India's Mission Moon

First Time MOON MEETS INDIA so close - by Chandrayaan - I


India's first Moon mission, Chandrayaan is all set to add a golden chapter to India's space endeavour when it takes off from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre at Sriharikota on October 22.

Here's all that you wanted to know about India's first Moon mission

What is Chandrayaan-1?

Chandrayaan-1 is a scientific investigation -- by spacecraft -- of the Moon. The name Chandrayaan means Chandra (Moon), Yaan (vehicle). Chandrayaan-1 is the first Indian planetary science and exploration mission.

When, and from where, Chandrayaan-1 will be launched?

Chandrayaan-1 will be launched on October 22, 2008 from Satish Dhawan Space Centre at Sriharikota (SHAR).
The launch of Chandrayaan-1 takes place from the Second Launch Pad at Satish Dhawan Space Centre, SHAR, Sriharikota in the Nellore district of Andhra Pradesh state. Sriharikota is situated at a distance of about 80 km to the North of Chennai.

Chandrayaan-1 spacecraft begins its journey from earth onboard India's Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV-C11) and first will reach a highly elliptical Initial Orbit (IO). In the Initial Orbit, the perigee (nearest point to earth) is about 250 km and apogee (farthest point from the earth) is about 23,000 km.

After circling the Earth in its Initial Orbit for a while, Chandrayaan-1 spacecraft is taken into two more elliptical orbits whose apogees lie still higher at 37,000 km and 73,000 km respectively. This is done at opportune moments by firing the spacecraft's Liquid Apogee Motor (LAM) when the spacecraft is near perigee.

Subsequently, LAM is fired again to take Chandrayaan-1 spacecraft to an extremely high elliptical orbit whose apogee lies at about 387,000 km.

In this orbit, the spacecraft makes one complete revolution around the Earth in about 11 days. During its second revolution around the Earth in this orbit, the spacecraft will approach the Moon's North pole at a safe distance of about a few hundred kilometers since the Moon would have arrived there in its journey round the Earth.

Once the Chandrayaan-1 reaches the vicinity of the Moon, the spacecraft is oriented in a particular way and its LAM is again fired. This slows down the spacecraft sufficiently to enable the gravity of the moon to capture it into an elliptical orbit.

Following this, the height of the spacecraft's orbit around the moon is reduced in steps. After a careful and detailed observation of perturbations in its intermediate orbits around the moon, the height of Chandrayaan-1 spacecraft's orbit will be finally lowered to its intended 100 km height from the lunar surface.

Later, the Moon Impact Probe will be ejected from Chandrayaan-1 spacecraft at the earliest opportunity to hit the lunar surface in a chosen area. Following this, cameras and other scientific instruments are turned ON and thoroughly tested. This leads to the operational phase of the mission. This phase lasts about two years during which Chandrayaan-1 spacecraft explores the lunar surface with its array of instruments that includes cameras, spectrometers and SAR.
Chandrayaan-1 is the first spacecraft mission of ISRO beyond Earth orbit. Chandrayaan-1 will be followed by Chandrayaan-2 which features a lander and a rover. India and Russia will jointly participate in this project. However, there may be a provision to accommodate payloads from other space agencies as happened in Chandrayaan-1. This apart, studies are being conducted by ISRO on sending unmanned spacecraft to planet Mars as well as to asteroids and comets. Through such programmes, ISRO intends to undertake the exploration of space besides its primary mission of developing and utilising space technology for the overall development of the country.

How long will it take Chandrayaan-1 to get to Moon?

It will take about 5� days for Chandrayaan-1 to get to the Moon.

How close to Moon will Chandrayaan-1 come while orbiting the Moon?

Chandrayaan-1 spacecraft will be in a 100 km polar orbit around the Moon.

What are Chandrayaan' s scientific goals? The Chandrayaan-1 mission is aimed at high-resolution remote sensing of the Lunar surface in visible, near Infrared, low energy X-rays and high-energy X-ray regions.

Specific scientific goals are:
To prepare a three-dimensional atlas (with a high spatial and altitude resolution of 5-10m) of both near and far side of the moon.

To conduct chemical and mineralogical mapping of the entire lunar surface for distribution of elements such as Magnesium, Aluminum, Silicon, Calcium, Iron and Titanium with a spatial resolution of about 20 km and high atomic number elements such as Radon, Uranium & Thorium with a spatial resolution of about 40 km.

By simultaneous photo geological and chemical mapping we will be able to identify different geological units, which will test the hypothesis for the origin and early evolutionary history of the moon and help in determining the nature of the lunar crust.

The primary objectives of Chandrayaan-1 are:
1. To expand scientific knowledge about the moon
2. To upgrade India's technological capability
3. To provide challenging opportunities for planetary
research to the younger generation of Indian scientists


Chandrayaan-1 aims to achieve these well defined objectives through high resolution remote sensing of the moon in the visible, near infrared, microwave and X-ray regions of the electromagnetic spectrum. With this, preparation of a 3-dimensional atlas of the lunar surface and chemical mapping of entire lunar surface is envisaged.

Indian Mission Moon -First pictures by Chandrayaan-1

Mission Moon - Chanadrayaan 1
It was another proud moment for the country. Prime Minister Manmohan Singh was shown the first pictures that were taken by Chandrayaan-1 through the Terrain Mapping Camera on Friday.

The TMC was operated in October through a series of commands, which were issued from the Spacecraft Control Centre of the Indian Space Research Organisation Telemetry, Tracking and Command Network in Bengaluru.

The first images, which were received by the Indian Deep Space Network at Byalalu was later processed by the Indian Space Science Data Centre. The first images were taken at 8 am from a height of 9,000 km.
The Terrain Mapping camera (TMC) on board Chandrayaan-1 spacecraft was successfully operated on October 29, 2008 through a series of commands issued from the Spacecraft Control Centre of ISRO Telemetry, Tracking and Command Network (ISTRAC) at Bangalore.Analysis of the first imagery received by the Indian Deep Space Network (IDSN) at Byalalu and later processed by Indian Space Science Data Centre (ISSDC) confirms excellent performance of the camera.The first imagery (image 1) taken at 8:00 am IST from a height of 9,000 km shows the Northern coast of Australia while the other (image 2) taken at 12:30 pm from a height of 70,000 km shows Australia’s Southern Coast.

TMC is one of the eleven scientific instruments (payloads) of Chandrayaan-1. The camera can take black and white pictures of an object by recording the visible light reflected from it. The instrument has a resolution of about 5 metres.

Besides TMC, the other four Indian payloads of Chandrayaan-1 are the Hyper spectral Imager (HySI), Lunar Laser Ranging Instrument (LLRI), High Energy X-ray Spectrometer (HEX) and the Moon Impact Probe (MIP). The other six payloads of Chandrayaan-1 are from abroad.

It may be recalled that the 1380 kg Chandrayaan-1 was successfully launched into an initial elliptical orbit around the Earth by PSLV-C11 on October 22, 2008. This was followed by four orbit raising manoeuvres, which together raised Chandrayaan-1’s orbit to a much higher altitude. The spacecraft is now circling the Earth in an orbit whose apogee (farthest point to Earth) lies at 267,000 km (Two lakh sixty seven thousand km) and perigee (nearest point to Earth) at 465 km. In this orbit, Chandrayaan-1 takes about six days to go round the Earth once. The spacecraft performance is being continuously monitored and is normal.

Volvo - S60 Latest Concept Car -First look

Volvo is developing a new concept car with Swedish glassworks Orrefor to serve as a model for the next generation Volve S60. The Swedish carmaker enlisted the help of Orrefor to come up with an imaginative interior that uses a glass-crystal center panel to give the cabin a light-focused design.

