AUTO MOBILE

The Japanese automaker had high hopes for the retooled Insight. Instead, all it has delivered is a flurry of bad reviews and four months of dismal sales.
Throughout the country, Americans bought 2,079 Insights in June, bringing total sales of the streamlined hatchback since March to 7,524, according to Autodata Corp. At that rate, Honda will sell less than a third of its goal of 90,000 in the first 12 months.

By comparison, the higher-priced Prius was snapped up by 12,998 drivers last month. Since March, Toyota has sold 40,398 of the gas-sippers.

The poor sales figures are all the more humbling because Honda was the first automaker to bring hybrids to the U.S. a decade ago, with an earlier version of the Insight. Yet although Honda products almost always score well with consumers and car enthusiasts, it just can't seem to get green right.

Weak sales forced the Japanese automaker to abandon an earlier two-seat Insight. Its powerful six-cylinder Accord hybrid had unimpressive gas mileage and was killed after three years. Combined, the two vehicles mustered scarcely 45,000 deliveries worldwide.

Meanwhile, the hybrid version of its popular Civic sedan, which Honda says it originally introduced to battle the Prius, has logged just a fifth as many sales as its rival.

"Honda just hasn't had a cogent hybrid strategy at all," said Eric Noble, president of Car Lab, a product planning and research firm.

Noble isn't sure why Honda has stumbled, but what is clear is that other automakers are gaining ever-larger footholds in the hybrid market. Ford Motor Co. is making huge strides thanks to its highly regarded new Fusion hybrid, which, despite a price tag nearly $10,000 more than the Insight's, had June sales on par with the Honda offering. General Motors Co. and Nissan Motor Co. both offer hybrids. Germany's Daimler, maker of Mercedes-Benz, and even South Korea's Hyundai Motor Co. are preparing to enter the hybrid race.

Toyota remains the king, with a fleet of six hybrids including Lexus models, and the hybrid-only Lexus HS sedan on the way. Honda's next hybrid offering, meanwhile, is a head scratcher: the CR-Z, a two-seat sports coupe aimed at one of the smallest-volume segments of the market.

Honda contends that it never intended for the Insight to compete with the Prius, which has logged more than 1.25 million sales worldwide since it first went on sale in Japan in 1997.

Instead, spokesman Chris Martin said, Honda specifically targeted the Insight at a lower price point -- it starts at $19,800 compared with $22,000 for the Prius -- in hopes of winning over a new segment of penny-pinching would-be hybrid buyers.

Honda's annual sales expectations of 90,000 units are half those of Toyota's for the Prius. But with gasoline prices low right now, Martin said that price-conscious buyers are waiting on the sidelines.

"Insight is the value hybrid, whereas the Prius is designed to be more whiz-bang," he said.

Martin contends that the two cars have little in common, and Consumer Reports appears to agree. It rated the Insight second to last among small hatchbacks in its August issue, behind the Chrysler PT Cruiser and the Scion Xd. The magazine critiqued the Insight's handling, lack of interior room and cargo space, calling it a "noisy car with a stiff ride and clumsy handling." The Prius, meanwhile, ranked third.

And while the Insight gets a respectable 41 mpg, the new Prius reaches 50 mpg -- thanks in part to its more advanced hybrid technology. The Prius has a powerful electric motor that by itself can propel the car at speeds of up to 34 mph. The Honda, on the other hand, uses the electric motor as an assist; its gas engine is always running when the car is in motion. The Prius also has more horsepower, seating room and trunk space, plus snazzy features like a solar-powered sunroof.

"Honda has learned from its mistakes in the hybrid market, but maybe it's learned the wrong lessons," said Jake Fisher, senior engineer at Consumer Union, which publishes Consumer Reports.

Last year was tough for global car manufacturers because of high oil prices and the economic turmoil. The road was still patchy for the auto sector in the first half of this year but there is light at the end of the tunnel in the mainland market.

Vehicle sales in China reached an all- time high last month as government incentives helped fuel demand. The China Association of Automobile Manufacturers said sales in June surged to 1.4 million units.

A number of incentives boosted the car sector. These included a tax cut for cars with an engine capacity of less than 1.6 liters and a rebate of up to 6,000 yuan (HK$6,806) for buying certain commercial vehicles.

Beijing is subsidizing farmers who buy environmentally friendly commercial vehicles.

Auto companies listed in Hong Kong have different niches. For example, Dongfeng (0489), through its joint ventures with Peugeot, Nissan and Honda focuses on sedans while Great Wall Motor (2333) has been moving into special utility vehicles and pick- up cars. Pick-ups are very popular in the countryside because of energy- efficiency and cost.

Geely Auto (0175) also produces such vehicles which sell from 80,000 yuan to 100,000 yuan. Great Wall's pick-ups sell for 55,000 yuan each.

Great Wall is the top brand in terms of sales volume and it has a 35 percent share of the pick-up market. Geely Auto has cornered 17 percent of the market.

