Crave

JVC LT-32WX50

We're not quite sure why HDTV manufacturers feel the need to go keep going thinner, but that hasn't stopped them yet. JVC's new 32-inch LCD, the LT-32WX50, is just a quarter of an inch thick at its slimmest point; the screen only bevels out toward the bottom because of the thickness of the inputs. Here's a quick glance at its feature set.

Key features of the JVC LT-32WX50:

• Edge-lit LED backlighting
• 4000:1 quoted contrast ratio
• Wide color gamut--100% percent of sRGB and 90% of Adobe RGB
• Two HDMI inputs
• VGA-style PC input
• RS-232 port for custom installations
• Available in November | $3,000 list price

JVC is positioning this product as an "LCD monitor for home theater use," but we're having trouble figuring out why anyone would opt for this display over, say, a 50-inch Panasonic TC-P50V10 (street price under $2,000). Another strike against the LT-32WX50 is its use of edge-lit LED backlighting, which we've found it a step behind both local dimming LED backlighting and plasma displays for home theater use. Of course we'd have to do a hands-on review with the LT-32WX50 to see if it's worth the price premium, but $3,000 is a lot of money for a 32-inch LCD, no matter how well it performs.

(Credit: Sony Electronics)

The Sony Cyber-shot DSC-TX1 and DSC-WX1 are both 10-megapixel cameras, which in and of itself is not that impressive. What is impressive is the back-illuminated CMOS sensor, the Exmor R, that they use. The sensor is based on those found in Sony digital SLRs and promises to deliver improved low-light performance without help from a flash or tripod. According to Sony, the new design has "approximately twice the sensitivity compared to conventional sensors."

Both cameras incorporate the hand-held twilight and antimotion blur multishot modes introduced in the Cyber-shot DSC-HX1. They also get that model's sweeping panorama shooting capabilities. However, that thing is a large, 20x megazoom camera, whereas these are very much not. The TX1--like all of the T-series models--is a very thin camera at 0.7-inch thick and has few physical controls, instead relying on a revamped 3-inch touch-screen interface. The WX1 is only slightly thicker at 0.8 inch.

So the TX1 has its small body and touch-screen LCD going for it, but its lens specifications are less impressive than those of WX1. It is folded inside the body, which is nice, but it's a 4x f3.5-4.6 35-140mm-equivalent lens; the WX1 has a 5x f2.4-7.1 24-120mm-equivalent lens. At f2.4 you'll get a lot more light in, further improving its performance in dim lighting. Plus, 24mm is considerably wider than 35mm. You'll have to decide what's more important--portability and a flashy design and interface or shooting flexibility and $30.

The TX1 camera will come in silver, gray, pink, and blue this September for about $380. The WX1 camera will be available in black this October for about $350.

Sony Cyber-shot DSC-TX1 photos

Sony Cyber-shot DSC-WX1 photos

The Los Angeles Auto Show wraps up this weekend. I drove down to the Los Angeles Convention Center last week to check out the new BMW M3--which I hope to buy next year--and get a look at all the other new cars debuting there.

There were two clear trends at the show: higher performance and increased environmental sensitivity. The best new vehicles show improvements in both areas.

The 2008 BMW M3 sedan

(Credit: BMW AG)

The new M3, for example, delivers 24% more power (414 hp!) from its new four-liter V8 along with 8% better gas mileage, along with more interior room than its predecessor and many new features. I had the previous version, a 2002 model, and it was a great car.

Now that the new M3 is available as a four-door sedan, I hope I'll be able to get one next year. The M3 will go on sale in the spring, but for me, there's another issue: I want to get the car through BMW's European Delivery program, which I used for my M3 as well as the 1999 540i that I still drive.

