Upcoming CAR in 2011-Chevrolet Orlando

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When: June 2011
How Much: Rs 10 lakh approx
General Motors introduced the Orlando, a concept MPV, at the Paris Motor Show, 2008; the production version of the MPV was showcased at the 2010 Paris Auto Show and reports say that it will commence sales in early 2011. The concept version was a seven seater affair and possessed a crossover like build. The Orlando shares the same platform of Chevrolet Cruze.
If media reports are to be believed, the Chevrolet Orlando is supposed to replace Chevrolet Tavera. After discontinuing the Tavera in most of the BS III cities, there remains a void from Chevrolet side. The Orlando will be competing with the likes of Toyota Innova, Mahindra Xylo and other India bound mini MPV like Maruti R3, Nissan NV200, Hyundai ic25 and Ford B-Max. This yet-to-be launched Chevrolet MPV would be loaded with a 1.8 litre petrol mill and a 2.0 litre diesel powertrain. The 1.8 litre petrol engine is expected to produce a top power of 141 bhp while the 2.0 litre diesel engine would churn out maximum power of 131 bhp via either a 4 speed automatic, 5 speed or 6 speed automatic gearboxes.

Upcoming CAR in 2011-Volkswagen Golf

When: May 2011
How Much: Rs 8.5 lakh
There are a good number of engines and trims of the popular Volkswagen Golf world over, but in India the most anticipated variant is Volkswagen Golf GTD. This model of the Golf is powered by a 2.0 litre, TDI powertrain that churns out a top power of 170 hp at 4,200 rpm and a peak torque of 350 Nm between 1,750 and 2,500 rpm. The hatchback comes with standard six speed manual transmission while you can opt for an automatic 6 speed gearbox as well. The stylish four wheeler covers 0-100 kmph in 8.1 seconds, you can speed it up to 220 kmph.

Upcoming CAR in 2011-Nissan Qashqai

When: May 2011
How Much: Rs 21 lakh onwards
The Nissan Qashqai has seen a lot of makeovers in the recent past and it is now available in both petrol and diesel engine options in overseas market; both have two variants each. The diesel engine range comprises of of 1.5 dCi and 2.0 dCi while the petrol variants are powered by a 1.6 litre and a 2.0 litre engines. One can also get a 4X4 drive top end variant with both the engines. The company had launched a larger seating capacity variant of Nissan Qashqai globally that is christened 'Qashqai+2' and has a 7 seater option while the older version is only a five seater.

Upcoming CAR in 2011-Ford Mondeo

When: April 2011
How Much: Rs 14 lakh onwards
Global Automotive company Ford Motors has decided to re-launch Ford Mondeo which was released in India in 2002. The new Mondeo is looking to compete with the likes of the Accord, Sonata & Camry.
The Mondeo will be packed with a powerful 1999cc, 16 V Duratec engine in petrol with refined sequential Electronic Fuel Injection System that has the competency to offer a spectacular performance on any road condition. It has the calibre to generate the utmost power & torque of 142.7 PS at 6000rpm & 185Nm at 4500rpm respectively.

Upcoming CAR in 2011-Chevrolet Corvette

When: April 2011
How Much: Rs 50 lakh approx
The 2011 Chevrolet Corvette that will be introduced in India will be based on the upgraded model from 2008, where improvements were made to the exterior styling, interior design and engine specifications.
The 2011 Chevrolet Corvette is one of the fastest sports cars around and packs a mammoth 6.2 liter, V8 engine under its hood. The V8 powertrain uses some of the most advanced technologies in an engine that allows it to produce a maximum power of 430 horsepower and impressive 424 Nm torque. The Chevrolet Corvette is mated to a 6-speed manual and also comes with the option of a 6-speed automatic gearbox that does all the work of the driver and in my opinion is the less fun version to drive. There is a dual exhaust system available with the Chevrolet Corvette that gives it an increased power of 436 horsepower as well as improved torque of 428 Nm.

Forget search engines, try the new 'answer engines'

The "answer engine" breaks new ground by giving direct answers to questions.

Forget search engines, try the new 'answer engines'
Computer wizards have claimed that by using a 'cutting-edge' technology they have created a clever website that gives direct answers to direct questions.
According to creators, "trueknowledge.com" site is an Internet "answer engine" which breaks new ground by giving direct answers to questions.
Co-founder William Tunstall-Pedoe, who is based in Cambridge, said the website is a "phone-a-friend" on the Internet which can answer "trillions" of questions.
"What's new is that it is a website which answers the question," the Daily Mail quoted Tunstall-Pedoe as saying.
"It doesn't give you references to articles mentioning the words in the question. It gives you the answer. Ask it when Bob Dylan's birthday is and it will simply tell you. And it if doesn't know the answer it will say it doesn't know.
"It doesn't know everything but as we input more information it will know more and more."
"It's cutting-edge use of computers. It uses unique semantic technology, which has been many years in development.
"It understands user questions, represents knowledge in a way that the system can understand and process and can combine existing knowledge to infer new facts and answer questions it has never seen before.
"Powering the platform is also a database of facts: a unified representation of the world's knowledge containing factual, common sense and lexical knowledge.
"We can already answer trillions of questions and as this knowledge base grows, we understand and answer more and more," he added.

World's smallest computer system

A computer that can fit into your eyes

 Scientists have created what they claim is the world's smallest computer system that is just one square millimetre in size and can fit into ones eyeball.

Developed by a team of scientists, the unnamed tiny device is just one square millimetre in size but packs a hefty punch, containing an ultra low-power microprocessor, a pressure sensor, memory and a thin film battery.

Developed by a team at the University of Michigan, the unnamed tiny device is a pressure monitor that can be implanted in a person's eye to treat glaucoma. It may be just one square millimetre in size but packs a hefty punch, containing an ultra low-power microprocessor, a pressure sensor, memory and a thin film battery, the Daily Mail reported.
It also has a solar cell and a wireless radio with an antenna that can transmit data to an external reader device, the researchers said. The device is already being touted as the future of the computing industry, although it needs several more years to be commercially available.
Its creators, Professors Dennis Sylvester, David Blaauw and David Wentzloff, claim that as the radio of the device needs no tuning to find the right frequency it could link to a wireless network of computers. A network of such units could one day track pollution, monitor structural integrity, perform surveillance, or make virtually any object smart and trackable, the scientists said.
Prof Sylvester said: "When you get smaller than hand-held devices, you turn to these monitoring devices. The next big challenge is to achieve millimetre-scale systems, which have a host of new applications for monitoring our bodies, our environment and our buildings. Because they're so small, you could manufacture hundreds of thousands on one wafer. There could be tens to hundreds of them per person and its this per capita increase that fuels the semi-conductor industry's growth. Currently, the system is a pressure monitor designed to be implanted in the eye to continuously track the progress of glaucoma, a potentially blinding disease."
The processor in the eye pressure monitor is the third generation of the researchers Phoenix chip, which uses a unique design and an extreme sleep mode to achieve ultra-low power consumption. The newest system wakes every 15 minutes to take measurements and consumes an average of 5.3 nanowatts. To keep the battery charged, it requires exposure to 10 hours of indoor light each day or 1.5 hours of sunlight.
It can store up to a week's worth of information. While this system is miniscule and complete, its radio doesn't equip it to talk to other similar devices, which is an important feature for any system targeted towards wireless sensor networks.