The low-cost pick-up has become an income driver for Great Wall, which will benefit great

ly as farmers buy the vehicles in the wake of Beijing's incentive policy.

The new rural subsidies were announced in early June. Farmers purchasing a new light truck or a minivan can get a subsidy equivalent to 10 percent of the price, up to a maximum of 5,000 yuan.

I am not sure if Geely's pick-ups will be able to make further inroads in the market but one certainty is that Great Wall has successfully built a strong sales network with more than 1,000 outlets covering both urban and rural areas.

Comparatively speaking, Geely's pick-ups were developed recently and its sales network has just begun to develop. So I believe that Great Wall will be among the main beneficiaries of the recent auto incentives.

On the other hand, Geely has grabbed the opportunity in the midst of the financial crisis to acquire a great deal of steel to make vehicles.

It has been able to grant discounts to compete with other auto giants because of its storage of low-cost steel.

As for commercial vehicles, Geely produced 100p light trucks of Euro III emission standards in April at 86,000 yuan, which is 25 percent lower than the earlier Euro II emission light truck.

The competitive price proved to be effective as monthly sales rose 32 percent in April to 3,593 units, and 15 percent to 12,475 units in the first four months of this year.

This type of light truck used to be priced at over 100,000 yuan. Qingling (1122) sold 18,146 light trucks, a decrease of 10.5 percent year on year.

Sales revenue of light trucks recorded a 7.6 percent year on year drop.

With a price war on, I believe that other core market players like Dongfeng will begin to follow the price pattern.

Consumers will, of course, benefit from the discounts but I am sure that manufacturers' net profit margin will be squeezed to a new low.

I trust that keen competition in commercial vehicles is a major risk for investors buying auto stocks.

Apart from producing commercial cars, Dongfeng also successfully launched a wide range of new models in 2008 and 2009.

Last year, Dongfeng's revenue rose 19 percent year on year to 70.56 billion yuan. Its reported net profit increased slightly by 7.2 percent to 4.04 billion yuan.

Dongfeng's Nissan brand has grabbed a 5 percent share of the passenger car market and it is among the top five in terms of car sales in China.

It means that Dongfeng has consolidated its existing brand in the auto market but diversification of models can drive growth.

Dongfeng's Peugeot and Honda models, which will be launched in 2010, are expected to help the mainland firm grow.

If you prefer to buy a stock in this sector, I would think Dongfeng is a primary choice. With a price-earnings ratio of 15 times, I think it is still a good and stable pick.

If you put your faith in rural growth, then I trust that Great Wall will be your choice. With a price-earnings ratio of 14 times, I consider it slightly undervalued

Toray Industries Inc announced that it has started full-fledged mass production of its environment-friendly fiber materials based on polylactic acid (hereinafter referred to as “PLA”) and plant-derived polyesters for automobile applications. Toray has already been supplying the materials for the trunk and floor carpeting to Toyota Motor Corp. in its latest hybrid model of Lexus, the HS 250h, launched on July 14th this year.

At the same time, Toray is promoting the products to other automakers. Toray aims to have annual sales of 200 tons for the first year for products including ceiling upholstery and door trim materials, and expects them to grow to 5,000 tons per year by 2015.

Materials to be used in different automobile interior parts have to clear tough and varied physical property requirements. Generally, environment-friendly materials such as PLA used to be believed to lack in heat and wear resistance properties in comparison to regular polyester. Though various efforts were being made to address those weaknesses, the adoption of such materials in automobile applications had so far been limited to a few models due to a number of shortcomings.

This time Toray developed various technologies for compounding environment-friendly materials with petroleum-based products, including a proprietary hydrolysis control technology to modify polymer and techniques for compounding using polymer alloys and in the process of fiber spinning as well as mixed fiber compounding during higher processing. By making full use of these technologies, Toray succeeded in achieving the significantly high levels of durability sought by automobile interior applications, enabling actual adoption by mass-produced vehicles.

Having cleared the tough physical property benchmarks for automobile interiors, Toray will focus on further development of materials with higher plant-derived biomass percentage and expand the materials’ applications into wide-ranging applications such as general apparel and industrial materials.

In this age of growing importance for environment-consciousness, automobile manufacturers are striving to develop advanced technologies and aiming for a motorized society that can co-exist with the environment. The companies are actively considering a shift from the existing petroleum-based materials to products made from plant-derived materials for interior components which make up about 5 to 10% of a vehicle’s body weight. The use of plant-derived materials is expected to explode in the future, given the fact that it has low CO2 emissions in its lifecycle from production to disposal and it helps in curbing the use of the limited fossil fuel resources.

Under its Innovation by Chemistry slogan, Toray is actively pursuing the development of environment-friendly products and aims to contribute to the development of a sustainable, recycling-oriented society through its sales of environment-friendly automobile parts

Last week, Nokia announced a long-term relationship with Santa Clara, Calif.-based Intel to establish a new class of mobile computing devices. Could the Finnish OEM finally be warming up to U.S. shores?