I think European Delivery is the best way to get a BMW--or an Audi, Mercedes, Porsche, Saab, Volvo, or other car available through such a program. There's a special reason to get pick up your new BMW in Munich around the beginning of August--the annual driving school at Germany's Nürburgring racetrack. The school is operated by independent European BMW car clubs, with American participation coordinated through the BMW Car Club of America. I attended this school with my M3 in 2002, and it was just incredible-- the most fun I've ever had in a car. BMW, however, doesn't always offer the European Delivery option on recently introduced models, so I'll just keep my fingers crossed.

The new M3 will sell on the strength of that 17% power increase more than the 8% boost in fuel efficiency. For real fuel economy, we have to look beyond traditional gasoline engines. General Motors, eager to regain the position of sales leadership it lost to Toyota earlier this year, was showing off a wide range of hybrid-powered vehicles, more models capable of running on E85 (blended ethanol/gasoline), and two kinds of electric-powered cars.

The Chevy Volt concept sedan

(Credit: General Motors)

One of GM's "electric cars" is the Volt concept sedan--which is actually a new type of hybrid. Power is delivered to the wheels exclusively by an electric motor, but the car carries a small internal-combustion engine or hydrogen fuel cell to charge the batteries when needed. This configuration is called a "series hybrid" as opposed to the "parallel hybrid" approach used in Toyota's Prius, where drive power can be provided by an electric motor, a gasoline engine, or both together. The Volt has a much larger battery pack than the Prius, allowing a 40-mile driving range between battery charges, so most commuters can charge the vehicle from AC power overnight and never use the car's engine or fuel cell. GM promises to bring out a production version of Volt by 2010.

GM also showed its Equinox hydrogen fuel-cell car in L.A., a true all-electric design. Although the Equinox design is unlikely to go into production in the next several years due to the lack of hydrogen-fuel infrastructure, GM's Project Driveway will test Equinox in several markets nationwide.

Honda's FCX Clarity fuel-cell car

(Credit: Honda)

Honda will be testing its own fuel-cell car, the FCX Clarity, in 2008.

Honda also has a plan to solve (or at least address) the infrastructure issue by developing a hydrogen generator that can be used at home. The experimental Home Energy Station reforms natural gas into hydrogen, like the system from UTC Power that I wrote about here back in August.

Honda's system can also be used to provide heat and electricity for the home where it's installed. This approach is probably the best hope for hydrogen-powered vehicles in the next 10 to 20 years, since the infrastructure problem would otherwise be very expensive to solve.

Porsche was showing a hybrid drivetrain under development for the Cayenne SUV, which may be the same design Porsche is rumored to be considering for its forthcoming Panamera sedan--I blogged about this rumor in August.

Porsche Cayenne hybrid concept

(Credit: CNET Networks)

The hybrid Cayenne on display in L.A.--the same shown in this CNET photo gallery--was the first I've seen in person that combines the gas engine and electric motor into one assembly--the so-called "integrated starter alternator" design I described in that blog post. The result is a hybrid drivetrain barely any larger than a conventional gas engine. (Batteries not included.)

This type of design is more suitable for high-power vehicles since it works with a gasoline or diesel engine of any size, and offers better parts commonality with traditionally powered vehicles than other hybrid approaches. The engine, motor, and battery pack can all be scaled independently to achieve a desired balance of performance, efficiency, and range.

Incidentally, Porsche was also showing a 107-year-old electric car known as the "Voiturette System Lohner-Porsche" developed by Ferdinand Porsche, father of the founder of the Porsche company. This car was the predecessor of a true gas-electric hybrid developed later in 1900 by adding a pair of gasoline engines and electric generators to drive the car's electric wheel-hub motors.

Saving the planet is all very well and good, but we might as well have fun while we can. I was more interested in the 2008 Porsche 911 GT2, which I would have to say is the best sports car available for under $200,000. Aww, heck, I think it's the best sports car available for under $500,000, too. But if you want to go faster than the GT2's nominal 204 mph top end, there were plenty of options for you at the L.A. Auto Show. One company-- the revived Vector Motors-- was even projecting a 300+ mph top speed for its new WX8 supercar, courtesy of a 2,000-hp engine the company has yet to build. At least that was Jalopnik's take; Autoblog only got the company to promise an 1,850-hp, 275-mph version. Personally, I thought the WX8 looked rough and unfinished.

