Best New Technology Honda C-ABS

Sportbike pilots usually have no interest in anti-lock brakes, believing they can do a better job of quickly bringing a motorcycle to a stop than a computer. But they probably haven't yet sampled Honda's new Combined ABS as found on the 2009 CBR600RR and CBR1000RR as a $1,000 option. With this new combined system, there is absolutely no mechanical link, or otherwise, between the front and rear. It is entirely up to the electronic control module to determine when more than one brake set is required. Not only does the ECM regulate pressure to each brake set, it also can “combine” front and rear brake sets based upon established parameters, and it does it seamlessly. We now have the first brake-by-wire system available commercially on sportbikes. Innovative!

Dealer network in Germany launches sale of new Gran Turismo

Effective immediately, demonstration cars will be on display at authorized dealers in Germany; fixed purchase agreements with delivery promises and dates can then be signed.
Along with the 911, Cayenne and Boxster/Cayman, the Panamera is the fourth Porsche model and will first be available for delivery in three versions. The Panamera S disposes of a 400 HP strong fuel efficient eight cylinder motor, which drives the rear wheels via a manual six-gear transmission. 
The base price in Germany amounts to 94,575 Euros(S$196,165.55) including 19 percent VAT. At request, the Porsche PDK dual-clutch transmission with seven gears, which further improves the fuel consumption, can also be delivered. The PDK is also a standard feature of the 400 HP strong Panamera 4S, which also disposes of the intelligent PTM all-wheel drive and costs 102,251 Euros including 19 percent VAT. 
The top model is the Panamera Turbo with a 500 HP eight cylinder, PDK dual-clutch transmission as a standard and PTM all-wheel drive. The price including 19 percent VAT and a country-specific configuration amounts to 135,154 Euros. Later the entry-level model with a V6 engine and a Panamera with a hybrid drive will follow. 
Panamera sales will also begin in the rest of Europe, South America and parts of Asia in the course of September. North America and Australia will follow in October and China in early 2010.

McLaren reveals the MP4-12C

The new car is expected to be priced in what McLaren calls the 'core sports car market’, taking aim at the likes of the Ferrari 458 Italia when it goes on sale in early 2011.
Conceived under the codename P11, the MP4-12C uses a carbon fibre skeleton which McLaren calls the Carbon MonoCell, an unusually light one-piece structure. While the material is expensive, this allows for a much quicker, cheaper production method, and the whole tub weighs just 80kg. McLaren claims that the MP4-12C weighs around 1300kg in total, helped by further weight-saving measures like forged aluminium hubs for the brakes. 
The new supercar is powered by a 3.8-litre V8 mounted 90 degrees, producing around 600bhp, developed in-house by McLaren themselves and fitted with twin-turbos. Power is sent to the rear wheels via a seven-speed dual-clutch gearbox, and the V8 engine has a dry sump and a flat-plane crank like a race engine, to lower the centre of gravity and allow a higher rev limit of 8500rpm. 
Performance figures are still unclear at the moment, but 100km/h is expected to come up in around three seconds, while the MP4-12C will clear 320km/h with ease. There will also be several electronic technologies to allow the car to harness its power properly.
One of them is Brake Steer, which uses the stability control to dial out understeer by braking the inside rear wheel. This is achieved by having an aerodynamically sound body to help keep the MP4-12C planted, with no protruding spoilers or air vents and a flat underfloor. 
At the rear, the MP4-12C's rump is dominated by the V8's cooling needs; the diffuser aids rear downforce, twin exhausts exit high and central and most of the back end is left open to extract hot air, while the rear lamps are cleverly hidden in the top two horizontal black bars. An air brake pops up at speed to improve stopping ability. 
The other new technology is the twin-clutch gearbox, which McLaren dubs the Seamless Shift Gearbox, or SSG. It has two wet clutches and something called Pre-Cog, which works when the driver half presses or pulls the paddle to warn the car before a gear change, and then changing into the desired gear. 
The flip-up doors are activated through touch pads, into an interior that is characterised by snug sports seats, with a 7-inch multimedia screen dominating the centre console. Launch Control prepares the car for a quick launch from rest, while drivers can pick Normal, Sport and High Performance settings for throttle response, gearshift speed and damper settings. 
McLaren expects to sell just 1000 MP4-12Cs worldwide when it is launched in 2011, which it says is 3.5% of the core sports car market it is intending for the car to compete in.

SanDisk slotRadio

Do you want to work out and not have to think about which songs you want to take with you on your music player? How about if you just want some music to “chillout” to? If either of these sounds like it could be your nirvana, then the SanDisk slotRadio Player may be the device for you.

We first brought word of the SanDisk slotRadio Player back in January and previously reviewed the slotMusic Player, which features the same slotMusic playback mechanism.

Now the slotRadio Player is shipping and we’ve been putting it through its paces for a few weeks and have detailed our experience below.

The SanDisk slotRadio Player is a music player that comes with a slotRadio mix card that’s preloaded with 1,000 songs from artists on the Billboard charts. The slotRadio mix card is actually a specialized microSD card so you can use your own microSD card, too, once you’re done listening to the 1,000 tunes (more on that later).he slotRadio Player itself is a very cool looking device. It’s made from die-cast aluminum and features a 1.5-inch OLED screen. It also offers a built-in FM radio which can display the song and artist as well as call letters from participating radio stations. As for navigating the player, you are presented with left and right navigation controls that can be triggered by pressing to the right or left of the screen. This allows you to go through different genres / playlists. Once you find a genre you like you can pause the song in that genre or skip the song entirely. You can also navigate left or right again to switch to a different genre. The slotRadio Player also has a clip built-in for clipping it to yourself for working out, walking around, or just enjoying your music and ships with both a USB cable and a plug that lets you charge the slotRadio Player in a standard AC outlet.

Whatever mood you’re in, there’s already a playlist ready and waiting to be listened to. If you want additional music you can purchase another slotRadio Mix card or make your own on a microSD card–it’s just that easy.

The slotRadio Player is currently $99 and comes with 1,000 songs. At that price it’s a bit pricey but when you consider that it comes with 1,000 songs, and also allows you to use your own microSD card, it’s not too hard to stomach.