magna

Jay-Z's 'Magna Carta Holy Grail' hits Samsung first

Samsung just got its hands on the holy grail of hip-hop. Actually, it's "Magna Carta Holy Grail," the new album from rap icon Jay-Z that will be made available for free to the first 1 million Samsung Galaxy S3, Galaxy S4, and Galaxy Note 2 owners who download a special app.

The app, which can be downloaded starting on June 24, is said to provide an "unprecedented inside look into the album personal stories and inspiration," and will also unlock the new album on July 4, three days before it officially goes on sale for the non-Galaxy owning world.… Read more

British Library app brings Beowulf, The Beatles

Injecting some high-brow culture into a smartphone realm more characterized by people texting at dinner and playing video games on the subway, the British Library has released an application to allow exploration of some of its collection.

OK, so perhaps it won't mean people rushing to read Beowulf in the original Old English from 1,000 years ago. But it's nice to know the option is there, and the application comes with commentary from experts such as a video on Beowulf by linguist David Crystal.

In any event, it is encouraging at least to this history and museum … Read more

Magna Steyr offers a flexible green-car platform

Magna Steyr, a maker of automotive parts, is showing that it can build entire cars.

With a concept car, on display at the Geneva auto show, the company is aiming to illustrate what it can offer to carmakers through its Mila automotive platform: Magna Steyr would build the car's innards, then the carmaker would slap on a body shell and badges.

Mila is designed as a flexible platform for the manufacturing of either electric cars or hybrids, allowing automakers to market their own green cars without having to do years of costly research.

With its 67-horsepower electric motor and … Read more

Magna could assemble Ford's electric vehicle

DETROIT--Magna International could assemble the electric vehicle that Ford Motor unveiled at the Detroit auto show, the supplier's executives say.

If so, Magna will become, after years of trying, the first auto supplier in recent history to do final assembly on a contract basis for a North American automaker. Ford has not yet made a decision on such an arrangement.

"It will depend on volume," Magna co-CEO Don Walker told Automotive News. "We need to get the vehicle to market and assess how many people will buy or lease it and final cost before it is … Read more