minis

Mini Cooper D(iesel) delivers, but not here yet

By Richard Truett, Automotive News

DETROIT--I'm cruising south on Interstate 75 at a steady 64 mph. If the fuel economy gauge in the car can be believed--and there's no reason that it shouldn't--I'm burning one gallon of fuel every 74 miles.

I'm not limping along in some wimpy gasoline-electric hybrid. I'm not drafting behind a semitruck. And I'm not relying on any of the dangerous maneuvers that hypermiling eco-geeks use as they try to extract every inch of distance out of a gallon of gasoline.

Nope. I'm in a 2007 Mini Cooper D, and I am driving it normally. The D stands for diesel. It's a version of the popular hatchback that isn't available in the United States--yet.

Here's a car that lets you have your high fuel economy cake and eat big slices of it, too. Just as important as the Mini Cooper D's ultralow fuel consumption is its fun-to-drive factor. It's off the charts in this car.

The Mini Cooper D is quick. Its 1.6-liter turbocharged diesel engine propels the 2,600-pound hatchback to 60 mph in 9.7 seconds. Plus, the car is good-looking, the chassis is rock-solid, and the handling is as tight as a go-cart.

… Read more

Mini Fridge-Warmer keeps drinks cold or food warm

I like it. I like it a lot. It's a fridge. It's a food warmer. It's a Mini Fridge-Warmer from Think Geek. As the name implies, this combination appliance can cool down drinks or keep lunches warm. With a temperature ranging from 44 to 140 degrees Fahrenheit, this dual-purpose fridge is sure to keep you cool...or warm...or somewhere in-between.

The Mini Fridge-Warmer boasts a 20-liter capacity while maintaining a relatively small footprint. It reaches a height of about 17 inches, and the base of the appliance holds its footprint down to a little larger than … Read more

Sanyo's flashy Xacti HD700 follow-up adds a megapixel

And the mini-camcorder cavalcade keeps rolling on. Well, in Japan at least. Sanyo premiered its latest HD pocket-corder, Xacti, Wednesday in Japan. The DMX-HD800 records at up to 720p at 30fps in MPEG-4 AVC/H.264, and does so with an improved 8MP CMOS sensor.

There are some other tweaks to the specs that you can view on Sanyo's Japanese Web site (Google translated for your pleasure), but all-in-all it looks like another decent offering. (Though, personally, I find the gold and pink colors a bit too "look at me, I've got a camcorder.") The DMX-HD800 … Read more

Mini sold out of Coopers

According to BMW's Mini division, Mini dealers in the U.S. are almost completely sold out. Much like the Apple iPod, which the stylish little car was oft compared to when it was unveiled 2001, it appears demand has completely outrun the rate at which Mini can supply them.

Dealers report that at this point, 81 percent of Minis sold are preconfigured and ordered. Mini's Oxford, England, plant will boost production to the U.S., but only by between 2,000 and 3,000 vehicles this year.

It is also reported that Mini plans to expand its dealership … Read more

LG looking to get into mini-notebooks?

Perhaps the better question is, "Who isn't getting into mini-notebooks these days?"

The latest rumor floating around is that Korean electronics giant LG has asked MSI to build for it a tiny notebook based on Intel's Netbook reference design containing an Atom processor.

This one was started by Digitimes, and it says that MSI will make a Windows XP-based mini-notebook with an 8.9-inch screen, 2GB of memory, and a 120GB hard drive.

Those specs are closer to Hewlett-Packard's mini-notebook, the 2133 Mini-Note, released this spring, than MSI's much-talked about Netbook, the Wind. (MSI … Read more

76: When is a hybrid a fraud?

Electric Mini's, cars that run on air, hybrids that aren't and a test drive that almost puts Wayne to sleep! Listen now: Download today's podcast

What's the No. 1 must-have accessory for the new iPhone?

With every step forward, there's often a step back, and in the case of the new iPhone 3G, it appears that battery life has taken a hit. Of course, the old disclaimer that your mileage may vary with use is in full effect, but the early consensus here in the CNET New York office is that if you're a road warrior/power user, you better have some backup juice on hand or you may be looking at a dead iPhone before day's end.

The solution: an extended battery. The sexiest one we could find was the $40 … Read more

Why does Facebook think you might have had a sex-change?

Depending on the day, the hour, the minute and the effects of my last pedicure, I change my mind about Facebook.

Why does Facebook think I may have changed something more?

My sex, for example.

I'm about as technical as the rules of Red Rover. I don't get particularly excited when someone invites me to bite their vampire or suck up their karma.

But I have had to seriously question myself and my life-choices when I received the following notice, splashed across my Facebook page.

It is headlined WHICH EXAMPLE APPLIES TO YOU?

The next line reads: Right … Read more

BMW does the electric Mini

If you had any doubts about an upcoming era of electric cars, put them aside. BMW announced it is testing electric powertrains in the Mini Cooper. Over the next year and a half, BMW will use a fleet of several hundred Minis to experiment with electric drive systems and, according to the press release, "determine the alternative drive of the future." If any company can do it, it's BMW. There are no current details about what motors and types of batteries BMW will use, but the company promises details by the end of the year.