"If you want to explore the full scope of Scandinavian design, Sweden's glassworks are a natural source of inspiration. Large glass areas are very much part of modern Swedish architecture, creating the special, light transparency," says Steve Mattin, Volvo Cars design director, in a Volvo press release.

The glass-crystal interior is hand crafted and very labor intensive to make. The crystal panel is integrated into the dashboard and forms a center panel that flows all the way to the rear seat backrest.

The concept car will be shown publicly for the first time at the Detroit international Motor Show in January 2009.


PRESS RELEASE:

VOLVO TEAMS UP WITH ORREFORS TO WORK ON THE NEW VOLVO CONCEPT CAR

Volvo Cars has teamed up with world-famous Swedish glassworks Orrefors to work on the company's next concept car, which will be a first taste of the next-generation Volvo S60. The joint creation, a floating centre stack of hand-made Orrefors crystal, will be shown for the first time at the Detroit international motor show in January 2009.

In the concept car, the graceful, crystal-clear centre stack forms a gentle, calm wave from the instrument panel all the way to the rear seat backrest. "It almost looks like a waterfall from the instrument panel, flowing through the centre of the car," says Volvo Cars design director Steve Mattin.

The crystal panel appears to float above the centre console's functions and controls. It rests softly on rubber pads and with the help of invisible light sources the crystal's shimmering glow can be tailored to match the driver's mood. "If you want to explore the full scope of Scandinavian design, Sweden's glassworks are a natural source of inspiration. Large glass areas are very much part of modern Swedish architecture, creating the special, light transparency," says Steve Mattin.

He adds: "In a concept car, you are able to release your imagination and creativity. Our iconic, super-thin centre stack was the perfect subject. We reinterpreted it and gave it a refined new form. Then it was up to Orrefors to use their superb skill to transform our exciting vision into reality."

Hand crafted down to the smallest detail
The experts at Orrefors were keen to take on the challenge and the result is one of the most unusual and labour-intensive objects in the company's 110-year history. Producing the stack was a challenge - even for the experienced experts at Orrefors. Traditionally, the moulds for the crystal are first chiselled by hand from thick planks of alder wood. After casting, the glass is carefully polished to produce its final, crystal-clear lustre.

"The undulating, slightly twisted shape and the precise dimensional requirements were two exciting challenges we had to face. Crystal is a living material, shaped by living people. We are not used to working with tolerances of tenths of a millimetre. What is more, we're talking here about an exceptionally large piece of glass," explains Orrefors design manager Gunilla Arvidsson.

Crystal-like future plans
In order to meet the relevant strength standards, the finished piece consists of three sections joined together at the Volvo Cars concept car workshops. "The full-size crystal piece in the concept car will not be a production feature. However, it does open up opportunities to use crystal on a smaller scale in the future. We'll have to see how our customers respond," says Steve Mattin.

Creativity and functionality
Although the material in the centre stack radiates uninhibited artistic freedom, the functions that are integrated have been thought through in detail.

* Beside the driver's seat, the crystal console cuts straight through the instrument panel and its upper section forms a navigation screen at the precise height of the driver's instrument dials.
* At the bottom, the four iconic rotating controls protrude from elegant matt-polished recesses in the glass panel. In the middle there is a removable remote control.
* The gear selector has a versatile new shape. In the horizontal position it offers drive in automatic mode. If the driver is in the mood for sporty manual gearchanges, the lever can be flipped up into the vertical position. Beside the gear selector there is also a starter button and parking brake.
* The centre console runs all the way to the rear seat backrest, and under the crystal panel between the individual seats there are two drinks holders that slide elegantly forward when required.

"We've put the focus on ergonomics and safety. With the instrument dials at the same height as the navigation screen, all it takes is a horizontal eye movement to switch between sources of information. Another example is that the controls used when you start and stop driving are a few centimetres from each other near the gear selector," explains Steve Mattin.

Mutual inspiration
At the Volvo Cars design centre, exploring the glassworks in the deepest forests of southern Sweden has been a stimulating adventure. "The clean lines of the Orrefors products have been a true source of inspiration for many years. This was perfect timing for using crystal as a material in a concept car too," says Steve Mattin. For the Orrefors glassworks, their debut as a supplier to the car world has also served as a new creative inspiration.

"Volvo's thin centre stack is an industrial product with an artistic and functional form. It immediately inspires you to think of other application areas. Why not an elegant hanging ceiling light or a table-top ornament of some sort? We'll just have to see," says Gunilla Arvidsson.

Happy Dipavali

led-world.blogspot.com

Google Phone - Technical Review

There is a lot riding on the shoulders of T-Mobile's G1 Android phone. In some ways, it carries the collective hopes of Linux, open source and Google fans everywhere. It's open, collaborative and community-based, in other words, everything the iPhone and Windows Mobile aren't. As so many onlookers crowd around this newborn phone, there's no way it can hold up all of their expectations—and it doesn't.

After spending a week using the G1, I can say it's a good start, and a clear indication of good Android developments to come. But the phone itself has some serious problems with accessibility and usability, issues that no number of third-party apps are going to be able to solve. Here's what I loved and hated about the T-Mobile G1.

The Hardware -
Body: The body was made by HTC, a Taiwanese company that makes Windows Mobile devices for Motorola, Palm and its own line. This phone is built just like those. The back is classic matted and grip-friendly HTC. The swivel-flip feels almost exactly like earlier HTC phones, only it extends out and then back in again, revealing the keyboard underneath. This motion gives a satisfying snap when opened, though it might be too loud in a quiet office.

Keyboard: It's got numerous problems. First, it's set so that the raised section on the right, with scroller ball and home and menu keys, is always in your way when you're trying to type. This is annoying, even after you figure out how to work around it. The individual keys aren't raised high enough over the body for easy touch typing, though at least the keyboard is backlit, in case you're texting in the dark. The space and backspace key are tinier than we'd like. And it's even more awkward than normal to type while charging the phone, because the miniUSB cable is in the way.
Buttons: There are five face buttons on the device—call, home, back, power/end and menu—and they're all fairly straightforward. Hit home to bring you back to the home screen, menu to bring up a popup menu in your current app, and power/end button to lock your phone or hang up your call. That last part takes the most getting used to, since you're naturally going to want to use the red power button to quit apps or end tasks, but all that does is lock your phone.

Trackball: It feels great, better than on the BlackBerry Pearl, and it clicks down solidly. Still, switching between the trackball and the touchscreen can get awkward.

Screen: The touchscreen is bright, renders text clearly and is, on the whole, pretty great. It uses capacitive touch, like the iPhone, so you use your fingertip, not a stylus, to poke around. There are cases when screen presses don't register properly—they're not too often, but often enough to be noticeable.
Battery: A full charge lasts about a day, mainly because push Gmail grabs the internet every time the account receives an email, and mine receives plenty. Couple that with 3G data browsing and app usage—which you're most likely going to be doing a lot of—and you'll need to get used to a mid-day charge at work. Thankfully charging from near empty to near full takes only about two hours.

Wi-Fi: The Wi-Fi range seems slightly to be on par with comparable smartphones (HTC's Windows Mobile phones, iPhone), showing just about as many Wi-Fi hotspots in my house as the other ones did.

3G: I got noticeably decent browsing speeds, with an actual test registering 433kbps. This, of course, is only the case if your city has 3G access at all, since T-Mobile's only just starting to roll out their network.

Camera: It's passable and on par with previous HTC efforts. It does have autofocus, but other than that there's nothing spectacular with the G1's camera.