Nokia for a long time has enjoyed a fantastic market share lead in the global handset arena, but its North American share has been dismal, at best. The company frequently has been criticized for what some see as an indifference to the North American market, particularly in the United States, often bringing its high-end devices to the United States sans subsidy or months after a global launch.

says Mark Louison, Nokia's head of North American operations, but adds that incompatible CDMA and GSM technologies in the United States have presented a challenge for Nokia’s business model. "Each of the major operators [in the United States] have unique technology road maps and to be successful, we need to align our approach to the market with theirs. In other parts of the world, a one-size-fits-all approach has worked very well,” he says.

Avi Greengart, research director for consumer devices at Current Analysis, echoes those sentiments. “Traditionally, [Nokia] tries to build one thing and sell as many as they can. They’ve sold tens of millions of the 1100 series, if not hundreds of millions. They have a massive supply chain that allows them to go head to head, even with Chinese companies, and win,” Greengart says.

But Louison notes that establishing a base camp on U.S. shores is already having a positive effect on Nokia’s ability to focus its resources on developing products specifically for the North American market. “Something new in our strategy is that you'll see products that are announced here first and built and launched here and go to market globally later,” Louison says, citing R&D and manufacturing facilities in Los Angeles and San Diego.

The Intrigue 7205 is one device that Louison notes as an example of a recent Nokia feature phone that was built first and foremost for Verizon Wireless at one of those facilities, adding that there will be more of that kind of cooperation with carriers in the future.

Greengart rejects the strategy of Nokia bringing more feature phones to the North American market, citing the reinforcement of a persistent stereotype. “In the U.S., a lot of consumers think that Nokia is a Japanese company that makes boring bar phones. [Nokia] isn’t doing themselves any favors by bringing exactly that to the U.S. market."

Stereotypes aside, Nokia’s technology is rarely viewed as anything but top-notch. However, the company, focused as it has been on feature phones and emerging markets, has taken some flack for being slow to react to the latest trends. Greengart notes Nokia’s slow reaction to the “RAZR threat” and implementation of touchscreen devices in the wake of the iPhone’s success.

“Nokia has been focusing on the existing S60 and adding touch to it and adding services to it, but their products don't necessarily meet the expectations that consumers have in an iPhone and Palm Pre world,” Greengart says.

“Tired Notion” About U.S.
While Greengart concedes that Nokia is doing just fine selling its devices to the rest of the world, he says the U.S. market is an incredibly important one for any OEM that wants to be seen as innovative. “The tired notion is that the U.S. is behind everyone else. You’ve heard it all before. The trends start in Asia, move to Europe and 18 months later, it comes to the United States. But that certainly has not been true in the last five years.”

Greengart notes that Motorola changed the face of the industry with the RAZR. “The whole fashion and thin trend started in the U.S. One-hundred million RAZRs sold can't be wrong. That was a huge trend that still drives phone design today. You just kind of expect your phone to be relatively thin and to look like a designer actually spent some time with it.”

He points to e-mail phones, which started in Canada with Research In Motion’s BlackBerry, and then, of course, the iPhone, which has revolutionized mobile Web browsing, not to mention application usage and mandatory data plans.

Nokia has released the final version of the N97 SDK. With what’s effectively the first device-specific SDK, the Finnish giant wants to emphasize its commitment towards its this year’s flagship device.

Among the new things the final SDK version brings are improved support of home screen features, updated SDK documentation, support for the Chinese keyboard, updated example applications and default emulator theme. In addition, the SDK provides developers with device specific APIs such as that one for accessing the compass feature. Finally, we’re reading that all known bugs have been fixed… You can download the Nokia N97 SDK from

t is testing a new mobile TV site to build on iPlayer success

The BBC is testing a new mobile TV site, as it announced mobile as its ‘fastest growing channel’.

The BBC has plans for a strong surge in its output on mobile phones following the success of the iPlayer on mobile devices.

The test service, Live TV, allows its content to be used on a mobile phone through a Wi-Fi connection. It can be accessed on handsets including the T-Mobile G1 and some Nokia Nseries devices and it will be available on more handsets in the coming months.

BBC controller of future media and technology Erik Huggers said that mobile is ‘a big part of our plans’. He added: ‘The BBC iPlayer has made our great content available through a wide range of devices. This has helped BBC mobile to become our fastest growing service.’

The BBC has appointed its former chief technology officer for on-demand TV service Project Kangaroo, Mark Kortekaas, as its new controller for audio and music, interactive and BBC mobile. He will replace Richard Titus, who has left to become CEO of the publishing arm of Associated Newspapers, Associated Northcliffe Digital. He will take on the role this week (14 April).

