With All Its Gas Pedal Problems, Will Toyota Become the Hyundai of the 1980s?

Updates: For a few days now, we do not know which Toyota vehicle is not subject to a recall. Even the Toyota Prius is not exempt. Its anti-lock breaking system has problems according to many owners. In the meantime, Ford is accelerating is sales campaign to take business from the embattled Japanese car maker.

Toyota has been announcing massive recalls and plans to repair the problems.

"Toyota Motor Sales (TMS) U.S.A., Inc., today announced it will begin fixing accelerator pedals in recalled Toyota Division vehicles this week. Toyota’s engineers have developed and rigorously tested a solution that involves reinforcing the pedal assembly in a manner that eliminates the excess friction that has caused the pedals to stick in rare instances. In addition, Toyota has developed an effective solution for vehicles in production.

Parts to reinforce the pedals are already being shipped for use by dealers, and dealer training is under way. Many Toyota dealers will work extended hours to complete the recall campaign as quickly and conveniently as possible, some even staying open 24 hours a day. The company has also taken the unprecedented action of stopping production of affected vehicles for the week of February 1.

“Nothing is more important to us than the safety and reliability of the vehicles our customers drive,” said Jim Lentz, president and Chief Operating Officer, TMS. “We deeply regret the concern that our recalls have caused for our customers and we are doing everything we can – as fast as we can – to make things right. Stopping production is never an easy decision, but we are 100% confident it was the right decision. We know what’s causing the sticking accelerator pedals, and we know what we have to do to fix it. We also know it is most important to fix this problem in the cars on the road.”

Lentz added: “We are focused on making this recall as simple and trouble-free as possible, and will work day and night with our dealers to fix recalled vehicles quickly. We want to demonstrate that our commitment to safety is as high as ever and that our commitment to our customers is unwavering.”

On January 21, Toyota announced its intention to recall approximately 2.3 million select Toyota Division vehicles equipped with a specific pedal assembly and suspended sales of the eight models involved in the recall on January 26.

Toyota vehicles affected by the recall include:
• Certain 2009-2010 RAV4
• Certain 2009-2010 Corolla
• 2009-2010 Matrix
• 2005-2010 Avalon
• Certain 2007-2010 Camry
• Certain 2010 Highlander
• 2007-2010 Tundra
• 2008-2010 Sequoia

No Lexus Division or Scion vehicles are affected by these actions. Also not affected are Toyota Prius, Tacoma, Sienna, Venza, Solara, Yaris, 4Runner, FJ Cruiser, Land Cruiser, Highlander hybrids and certain Camry models, including Camry hybrids, all of which remain for sale.

Further, Camry, RAV4, Corolla and Highlander vehicles with Vehicle Identification Numbers (VIN) that begin with "J" are not affected by the accelerator pedal recall."

Nexus One Released Through Twitter: Twitter Post Broke News of Nexus ONe

Is this the new Nexus One? It may be the way to go about business in these brave new world cell phone wars.

Nexus One Video, Nexus1 Photo: Google Nexus iPhone

The Google SmartPhone May Be Here: Google Releases Phone to Key Employees to Tinkle with

The release of the new phone may not be a secret any longer. It has been announced that Google released a new phone to some of its employees so they can mess around with the new technology.

Official Google Mobile Blog: An Android dogfood diet for the holidays

"Google has handed out a new mobile phone running its Android software to some employees, stirring another wave of speculation that the oft-rumored Google Phone is real" wrote a PCWorld writer. Google is moving on the main phone competitor, AT&T.

According to Google's Official mobile blog , Google may have something great on its hands. Its world-wide employees have been checking it out.

"We recently came up with the concept of a mobile lab, which is a device that combines innovative hardware from a partner with software that runs on Android to experiment with new mobile features and capabilities, and we shared this device with Google employees across the globe. This means they get to test out a new technology and help improve it."

iPhones 3G and 3GS finally can send Multimedia

It appears that AT&T has survived the rush to add or download the new software in order to be able to send MMS. It has been a long wait, but it seems that everything has been working very well thus far.

Many critics are asking why it took ATT so long to equip their bread and butter with the feature that most people, users wanted all along. Even cheap cell phones had it. Just like the rest of iPhone users, I dutifully downloaded the new software in order to be able to send pictures, videos etc.

So far, it has been working very well. NO problems!

iPhone 3 G S Places Apple on top of the Pack: The Best micro Computer Yet to be Available on the Market

I was one of the early birds who went to hang out at the front door of a local ATT corporate store. After a week of great weather, I expected to have a great time waiting in line for my new phone. It was not the case. It was hot and people were complaining. Those who had pre-ordered the iphone 3G S were able to enter the store and claim their prize from 7 am to 9 am. Those of us who wanted to buy the new phone or trade in for a higher upgrade had to wait in the sun outside.

Many of us, apple product fans, did not complain much. The employees at the store were very happy to pass cups of water to us. However, there were a few guys who started complaining about the long wait. Tensions were mounting. It was like the opening of a new movie. Just like the release of any major action movie, the upgrade to the 3 G S was received with great enthusiasm. Many of us were talking about the great features of the new phone. That was a good reason for us to have.

So far, after using the phone the whole day, I have been pretty pleased with it.

Truely, the iphone is the leader of the pack. Many fellow reviewers only have the greatest things to say about the phone.
"The iPhone 3G S (the S stands for speed) is a more subtle upgrade compared with last year's launch of the 3G. The improvements don't quite blow your hair back on the first pass, but coupled with the new iPhone OS 3.0 software upgrade, they cement the iPhone's status as the best smart phone experience available.

