ X2 Dual-Core Processor QL-62 (2.0 GHz, 1MB L2 Cache (3)(4)(5)(6)(7) OR,
AMD Turion™ X2 Dual-Core Mobile Processor RM-74 (2.2GHz, 1MB L2 cache) (3)(4)(5)(6)(7)
OR,
AMD Turion™ X2 Dual-Core Mobile Processor RM-72 (2.1GHz, 1MB L2 cache) (3)(4)(5)(6)(7)
OR,
AMD Turion™ X2 Dual-Core Mobile Processor ZM-80 (2.1GHz, 2MB L2 cache) (3)(4)(5)(6)(7)
OR,
AMD Turion™ X2 Dual-Core Mobile Processor ZM-82 (2.2GHz, 2MB L2 cache) (3)(4)(5)(6)(7)
OR,
AMD Turion™ X2 Dual-Core Mobile Processor ZM-84 (2.3GHz, 2MB L2 cache) (3)(4)(5)(6)(7)
OR,
AMD Turion™ X2 Dual-Core Mobile Processor ZM-86 (2.4GHz, 2MB L2 cache) (3)(4)(5)(6)(7)
• Genuine Windows Vista® Ultimate(1) (2) OR,
Genuine Windows Vista® Home Premium(1) (2)OR,
Genuine Windows Vista® Business(1) (2)
• 12.1-inch diagonal WXGA (1280 x 800), Integrated touch-screen, Convertible display
• ATI Radeon™ HD 3200(9) available
• Up to 8GB DDR2 SDRAM System Memory (2 SODIMM; 64-bit OS)
• 160/250/320/400G/500B(8) 5400 rpm SATA
• SuperMulti 8X DVD±R/RW with Double Layer Support(10) (11) OR,
LightScribe SuperMulti 8X DVD±RW with Double Layer Support(10) (11) (12)
• 802.11b/g WLAN OR,
802.11b/g WLAN and Bluetooth(15) OR,
Wireless 802.11a/b/g/n WLAN(14) OR,
Wireless 802.11a/b/g/n with Bluetooth(14) (15)

UNSURPASSED STYLE

HP’s innovative notebook PC designs truly integrate fashion and technology. High-gloss HP
Imprint finish encases the elegant forms and is more durable than traditional painted
surfaces. The tx2 Reaction Imprint reveals an energized pattern inspired by the circular
elements found in audio equipment. HP notebooks have won coveted International Red
Dot and iF material awards.

MOBILE ENTERTAINMENT

Providing more choices than ever, HP MediaSmart enables access to DVDs, videos, photos,
music, games(25) and Internet TV(15) at the touch of a button. Built-in demos show you how
to add music to your slide shows or videos with drag-and-drop functionality – and much
more. Dual headphone jacks enable you to share films and music without disturbing
others. Muvee Reveal makes creating films complete with effects a snap! And the included
HP Mini Remote Control can be stored in the ExpressCard slot. It’s time to play!

WORLD-CLASS SUPPORT

• One-year limited hardware and software warranty with 24/7 phone support with
numerous extended service plan options
• Toll-free phone support during warranty @ 1.800.HPINVENT (1.800.474.6836) in the
U.S. and Canada; online support for the life of the product by clicking on the “?” icon
• Easy-to-use dashboard for system diagnostics and updates with preinstalled HP Advisor