Nokia has officially announced its latest "rugged" entry into the market in the form of the 3720 Classic, an IP-54 certified phone designed to resist water, dust and shock. The Nokia 3720 classic is encased in durable materials and is entirely sealed to protect the inner electronics.
The phone also boasts of a leak proof design that will protect the "insides" of the phone when subjected to extreme stress. Even the battery cover is locked with a screw enabling trouble free usage in muddy and dusty conditions. On the features front, the 3720 Classic sports a 2.2" display, expandable memory support and pre loaded Nokia maps software .There is an LED flashlight thrown in as well to help you out if you're stuck in some tunnel.

The market for mobile applications, or apps, will become "as big as the internet", peaking at 10 million apps in 2020, a leading online store says.

However, GetJar say, the developer community will decline drastically as each developer makes less money.

According to the Symbian Foundation, newly in the developer market, apps will become more personal and practical as their numbers grow.

The comments were made at the MobileBeat conference in San Francisco.

"Apps will be as big if not bigger than the internet," according to Ilja Laurs, chief executive of GetJar, a leading independent application store.

"They will peak at around 100,000 by the end of the year. That will be a tipping point and after that there will be a gradual fall in the rate of development.

"The full blossom will come in ten years and mobile apps will become as popular as websites are today with consumers," Mr Laurs told BBC News.

'Economics'

While developers rush headlong to create applications for this burgeoning marketplace, Mr Laurs warned that many are simply doomed to fail.

"The reality is that this space is only so big and only able to support so many people. Unfortunately the overhype that goes with [Apple's] App Store is what has driven so many to rush to develop for the market. It is fashionable to do apps and every media outlet tells you apps are cool.

But the economics are a different story. The ratio of those developers who will fail is about 90%; they will simply not make a return on their investment or make a good enough living at this," said Mr Laurs.

He said that will result in developers taking their talent elsewhere and also slow down the rate of growth in applications.

GetJar acts as an application intermediary, distributing apps and helping its community of 350,000 developers make money from their work.

'Hit-driven environment'

To date, Apple runs the most popular application store with over 65,000 applications. Last week it notched up another milestone with 1.5 billion downloads.

Its success was a shock both to Apple and the industry. However, every smartphone company is trying to replicate it, from BlackBerry makers Research in Motion to the world's biggest mobile phone business, Nokia.

Many at the MobileBeat conference in San Francisco felt that the popularity of Apple's App store is also its Achilles heel because it caters to the "one hit wonder" model.

It is something social gaming company Playfish is well aware of with its iPhone app, "Who Has the Biggest Brain?".

"It has been played on the web by 15 million people and when it launched on the iPhone it went to the top of the iTunes chart. But it quickly fell away and I think that's an experience many people are going through, no matter the quality or originality of the content," Playfish co-founder Sebastien de Halleux told the BBC

"You are competing for the top slot in a catalogue and you cannot, no matter who you are, hold onto that slot for an indefinite period of time. Many developers are realising that its hard to reach a sustainable business in a catalogue environment because it's a hit-driven environment."

Mr de Halleux said heated conversations are going on within the industry to solve this problem. He also said he believed Apple wanted to find a way to help developers make money making apps that consumers want to use and pay for.

Meanwhile Lee Williams, executive director of the Symbian Foundation, said he was not sure the consumer or the industry needed any more application stores.

"The App Store is flawed - right now [it] is just a bucket of apps. You need to get beyond that bucket and give the consumer the opportunity to wander down a really relevant aisle of content and applications that they can get access to.

"When this problem is solved, the type of application you will see will be about more than an iBeer drinking app or a candle that flickers in different colours.

"The type of application you will see will help enrich your life in some way. It will let you do your image sharing, your social networking and establish presence with your friends, colleagues and family in completely new ways - which is really what mobile applications are all about," said Mr Williams.

Fad

At MobileBeat, organised by the blog VentureBeat, the issue of application stores seemed to dominate with conversations and panels on marketing techniques, turning apps into a real business and looking beyond apps.

Memory Size	Price:
512 MB	Rs. 425.00
1-GB	Rs. 450.00
2-GB	Rs. 650.00
4-GB	Rs. 1,400.00
8-GB	Rs. 3,800.00

Memory Size	Price:
512 MB	Rs. 425.00
1-GB	Rs. 450.00
2-GB	Rs. 650.00
4-GB

Memory Size	Price:
512 MB	Rs. 425.00
1-GB	Rs. 450.00
2-GB	Rs. 650.00

General	Network	GSM 850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900 / UMTS 2100
	Announced	2007, February
	Status	Available

Size	Dimensions	117 x 70 x 13.9 mm, 97 cc
	Weight	150 g

Display	Type	TFT, 16M colors
	Size	320 x 240 pixels, 2.8 inches
		- QWERTY keyboard - Five-way scroll key

Ringtones	Type	Polyphonic, Monophonic, MP3, True Tones
	Amount
	Customization	Download
	Vibration	Yes