GPS: GPS is actually off by default, which produces a very inaccurate location when you try and find yourself on Google Maps. You'll have to switch this on manually.
Other Issues: It's hard to fathom why HTC left out a 3.5mm headphone jack in 2008, same for USB mass storage mode for Windows or Mac. Really? You have to pop out that microSD card and use a card reader every time you want to load a ringtone or a song or a photo or a video? Seriously? Apologies, there actually IS a USB mass storage mode, but you have to use the bundled HTC proprietary mini USB cable. Any old mini USB cable won't do! But yes, it's possible. Also, when the screen is flipped open, it's tilted down about three degrees—really annoying to certain people who like clean lines.


Operating System and Usability -
Calling: Making phone calls on this thing works well. Call quality is good, but the screen annoyingly times out after about 10 seconds. If you want to power on the screen again, you have to hit the menu key or the "call" key, which takes you to the dialpad. It may just be that we punch in our credit card numbers or find contacts during a call more often than most people, but always having to bring up the screen again is a pain. And pressing the power/end button, which you'd think would power up the screen, actually just hangs up the call. Annoying. But as for the actually making calls part? No complaints from us.

Texting: Texts are arranged per contact in threads, and works well enough since texting is so simple. No cockups here.

Stability: The one word I'd use to describe the Android operating system is "solid". It's been my main device for a week, and I've yet to see the entire OS hang or freeze (haven't had to reboot yet). Individual apps have crashed or frozen, but Android handles this spectacularly well by using the PC paradigm where you can choose to Force Quit a frozen app or wait for it to unstick itself. This way, very little can take down the entire phone under everyday use. (Buggy hardcore apps that snake deep into core functions could probably succeed.)

Background Apps: Multitasking is one thing Android does really well. Apps can run in the background, receiving data and continuing to "exist," even though you don't see them. The OS handles memory management for you invisibly, giving processes a lower CPU priority and taking away their RAM when other programs need it. For now, examples are simple, like opening a browser, then a bunch of other apps, then returning to the browser. You can use four or five apps before before the browser has to re-fetch data on the web page. Presumably, programmers will soon make more impressive use of the background processing power.
Window Shade: Google's most unique multitasking helper is the notification window shade, which serves as an infodump of all incoming emails, messages, IMs and missed calls. Tapping a notification will take you to its corresponding app. No matter what app you're in, the shade drops smoothly into place when you pull it down, dragging your finger from the top. (Just opposite the window shade is the pull-up app menu. If you run out of room on your three desktop screens, you'll be visiting here for lesser used programs.)

Long Clicks: One convention that's used often—but not consistently—is the long press. Long presses are a mix between right clicking and playing the lottery. Hold down an area of the screen—you may see a menu pop up or you may get absolutely nothing. Long click on the main screen and it asks you which app shortcut you want to move to your desktop. Long click on the text message screen and you'll be prompted to delete or view a thread. Long click on Google Maps or a page in the browser, however, and nothing happens.

Interface: As we have observed, the UI suffers from general usability issues such as inconsistent actions or surprisingly unclickable regions like the browser's URL bar or the home screen's clock. But when you use it, you realize it is kinda pretty. Like the window shade, many of the transparencies, transitions, fade-ins, fade-outs, popups and other UI elements are slick, and definitely win out in aesthetics over smartphones like Windows Mobile. Compared to the iPhone, it still loses, but this comes down to a lack of multitouch capability—on the G1, for instance, you zoom by clicking + and - magnifier buttons. Like I said, it's definitely a solid OS, but it also needs some real work by some UI experts to make it easier to pick up and play with.

Apps
Contacts: Phone contacts sync nicely with Google's Gmail contacts—great if you use Gmail, and an extra place to backup your contacts if you don't. You can even scroll through them fast by dragging a bar on the right. The problem though is that the quick-scroll dragger is hyper-sensitive, and holding your finger still in one place can make the phone jitter between letters. Each contact has a default phone number displayed under his name—when you tap a contact it feels like you're dialing his number, even though you're just pulling up details.

Mail: There are actually two mail programs on the G1: Mail and Gmail. Mail lets you manage five accounts, while Gmail makes you tie your phone to just one account. But Gmail is one of the best apps on the phone, giving you 90% of the desktop features you use on a day-to-day basis. Archiving, labeling, reporting spam, deleting and starring are super easy and sync to webmail almost instantly. The best part of this Gmail implementation is that it's push the only push Gmail on any mobile device (Helio's phones also have it). T-Mobile failed to mention its cool keyboard shortcuts—I had to fiddle to figure out that you can hit "r" for reply or "a" to reply all. (Surely there are more.) A dumb flaw is that it won't auto-complete names when you start with someone's last name. I have to sort through 10 Brians to find Lam's address, when I should be able to just type Lam and have this be smart enough to figure out who I mean.

Marketplace: The Marketplace is divided into Games and Applications, with sub-categories such as Lifestyle, Productivity, Shopping and Tools. Downloading and installing apps are pretty much 1-click, like the iPhone App Store, and most apps launch just fine. However, since most developers don't have an actual Android phone to test their apps on, a lot of programs will be sluggish or even crash-prone in the first few weeks. Expect this to be fixed soon.

IM: The IM app is a very good client that supports AIM, Google Talk, Windows Live (MSN), and Yahoo. It's intuitive, works well with the keyboard and even offers background notification—unlike iPhone—so you can switch to other apps but still get incoming messages delivered to you via the top status bar.

Browser: The G1 browser, like Chrome on the desktop, is based on WebKit, the open source browser engine that also powers Safari and Mobile Safari. This means it's pretty damn good. That said, the lack of multitouch gestures in Android's version makes zooming a pain. It doesn't have Flash support (YouTube gets forwarded to the YouTube app) and it doesn't auto-zoom to maximize the column you want to read in your display. It can, however, remember your password for logins, like a desktop browser does.

Google Maps: Gmaps has most of what you'll find in the desktop version, including Satellite, Traffic and Street View. Once you turn on GPS, the phone's fairly decent at locating where you are even indoors, and Compass View is a gimmick that works sometimes and doesn't work other times—but then again, spinning around like an idiot makes you look like an idiot all the time.

Music Player: It's no iPod, but the G1's built-in music player gets the job done decently. It fits in fairly well with the rest of the Android experience, but we're definitely looking at third-party apps like TuneWiki to pick up the slack here. That's not to say the Music app is bad—it's perfectly fine. It's just not great.

Third-Party Apps: Some of the more promising apps like Tunes Remote, TuneWiki and Video Player aren't as fleshed out and stable as we like. Tunes Remote lags and crashes a lot, TuneWiki can't find our music and Video Player only supports a handful of codecs. We expect these all to be fixed soon. Other apps like AccuWeather, Barcode Scanner and Pac-Man work just fine despite being developed on the Android emulator. We're looking forward to good things here.

Verdict
The G1 phone and the Android operating system are not finished products. There are only three working Google Apps here—Gmail, Maps and Calendar—while Google Docs, Google News, Google Reader, Google Shopping, Google Images, Google Video, Blogger and Picasa are nowhere to be found. What's the deal?

We have high hopes for third-party coders to fill in gaps Google intentionally or unintentionally left in this OS. There's already a video player, and we're sure VLC will try and port some kind of version over. But your question is not whether the phone will be great down the line, it's whether or not it's good enough for you to buy it now.

The answer depends most on who you are. Despite all the UI quirks and bad design decisions, it's still better than other smartphone OSes out there. It's not perfect, but for people who like tinkering, its cons are outweighed by its pros such as Gmail and the Marketplace. Hopefully Android updates and more ports of Google apps will augment not just future phones but this one too. This isn't something you're going to give your mom for Christmas, but if you're an adventuresome gadget guy with some money to spend ($179) on a totally new, pretty exciting venture, then why not?