MOBILITY YOU CAN TOUCH

For those whose active lives demand a device for note capture, entertainment,
communication and robust computing that's easy to carry everywhere, the HP TouchSmart
tx2 Notebook PC delivers. The tx2 combines powerful ultra-powerful computing with Tablet
PC capabilities and entertainment features in an attractive design light enough to go
anywhere. With multi-touch support within HP MediaSmart, it is the first notebook PC for
consumers that enables the use of two fingers to navigate HP's entertainment applications.
HP has developed a specific set of gestures to help you get the most from your TouchSmart
tx2.
• SINGLE, DOUBLE TAP: Select objects by touching them once (single tap), or double tap
to open objects/programs.
• FLICK: Scroll or pan within an application either horizontally or vertically. For example,
in MediaSmart Photo, flick your finger to the left on the display and the inertia from your
flick will move the photos leftward, just as if you pushed a piece of paper to the left on a
table.
• PRESS & DRAG: Touch an object on the display and hold and drag it to the desired
destination.
• ARC: Allows you to move tracks to/from playlists without having to make a straight line.
• PINCH: Touch an object on the display once to select the item then place 2 fingers on
opposite corners of the object, then move them closer together to decrease the object’s
size or to zoom out. Move fingers away from one another to enlarge the object or to
zoom in.
• ROTATE: Rotate photos by touching the object once to select the item then use 2 fingers
on opposite corners of the image and rotate the image either clockwise or
counter-clockwise.
• LAUNCH MEDIASMART: Touch the screen with two fingers together and write the letter
m on the display to launch the MediaSmart Smart Menu.
• ENERGY STAR® qualified to conserve energy
• EPEAT SILVER registered
• Recyclable box for less waste
• Exclusive use of EPA SmartWay carriers for reduced transportation-related emissions.
• Replaceable battery for longer life span
• Free recycling for your old computer hardware**
Please recycle your computer hardware and printing supplies. HP recycling services make
responsible disposal easy. Visit www.hp.com/go/ecohighlights for more information. **
Shipping charges apply.
Digital ink pen
Exclusive HP Reaction Imprint finish
HP Mini Remote Control
HP TouchSmart tx2 Notebook PC
HP recommends Windows Vista® Home Premium.

SPECIFICATIONS

OPERATING SYSTEM • Genuine Windows Vista® Ultimate(1) (2) OR,
• Genuine Windows Vista® Home Premium(1) (2)OR,
• Genuine Windows Vista® Business(1) (2)

PROCESSOR • AMD Athlon™ X2 Dual-Core Processor QL-64 (2.1 GHz, 1MB L2
Cache) (3)(4)(5)(6)(7) OR,
• AMD Athlon™ X2 Dual-Core Processor QL-62 (2.0 GHz, 1MB L2
Cache (3)(4)(5)(6)(7) OR,
• AMD Turion™ X2 Dual-Core Mobile Processor RM-74 (2.2GHz,
1MB L2 cache) (3)(4)(5)(6)(7) OR,
• AMD Turion™ X2 Dual-Core Mobile Processor RM-72 (2.1GHz,
1MB L2 cache) (3)(4)(5)(6)(7) OR,
• AMD Turion™ X2 Dual-Core Mobile Processor ZM-80 (2.1GHz,
2MB L2 cache) (3)(4)(5)(6)(7) OR,
• AMD Turion™ X2 Dual-Core Mobile Processor ZM-82 (2.2GHz,
2MB L2 cache) (3)(4)(5)(6)(7) OR,
• AMD Turion™ X2 Dual-Core Mobile Processor ZM-84 (2.3GHz,
2MB L2 cache) (3)(4)(5)(6)(7) OR,
• AMD Turion™ X2 Dual-Core Mobile Processor ZM-86 (2.4GHz,
2MB L2 cache) (3)(4)(5)(6)(7)

MEMORY • Up to 8GB DDR2 SDRAM System Memory (2 SODIMM; 64-bit OS)

VIDEO GRAPHICS • ATI Radeon™ HD 3200(9)
HARD DRIVE • 160/250/320/400G/500B(8) 5400 rpm SATA

FINISH AND
FEATURES
• HP Reaction Imprint finish with HP Webcam and integrated
microphone

MULTIMEDIA DRIVE • SuperMulti 8X DVD±R/RW with Double Layer Support(10) (11) OR,
• LightScribe SuperMulti 8X DVD±RW with Double Layer Support(10)
(11) (12)

DISPLAY • 12.1-inch diagonal WXGA (1280 x 800), Integrated touch-screen,
Convertible display

