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And it begins: back-to-school season. Even though some students are still embroiled in finals, and even though Intel has yet to formally launch Haswell, the next few weeks will see multiple PC makers unveiling their summer lineups. First up: Sony. The company just introduced some new mainstream notebooks, dubbed the "Fit" family. These laptops, which replace the current E series and most of the T line, include the lower-end Fit 14E / Fit 15E, which are made of plastic, and the Fit 14 / Fit 15, which step up to a thinner aluminum chassis and optional SSDs. Either way, Sony is standardizing on certain specs across its entire summer lineup, including 1080p displays, backlit keyboards, NFC and Exmor R webcams for better low-light images. We've just spent a week testing the Fit 15, which will be available later this month for $700 and up. (The rest of the Fit line starts as low as $550.) Head past the break to see if it's worth a closer look once it hits store shelves.
At some point -- we're not sure when -- Sony's naming scheme for laptops got confusing. There was the C series and the E series. The S, T, Z and even the F (RIP). Fortunately, Sony's been working to clear things up: its first Windows 8 products all had descriptive names like "Duo" or "Tap." Now, it's streamlining its mainstream notebooks too. The company just unveiled some redesigned models for back-to-school season, and they're all named 'Fit.' As the replacement to the entry-level E series and most of the T line, the Fit family includes both lower-end models (the Fit 14E / Fit 15E) and premium ones (the Fit 14 / Fit 15). They'll be available this month, starting at $550 and going all the way up to $2,210, depending on how many upgrades you check off during the configuration process.
Regardless, there are certain specs you'll find across the board - not just on the Fit machines, mind you, but on every Sony PC announced this season. These include NFC, backlit keyboards and webcams with Sony's Exmor R imaging tech for better low-light performance. They'll all have 1080p screens, too, with the exception of the 14-inch Fits, which start at 1,600 x 900. Both the Fit and Fit E will be offered with optional NVIDIA GT 740M GPUs (1GB or 2GB), touchscreens, optical drives and a choice of Core i3, i5 and i7 processors (Ivy Bridge for now). Ultimately, then, the difference between the two comes down to build quality: the Fit E is made of plastic, whereas the Fit has a thinner aluminum chassis, with the fans hidden above the keyboard, and a lid that covers the hinge. Also, the Fit will be offered with SSDs, with hybrid drives being the base option; the Fit E comes standard with a regular HDD and can be upgraded to a hybrid drive. And in any event, all of these laptops will be available later this month. For now, check out the press shots below for a closer look.
Spring is here, which means it's high time that Sony refreshed its laptop line for the cool kids in Japan. The company is talking up a quartet of new VAIOs including the previously-reviewed Duo 11 as well as the unfamiliar trio of the VAIO Fit 15E, Fit 14 and Fit 15. Delving deep into that last model, the 22.5mm-thick unit comes with a 1,920 x 1,080 touchscreen display and runs the 64-bit version of Windows 8 on a 2GHz Intel Core i7-3537U CPU. Look deeper and you'll find 8GB RAM, Intel HD Graphics 4000, 1TB of hybrid storage as well as 802.11 b/g/n WiFi, NFC and an Exmor R webcam. The various models will filter into Japanese stores between May 18th and June 1st, with the stock Fit 15 setting you back 180,000 yen ($1,818).
Filed under: Sony
Source: Sony Japan (Translated)
Honda's hybrid cars just haven't achieved the same cachet as Toyota's without a poster child like the Prius to drive demand. Nonetheless, the automaker has something to crow about with word that it has sold over a million hybrids worldwide as of the end of September. The milestone comes almost 13 years after the first Japan-bound Insight changed hands in November 1999, and after a significant expansion that includes more specialized cars like the CR-Z coupe you see here. Americans represent almost a third of the total at 318,000 vehicles that are split mostly between the Insight and the Civic Hybrid. Hitting seven digits gives Honda some eco-friendly credibility in a crowded field, although the firm might not want to brag too loudly: Toyota has sold four times as many to date and expects to sell one million hybrids just in 2012.
Continue reading Honda sells its millionth hybrid, sits in Toyota's rear-view mirror for now
Filed under: Transportation
Honda sells its millionth hybrid, sits in Toyota's rear-view mirror for now originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 16 Oct 2012 01:16:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Honda has handed over the keys for its first 118 MPGe Fit EV to Californians Matt and Becky Walton -- although they'll have to hand 'em back in a few years. The delivery kicks off a rollout starting in California and Oregon that will eventually reach the east coast by 2013. You can't call the couple owners, as Honda is leasing the EV for $389 per month, but should it ever go on sale, it would cost around $37,000. Packing a 20-kWh lithium-ion battery, the Fit has a range of 123 miles in the city or 76 miles combined city/highway and takes as little as three hours to re-juice with a sufficiently capable charger. Only 1,100 will be leased stateside, so if you've been dreaming of an electric Honda in your garage, you may want to check the PR quickly -- if it's not already too late.
Continue reading Honda serves up first Fit EV to California couple, no gasoline aftertaste
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Honda serves up first Fit EV to California couple, no gasoline aftertaste originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 23 Jul 2012 07:51:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Permalink |Honda | Email this | Comments For 27 years he ate what he wanted and avoided exercise like the plague. Can an arsenal of fitness gadgets make this human healthier in just eight weeks?
From the snake oil salesman to the Thighmaster(TM), science and technology have promised the end of obesity, ill health and lethargy for centuries. Today, weight loss gadgetry is all around us, with affordable commercial systems available from Nintendo, Nike, Adidas and countless other manufacturers, all promising their technology will turn us into paragons of healthy virtue. How is it then, that for all of this, we live in an age where a quarter of the American population is obese?
Do any of these seemingly endless health aids actually work? Will a $200 wristband or a $100 pedometer cause you to banish microwave dinners and saturated fats, take up regular exercise at the gym at least three days a week and sleep well with no bad dreams? Or has the health industry made technology another ineffective distraction that only provides you with a vague sense that you're doing something positive? Is the real answer what it's always been: go for a walk in the trees and eat your greens?
Continue reading Fitter, Happier: an eight-week exercise in using technology to help lose weight
Fitter, Happier: an eight-week exercise in using technology to help lose weight originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 21 Jun 2012 11:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Honda's perky little Fit EV has just been marked and measured by the Environmental Protection Agency. The EPA has rated the dinky 'lectro-wagon at 118 MPGe, which Honda claims is the best ever score. Our friends over at Autoblog aren't so sure, noting that the Tesla Roadster eked out 119 MPGe in its testing. That said, the Fit does best the Roadster on its city rating (132 over 124 MPGe) so perhaps there's some gentle number massaging going on. With performance like that, however, we won't hold it against them. In fact we're off to buy one now. Oh wait.
Continue reading Honda Fit EV rated at 118 MPGe, will get you 82 of those on one charge
Honda Fit EV rated at 118 MPGe, will get you 82 of those on one charge originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 08 Jun 2012 01:54:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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