activation

Simple scheduler

It's not always easy to keep up with the activities of everyone in the household, and traditional calendars can quickly become cluttered and hard to read when multiple people are using them to manage their schedules. Activity Scheduler 2008 is a basic program that lets users create and view calendars for multiple people or purposes. It's nothing fancy, but it might be just what you need to keep track of all your goings-on.

The program's interface is plain and easy to navigate. The bulk of it is taken up by the calendar itself, which can be viewed … Read more

BMW ActiveE home charging supplier also powers Leaf, Volt

To power its upcoming test fleet of electric vehicles, BMW announced AeroVironment as the preferred supplier and installer for the ActiveE's 240-volt home charging dock.

Based on the 1-Series, the BMW ActiveE has a 32-kWh lithium ion battery pack that provides a 100-mile range. The AeroVironment EVSE-RS charging station uses the industry standard SAE J1772 connector to deliver approximately 25 miles of driving range per hour of charging time. Using the EVSE-RS charger, a completely drained battery can be fully recharged in 4 to 5 hours.

BMWs aren't the only electric cars the EVSE-RS can charge--AeroVironment's weather-proof … Read more

Shipment stats for 3D TVs jump out at researchers

More 3D TVs than ever are going to be flying toward consumers this year, according to analysts at IHS iSuppli.

With lower prices, and with TV makers pushing 3D harder than ever, shipments of 3D sets are likely to jump by 463 percent this year to hit 23.4 million units from just 4.2 million last year, IHS iSuppli said. Eyeing the years ahead, shipments will climb by 132 percent in 2012 to reach 54.2 million. By 2014, consumers will be facing more than 100 million 3D TVs, followed by 159.2 million in 2015.

Last year, many … Read more

2012 Mazda3 reaches 40 mpg with SkyActiv tech

At the 2011 New York auto show, Mazda unveiled the revised and slightly reshaped Mazda3. You'd have to do a double take to spot any of the subtle cosmetic differences between the new 2012 model and the outgoing 2011, but pop the hood and you you'll find yourself staring at an entirely new drive train. Actually, you'll find yourself staring at a bright blue cosmetic engine cover, but beneath that is an all new drive train that uses Mazda's SkyActiv efficiency technologies.

Starting with the power plant, the 2.0-liter SkyActiv-G engine uses gasoline direct injection … Read more

BMW's first EV revealed at NY auto show

BMW unveiled its production version of the ActiveE electric vehicle at the 2011 New York International Auto show. The carmaker plans to ship 700 EVs to the U.S. for long-term customer testing this fall. Priced at $499 per month with a $2,250 down payment for a 24-month lease, the BMW ActiveE is one of the more affordable BMWs on the market. The trade-off, of course, is its limited range.

The BMW ActiveE is being billed by the company as a no-compromise electric vehicle. A zero tailpipe emissions vehicle theoretically means zero guilt, and yet you still get the … Read more

Samsung 3D TVs to include two pairs of glasses, additional pairs drop to $50 each

Update June 29, 2011: Samsung has a new offer with more caveats that applies to people who purchased TVs June 28th and later.

Update May 19, 2011: Samsung has issued the statement referenced below and set up a web site for customers who bought qualifying TVs to receive their free glasses.

Update May 11, 2011: Since this blog post published we have received reader mail and comments from customers who said that, despite purchasing a qualifying TV after the date(s) below, they did not receive 3D glasses. We brought these complaints to Samsung, and today were told the following … Read more

CNET Car Tech: 2011 BMW 750i Active Hybrid

Remember when hybrids were humble little cars, like the hunchback Prius? Well, hybridization has certainly jumped the shark when ponderous BMW 7 Series arrives in our garage with an electric motor buried in its power train. Yes, it is a technically marvelous machine, but does it really accomplish anything truly desirable? Or is this, as they say, a "halo product"? Brian Cooley takes you for a drive to check the tech.

(CNET's full review of the BMW 7 Hybrid names it an Editors' Choice.)

Jaw-dropping timeline vid shows Android growth

Whenever Steve Jobs is onstage, he can't help himself. "We've activated another 20 trillion iPhones," he says from above his polo neck. "iPhone is the most popular smartphone in the galaxy. IN ANY GALAXY." We're sure he's right, but once in a while it's refreshing to see a different view. This video shows the roaring success of Android by mapping global activations over the past three years, from October 2008 to January 2011--and it's mind-blowing.

We're still bowled over that Android has managed to grab as big a share as it has. After all, it's really geeky. That said, it's no accident that the two most significant events in the life of Android have been the Droid and Galaxy S launches--two enormous marketing campaigns.

Read more of "Android growth illustrated in jaw-dropping activation timeline video," and watch the vid, at Crave UK. … Read more

Unexpectedly low Disk Activity in Activity Monitor

When you view the "Disk Activity" section in Activity Monitor, you can see the read and write speeds of the system's hard disks both in current values and in a small history graph. Some people have wondered if current SATA II hard drives included in modern Macs have 300 MB/sec transfer rates, then why when using them the drives only transfer at around 25-35MB/sec, even when copying large files.

The 300MB/sec transfer rate for SATA II drives is in actuality the maximum speed of the SATA bus, and not the true speed of the … Read more

Quick Take: Vizio XVT3D4SV series

Although CNET did not review the Vizio XVT3D4SV series, we did review the XVT3SV series.

Comparing the two on Vizio's Web site, it seems the main difference is that the XVT3D4SV is 3D-compatible, meaning it can play 3D video programming when watched through optional active shutter glasses. Vizio sells the glasses, model VSG-102, in a two-pack for about $200.

The XVT3D4SV is Vizio's only series to use active 3D technology rather than the passive method used by the XVT3D650SV and forthcoming 2011 Vizio models like the XVT3D5 series. See CNET's 3D TV FAQ for more information.

The … Read more