| BizBits: sQuba
OK, so the Swiss have invented a car that runs on land and underwater. But did they really have to make it a convertible? It’s called the “sQuba,” and conjures up memories of James Bond’s amphibious Lotus Esprit from “The Spy Who Loved Me.” That fictional vehicle traveled on land and, when chased by bad guys in a helicopter, plunged into the water and became an airtight submarine — complete with “torpedoes” and “depth charges.” But “Q” isn’t responsible for this one. The concept car — which unlike Bond’s is not armed — was developed by Swiss designer Rinspeed Inc. and is set to make a splash at the Geneva Auto Show next month. Company CEO Frank Rinderknecht, a self-professed Bond fan, said he has been waiting 30 years to recreate the car he saw Roger Moore use to drive off of a dock.
Avistar Adds Desktop Videoconferencing to IBM Lotus Sametime for ...
SAN MATEO, Calif., Jan. 17 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Avistar Communications Corporation , has announced that Colgate-Palmolive Company, a multinational consumer products company, will deploy its desktop videoconferencing technology integrated with Lotus Sametime. Beginning with an initial installation this month, Colgate-Palmolive's aim is to benefit from the most innovative and effective combination of collaboration tools available for the corporate environment. Colgate-Palmolive recognizes the value that Avistar desktop videoconferencing adds to unified communications, by improving communication, fostering collaboration, and reducing travel expenditures, with their associated carbon emissions.
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Electric sports car to be ready for 2009
Santa Rosa, California - The US electric car manufacturer ZAP has announced that it is planning to produce by 2009 an electric sports car for under 30,000 dollars. The two-seater Zap Alias is said to have a top speed of over 250 km/h with two in-wheel engines producing an output of 320 hp. The range is listed at over 160 kilometres. Acceleration from zero to 100 km/h is in six seconds. Two wheels are positioned in the front with one at the rear. The British sports car maker Lotus Engineering is working with ZAP on the Alias. It is also helping Tesla to build an electric Roadster, which is set to begin production in March this year at the Lotus factory in England with a price tag of under 100,000 dollars. According to ZAP, the idea of the Alias is to bring an affordable, highway-capable electric vehicle onto the market to capitalise on the growing interest in clean energy cars.
Super Techies: Mitch Kapor
In this Super Techies interview, software veteran Mitch Kapor talks with ZDNet Editor in Chief Dan Farber about his career as a tech entrepreneur. Kapor discusses his early work at Lotus Development, creating the most ubiquitous business tool of its time; sparring with tech titans Bill Gates and Steve Jobs;... Share this... del.icio.us Digg Reddit Slashdot StumbleUpon URL: Embed on your site: .
Inventor has your back, ergonomically
There's nothing comfy-looking about the deep-red, $70,060 Lotus sports car in the showroom at Overseas Motors on Northwest Highway. But once you feed yourself into the low-slung auto's cockpit, you discover that the driver's seat is comfortable – in a snuggly, form-fitting way. Its upright positioning sets your sight lines to give you that road-commanding feel. Happily for the rest of the motoring public, that's as far as my test drive got. Donna Jackson, the Dallas woman who invented the seat for the British sports car maker, says it's also therapeutic. .
Kia Sephia Fender: Delivering Style and Performance
When the Korean automaker Kia introduced the first Sephia in the US in 1994, the brands main focus was on creating an economical option for the American market. With the combination of a low base price, high fuel economy, and commendable handling, the Kia Sephia entered the car scene as an ideal product for city commuters. However, its practicality has been unable to escape certain negative observations and feedbacks. Indeed, some have criticized the Sephias noise at high speed, its easily wounded plastic interior, not to mention its frail exterior that surprisingly wears out fast.
As answer to these grumblings, Kia gradually but efficiently overhauled and improved the Sephia model. In doing this, Kia partnered with the best technological firms. Those included Lotus Engineering of England and Getrag of Germany.
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