Memory	Phonebook	Practically unlimited entries and fields, Photocall
	Call records	Detailed, max 30 days
	Card slot	microSD (TransFlash), hotswap
		- 60 MB shared memory - 64 MB SDRAM memory - ARM 9 220 MHz processor

Data	GPRS	Yes
	HSCSD	Yes
	EDGE	Class 10, 236.8 kbps
	3G	Yes, 384 kbps
	WLAN	Wi-Fi 802.11b/g
	Bluetooth	Yes, v1.2
	Infrared port	Yes
	USB	Yes, v2.0 Pop-Port

Features
	OS	Symbian OS 9.1, Series 60 v3.0 UI
	Messaging	SMS, MMS, Email, Instant Messaging
	Browser	WAP 2.0/xHTML, HTML
	Games	Java downloadable
	Colors	Silver, Mocca
	Languages
	Camera	2 MP, 1600x1200 pixels, video(CIF)
		- Java MIDP 2.0 - MP3/AAC/MPEG4 player - Office applications - Blackberry connectivity - Push to talk - Voice command/dial - PIM including calendar, to-do list and printing - Integrated handsfree

Battery		Standard battery, Li-Ion 1500 mAh (BP-4L)
	Stand-by	Up to 400 h
	Talk time	Up to 9 h

General	Network	GSM 900 / 1800 / 1900 / GSM 850 / 1800 / 1900 - US version
	Announced	2007, August
	Status	Available

Size	Dimensions	103.8 x 44.7 x 9.9 mm, 44.8 cc
	Weight	71 g

Display	Type	TFT, 16M colors
	Size	240 x 320 pixels, 31.5 x 41.5 mm
		- Downloadable themes

Ringtones	Type	Polyphonic (64 channels), MP3, MP4, WMA, AAC, video tones
	Amount
	Customization	Download
	Vibration	Yes

Memory	Phonebook	2000 entries, Photocall
	Call records	Yes
	Card slot	microSD (TransFlash), hotswap
		- 30 MB internal memory

Data	GPRS	Class 32
	HSCSD	Yes
	EDGE	Class 32, up to 177 kbits
	3G	No
	WLAN	No
	Bluetooth	Yes, v2.0 with A2DP
	Infrared port	No
	USB	Yes, v2.0 microUSB

Features
	OS
	Messaging	SMS, MMS, Email, Instant Messaging
	Browser	WAP 2.0/xHTML, HTML (Opera mini)
	Games	Snake II, Music Guess, Towerbloxx
	Colors	Red, Blue
	Languages
	Camera	2 MP, 1600x1200 pixels, video(QCIF)
		- Java MIDP 2.1 - Stereo FM radio with RDS - MP3/MP4/AAC/eAAc/WMA player - 3.5 mm AV jack - Nokia sensor - Nokia mobile search - World Clock II - Converter II - T9 - Stopwatch - Built-in handsfree - Voice memo/commands

Battery		Standard battery, Li-Ion 860 mAh (BL-4CT)
	Stand-by	Up to 300 h
	Talk time	Up to 5 h 20 min

General	Network	GSM 850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900
	Announced	2008, April
	Status	Coming soon. Exp. release 2008, 3Q

Size	Dimensions	97.8 x 47.2 x 14.5 mm, 60 cc
	Weight	97.3 g

Display	Type	TFT, 16M colors
	Size	240 x 320 pixels, 2 inches
		- Five-way navigation key

Ringtones	Type	Polyphonic (64 channels), MP3
	Amount
	Customization	Download
	Vibration	Yes

Memory	Phonebook	2000 entries, Photocall
	Call records	Yes
	Card slot	microSD (TransFlash), up to 4GB
		- 30 MB internal memory

Data	GPRS	Class 32, 88 kbps
	HSCSD	Yes, 28.8 kbps
	EDGE	Class 32, 296 kbits
	3G	No
	WLAN	No
	Bluetooth	Yes, v2.0
	Infrared port	No
	USB	Yes, v2.0 microUSB

Features
	Messaging	SMS, MMS, Email, Instant Messaging
	Browser	WAP 2.0/xHTML, HTML (Opera mini 4)
	Games	Yes
	Colors	Charcoal, Wine
	Languages
	Camera	3.15 MP, 2048x1536 pixels, autofocus, two-step camera key, video(VGA 15fps), flash
		- Java MIDP 2.0 - Stereo FM radio with RDS - MP3/AAC/eAAC+ player - TV out - Nokia Maps - T9 - Built-in handsfree - Voice memo/commands

Battery		Standard battery, Li-Ion 860 mAh (BL-4S)
	Stand-by	Up to 280 h
	Talk time	Up to 5 h 30 min