NETWORK CARD • Integrated 10/10/1000 Gigabit Ethernet LAN(13) (RJ-45 connector)

WIRELESS OPTION • 802.11b/g WLAN OR,
• 802.11b/g WLAN and Bluetooth(15) OR,
• Wireless 802.11a/b/g/n WLAN(14) OR,
• Wireless 802.11a/b/g/n with Bluetooth(14) (15)

AUDIO • Altec Lansing

KEYBOARD • 101-key compatible and 3 Quick Launch Buttons

POINTING DEVICE • Touch-screen for finger input with multi-touch support
• Digital ink pen for handwriting and drawing on the screen

PC CARD SLOTS • 1 ExpressCard/34 slot

EXTERNAL
NOTEBOOK PORTS
• 3 USB 2.0 ports
• 1 VGA
• 1 RJ-11
• 1 RJ-45/Ethernet
• 2 Headphone out - 1 with SPDIF Digital Audio & 1 stereo
• 1 Microphone in
• 1 Expansion port 3
• 1 Consumer IR for remote control
• Digital pen with integrated docking bay

DIMENSIONS • 12.05 in (L) x 8.82 in (W) x 1.23 in (min H) / 1.52 in (max H)
(with 4-cell battery)

WEIGHT • Starting at 4.33 lb / 1.97 kg(16) (with Touchscreen, Digitizer,
Weightsaver, 4-cell battery)

SECURITY • Kensington® lock
• Power-on password
• Accepts 3rd party security lock devices
• Optional Fingerprint Reader

POWER • 4-cell (37 WHr) OR,
• 6-cell (55 WHr) OR,
• 8-cell (73 WHRr) Lithium-Ion battery OR,
• 65W HP AC Adapter

OPTIONAL
ACCESSORIES
• See product catalog

WARRANTY AND
SUPPORT
• Limited 1-year and 90-day warranty options available, depending
on country
• 1-year limited warranty on primary battery
SOFTWARE

SECURITY AND
SUPPORT
• Symantec Norton Internet Security (60 Day trial) (18)
• Digital Persona Software (Available with Digital
• Fingerprint Reader configuration only)
• HP Help and Support
• HP PC Recovery
• HP Total Care Setup
• HP Total Care Advisor

PRODUCTIVITY AND
FINANCE
• Microsoft Works 9.0
• Microsoft Office OneNote
• Microsoft Office 2007 Home and Student Edition(17) (60 Day Trial)

MULTIMEDIA • MediaSmart 2.0
• HP Games powered by Wild Tangent with Spore Creator
• Muvee Reveal
• Corel Painter Essentials

Sony Pictures celebrates NXE eve by... blocking Xbox 360 Netflix movie streaming originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 18 Nov 2008 22:14:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

The New Xbox Experience, a.k.a. the new Xbox 360 Dashboard, hits tomorrow. If you've got an Xbox 360 that's connected to the internet, you're going to be prompted to update your console as soon as you turn it on. No exceptions; this is what your machine will look like until either it dies, you die, or Microsoft decides to make ANOTHER Xbox Experience. Unfortunately, unlike Batman, you didn't have time to prepare. Here are the ten things you should know about the new Xbox experience so you can be set for tomorrow.

1) Installation is quick. Owners with hard drives that aren't 100% full will be able to update with no problem, but Xbox 360 Arcade fans that rely on memory cards can get in on the free 512MB card deal from Microsoft. We'd recommend you go for the 20GB hard drive for $20 if anything. The update won't be as fast as the 10-second patches you're used to for standard Xbox Dashboard upgrades, but clocking in at somewhere between five to ten minutes, it's still faster than standard PS3 firmware refreshes. And this changes the entire UI!

