landing

Lexus is about to put the V-10 LFA into production; Ford puts batteries in the Focus; Nissan swears that goofy Land Glider is for real; we discuss why your cell phone may not work worth a damn in your next new car; and we take a ride in the luxury crossover that started it all.

• Lexus' first supercar is reality: The LFA

• Honda CR-Z coming to the U.S.

• California energy rules could hamper in-car cell phone reception

• CNET's take on the third generation Lexus RX350… Read more

NASA is sending a rocket into the moon Friday morning to study the composition of lunar material. But really, you stopped listening when you heard "blow up the Moon." And so did Cooley. For one small second, that made him love space. We also talk about the world's largest phishing sting and Windows 8. Yep, 8.

Operation “Phish Phry” nabs largest number of phishers ever. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/8295945.stm

Wife bans FBI head … Read more

If you like what you've been hearing about Nissan's Leaf electric car, but think it looks too much like a futuristic Versa 1.6 for your tastes, then maybe Nissan's other zero-emissions concept will pique your interest.

The Nissan Land Glider concept is a tiny electric vehicle that features a computer controlled steering system that leans the car into the turns. The pilot driver is seated centrally in the cabin with space for a single passenger directly behind in the narrow cabin. At least, it looks like that's where the passenger would sit. Although the photos clearly show a driver's four-point harness, none of the pictures show a rear seat belt.

The steering wheel has been replaced with what looks like a flight yoke. The rear view mirrors have been replaced by cameras and monitors. The dashboard definitely looks like it belongs on a vehicle of the future.

Details about the drive train are scarce, but we do know that it will be motivated by all-electric power. Expect the battery technology to be similar to that of the Leaf, albeit on a smaller scale. With its narrow profile and potentially lighter weight, we presume that the Land Glider will get by with less horsepower than the Leaf requires.

The Land Glider will be displayed at the 2009 Tokyo Motor Show, alongside the Leaf production concept. Stay tuned for more details as they emerge. In the meantime, check out the embedded video of the Land Glider in action after the jump.… Read more

Land Rover confirmed today that it will produce a small Range Rover based on the LRX concept it showed at the 2008 Detroit auto show. The company offered no specifications, but promised more details next year. The announcement merely says that the small SUV will be part of the Range Rover model lineup and will go into production in 2011.

The LRX concept featured an attractive design in a small package. Click here to see our video from the Detroit show. The body-colored roof appears to float over the top of the car due to black pillars, although Kia may … Read more

Step aside, Greenbird. Here comes a version with all the luxe trimmings. Cooked up by industrial designer Stefan Radev, the Blue Dynamics land yacht is a concept wind-powered pleasure vehicle that steers with the help of a huge sail in the rear. Entry to the cockpit is via the elevated wind screen, while the rigid sail adjusts according to wind direction either automatically or through the on-board sail control unit.

The name Blue Dynamics is a symbolic connection of the wind and BMW's "efficient dynamics," greener-emissions program, which helped inspire the designer. BMW is not affiliated with the project, however.

Like all toys for the rich, this is one selfish contraption that'll take just one person on-board. But hey, if you've got the chump change to afford this swanky three-wheeled ride should it ever hit the deserts or beaches, you'll definitely not want to share it as you zip past envious landlubbers and green-eyed sedan drivers.

More pics after the jump. … Read more

The Stanley Steamer may have finally been dethroned.

After holding onto its land speed record for 103 years, the homegrown Stanley automobile from the early days of motoring has been overtaken by a late-model import. The British Steam Car team said Tuesday that, earlier in the day, in the two runs required to be considered for the record, the Steam Car averaged 139.843 mph over a measured mile.

Tuesday's achievement still awaits official confirmation from the certifying agency, the Federation Internationale de l'Automobile.

The steam-powered mark to beat was 127 mph, set in 1906 by Fred Marriott, … Read more

In this day and age, it's hard to imagine that there might be an automotive speed record left that's only slightly north of 100 miles per hour. Heck, I've been passed by Audis on the autobahn that seemed to be going twice that fast.

But then, we've grown accustomed to cars with internal combustion engines. The record in question, which could finally fall this month after standing for more than a century, is held by a Stanley Steamer. In 1906, a gent named Fred Marriott drove a cigar-shaped steamer at Daytona Beach, Fla., to the then … Read more

July has been quite a month for space lovers. From the launch of the Endeavour space shuttle and the anniversary of the first moon landing to the death of Walter Cronkite, the "Most Trusted Man in America" and a self-professed student of space exploration, we have seen our fair share of ups and downs this month.

And as the economy and health care continue to weigh heavily on our minds, it's space that has slowly made its way back to dinner tables across the United States.

Back in the 1960s, when Walter Cronkite was on the air almost every night, giving Americans updates on the NASA space program, people both young and old huddled around their televisions waiting to hear when (or if) we would get to the moon. Americans cared about space. They were interested. And they wanted to know as much as possible about it.

But after the moon landing in 1969, interest in NASA's space exploration started to fade. In recent years, some have spent more time calling on the federal government to shutter NASA rather than fund it. In 1969, such a suggestion seemed unfathomable.

And yet, just as those of us who still support space exploits thought it would only get worse, July brought on what I believe is the most discussion and enthusiasm about space that we've seen in a long time. And maybe (just maybe), it might return to its former place of glory.

Let's recap how it happened.… Read more

It's Wilson's turn again to choose The 404 semi-weekly audio draft sponsored by Beck's Beer in conjunction with Last.FM, a subsidiary of CBS Interactive and CNET News and Reviews 5000, so naturally we're a little skeptical (but not nearly as skeptical as we are about the moon landing), but Mr. Tang comes through again with the beautiful music of Priscilla Ahn, a young singer-songwriter with a light, ethereal voice that drifts through the layered atmosphere of her acoustic folk melodies.

Like many of the artists featured on our Draft Pick, Ms. Ahn also brings several instrumental talents to her songs, incorporating her harmonica and even a kazoo on top of the gentle plucks of an acoustic guitar.

Today's featured song, "Dream," was recently featured in an episode of "Grey's Anatomy," and with good reason: the layered harmonies make the perfect soundtrack to quiet, rolling landscapes...also, I think it's pretty cool that's she's on Blue Note Records, the jazz label responsible for putting out albums by John Coltrane, Sonny Rollins, and Miles Davis.

She put out her first record last year called "A Good Day," and is currently touring Japan and Korea before heading back to Los Angeles on August 1 to play at the Troubadour. Give her a listen and let us know if you're in love with her as much as I am!

As usual, this episode is also jam-packed with current newz, including MCA's YouTube announcement (get better soon!), Facebook self-love (not like that, dummy), and another Facebook story about the most EPIC PARTY EVER!

One final note: does anyone have the original text/code for our Wikipedia page? I know it's been awhile, but somebody must have it, right? Our intentions are secret for now, but we definitely have a stew a-brewin', so hit us up at the404(at)cnet(dot)com if you have a copy of it!