General Network GSM 900 / 1800
Announced 2006, November
Status Available. Released 2008, March
Size Dimensions 104 x 43 x 18 mm, 71 cc
Weight 91 g
Display Type CSTN, 65K colors
Size 128 x 128 pixels, 1.5 inches, 27 x 27 mm
- 4-way navi key
- Screensavers, themes and wallpapers
Ringtones Type Polyphonic (64 channels), MP3
Customization Download
Vibration Yes
Memory Phonebook 1000 entries
Call records 20 dialed, 20 received, 20 missed calls
Card slot No
- 2 MB user memory
Data GPRS Class 6 (3+1/2+2 slots), 24 - 36 kbps
HSCSD No
EDGE No
3G No
WLAN No
Bluetooth No
Infrared port No
USB No
Features
Messaging SMS
Browser No
Games Yes
Colors Fiery Red, Spatial Blue, Energetic Copper, WhiteNavy
Camera No
- FM radio
- Java MIDP 2.0
- T9
- Calendar
- Calculator with currency converter
- Clothing and shoe size converter
- Voice memo
- Built-in handsfree



Battery Standard battery, Li-Ion 970 mAh (BL-5C)
Stand-by Up to 300 h
Talk time Up to 3 h

It’s hard to imagine the phrase “reinvention of the automobile” being spoken at General Motors’ headquarters without it being connected to Lawrence D. Burns, the company’s vice president for research and development and strategic planning. But Mr. Burns, who was the company’s, is retiring effective Oct. 1, to be replaced by a man he hired away from Ford in 2001, Alan Taub.

Mr. Burns, 58, referred frequently to “taking the automobile out of the environmental equation.” He led G.M.’s hydrogen fuel-cell efforts through a series of increasingly capable concept vehicles, from the Opel-based HydroGen1 in 2000, to the and in 2002, to the, with up to 300-mile range, in 2005.

Project Driveway, begun in 2008, put a fleet of on the road in Southern California, Washington and New York City. The company set 2010 as a target for technology that could be ready for the market, but it’s unclear if that goal will be realized.

“I started thinking about it when Rick resigned,” he said, referring to G.M.’s former chief executive, Rick Wagoner, who was replaced by Fritz Henderson this year. Mr. Burns said he had worked closely with Mr. Wagoner since the 1990s “and very much admire him.”

“Fritz is an equally capable leader,” he continued, “but I just though it was the right time to make this decision.”

G.M. is still pursuing its hydrogen dreams, but Mr. Burns admitted that the company, which has invested $1.5 billion since the 1990s but is now deeply in debt, “can’t pay for its vision all by itself.” In May, Energy Secretary Steven Chu ordered a for hydrogen research, a decision Mr. Burns said he hoped will be reversed in Congress.

Mr. Burns also explained that “several generations” of further development are necessary before a national network of pumping stations and affordable vehicles are in place. Fuel-cell cars would have to be sold today for “more than the customer wants to pay,” he said.

Asked to look at G.M.’s fleet in 10 years, Mr. Burns said that gasoline and diesel would still be dominant fuels, but battery cars and “extended-drive” vehicles like the would also be part of the mix. “I think in 10 years they can be very competitive with internal combustion,” he said.

Mr. Burns is writing a book for M.I.T. Press called, naturally enough, “Reinventing the Automobile.” He said he had no other immediate plans, beyond spending time backpacking in the Rocky Mountains with his wife.

He considers another job at an auto company unlikely, though he added he would “never say never.” Academia is a possibility, he said. Mr. Burns’ most recent initiative at G.M. was , a collaboration with Segway on a two-person city vehicle that uses advanced communications technology to help negotiate urban congestion. Mr. Burns said that the “connectivity” aspect of transportation continues to engage him. “When I did my Ph.D research at Berkeley, I found that people bond emotionally with their cars because of the freedom they offer,” he said. “But now my kids would give up their vehicles before their cellphones or PDAs.”

Mr. Burns, who joined G.M. in 1969, said in a phone interview that his tenure as head of research and development at the company was longer than any executive since Charles Kettering. His departure was voluntary, he said, and is not related to the company’s corporate-level downsizing (though G.M. also announced consolidation of global research and development into product development as part of an effort to build “a leaner, more efficient, more agile” company).

With the credit crisis very few people can purchase a car with their own money; most people are struggling. But if you have bad credit and you need a car to go from point A to point B that can be a challenge. There are companies that exclusively furnish car loans and help people with bad credit to find one. As with all other loans, there are pre-conditions to also. The lending institution will have to be convinced of your credit worthiness, or in that case, your ability and willingness to repay. Until you pay back your entire loan the car will be the property of the institution that has lent you money. If you default on payment, the lending institution has the right to re- possess your vehicle. Money lending institutions can be as polite as you please while you are negotiating the loan. But when you default, a different side is revealed and they can be really nasty. Here are some tips to follow before you buy your car:

Buyer is King
Car makers have cut production, but they haven't shut down. Dealers still have to move the cars inventory that roll off assembly lines, so many vehicles are going for near-invoice prices. As icing on the cake, carmakers have turned to low-rate financing and cash rebates.