Everyones' desire -Google Phone

So I don't know if you've heard, but apparently there's this company named Google. And apparently they've developed some sort of a mobile phone operating system that features tight integration with online services like Gmail, YouTube, and Google Talk. And you can't get one just yet, so we decided to talk to someone who did.

Kevin Tofel of jkOnTheRun has been testing a T-Mobile G1 for the last few days. When it hits the shelves next week, the G1 will be the first device on the market based on the Google Android platform. Tofel says there's a lot to like about the G1, but there are still a few things that annoy him.

And most importantly, the platform will only succeed if Google can do a good job of attracting third party developers. The built in applications work very well, but there are still too many things missing. For example, while you can watch YouTube movies using the YouTube player, there's no video play for watching downloaded movies or videos from other web sites. Fortunately there's already a third party movie player available in the Android Marketplace. But that's one of only a handful of third party apps currently available.

You can see the phone in action and hear more of Kevin's thoughts by clicking the video above. If you're too busy to sit through a ten minute video, you can read some of the highlights after the jump.
The web browser works much like Opera Mini or Safari Mobile, in that you get full desktop views of web pages and you can zoom in on particular areas to make the text more readable. But instead of pinching the screen to zoom in and out as you would with an iPhone, you have to hit on-screen zoom icons.
The phone's home screen is like a cross between the iPhone application launcher and a Windows desktop that you can litter with shortcuts for your favorite apps. You can also flip back and forth between three virtual desktops, giving you the opportunity to create up to three separate sets of shortcuts (for example, one desktop for work, one for personal use).
Integration with Google applications like Gmail, Google Talk, and Google Calendar is excellent. You can also use a few non-Google services like AOL IM.
You sync your data with the web, not with a desktop. So if you want to synchronize your data with Outlook, you'll need to configure Outlook to sync with your Google Calendar. There's no "to do list" application.
There's no support for Exchange, which means the T-Mobile G1, and Android in general isn't likely to be adopted by enterprise users anytime soon.
There's no handwriting recognition software or on-screen keyboard. That means you have to use hardware keyboard to enter anything other than phone numbers.
The smartphone wars are on, with a tusanmi of new touchscreen phones flooding the market to compete against the iPhone.

The latest will go on sale next Wednesday (Oct. 22) when the much anticipated T-Mobile G1 is released… a phone that has been sometimes dubbed the Google phone.

The T-Mobile G1 is the first phone to run on Google’s new Android operating system, a phone that looks and works a lot like the iPhone… and more.

For starters, it’s a touchscreen. You can move stuff around with your fingers… open applications flick from screen to screen. It has a music player and downloads songs from the Amazon MP3 store.

It has a service called Android marketplace that offers games and programs. And it has complete integration with all the Google tools and services, like YouTube.

But it also has a full QWERTY keyboard that sides out… great for two thumbed typing. And besides touchscreen navigation it has a little trackball, which works like the BlackBerry trackwheel as a sort of miniature mouse.

The G1 is one of the most affordable smartphones to date, costing $179 with a two-year contract. It goes on sale Oct. 22.

And judging by the reported 1.5 million that were preordered, would-be buyers may find supplies tight.

I’ve been testing a prerelease model all week and have found it to be surprisingly intuitive and nimble. While it lacks some of the iPhone’s latest features, it also offers some tweaks that the iPhone doesn’t have.

The G1 has a better camera (3 megapixel), a full slideout QWERTY keyboard, a BlackBerry-like trackball for one-handed navigation and voice recognition and voice dialing.

But with that it also has a very slick touchscreen like the iPhone, a full HTML Web browser, POP and IMAP e-mail, instant messaging applications from Google Talk, AOL, Windows Live Messenger and Yahoo! Messenger and downloadable music from the Amazon MP3 store.

Where it falls noticeable short is in its ability to handle Microsoft Exchange e-mail, the most common platform for mobile communications used by businesses and corporations. Unless the user is hooking up to Google’s own Gmail, the G1 also does not deliver push , or instant reception, e-mail.

In that regards, it’s much like the first generation iPhone, which didn’t have those services until this past July when the iPhone 3g and a software update became available.

Another irritation: The G1 can’t mass delete e-mail. But then again, it wasn’t until this summer that the iPhone did that.

And it isn’t called G1 – probably meaning Google version 1 – for nothing. The G1 is very Google-centric, seamlessly tied to Google Maps Street View, Gmail, YouTube and the various Google online programs and documents.

It works on T-Mobile’s EDGE and 3g networks, pretty much the same as the iPhone uses on the AT&T network. By next Wednesday when the G1 goes on sale, T-Mobile says it will have 3G coverage in 23 metropolitan areas around the country.

For those who lcan’t get 3G T=Mobile coverage, being restricted to EDGE is a pretty huge hit against the phone because many of the services and applications on the phone are especially made for that faster 3G network.

The applications are provided, much like the iPhone’s App Store, through something T-Mobile calls Android Market. There’s a handful of them available for instant download right now, though on the EDGE network I found download times to sometimes stretch my patience.

Using the built-in Wi-Fi connections when in range of a wireless network was much better. The Amazon MP3 music store downloads can only be done via Wi-Fi.

T-Mobile notes that Android Market is in beta, however and that the variety of downloadable applications will be growing on a regular basis.

Using the phone is simple and satisfying. It’s a bit on the thick and clunky side compared to other smartphones, but that’s understandable because of the slide out keyboard. The spacing between the keys is very comfortable with two thumbed typing.

On the bottom of the phone when the keyboard is hidden, and on the right when slid out, are the main navigation buttons to make or disconnect a call, open a menu screen and go back a screen. The little grey trackball is right in the center of the controls and works like a miniature mouse.

The G1’s touchscreen, though, can also be used to navigate much like the iPhone and other touchscreen phones by flicking your fingers up and down. Unlike the iPhone, which lets you zoom in and out of pictures and websites, the G1 has no “squeeze” or “pinch” zoom that can be done with the fingers.

On a Webpage, you can zoom in by tapping. But again, unless you’re on a Wi-Fi or 3G connection, that pokey EDGE connection makes Web surfing an agonizingly slow process.

Bottom line: If I was a T-Mobile customer, I’d be standing in line next Wednesday to buy one. Otherwise, I’d wait to see what the BlackBerry Storm looks like. For now, the iPhone remains the touchscreen standard.
While most news outlets have been focusing on the American launch of the first Google Android phone, the United States isn't the only place that you'll find the T-Mobile G1. It's not like you have to wait that long either, because T-Mobile in the UK has announced that it will start selling the G1 on October 30. That's only two weeks away.

Yes, the United States seems to get first dibs on Android, but a couple weeks late for the United Kingdom doesn't sound all that terrible at all. As you recall, the T-Mobile G1 (made by HTC) gets a large touchscreen, full QWERTY keyboard, and high-speed Internet access. T-Mobile UK says that there are already 25,000 people pre-registered for the G1.

The kicker is that while Americans have to fork out some cash to get the T-Mobile G1, UK customers don't. If they opt for a T-Mobile Combi or Flext price plan (starting at 40GBP a month), they can get the G1 for free.

Starwars Light - Now Its Reality

Starwars Light - Now Its Reality -
As the flames get hotter you stumble in panic looking for your way out of the maze of hallways that seem so familiar yet alien at the moment. Smoke stings your eyes as you desperately search for any signs of escape. Follow the Halo, it will guide you.

This may seem like some scene in a movie but in reality this could happen to any of us. In times of crisis, we lose our ability to think coherently and often the simplest task seems daunting.