2) Avatars are neat, but need some work. They're not necessary in the sense that you've still got the option of using your old gamerpics to represent your gamertag to the rest of Xbox Live, but everyone can create a Nintendo Mii-like avatar. Because there are only a handful of clothing options and customizability selections, your Mii will only kinda look like you. They're neat, though, and can be used in future games so you can control a virtual you instead of, say, Venus Williams or Marcus Fenix—the second being extremely unlikely.

3) Performance gains are found everywhere. One of the things Microsoft with the new Dashboard was lift restrictions about how much resources it could use, resulting in a much speedier and more fluid browsing experience. For example, your Xbox Live Arcade game list loads instantly, instead of one at a time in the order you downloaded them. Other time savers are the ability to bring up the Xbox guide from wherever you are and jump into another game, bypassing the need to reroute from back in the Dashboard.

4) Everything is much more usable because it's organized better. By putting in a game and going to its info screen, you can look at its achievements, all its possible downloads and access game details like whether or not it supports 1080p and co-op. In fact, you can do this for all the games in the marketplace, giving you an easy way to browse around and learn whether or not Fable 2 supports online multiplayer (it does).

5) Blades are still there if you want them. Although you're "stuck" with the new interface in the actual Dashboard, you can hit the Xbox guide button on your controller and hop around the console that way. There really isn't a reason to dislike the new interface, but if you're one of those weirdos that hates things because they're new (why are you on THIS website again?), you've got an option.

6) Netflix movie and TV streaming look great. As Mark covered in his impressions, Netflix streaming to your Xbox works fantastically as long as your connection is fast enough. HD streaming requires 8Mbps for their highest tier quality, but Mark was fine with 5Mbps in their second tier. This all requires you to have an actual Netflix account to be able to access the feature, but the convenience of movies on demand, directly to your TV should make you at least sign up for a trial.

7) Hard disk game installs save time, save wear-and-tear on your DVD drive. As bingegamer details, installing a game on a hard drive usually cuts down load times and improvs streaming from the disk in sandbox games. It's very rare that installing actually makes games slower, but it's been known to happen in Halo 3 and a couple other titles. The other benefit, besides speeding up gaming sessions, is that you eliminate DVD noise. You still need to have the disc in the drive when you play, so you can't go rent games, install them and return them.

8) Media Center and media playback still work. No change in Media Center or DivX/XviD playback functionality in case you were worried about compatibility issues before upgrading.

9) Ads are basically everywhere. You know how there's space set aside in the current Dashboard for ads and promo content? Well, in NXE, promo content can be mixed into the regular menu system, which makes it more difficult to tell at a glance whether you're firing up your own copy of Gears of War 2 or clicking to the Gears of War download page where they want you to download themes. It's not too horrible, on the whole.

10) The future looks good for NXE. Instead of sticking to the Spring/Fall update cycle, NXE allows Microsoft to roll out incremental updates for your Xbox whenever they're ready. This means more timely feature bumps (stuff like Netflix, for example), and special one-off changes that can skin your interface based on whatever hot game is due out soon. And hell, who wouldn't want to be able to download a Gears of War suit for your avatar?

Our final verdict is that NXE is a good thing. It's great of Microsoft to be devoting precious resources to revamping a usable interface (you won't see a new Wii Experience anytime soon) three years into a console's lifetime because they think they can do a better job the second time around. Get ready to install a whole new Xbox tomorrow. [Xbox Coverage on Gizmodo]

This is what the future looked like in the '60s. Sit through a short ad for faltering phone service Sprint, and suddenly you're thrust into widget land. The Now page shows you a huge dashboard displaying data of all types — some useful, some goofy, and most just plain fun — making you feel like you're connected to a world where people are stuck in elevators, videos are playing, and the number of habitable planets we know about stays right at 1.

If you have a webcam hooked up, it'll even show you a shot of yourself sitting there with your mouth agog at all this stuff. Just get ready with that volume control before you click on this baby, because a rumbling ad hits you first, followed by a robotic babe making you feel all space-stationy and futuristic. And guess what? "It's currently now in all time zones." Big fun. So is this that "fierce urgency of now" we keep hearing about?