Vehicle sales for the first three months of 2008 were down 8% compared with the same period in 2007. And incentives are up. For example, GM is spending $3,300 on incentives per vehicle (including cash rebates and subsidized rates and leases), compared with $2,800 a year ago, according to Edmunds.com

Interest Rates
If you decide not to take an automaker's low-rate offer, expect to pay 6.8%, on average, for a 60-month loan, according to Bankrate.com. You may do better at some online banks and credit unions, where interest rates are as low as 5% for 60-month loans. Visit companies like that offer bad credit car loans. There system allows lenders to bid on finding you a car loan.

With the economy in limbo, carmakers expect even fewer sales than last year and are not likely to curtail the come-ons. If you want the best bargains along with your choice of options and color, shop before August. After that, the deals improve but selection may be sketchy.

Car Tax Credit
With the government given in 2009, you might want to consider buying an inexpensive new car. The deduction is limited to the state and local sales and excise taxes paid on up to $49,500 of the purchase price of a qualified new car, light truck, motor home or motorcycle. The amount of the deduction is phased out for taxpayers whose modified adjusted gross income is between $125,000 and $135,000 for individual filers and between $250,000 and $260,000 for joint filers.

In addition, if you consider buying a hybrid car look for one that is on the government's list that allow you to file tax credit. This is usually called a Hydrid tax credit.

Purchase a Reliable Used Vehicle
The car market in Silverdale or Oak Harbor is similar to the auto loan market elsewhere in Washington. Used car prices have been on a decline for about a decade, so it is advisable to purchase a used car or truck rather than a new one. In addition, new car losses about 15 to 30 percent of their value as soon as they live the dealership, so used cars are a better option finance wise. A reliable used car with great fuel efficiency is the best option. Here are three cars that are highly recommend based on price, maintenance cost, safety and fuel efficiency.

2003 Mazda Protege

Price range: $6,400 to $7,400.

Fuel mileage, city/highway: 25/30 miles per gallon.

Engine: 2.0-liter four-cylinder, 130 horsepower.

Interior space: room for five.

Safety: optional side airbags, optional anti-lock brakes.

Government safety rating: driver, five stars; passenger, four stars.



2003 Pontiac Vibe

Price range: $6,800 to $9,000.

Fuel mileage, city/highway: 29/36 mpg.

Engine: 1.8-liter four-cylinder, 130 horsepower.

Interior space: room for five.

Safety: side airbags optional; anti-lock brakes optional.

Government safety rating: driver and passenger, four stars.



2004 Scion xB

Price range: $8,900 to $9,700.

Fuel mileage, city/highway: 30/33 mpg.

Engine: 1.5-liter four-cylinder, 108 horsepower.

Interior space: room for four.

Safety: no optional side airbags; anti-lock brakes standard; traction control standard.

Government safety rating: not rated in 2004 (four stars for driver and passenger in 2006).

Automotive will show its Karma Plug-In sedan driving under its own power for the first time—on a racetrack.

The powertrain debut will be more than a ceremonial run for the press and a handful of enthusiasts. The Karma will run right amidst the vintage racing action at the Historics just a few weeks from now.

When it laps the eleven-turn Raceway Laguna Seca course at 11:10 a.m. on August 15, it will be the first time a plug-in hybrid-electric vehicle (PHEV) appears at the Historics event, according to Fisker.

The Karma's powertrain that will debut at the event has been developed with assistance from Quantum Technologies; the so-called Q-Drive setup—at least in prototype versions—employs a dual-electric-motor drive system that includes three inverters, an advanced lithium-ion battery pack, and a range-extending 2.0-liter, direct-injection Ecotec turbocharged four-cylinder engine supplied by General Motors.

Fisker has said that the Karma will have a range of about 50 miles on battery power alone—enough to cover the distance for most commuters—then the gasoline engine kick on to extend range by another 250 miles; on the performance side, the Karma will accelerate to 60 mph in less than six seconds and reach a top speed of 125 mph.

While rival high-end automakerand its high-profile CEO Elon Musk have been making headlines nearly every week,Fisker Automotive has kept a relatively low profile, with very little drama. We hope to be pleasantly surprised.

So far, the automaker shows signs of making significant progress toward production. Whereas the Karma first shown at the 2008 was a true concept car, with details that looked straight out of design studio, the shown at Detroit earlier this year had a lavish new interior, looking production ready and showcasing a host of Fisker has already released video of the Karma moving under its own power on a closed course.

Fisker has maintained its timeline and plans to begin production of the 2010 Karma in Finland later this year, with yearly volume eventually expected to reach 15,000 and a Karma S roadster slated to follow the Karma by about a year. This spring the company gained $85 million in additional venture-capital funding.