Halo was designed to aid people in times of crisis such as blackouts and fires directing them to the fastest possible exit route. By using LED lights, halos are cast upon the floor indicating the direction in which the exit is located. This is especially useful in smoke laden fires since people are advised to stick close to the floor. The light also pulsates in the direction of the exit providing a secondary indication upon which direction to head.

Sharp Turns On LED Lighting Market

Sharp Turns On LED Lighting Market
The Japanese electronics giant plans to sell 11 LED lighting models for factories and offices.
by: Ucilia Wang

To help fill the growing demand for energy-efficient lights, Sharp Corp. said Monday it plans to enter the LED lighting market this fall.

The Japanese company is scheduled to introduce 11 models of fixtures using light-emitting diodes, also known as LEDs, to light up factories and other commercial spaces starting Sept. 1. Sharp is targeting the Japanese market first, noting that industrial and office buildings in the country use roughly twice as much electricity as residential buildings.

Even though LED technology has been around for decades, it’s more commonly used for those green or red indicator lights for consumer electronics, traffic lights and camping headlamps.

The market for light fixtures made from LEDs – which manufacturers claim shine more brightly, use energy more efficiently and last longer than conventional light bulbs – has been growing. Although those lights cost more, an increasing number of factory and commercial building managers are choosing LEDs for long-term savings as electricity prices increase.

The commercial market for LED lighting is going to take off in two years because: one, it offers a lower energy cost; and two, it offers lower maintenance cost,” said Michael Kanellos, a senior analyst with Greentech Media.

LED light fixtures generated about $295 million in revenues last year and are expected to reach $407 million in revenues in 2008, according to market-research firm Databeans. In comparison, the conventional light-fixture market, which includes traditional and more energy-efficient incandescent and florescent lights, accounted for about $107.3 billion last year and is expected to reach $114 billion this year.

Entering the LED lighting market isn’t a stretch for Sharp, which has been making LED indicator lights for its consumer electronics and appliances for decades.

In fact, Japanese companies control about 70 percent of the world’s optoelectronics market, which includes image sensors, LED lamps and other devices that can emit, transfer or receive lights, according to Databeans.

Sharp said it is trotting out five rectangular and square LED fixtures that offer the same brightness as conventional florescent fixtures that contain two 40-watt tube-shaped florescent lamps. Sharp is also introducing six round fixtures with different shades of white light. The light shines as bright as an incandescent lamp of 100 watts or 150 watts, Sharp said.

The promise of a much larger LED lighting market has attracted venture capital investments. Billerica, Mass.-based Luminus Devices said in March it had raised $72 million in venture capital (see Luminus Closes $72M to Light Up New Applications). Another startup, Nuventix in Austin, Texas, earlier this month raised $14 million to market its devices to cool LEDs (see Wakonda, Nuventix Raises Millions).

The LED lighting market has seen more acquisitions lately. Lighting Science Group in Dallas bought Lamina Lighting in Westampton, N.J. last month for $4.5 million (see Lighting Science Buys Lamina for $4.5M). Cree in Durham, N.C. bought LED Lighting Fixtures in Morrisville, N.C. for about $77 million in February (see Cree to Buy Firm Founded by Its Former Execs).

The automotive industry has been embracing LED technology more quickly, said Susie Inouye, director of research at Databeans. With the growing popularity of hybrid electric cars, automakers are looking for more energy-efficient lamps for headlights and interior lighting.

Analysts have said the technology remains too expensive for most consumers. That hasn’t stopped some companies from testing the consumer market, however. Philips Lighting, a unit of the Royal Philips Electronics in the Netherlands, plans to start selling LED lighting products, including table lamps and LED modules.

Cost is just one of the many obstacles keeping LEDs from the mainstream consumer market. The harsh light emitted from LED also is a major problem, Inouye said.

“LED gives a ghostly grey blue color. It’s not a warm light,” she said. “It’s a good solution for a factory, but not for home or retail space.”

Unbelievable Bike - Everyone's Dream Bike !!!!!!!

Bike with Extream Engineering Design :








Ah, concept bikes. Those magnificent design studies where conventional ideas can be stretched, design sketches can be brought to life, and potential future directions can be presented to the public for discussion and feedback.

Well, if Honda wants feedback from this latest effort, unveiled yesterday at Intermot Cologne, here goes: lay off the wacky tobaccy, fellas, and have at least one engineer look over the plans before you cough up to get another space-bike like this one built.

The typical visitor to a motorcycle exhibition is likely to notice the omission of important parts like axles, tyres, brakes, front suspension and some sort of final drive. They will muse over why you’ve chosen to include both side and underseat exhausts, and take one look at those shiny red wheels and wonder whether Honda is deliberately insulting their intelligence or if the CEO’s stepson has just graduated from design school.

Cologne, Germany, October 7, 2008— Honda Motor Europe Ltd. exhibited the World Premiere V4 Concept Model at Intermot Cologne. The V4 Concept Model proposes a new, sensual design direction based on Honda’s trademark 4-cylinder V- engine.
This year Honda celebrates its 60th anniversary as a company and next year the 50th anniversary of its participation in road racing, as well as the 30th anniversary of racing with an innovative 4-cylinder V-engine with oval pistons. Considering these milestones, Honda chose “The New Beginning” as its exhibition theme leading into 2009 and exhibited the V4 Concept Model which signifies the beginning of a new era.

For Intermot, Honda collected and exhibited successive V4 race machines as well as mass-market motorcycle products which were developed by feeding back the technologies cultivated through participation in challenging race competition, enabling visitors to review the lineage of 30 years of V4 engine technologies and see how Honda will take motorcycling somewhere it has not been before. The exhibition also offers an easy-to-understand introduction to various challenges Honda has undertaken in order to create joy for its customers, by utilizing its technologies that have been continuously advanced through Honda’s 60-year history and by its participation in motorsports.

Honda understands the global trend today that motorcycle users see increasing value in more emotional and sensual performance during the real world riding experience rather than absolute performance measured in numeric specifications. On another front, user friendly features that meet with human sensibilities are also becoming important along with safety and environmental features, especially in mature markets.

Honda believes that the challenge to create attractive products with an increased focus on sensual performance will be the key for the future. At the same time, safety and environmental technologies as well as future energy technologies will continue to become an important theme for the development of motorcycle products. Moreover, in order to offer a comfortable life with motorcycles for a larger number of customers, Honda will put increased focus on the human-fitting match of rider and machine. Conceived around the trademark 4-cylinder V-engine, the V4 Concept Model expresses functional beauty as well as a more sensual image to appeal more to the emotions of people. Embodying Honda’s passion for motorcycle development, the V4 Concept Model expresses the unique characteristics of Honda for a new era.

The V4 Concept Model mobilizes the driving forces of Honda – dreams, challenges, and creating new value. Honda positions this model as “the new beginning” of Honda’s motorcycles.

Honda will also exhibit one other World Premier mass-production model and three Europe Premier models at Intermot.

Cool Led Products - Now Moonshine in your hand

Enjoy Moonshine & Sunshine with LED -


You may find the idea of bottling sunshine in a jar preposterous. But heck, no! It's possible with this nifty invention called the Moon Jar by Tobias Wong . All it is is a mason jar, one with frosted glass that disguises a solar panel and LED light source inside. Just set it on your windowsill and it soaks up the rays from the sun, providing a calming blue-toned light for the evening. Its functional versatility works great on the patio, in the garden or even on your windowsill as a night light. Hmmm ... you could even take it camping!

There's also a golden glowing Sun Jar which is identical to the Moon Jar except it uses a warm colored LED light to give a more natural and warm light.

All this glowing goodness is eco friendly, too. Yeah, no electricity needed!