Now, via TRFJ

The Tesla dealership is quiet as a cage of sleeping panthers. A pack of the electric roadsters, in varying degrees of grey, are strewn across the show floor looking 120mph standing still. I imagine most of them are awaiting for a venture capitalist to pick them up and take them from meeting to meeting for the rest of their uneventful lives. But outside is a bright blue roadster ready for the 10 minutes Telsa and God have handed me. This is my long awaited drive in the Tesla roadster.

[Photos by Monica Laipple and Giz, drive via Tim Ferriss]

Studying her lines it is clear to me this car has Lotus DNA, even though the car is much cleaner and classically beautiful looking than any bug eyed Elise or Exige, and more technologically advanced than the submarine Lotus James Bond drove in The Spy Who Loved Me (Thanks Ray). The British car maker helped to design the aluminum chassis, which weighs less than 200 pounds, and they handle early stage manufacturing. Tesla stresses that the Roadster is not just an electric Lotus, and it shares no more than 10% of the parts. Much more thought went into this car to simply dismiss it as such. But Tesla's engineers did choose to work with Lotus for a reason, the same reason why most auto journalists consider the Elise one of the last pure sports cars around and a great deal. The low power, light weight cars are simply one of the best handling and thrilling drives out there, described as some as a street legal go kart, and I'd agree that its one of the best driving experiences I've ever had. With shared genetics, this is perhaps the best way to judge the limits of electric performance as compared to their gas counterparts.

It's rare that Tesla lets people drive the car without a company copilot, so we'd be tailed by a Lexus chase car since I'm sitting copilot to Tim Ferriss, the guy who set up this ride, for the first shift. Starting the car is silent, and we kept trying to turn it over because we're idiots. If you don't step on the gas accelerator, there is no idle, so the car does not move forward even when your feet are not on the brakes. When Tim takes off from the lot, before I hear road noise and wind, I hear the odd purring of gears, which can almost be described as turbine like. With one gear and no engine noise, its surprisingly hard to gauge speed except by the pressure applied to the headrest by the back of your skull, the churning in your stomach or the unintended roller coaster face of your passenger. (Me.) Looking at the speedometer would be idiotic at these rates, in local traffic, but somehow we make it to about 60 for brief bursts on our way to the highway.

The rates to 60 are rated at 3.9 seconds by virtue of the electric motor's 248 HP and 280 Torque. By comparison, it bests the fastest road legal Lotus by a 10th of a second, but the power to weigh ratio is on par with the standard Elise because the battery pack brings it to 2700 pounds (over 700 pounds heavier than the Elise). The key here is that the car doesn't have to take the time to switch gears and electric motors deliver 100% of their torque at start. That power curve caused some problems earlier in two previous transmissions, which were being destroyed after a few thousand miles. To overcome that problem with the latest, more durable single gear tranny, Telsa wisely used a motor with a 14000 RPM redline that could keep rotating faster in a low gear to achieve a top speed of 125MPH, while improving on the 2008's single gear transmission time to sixty miles per hour down from 5.7 seconds to 3.9 seconds.

Behind the wheel, I found that the entire system works together to deliver power like thick gobs of thick yogurt, with no drive lash on throttle or lift, but not too buzzy either. I have to admit it's the perfect amount of torque for a car this weight, somewhere in between detroit muscle and a peaky four banger in a rice rocket. With traction control off, something I was prohibited from doing, I hear you can do doughnuts in the car, something not too easy in many roadsters. That's what I heard, anyhow. In some ways, it feels automatic, without the third pedal, but when you lift off the throttle, the car's regenerative systems seize power through engine braking. It feels like you're lifting off after revving high in second or third gear in a manual transmission sports car. Tim often didn't have to use the brakes, preferring to wind down to almost nothing by engine braking alone. I'd test the brakes later. We'd entered the highway, and the car's acceleration to 80 was great, but power tapered off closer to 110 as aerodynamics of a open top car caught up to it and torque fell. Hypothetically.