The Lamborghini Reventón

(Credit: Lamborghini)

At the other end of the supercar spectrum was Lamborghini's Reventón. Priced at $1.4 million, only 20 of these cars will be built. It's based on the same mechanical platform as the company's LP640--a 640-hp V12 engine and all-wheel drive delivering a 0-100 kph (0-62 mph) time of 3.4 seconds and a top speed over 211 mph--but over a million dollars more expensive than that model. Admittedly, it has a dramatic new design both inside and out, but it seems to me that the Reventón isn't so much a new model of Lamborghini as it is a test of the company's most loyal customers.

Oh, I'd like to give special recognition to Aston Martin, which distributed its press kit for the show in the form of a hardcover book, not the usual folded cardstock portfolios with loose-leaf press releases handed out by other makers. Wow.

Palm

(Credit: Palm)

Doh! Palm has pulled its software updates for the Verizon Wireless Treo 700p and Treo 700w/700wx after numerous customer complaints about connectivity issues. A statement on Palm's Web site says the update was taken down "... as a result of increasing customer reports of network connectivity issues following the updates. We are currently investigating the issue and will re-post as soon as they become available. The reported error displays 'Error 3000 - Data network is not available' when attempting to connect to the data network. This error does not affect your device or personal data in any other way. Thank you for your patience."

No word on when Palm will issue a new patch, but affected customers should contact Verizon immediately for a fix. I'm curious, has anyone run into this problem?

[Source: Brighthand]

Palm Treo 700wx

(Credit: CNET Networks)

It's not the Windows Mobile 6 software upgrade that some of you may be pining for, but Palm has released updates for the Verizon Wireless Treo 700w and Treo 700wx smart phones. The updater for the 700w brings support for dial-up networking (DUN), the A2DP Bluetooth profile for stereo Bluetooth headsets, Today screen enhancements, new dialing preferences, and additional compatibility with Bluetooth car kits. Sadly, Treo 700wx owners don't get as many perks, but you do get A2DP support, DUN improvements, and more daylight saving time features. Both updates are available now for download from Palm's support Web site.

(Credit: CNET Networks)

Here at the 2007 New York auto show, we just got a demo of the next in-car offering from XM Satellite Radio: XM WX real-time weather service. As we reported last year, XM is planning to bring the WX service (originally designed for nautical and aviation use) to aftermarket devices this summer with the release of the Bushnell ONIX 400 handheld GPS device. According to XM reps, the same technology is about a year away from being integrated into in-car navigation systems in much the same way as XM's NavTraffic real-time traffic service.

XM WX makes use of a data feed from Weatherworks, a company that provides TV stations with the info they need for their own weather forecasts. The weather information, which is overlaid onto GPS maps in 7-kilometer grids, is updated every 30 seconds. As well as information on real-time weather conditions, XM WX can be used to call up weather forecasts for up to a week ahead. The service will be offered for a price similar to that of XM NavTraffic, which means an approximate $4 monthly premium on the standard XM Satellite Radio subscription fee of $12.95 per month.

Palm Treo 700wx

(Credit: CNET Networks)

Boy, are Palm Treo 700w owners going to be miffed. Today, Verizon Wireless and Palm announced the availability of the Palm Treo 700wx, which is almost identical to its predecessor except for one key difference: it ups the 700w's paltry 32MB of RAM to 64MB, clearing the way for snappier performance. Aside from the increased memory, there aren't any major differences or upgrades (ahem, Windows Mobile 6) from the Treo 700w or Sprint's version of the 700wx. The Windows Mobile 5 smart phone has push e-mail capabilities, EV-DO support, a 1.3-megapixel camera, and Bluetooth. The Palm Treo 700wx is available now for $399.99 with a two-year contract and after rebates.