Leading Mobile handset maker Nokia India has today launched two new mobile phone, Nokia 6700 and Nokia 6303 the Classic Mobile phones in India. These phones are designed with new applications and good quality camera and vision.

Nokia 6700 classic is made up of a 5 megapixels camera with (4x digital zoom), a internal memory of 170MB been provided, 3G (HSDPA) 10MB/sec and (HSUPA) 2MB/sec network.

While the Nokia 6303 has a 3.2 mega-pixels camera with (8x digital zoom), internal memory of 64MB, it don’t have a 3G network it work with 2G (GSM 900 / 1800 / 1900), a battery backup of 7 hrs.

Both mobile phones have a stainless-steel body along with a (TFT) screen of 2.2-inches which gives a resolution of 320×240 pixels and it gives 16.7 million colors and are S40 series phones

The Nokia 6700 Classic measures 109.8 x 45 x 11.2 mm and weighs 113g, while the Nokia 6303 Classic’s dimensions are 108.8 x 46.2 x 11.7 mm and is 96gm in weight. Nokia 6700 comes with an integrated A-GPS. The 6303 supports external GPS receiver and comes with Nokia Maps application.

These phones come with a Micro-USB connector and also a 3.5 mm stereo headphone plug is provided for music. Nokia 6700 can hold up to 8GB capacity in a microSD memory card slot. Nokia has priced the 6700 Classic phone just for Rs.14000 whiles the 6303 Classic for Rs.8, 000.

Panasonic has launched its first Mobile Clinical Assistant (MCA) – the Toughbook CF-H1 in the New Zealand market. The newest member of Panasonic’s Toughbook family of ruggedised mobile computing products, the Toughbook CF-H1 provides the healthcare profession with a full-featured mobile device that can withstand the rigours of a fast-paced healthcare environment, while offering improvements in workflow productivity, quality and mobility, all combining to achieve better outcomes for patients.

The CF-H1 has been designed in response to the needs of healthcare professionals, and Panasonic sought feedback from clinicians in all elements of research and development.

Mobile Clinical Assistants (MCAs) allow healthcare professionals to access and update medical records and critical information live at the patient’s bedside. The company says the proven benefit of an MCA is improved staff productivity, as valuable time with the patient is maximised instead of them searching through paper records, while easy access to critical information means errors can be reduced.

Panasonic’s CF-H1 MCA is a highly-durable solution. Its lightweight, ergonomic and rugged design means it will survive the knocks, bumps and drops that often occur in a busy medical environment. With a fanless design and no open ports it can be easily and safely sanitised with hospital-grade disinfectant, reducing the spread of infection. Long battery life and dual hot-swappable batteries means the CF-H1 is always working, so healthcare professionals have continuous access to critical information.

According to Steve Munns, Business Development Manager, Toughbook, Panasonic New Zealand the MCA is fast becoming an essential tool for the healthcare industry.

“In a high-pressured environment where speed and access to information is the key to delivering quality patient care and overall staff productivity, a hard-working, reliable mobile IT solution is vital”.

“Panasonic considered every need and feature requirement when designing the Toughbook CF-H1, incorporating feedback from many experienced healthcare professionals. The result is a durable, lightweight solution that is fully-featured, advanced and intuitive to operate”.

The CF-H1 features a number of smart functions to maximise time spent with patients and improve workflow. When using the CF-H1 MCA, a nurse or clinician can log on via the contactless smart card reader or fingerprint reader to ensure access to confidential patient records is secure at all times.

A RFID reader and barcode scanner can allow fast, accurate access to the patient’s full medical records, simply by scanning a patient’s barcode at their bedside, or on their wrist. This can help to reduce medication administration errors and deliver faster, safer patient care.

The integrated 2.0 megapixel auto-focus camera with dual LED lights allows users to capture images to add to a patient’s file. Photos of wounds or symptoms can then be sent electronically for further diagnosis to other professionals or monitored during healing and recovery. The 10.4 inch XGA sunlight viewable LCD screen is clear and easy to see.

A fully rugged device, the CF-H1 meets stringent military- specification MIL-STD-810F, and is capable of withstanding a drop of three feet – similar to the height of a patient’s bed. It is moisture and dust resistant and can be sprayed and wiped repeatedly with chemicals without affecting its operation.

A range of embedded wireless options includes 802.11a/b/g/ draft-n and Bluetooth 2.0. The device also ships (as an integrated option) with Qualcomm’s new Gobi technology, offering up to 7.2 Mbps mobile data links and simplifying complex multi-carrier wireless deployments for I.T. departments. The CF-H1 also comes with optional, GPS technology allowing for location awareness with improved accuracy, faster satellite acquisition time and lower power consumption.

The whole system is based on an Intel Atom Processor (1.86GHz), and comes with 1GB RAM, 80GB 1.8” shock mounted HDD and 10.4” XGA Sunlight Viewable LCD Display.