Automotive Lighting With Multicolor LED Kits

Revolutionizing Automotive Lighting With Multicolor LED Kits
Multicolor LED car kits have just been recently used as car decorations. These usually range from undercar lighting to tire flares and suspension lighting. LED means light emitting diode, a semiconductor device that gives out or emits a spectrum of light. The result of a LED is similar to luminous light effect that comes from a very small light source. LEDs come in many different colors and these are determined according to the condition and composition of the material in use. The light emission varies from visible light, near ultraviolet and infrared.

These days, accessorizing autos is not limited to just considering the body paint, upgrading the car’s mags, decorating the car’s body and the like. The LEDs are now used to “dress up” the car. In fact, many car owners often put LED lights on their vehicles for decorations purposes and street credibility. There are many variations and parts of a car or vehicles where you can put LED lights. Some car owners put them on their wipers, their radar, under chassis and many pother areas. These make a very attractive car especially at night. In order to appropriately use the LED lights on your car, you may want to consult a professional car designer because of the technicality of attaching the lights to the car battery. Once attached to your car, you can be confident that these lights will not consume much of your battery’s energy despite maximizing their use during night travel.

These same car LEDs are not only used for car enhancement purposes. In fact, these are not made exclusively for cars. The best part is that these kits can also be used for bicycles in terms of proper lighting and visibility use during night rides. These car lights are also utilized in store decorations and small sign boards. These light emitting diodes can also be used for flashlight or torches as they have a very bright light and they can light up pretty well. LEDs also last longer than the ordinary fluorescent lights and incandescent bulbs.

Using Light Emitting Diodes have certain advantages compared to using fluorescent and incandescent lights. LEDs have a longer life span than ordinary lights. They can also emit stronger or more light compared to incandescent bulbs thus, saving energy and batteries when used in battery using devices. LEDs do not use light filters to emit a certain color. The dismissal of color filters makes them cheaper than other lights that need color filters to produce a certain intended light color. The packaging of a Light Emitting Diode light makes it possible to focus the light on a particular spot while incandescent and fluorescent light need external reflectors. The reflectors will collect the light from the incandescent or fluorescent bulb and then turn them into one direction.

Unlike the incandescent lamps that emit yellowish light effect, LED lights have consistent color tints even on dimmed status. LEDs are also suitable for frequent turning on and off applications like turn signals in cars or brake lights. This is why some individuals have replaced their standard vehicles lights with LEDs because these light do not burn out faster compared to fluorescent lamps. LEDs are also fast starters compared to HID lights that need some time before they acquire their full potential to start up and light up. Moreover, LEDS are time-tested, less chances of breakage unlike the fluorescent and incandescent lamps. The reason behind such efficiency and durability is that these lights are solid state components and do not damage easily when they are subjected to external shock or dropped on the ground.

LEDs are usually used as status indicators for most devices or equipment. Some gauges in cars can be replaced with multicolor LED car kits depending on the drivers’ preferences. They are also used for motorcycles and bicycles turn signals along with some cars. They are also utilized in light bars for emergency vehicles or road repair vehicles to indicate work in progress or an emergency. They are now being utilized for some cars’ entire rear lights and some mounted rear brake lights. Other than the rear lights and brake lights for vehicles, they are also used for undercar lights and to highlight features of your car like the grille or wipers. You can also highlight your cars interior depending on your preference and taste.

On the other hand, car LED lights are unpopular with the traffic authorities and you must install an off and on switch for you to use these lights or separating them from the headlights or park lights. It is important to be really cautious regarding the installation of your LED car kits, if you are unfamiliar with 12 volt wiring, it is always a good idea to have them professionally installed.

Dream Rainbow - LED

LED Revolution -
Ever wanted to touch the rainbows? Here is how. Get yourself the Rainbow Generator Night Light, which practically and literally brings the rainbow to your very own bedroom. This rainbow may help you sleep better at night and in fact take you to a distant world in your dreams where none could go, and could very well be your own Shangri-la. This smart lighting technology helps the rainbow be reflected onto your ceiling thanks to the 5-mirrored LEDs of varying colors.

The lamp itself comes in a colorful and elegant design; the resulting rainbow light just complements its source. This would totally change the way your room looks. The Rainbow Generator Night Light costs $60 and is worth every penny you spend. If you still are thinking about the price, you could think about the great sleep this soothing light can induce in you. A night well slept is more precious than anything else in this world.

LED Lighting : Source for Future Internet Access

LED Revolution -
Scientists are always working on new things.Its always a wonderful to see new ideas warming up.The new buzz in town is the use of Wi-Fi internet under LED lighting.This may sound impossible but its very much achievable,as the scientists are very much confident that they would develop this concept into reality.

Smart Lightning Engineering Research Center will be carried forward by Boston University,Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute and the University of New Mexico.The US Nation Science Foundation is funding $18.5M for this project.

The concept is very simple,to use LED lights in replacement of the currently used bulbs,these LEDS lightnings will be transmitting signals and any internet device put under them will have access to use internet.They will need no extra power,working on the same power source of the bulb which they will replace.

If this project gets successful,it will solve alot of problems,like saving almost 50 Billion US dollars and reduce environmental problems.

Lamborghini Estoque -Future Sports Car

Lamborghini Estoque - Truely Beauty

After several weeks of teaser shots from Lamborghini we finally got a full view of the Lamborghini Estoque concept this morning ahead of its official debut tomorrow morning. However, the photos were relatively small and details were scarce, but we are now able to bring you high resolution photos and full details via a press release from Lamborghini. The Estoque, named for the sword use by the Matador in a bull fight, is actually listed as mid-engined with the motor placed behind the front axle. The car sits extremely low at just 4.43 feet high, but still provides plenty of interior space for all four passengers due to the long wheelbase of over three meters. As we expected, Lamborghini states that no official decision has been made regarding production, but did hint that the Estoque could lead to a third model in the lineup with numerous engine possibilities including the V10 from the Gallardo LP560-4, a turbocharged V8, a V8 with a hybrid mode, or even a high-performance TDI.

PRESS RELEASE:

It is a Lamborghini like no other before it: a four-door sports car that sticks resolutely to its creed. The Lamborghini Estoque concept has everything that defines a Lamborghini: extreme, uncompromising and unmistakably Italian, it brings a whole new versatility to the brand's DNA - with its four seats and ample luggage space, this "everyday sports car" is a perfect fit for an equally versatile lifestyle.

Lamborghini Estoque is a study, a concept created specifically for the 2008 Salon d'Automobiles in Paris. From the very first glance there can be no doubt that this is a Lamborghini - a car with compelling presence, both unique and unmistakable. The long wheelbase, the low profile, the broad track, the mighty, accentuated wheels, the clean surfaces and razor-sharp definition - every single line breathes the spirit of the Lamborghini brand.

A new and unique elegance

The Lamborghini Estoque is an entirely new interpretation of the Sant' Agata design ethic: it is a concept that provides a clear indication of the future. This applies to the new, elegant self-confidence of the lines themselves, but even more to the concept of the vehicle. The Lamborghini Estoque is the first sedan in the history of Automobili Lamborghini, although "sedan" is more a reference to the number of doors than any other characteristics. Even sports sedan is an inadequate classification: the Lamborghini Estoque establishes a new category of super sports sedans. With a powerful front mid-engine, permanent all-wheel drive and a sophisticated, precision-tuned chassis, the Lamborghini Estoque boasts a unique technology package.

A sign of success

In Paris, the Lamborghini Estoque demonstrates the innovation, the creativity and the design flair of the Lamborghini brand, currently represented by the enormous success enjoyed by Lamborghini Gallardo and Murciélago super sports cars.

As a concept, the Lamborghini Estoque represents one of several possibilities for a third model series within the Lamborghini product line-up. At this point in time, no decisions have been taken in respect of either a third model series of any kind or of the Lamborghini Estoque concept in particular.

