We already knew about Samsung’s grand plans for expanding its display production in 2011, but now we also have a number to give us a sense of scale: 30 million. That’s how many screens the new Mobile Display fab (set to go live in July) will be able to churn out in a month, a vastly superior rate than the current 3 million maximum. Lee Woo-Jong, the display business’ marketing VP, tells us its estimates for AMOLED market demand have been revised upwards to 700 million units in 2015, with the new facility obviously being the key cog in making that growth happen. Intriguingly, he also notes that Super AMOLED — one of the big attractions of the Galaxy S line of Samsung phones — is not exclusive to Samsung’s electronics arm, everyone can apparently use it. That directly contradicts what we heard from Sammy’s mobile reps, but then this is hardly the first time that one part of Samsung doesn’t know what the other is doing. Still, it’s nice to at least dream of a S-AMOLED HTC HD7, no?

Filed under: Etc.

Kelley Blue Book has been arming car buyers and sellers with vehicle pricing information since 1926, but the Financial Times claims that the privately owned company is looking to sell, with wo sources familiar with the matter saying KBB has hired a bank to handle the sale.

Interested in buying? Plan to have somewhere in the neighborhood of $500 million to $1 billion on hand. You’ll also likely have to bid against some of the industry’s heaviest hitters. One of the news-leaking bankers tabs AutoTrader as the lead bidder, with both eBay and Google likely to be in the fold. Since nobody from KBB is commenting on the record, we don’t know why the company is selling, but the KBB.com website has experienced a decline in traffic from nine million visits per month to about seven million over the past three years. KBB is family owned, though no members of the Kelley family currently work in executive management at the company.

[Source: Financial Times]

For demanding gamers, initial excitement upon procuring a Nintendo Wii was quickly dampened by disappointment: the durned Wiimote wasn’t nearly as precise as we’d all hoped it would be. It took a couple of years for Nintendo to step up and fix the issue, releasing the MotionPlus and finally making the Wiimote work for sword-fighting games and the like. But, that left us all stuck with a dongle hanging off the bottom, causing compatibility issues with many early peripherals. The Nyko Wand+ is the solution, putting the MotionPlus right inside a stock-size controller, as it should have been in the first place. In some ways, it’s better than first-party.

Continue reading Nyko Wand+ review

Filed under: Concept Cars, Sedan, Videos, Paris Motor Show, Mazda

We’re going to go ahead and say it: of all of the companies out there, few demonstrate a command of the concept car quite like Mazda. While most manufacturers seem to be eschewing the concept in favor of thinly-veiled production vehicles, Mazda continues to tantalize the imaginations of onlookers with cars like the Furai. Now, it looks like the company is planning to turn away from its somewhat controversial (read: smiley) Nagare design language in favor of a new theme. Mazda is calling it Kodo, meaning ’soul of motion,’ and if the Shanari Concept is any indication of what we can expect from future models, we’re sold.

Mazda has just rolled out a couple of videos that show off the company’s new look. The first features a CG Shanari rolling through crowded city streets, tunnels and the rolling tarmac of what we assume to be the Japanese countryside. The second gives us an idea of what a Kodo-fied Mazda3 might look like. Hit the jump for a quick look see.

[Source: Mazda via YouTube]

Continue reading Video: Mazda Shinari concept and Kodo-fied Mazda3 make the scene

Remember when a 1.4GHz processor was deemed the world’s fastest? Man, that was ages ago. Recently, IBM has laid claim to that very record, with its 5.2GHz z196 processor being the focal point. Of course, we’ve seen a number of consumer chips hum along at speeds well beyond that (thanks to sophisticated cooling systems, of course), but this here enterprise chip does it without any liquid nitrogen-based assistance. It’s a four-core slab that was manufactured using the outfit’s 45 nanometer technology, boasting 1.4 billion transistors and the ability to handle more than 50 billion instructions per second. Interestingly, Fujitsu’s Venus CPU is said to handle a staggering 128 billion calculations per second, so we’re guessing that IBM won’t be snagging this crown without any debate from the competition. At any rate, there’s a very convincing video waiting for you after the break, and no, you won’t find this thing in your next Alienware anytime soon.

Continue reading IBM claims world’s fastest processor with 5.2GHz z196

I’ve always assumed that the Transformers films were more painful to watch than to make, but apparently that may not be the case. CBS 2 Chicago is reporting that an extra on the set of Transformers 3 was seriously injured during a stunt on the film’s Indiana set last night. Gabriela Cedillo – a 24 year-old Chicago resident – had to be airlifted to a nearby hospital after an object pierced the windshield of the car she was driving and struck her in the head. The car – Cedillo’s personal 2006 Toyota – slammed into the road’s median barrier after impact and then scraped along the concrete divide for almost a mile before finally coming to a stop.