The iPhone OS 3.0 improvements alone might be enough to satisfy many existing iPhone and iPhone 3G users. But if your contract is expiring or even if it's not, there are a lot of reasons to make the jump to the iPhone 3G S, which sells for $199 and $299 for 16-GB and 32-GB versions."

What are the Specs of Palm Pre vs. Apple iPhone and G1?

AppIphone3Gandmore: Palm Pre, Apple iPhone and G1

-------------------------

What will make you want to buy an Apple iPhone vs. a Palm Pre or G1? Is it the wireless company that sells them or the phone itself or the service. In a lot of ways, the package had to do a lot with my decision. Over the weekend, that is what I had to decide. It was time for me to go from a low end phone which I carried for a few years and upgrade to a smartphone. I had to decide between the iPhone which I could buy online or at an AT&T retail store, the new Palm Pre which is injecting new blood into the Palm brand, and the Google phone, G1 which has made its spectacular entrance a few months ago.

For me, it was a matter of convenience. I wanted to go with something that has been around for a while. Besides, many of my colleagues have the phone. Yes, I was torn between the good package offered by Sprint which carries the new Palm Pre. I knew all three phones would be good for multimedia and multitasking. Among them, there were some similarities and differences.

Let's talk about Palm Pre. It is a great, elegant multitouch smartphone. It seems that Palm Pre is going to be the star of this Summer season. Already, there are a lot of buzz in the blogosphere and among techies about the new phone. It is the blockbuster square off between iphone and palm pre. In many ways, Palm Pre has come to mean a lot to a dying company. Palm relied heavily on this phone being accepted by the public.

To many industry insiders, the Pre is like the iPhone remix. It is a great phone that many customers are going to select. I saw a great demonstration at the local Sprint store this past weekend. People are wowed by it.

What are its main features, specs?

the Pre has the ordinary checklist: Wi-Fi, GPS, 3G (high speed Internet), Bluetooth (including wireless audio), very good camera with flash, ambient light sensor, proximity sensor, tilt sensor, standard headphone jack, 3.1-inch touchscreen etc. Many other companies have been trying to copy the iphone, but they have always failed in putting everthing together and making it all work. In the case of the Pre, Palm has done a good job.

Hardware: Coming in a black plastic, flattened capsule, coated with a glossy, scratch-resistant finish, the Pre is an elegant phone. When it is turned off, the screen disappears. It is smaller than the iPhone, about a half-inch shorter and quarter-inch thicker. It is very easy to carry.

Price: The Pre costs $200 after rebate, with a two-year contract. It is much less than the standard iphone with more than 8Gigs. Sprint wants to get the customers. With a $70-a-month plan (450 talk-time minutes) that includes unlimited Internet and text messages, the Pre comes on top. The AT&T plan includes no text messages at all.

What does it look like typing? Unlike the iPhone, the Pre has a real keyboard. the screeen slides up, revelaing four rows of Thumbelina-size keys.

Camera: The Pre has an LED Flash for its 3MP camera, something both the iPhone and G1 lack. Flash cellphone photos are ugly, but for a lot of people, they're good enough.

Browser: All three use a browser based on WebKit, which has become the standard for the mobile web.

Phone: Just pop open the keyboard and stard dialing to make a call on the Pre. You can set up speed-dial keys.

Battery: While the iPhone does not allow you to remove the batteries, the Pre allows you to do so. Battery life the hiccup with the Pre. Depending on how often you use it, the battery will be dead in no time.

Music: Which other gadget can beat the iPod which the iPhone is? The Pre does a good job of coming close. When you connect it to your Mac or PC, the Pre appears in Apple's iTunes software. You can sync your music, photo and video collections.

App store: The iPhone surpasess the Pre which is building its inventory too.

No matter what, the Pre is a great effort in the right direction for Palm. It is quite an achievement.

Wal=Mart Starts Selling App iPhone 3G Phones this Sunday at Lower Prices: What Will You Get?

What's Included
Apple® iPhone 3G Cell Phone
Built-in, rechargeable battery
USB power adapter
Dock connector to USB cable
Stereo headset with microphone, cleaning cloth
SIM eject tool
Owner's manual
Product Features
Internet wireless access and browsing (802.11b/g)
Lets you access the Web via Safari web browser. Surf the Web while you're talking on the phone.
Multiple networks
Operates on GSM/EDGE 850/900/1800/1900MHz and UMTS/HSDPA 850/1900/2100MHz networks so you can access the Web.
3.5" widescreen color display
Shows off your music, video, Podcast and more
8GB built-in memory
For storage of your music, photos and contacts.
Built-in 2.0MP digital camera
Lets you take still photos.
Bluetooth-enabled
For wireless communication.
Text messaging
Lets you communicate by typing.
Doubles as an iPod
So you can listen to your favorite tunes on the go.
Maps with GPS
Lets you find your location, get directions and search for nearby businesses on your phone.
Phonebook
Keeps your contact numbers where you need them.
Easily call your contacts
Allows you to tap a name or number in your address book, favorites list or call log.
Hands-free speakerphone
Lets you talk while driving.
PC synchronization of Outlook Contacts, Calendar and Tasks
Requires additional software and cable (not included).
Downloadable content
Includes applications, maps, e-mails and web sites.
Up to 5 hours talk time; up to 300 hours standby
With included battery.
* Phone activation required before use.