Of course, as a true Lamborghini, it goes without saying that the Lamborghini Estoque also bears a suitably powerful name with a rich heritage from the Spanish Corrida - bull fighting. The Lamborghini Estoque is a rapier (sword), approximately 90 centimetres (35.43 inches) long, used in a bull fight by the Matador.

The Concept

Lamborghini Estoque embodies the concept of a Lamborghini that is both a dedicated sports car and a relaxed Gran Turismo. As a sedan with four doors and four individual sports seats, it is a multi-faceted vehicle for multi-faceted lifestyles.

Relaxed Gran Turismo

The Lamborghini Estoque is the perfect travelling companion, be it en route to business meetings, the theatre, the golf course or even a weekend away with the kids. At the end of the day, it is the only car that allows you to share the singular driving pleasure of a Lamborghini with more than one person - possibly even with the whole family. And there is still enough room left over for weekend luggage or several golf bags.

Despite its extremely low profile - at a mere 1.35 meters (4.43 feet) high - the Lamborghini Estoque is surprisingly spacious. The secret lies in its very long wheelbase which, in spite of the rearwards positioning of the front mid-engine, enables a relaxed, sporty seating position. Entering and exiting is also pleasingly straightforward through the large, wide-opening doors.

Challenging: a thoroughbred sports car

At the same, the Lamborghini Estoque is a thoroughbred sports car with exceptionally refined power delivery, razor-sharp precision handling and a meaty engine tone. Challenging driving pleasure on a winding mountain road, followed by a relaxed, enjoyable journey along miles and miles of motorway- the Lamborghini Estoque is commanding across the entire driving spectrum, at the highest level. The Lamborghini Estoque's versatility makes it the perfect addition to the range of Lamborghini super sports cars.

Design

Such a Lamborghini must be immediately recognizable in its design as a unique and unmistakable work of art. For the Lamborghini Estoque, this is clearly a case of "mission accomplished."

The proportions of the Lamborghini Estoque are simply fascinating: no other automobile combines so convincingly the elegance of length with the sporting attributes of a low profile and impressive breadth. Or to put it into figures - the concept painted in an all-new color, is 5.15 meters (16.89 feet) long and 1.99 meters (6.53 feet) wide, with a height of only 1.35 metres (4.43 feet). The wheelbase is a stately 3.01 meters (9.88 feet) - an equally important element of elegant vehicle architecture.

And it is unequivocally Italian - the flat bonnet, the long wheelbase, the narrow window openings, the flat rear that ends decisively with a negative return - it is all pure "Italianità" on wheels; everything bears the design language of the large classic Italian four-door cars, albeit with a unique, modern interpretation. Pure Lamborghini.

Clearly a sports car

The front end of the Lamborghini Estoque is a clear and unambiguous statement of its sports car credentials. Its place amongst the family of Lamborghini super sports cars is also distinct and unmistakable - with its swooping V-shape, its two large air intakes pulled forward and the small front spoiler in between. This front end design gives the Lamborghini Estoque a firm, low stance, while providing excellent aerodynamic efficiency. The large air intakes facilitate the cooling air that is important for such a high-performance vehicle and the spoiler was specifically designed to improve aerodynamic balance at high speeds.

Such distinctive sports car architecture is only possible by positioning the front mid-engine well towards the rear. Despite the very low bonnet, it goes without saying that the Lamborghini Estoque fulfils all safety regulations and pedestrian protection standards.

Taut muscles

The bonnet of the Lamborghini Estoque makes the origins of the sheer power of this vehicle immediately apparent. The location of the engine is clearly evident through the distinct division created by two large air outlets and the additional emphasis of a central power area. Further air outlets are positioned both left and right in the wings, behind each of the front wheel arches.

Together, with the division of the bonnet, these elements add emphasis to the area above the wheels, framing the front end of the Lamborghini Estoque like a taut muscle. The permanent all-wheel drive that is typical for all Lamborghinis means that the 22 inch wheels, with their new five double-spoke design, also do their part in delivering power to the road. Here too, the Centro Stile has stuck firmly to the Lamborghini principle that form always follows function; after all, the ample cooling air flowing into the high-performance driveline also has to move quickly out of the vehicle.

Tremendous tension along the flanks

Its proportions guarantee the Lamborghini Estoque an impressive appearance. The skilled sectioning along the flanks of the vehicle gives the body shell an incredibly muscular form. Beneath the flat surfaces of the bonnet, the incredibly powerful shoulder line, a further side line rising slightly towards the rear and, finally, the equally distinct sill line all add emphasis to the flow of power from the engine to the magnificent 23 inch rear wheels. The masculine profile is completed by the negative return of the rear end. This adds further tension to the form of the Lamborghini Estoque - the whole car looks coiled and ready to pounce at the drop of a hat. These sharp lines frame a fascinating interplay of surfaces across convex and concave curvatures. The Lamborghini Estoque clearly displays the design language of the Centro Stile Lamborghini with a distinctive elegance.

Powerful elegance at the rear
The flow of form is brought to its conclusion by the broad, even expanse of the rear end. The horizontal split created by the flat LED light clusters and the large, mesh-covered lower air outlets bring additional emphasis to this breadth. A narrow, slightly slanted "frame" panel surrounds the whole rear aspect and further highlights its powerful elegance.

Precise details, such as the hexagonal fuel caps on both sides of the vehicle, characterize the depth of the design language. The front headlamps, featuring bi-Xenon and LED technology, carry forward a theme evident in both the Lamborghini Reventón and the Lamborghini Gallardo LP560-4 - the Y-shape of the daytime running lights. The tiny green/white/red flag adorning the front wings discreetly highlights that an automotive statement as uncompromising as this one can come from only one country on Earth - from Italy.

The interior
Despite its extremely low profile, the Lamborghini Estoque offers a surprisingly generous feeling of spaciousness. The length of the interior facilitates a relaxed seating position for all four individual seats and plays a significant role in the supreme comfort of this super sports sedan over long distances. The interior reflects elements of the exterior design language, also evident in the cabin of the Lamborghini Estoque - in the distinctive lines of the door panels or in the swooping V-shape applied to the cockpit, reflecting the form used on the front end and on the bonnet.

Luxurious interior
The dominant material of the interior is highest-quality Nappa leather. The four individual seats boast sporting contours, supreme long-distance comfort and extensive electrical positioning options.

Cockpit with large-screen display
The cockpit presents the driver with a large-area LCD screen displaying vehicle and route information. A range of presentation formats are available for selection depending on personal preference - a distinctive classical layout with circular instrument dials, or an innovative digital display. A top-class audio installation and a sophisticated rear seat entertainment system round off the equipment.

Like the interior, the luggage compartment of the Lamborghini Estoque is also surprisingly spacious. Despite the low-profile rear end, it has plenty room for several golf bags or pieces of luggage.

Production feasibility

As a pure concept car, the Lamborghini Estoque is a design exercise and a further indication of the innovative power of the Lamborghini brand. Yet, it is based on a feasible technical concept that offers a whole range of fascinating alternatives for the body shell and driveline.

Just like the brand's super sports cars, the Lamborghini Estoque uses a mid-engine layout. However, the high-performance driveline used here is not located in front of the rear axle, as in the Gallardo and Murciélago or in the Reventón, but behind the front axle. This front mid-engine concept, with the driveline set way back, facilitates balanced weight distribution and a centre of gravity close to the vehicle's vertical axis. Both ensure the unparalleled agility and handling precision of a mid-engine vehicle.