The strange part of all of this is not that another person was injured during a Michael Bay shoot (his dialogue scenes tend to feature more explosions than some small wars), but that Cedillo is supposedly not a member of the production’s stunt crew. The CBS report suggests that she was merely an extra, but why would an extra be participating in a vehicular stunt scene, and driving her own car no less? The accident was serious enough to shutter production for the day, but thus neither Bay nor Paramount have offered any comment (if Cedillo were a puppy, Bay would no doubt already be on the warpath.

Filed under: Celebrities and Controversy

Continue reading ‘Transformers 3′ Extra Hurt and in Critical Condition

Filed under: Aftermarket, SEMA Show, Hybrid, Performance, Hatchback, Honda

Nearly one year later, we’re still digging the idea behind Meguiar’s Wraptivo system. For under $2,000 you can design and have a professional installer wrap your car in vinyl, complete with custom graphics and textures. And to drum up more interest in the program after its debut at last year’s SEMA show, Meguiar’s has picked up a 2011 Honda CR-Z and enlisted the tuning talents of RJ De Vera and rendering artist Jon Sibal to show what it has planned for the 2010 show.

Naturally, the CR-Z Type-F Concept is focused on the matte black and ‘carbon fiber’ wrap, but the real party pieces are underneath the vinyl.

A supercharger will be fitted to the anemic 1.5-liter four-pot, with a custom exhaust system and a Hondata ECU used to extract maximum power. Accessories from Honda’s performance line will join a Tein suspension, HKS components and some Volk TE37 wheels, while the inside will benefit from a pair of Recaro buckets, Alcantara trim and a new shift knob. And while it might be easy to dismiss the Type-F (which apparently stands for ‘Fun’) as a SEMA show queen, Meguiar’s plans to enter it in Source Interlink’s annual Super Lap Battle the week after the show. Get all the details in the press release after the jump and check out Sibal’s high-res rendering above.

[Sources: Jon Sibal, Motorworldhype]

Continue reading SEMA Preview: Wraptivo Honda CR-Z Type-F

Skype’s Windows client is showing a bit of ambition today as its latest beta version now boasts a mighty 10-way video calling implementation. The earlier v5.0 beta threw up five-way vidchat, but it’d seem Skype kept its software engineers working through the summer and now we’ve got double the visual fun. Which would be awesome if we actually had nine other people we cared to see while talking to them. This update also brings a UI makeover, your typical stability and call quality improvements, and a neat automated call recovery feature. Download away, if you must.

Filed under: By the Numbers

Luxury marques gain ground while volume brands suffer

Just like any spending spree, there are consequences. And for the second straight month, the automakers that benefited most from Cash For Clunkers have seen their sales figures fall through the floor compared to August of last year. The program officially ended August 24, 2009, and if you take a look at the chart below, the brands with inexpensive, fuel efficient rides suffered the most last month.

On the upside, luxury marques like Cadillac, Jaguar, Porsche, Infiniti and Acura were going gangbusters compared to August of 2009, which could be further proof that America’s high-rollers are either confident the recession is over or – more likely – were less affected by the downturn than us peons. No matter. When it’s bust for some, it’s boom for others, and this month’s sales figures speak for themselves.

Note: Volvo hasn’t released monthly sales figures yet, so when the Swede’s new owners at Geely get their act together and send out the numbers, we’ll update the chart.

*Brands and companies are displayed in descending order according to their percentage change in volume sales. There were 25 selling days in August 2010 versus 26 selling days in August 2009, so the change in monthly sales volume will be different than the change average daily sales rate (DSR) for each brand/company.

Filed under: Spy Photos, Coupe, Subaru

We’ve read many reports lately having to do with Toyota’s FT-86 rear-wheel drive sports coupe, but we mustn’t forget that Subaru will be getting its own version of this new two-door – it is a joint venture, after all. Our spies have captured this obviously Subaru-bodied mule out testing in Death Valley, showing that things are still on track for the ‘Toyobaru’ to come to market in the near future.

Details are still very slim on what Subaru’s version of the FT-86 will offer, and contrary to the brand’s image, the new coupe may not be available with all-wheel drive. If that’s the case, Subaru will have to offer a lot more in the way of styling (and perhaps power) to differentiate it from its Toyota sister. This latest prototype has sprouted a hood scoop not seen on earlier test cars, suggesting that a top-mount intercooler could be underhood, though it’s also possible that this is just the result of some WRX/STI parts being used for camouflage purposes.

Toyota is expected to launch its version of the FT-86 in November of 2011, so keep your fingers crossed for Subaru’s version to drop around the same time. For now, see a glimpse of what’s to come in our high-res gallery of spy shots below.

[Source: KGP Photography]