I knew the acceleration was appropriate for a car of the future, besting many gas vehicles out there. But one thing I'd never heard about was what all the battery weight (again, 2700 pounds vs sub 2000 pounds) was doing to the car's handling; the Tesla would not likely turn and brake like a space age wonder considering similar chassis, brakes, wheels and suspension There's no escaping the laws of physics. Even magical electric cars want to stay in motion, when in motion.

I snaked the car through a set of S turns, but behind other cars, so I was not able to find much data other than the car's does not oversteer easily. Through a banked onramp to highway 280, the ghetto skidpad, I wasn't light on the gas accelerator, and on the smooth, 270 degree banked circle, I could feel the car's rack and pinion wanting to push a bit. I wasn't sure of my speed, so its impossible to say when confidence was starting to fade. The chase car driver later implied they had to slow down 60 on the ramp, but I doubt I was going much faster than that. I'll conclusively say that the car handles less confidently than an Elise, but will destroy many road going sedans and coupes.

Back off the highway, with the chase car still catching up, I got a chance to try the brakes quickly rounding a corner and heading towards traffic. With a second lane opening up, I slammed them. Warm tires and chattered across the rough, slightly downhill road and I was forced to take the other lane or eat SUV. I felt the weight, and expected the car to stop shorter.

But here's something to chew on. I have no conclusive data of how fast we were going, given the singlegear, quiet propulsion of the vehicle. I could have been going 35, I could have been going 60, so it's not fair to judge the car's handling or braking. And Tesla and the internet have no skidpad, slalom or braking distance test results for the car. Conspiracy? I can't say. None of this really matters, because the Tesla Roadster is unique as a performance oriented electric car and deserves heaps of praise for what it is and how it feels to drive despite its efficiency from battery to wheels of 80-90%. Most gas engines sit at about 20%. Provided your public utility has some measure of efficiency to their electric production, you can do a lot of good in this car.

I wouldn't be describing this car properly without describing the interior. The Roadster's insides look similar but have been improved over its sister cars from the UK. Door sills have been lowered to make entrance easy (although still requiring some level of acrobatics) the leather seats are more comfortable and heated, the premium stereo is a single DIN JVC KD-NX5000, which features DivX and DVD playback, as well as navigation and a 40GB HDD and iPod dock. The position of the stereo is sort of low on the dashboard. The stereo's imaging is superb and there's a sub somewhere in the tiny cockpit thumping away. There's an electric touch LCD on the left managing battery charge, tire pressure monitors, etc. Your ass is dragging probably 8 inches from the ground.

I can't afford this car. If I wanted something similar to this in shape, feel and performance, I'd probably buy a used Elise for $30k if I could get over the bug eyes. But I can assure you that a Tesla is still a hell of a a car, by electric or gas terms, even if its just a bit more portly and more expensive than a comparable Lotus. I mean, its fast. It's electric. It's efficient. It's sexy. And you can actually buy it if you're rich. And while Tesla as a company may have had some problems in manufacturing at first, they didn't wait for old industry to get off its ass and build something revolutionary. Like Android, I hope it catalyzes the fossil fuel makers traditional makers into a game of catch up with cars that are just as fast and efficient, and hopefully a lot cheaper. And if that doesn't leave you somewhat impressed, then you belong with the dinosaurs.

Note: Impressions from a 10 minute drive are going to be impressions from a 10 minute drive, nothing more.

[Special Thanks to Tim Ferriss for facilitating this drive and donating half of his drive time to me, and for photographer Monica Laipple for the better shots above. Some more videos over at Tim's site. ]

Rear-view car cameras with dashboard video viewing have been common in Japan for many years, now just as the technology evolves to perfection the safety tool will debut publicly at the World Congress on Intelligent Transport Systems & ITS America's 2008 Annual Meeting and Exposition being held this week in New York.

Via Fujitsu