VW Golf GTI Concept

Paris is now the city of the VW Golf GTI. Four years ago, the sixth generation of the best-seller made its debut here - still as a concept car. In doing so, Volkswagen is opening another window to the immediate future of the most successful European car model series, because another car being shown to a global audience in the French capital at the same time as the GTI is the near-production concept of the new Golf BlueMotion.

Like all six Golf GTI generations before it, the seventh generation concept car being shown in Paris is distinguished from other Golf models by numerous additional equipment features and classic GTI insignia. On the exterior, these include the red painted brake callipers, a GTI-typical honeycomb structure for the air inlet screens, smoked LED rear lights including LED licence plate lighting as well as chrome 80 mm diameter tailpipes on the left and right.

Some features have been characteristic since the days of the first Volkswagen Golf GTI, for example the production colours Red ("Tornado Red") and "Black" and an optional white exterior ("Pure White" as special colour). Volkswagen has further developed the classic GTI wheels "Denver", "Detroit" and "Glendale" whose styling characteristics from the previous model have flowed into the design of the new machine-polished 17-inch "Brooklyn" alloy wheels; they have a lighter visual look and are in fact lighter in weight. The wheels are fitted with 225/45 size tyres. 18-inch wheels will also be available on the GTI as an option.

Overall, the seventh generation Golf is also visually more dynamic than the previous one. The objective of the designers was to develop an even more striking and sporty character into the new Golf GTI - the goal was to give the GTI a lower, wider image with a more challenging character. Volkswagen Design developed numerous individual, detailed solutions for the new Golf GTI and integrated them harmoniously into the overall visual concept. Important here is the fact that the GTI-specific design elements are not simply "add-on" solutions, but are integrated into the overall design of the car.

At the front end, with its LED fog lights specially customised for the GTI, a powerful and significant GTI element attracts attention, which has now been fully reinterpreted: the red stripe. In the first generation of the car it surrounded the rectangular radiator grille completely. On the sixth generation GTI there were two red stripes, which framed the grille at the top and bottom. Now, on the seventh generation car, the red stripe marks the lower edge of the radiator grille, but for the first time it extends further to the left and right, up to the housings of the bi-xenon headlights. So, the red line now runs completely across the front end.

In the far lower section of the bumper, beneath the crossbar painted in body colour, the black air inlet is no longer framed by a black area, rather by surfaces painted in body colour, which makes the air inlet stand out more powerfully. At the same time, the three lateral black aerodynamic fins beneath the headlights play a more prominent role in the front end styling. Another detail fitting in with the precisely contoured styling is the black splitter, which is familiar from motorsport.

Another example of the harmonious integration of GTI-specific elements is the new roof spoiler design, which is considerably larger than its counterpart on Golf versions with less powerful engines and which is integrated to be flush with the bootlid and the body. For the first time, the sporty Volkswagen also has - in addition to the GTI badges at the front and rear - red plates on the front wings at the height of the character line with the same typographic interpretation of the GTI logo that has been used for decades.

Volvo Car Corporation pulls off the curtains from V40 Cross Country

Expressing her views on this, the Colour and Material Design Manager of V40 Cross Country, Maria Uggla, quoted, “Our customers are individualists, so we want to offer them a lot of possibilities. All choices feature the same strong, emotional expression as the exterior of the car. The two-tone upholstery alternatives are the perfect choices for those who want a truly individual look. There is a generous range of individual possibilities. Dark elegance? Scandinavian bright? Sporty ruggedness? Just choose the interior that fits your personality best.”

Volvo V40 Cross Country is a perfect vehicle to take on adventurous trips, no matter off-road or on-roads. The rear seat backrest is provided within two pieces and can be easily folded 40/60 proportion. Boot of the model is also a key USP for the car as it can store a volume of luggage without blinking an eye. The auto maker has provided steel net as a part of standard accessory and buyers can also ask for soft safety net, being a part of optional accessory.

Besides, the model can be equipped with an extra floor in the boot compartment. The move creates a number of useful possibilities like if folded upside, individual will get a grocery holder and if folded away, passengers will get best-in-class space for storing luggage. Moreover, the flat floor can easily store long stuff, which adds to the utility of boot.

The seat of front passenger has an option of forward folding, which adds to the space provided within the model. Apart from the permanent two hooks, the additional floor features extra hooks for hanging bags. Interestingly, between the lower and upper floor, there lies ample space for storage.

Accessory options provided within the model include a 'Cargo Mat Organiser', which is capable enough to store smaller safely and in a specific order. The car also has a storage compartment under the armrest, which is suitable for storing music CDs and several other small items. The compartment also has a connector for USB/iPod and AUX input, depending on the compatibility of the audio system. Besides the armrest, which can be easily adjusted for offering extra support to the driver, the front console also holds two cup holders and a 12V power socket.