Reserves in every situation

Like all contemporary Lamborghini models, the Lamborghini Estoque is also equipped with permanent all-wheel drive. It distributes the engine power to all four wheels, thus making for superior traction in all driving situations, as well as providing extra reserves for extremely sporty driving and for challenging weather conditions.

A range of drivelines is conceivable for the Lamborghini Estoque. This is headed up by the highly-acclaimed Lamborghini ten-cylinder from the Gallardo LP 560-4 - with more torque and higher revving than virtually any other engine. A complementary alternative could be a turbocharged eight-cylinder derived from this V10. A particularly economical, but nevertheless dynamic, variation would be a V8 with a hybrid module or an extremely high-performance TDI.

The Centro Stile Lamborghini

With the Estoque, the Centro Stile Lamborghini has created further proof of its creativity and attention to detail. The design centre that opened in 2004 is a studio of creatives, designers and model makers that combines the culture and the spirit of the brand with the power of innovation and of creating a new aesthetic. The Centro Stile Lamborghini is part of the best tradition of Italian vehicle design, and is leading the way forward with the latest in working techniques.

The Centro Stile is located in a 2,900 sq. meter (31,215 sq. feet) facility, where it occupies two interconnected floors. The generously proportioned design studio is equipped with two full-size surface tables and their associated tooling and measuring equipment, while further areas house the latest in computer workstations for the creative experts and a workshop for the model makers. The Centro Stile is also connected directly to the neighbouring Ufficio Tecnico - the direct link to Lamborghini's development department ensures the rapid realization of ideas. Speed is a key aspect for Lamborghini, for both its cars and its working processes; the Reventón was created in the record time of less than one year.

In-house creativity and implementation

From the first sketches made either on paper or using the three-dimensional computer program, through 1:10 or 1:4 scale models to full-size models, the complete design process is organized within small, fast-moving teams.

Since it was founded, the Lamborghini brand has been bringing innovative design trends to the rarefied atmosphere of the world's most desirable automobiles, and producing vehicles with absolutely unmistakable character. Models such as the Miura and the Countach were way ahead of their time, but quickly attained the status of timeless classics. From their first appearance, every new Lamborghini is destined to become a legend and sought-after collectors' item.

With the current Murciélago and Gallardo, Lamborghini has once again perfected an innovative design language. The exterior proportions provide an indication of the power and dynamic character of the driveline. Crisply-defined edges, precision lines and clean surfaces result in a design that is reduced to its very essence.

Every element is designed precisely in accordance with its function. Examples of this on the Lamborghini Murciélago LP640 include the movable cooling air intakes and the asymmetric sills; on the left side of the vehicle, the air intake is significantly larger to accommodate the flow of fresh air to the oil cooler.

Clear lines, perfect details

The unmistakable form of a Lamborghini is something that always speaks for itself: ornamentation or decoration of any kind has absolutely no place here. This firmly places the current models that bear the sign of the bull within the best traditions of their brand and of 60s and 70s Italian vehicle design. The sports cars of that time were acclaimed for their perfect proportions and for their objective, functional elegance that required no embellishment of any kind.

The purist execution of the lines is complemented perfectly by the passion for detail possessed by the designers in Sant' Agata Bolognese. The rear view of the Murciélago LP 640 is distinctive not only for its impressive power, but also for the fine interplay of the elements in the sophisticated rear light cluster.

The sensuality of precision and performance

A Lamborghini is a high performance athlete. Its high degree of sensuality is based on precision, performance and spontaneous action. This type of elegance is the elegance of pure, unadulterated power. This Lamborghini DNA is carried forward into future products at the Centro Stile, which is destined to continue to set clear design trends - the Lamborghini Estoque is the perfect example.

The design centre on the site of the historical birthplace of all Lamborghinis guarantees the super sports cars with the bull brand will remain exclusive, sensual and challenging - and always unmistakably Italian.

Top 5 - World's Most Expensive Cars

What is the most expensive car in the world? The 1931 Bugatti Royale Kellner Coupe was sold for $8,700,000 in 1987. However, that car and many alike will not be included in this list because it is not available on the market today. It is hard to imagine someone would actually spend 8 million dollars on a car instead of using it for something more productive. However, if you have the money and the opportunity, you will definitely spend a small fraction of it to place a few of these supercars in your garage. Here is the 5 most expensive cars available on the market

World’s Most Expensive Cars
1.Bugatti Veyron $1,192,057. This is by far the most expensive street legal car available on the market today. It is the fastest accelerating car reaching 0-60 in 2.5 seconds. It claims to be the fastest car with a top speed of 253 mph+. However, the title for the fastest car goes to the SSC Ultimate Aero which exceed 253 mph pushing this car to 2nd place for the fastest car.
Volkswagen's production delays are finally over and the Bugatti Veyron 16.4 is ready to hit the road. The car sports a W16
engine fed by four turbochargers, can go from 0 to 100 mph in six
seconds and uses unique cross-drilled and turbine vented carbon rotors
that draw in cooling air for braking.

Top Speed: 407 kmph


2.Pagani Zonda C12 F $667,321 Produced by a small independent company in Italy, the Pagani Zonda C12 F is the 8th fastest car in the world. It promises to delivery a top speed of 215 mph+ and it an reach 0-60 in 3.5 seconds.
Pagani is an Italian boutique automaker that builds
radical-looking racecars.

Top Speed: 344 kmph


3.SSC Ultimate Aero $654,400 Don’t let the price tag fool you, the 3rd most expensive car is actually fastest street legal car in the world with a top speed of 257 mph+ and reaching 0-60 in 2.7 seconds. This baby cost nearly half as much as the Bugatti Veyron, yet has enough power to top the most expensive car in a speed race. It is estimated that only 25 of this exact model will ever be produced.
Top Speed: 410 kmph


4.LeBlanc Mirabeau $645,084 Doesn’t this look like a race car? Yet, with $645k, you can get this car and legally drive to your local supermarket and buy groceries. It has a top speed of 229 mph+ and although it was intentionally made for racing, it may be bought and show off to your neighbors.
Leblanc is ramping up production of its new Mirabeau
supercar. The company hopes to make the vehicle street legal for the US
by early 2007. With a six-speed sequential transmission, more than 700
bhp @ 7600 rpm, the Leblanc Mirabeau's interior is optimized for
maximum acceleration.

Top Speed: 370 kmph


5.Saleen S7 Twin Turbo $555,000 The first true American production certified supercar, this cowboy is rank #4 for the fastest car in the world. It has a top speed of 248 mph+ and it can reach 0-60 in 3.2 seconds. If you are a true American patriot, you can be proud to show off this car.Started by former racing driver Steve Saleen, the Saleen car company produces some of the fastest cars in the world. The S7 is designed to compete with the fastest and most luxurious grand touring cars
Top Speed: 320 kmph

Modi attracts 1 lac NANO Car to Gujarat !!!!!!!!

On Tuesday announced that it is relocating the Nano plant to Sanand in Gujarat.

Tata Motors and Gujarat government on Tuesday signed agreement for setting up Nano car project in the state.

The state government has assured the Tatas various tax sops and ready land along with connectivity with national highway.

The project, that includes the mother plant and the vendor park, will come up on an area of about 1100 acres.

To begin with, the plant will produce 2,50,000 cars per year and the capacity could go up to 5 lakh cars per year.

"It will be a while before Nano is rolled out from Gujarat but have made make-shift plan to meet the deadline," said Rata Tata at a press meet also attended by Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi.

Modi, on the other hand, announced the handing over of 11,00 acres of land at Sanand to the Tatas. A Tata Motors team has already done techno-economic surveys of the area.

In addition, the Tatas have also been assured that no bandhs or labour unrest will hurt the project.(Watch)

Rajkot could emerge as the ancillary hub for the Nano project. (With PTI inputs)