The glove compartment of Volvo V40 Cross Country has ample space for storing two cans or bottles of soft drinks, which can be kept cool with the help of its electronic climate control system. Other comfort features equipped within the model includes height adjustable headrests in the front row and the central rear seat, sunglass compartment over the driver's door, pen holder in glove compartment, cup holders at rear seat. Individuals can also store handy objects under the instrumental panel, front seat cushions and front row backrests.

2012 Volvo V40 Cross Country also features seven different mood lighting options. The interiors of the model are specifically designed to provide it feel of 'theatre lighting'. In order to light up the strategic areas, the car has been equipped with exclusive LED lights.

On the technical front, the car sports unmatched driving dynamics, accompanied by all wheel drive chassis. The company has assimilated a T5 petrol turbo engine in its Volvo V40, which makes it capable enough to roll on any weather condition. Five-cylinder 2.5 litre T5 engine has potential to belt out a maximum power of 254 bhp with a peak torque of 400 Nm, comprising 40 Nm overboost used during the acceleration. Mated to an automatic transmission system, the car can swiftly glide from initial to 100 kmph within a short span of 6.1 seconds.

Integrating spheres with a diameter

At first glance, the most noticeable element in the LightLab is the two integrating spheres, where the lighting current and the radiant power are measured. These measurements are necessary for determining the luminous efficiency (measured in lumens per Watt).

In addition, it is in these spheres that colorimetric measurements of the quantitative spectral distribution are performed and the colour temperature and colour rendering index are determined.

The LightLab contains two integrating spheres: a 2 sphere with a diameter of 250 mm and a 4 sphere with an internal diameter of 1000 mm. The interior of the integrating spheres is lined with barium sulphate (BaSO4), which diffusely reflects around 98% of the light.

The light is therefore optically integrated in the sphere via the reflective surfaces on its inside, which allows the luminous flux to be measured.

For example, the small integrating sphere is where individual LEDs are measured or selected. The 250 mm integrating sphere allows the engineers to measure the semi-spherical space above a small circuit board, and hence an LED.

This means that personnel can for example select, in a 250 mm integrating sphere, LEDs with a precisely defined wavelength if five identical LEDs are needed.

However, an appropriately-sized 4 sphere is required for measuring an entire luminaire. For this reason, EBV has also acquired an integrating sphere with an internal diameter of 1000 mm for all-round measurements, in addition to the 250 mm sphere.

This large 4 integrating sphere is also ideal for comparative measurements – for example between filament or halogen bulbs and LED lamps – or for the CIE-compliant measurement of high-power LEDs and entire lights with an edge length of up to 90 cm.

A special holder inside the spheres allows an E27 fixture or light to be attached for this purpose. EBV also provides the right mechanical adapters for measurements in the sphere.

The two integrating spheres as well as both of the extremely complex measurement devices in the new LightLab were manufactured by the German company, Instrument Systems in Munich, a market leader in the field of LED metrology and works closely with various international commissions.

The devices meet the CIE (International Lighting Commission) requirements for precise measurements of the luminous flux, which is measured in lumens. An excerpt from the list of Instrument Systems’ reference customers reads like a ‘who’s who’ of the industry, containing not only leading LED manufacturers but also renowned users such as Apple, Avago, Everlight, Osram OS, Vishay and Zumtobel.

However, the yellowish light emitted by sodium vapour lamps is relatively mono-spectral. Although under this light you can clearly see whether or not there are any people, animals or vehicles on the road, it is not possible to distinguish green lines from red ones on a map under this type of street lighting. Also, trees appear black.

Similarly, a number of different light-emitting diodes are limited by certain compromises in terms of colour. However, it is now possible to compensate quite effectively for these limitations, and with suitably clever designs it is currently quite possible to generate light with an excellent colour reproduction index well above 90. However, a 4 integrating sphere and a spectroradiometer are required in order to measure this type of light source.

Polaroid instant digital camera Z2300

Ever since the introduction of the Polaroid Land Camera back in 1948, people around the world have enjoyed the magic of instant photography. Continuing the tradition of instantly sharing experiences is the Polaroid Instant Digital Camera Z2300, which allows the user to capture, edit and immediately share pictures digitally and in print.

Combining the ingenuity and integrity of a digital still-imaging camera, HD video recording device and full-colour printer, the Polaroid Z2300 is a truly a one-stop shop for photography buffs that harkens back to the days of the ever-popular 80s model. Boasting 10MP resolution, 3-inch bright-colour LCD and 32GB of storage, along with the ability to easily upload images to any social media platform, it is smudge-proof and water-resistant. Full-colour 2x3 prints are merely a click of a button away in less than one minute.

The printer integrated into the camera uses no ink _ instead employing integrated composite materials that has cyan, yellow and magenta dye crystals embedded in the photographic paper itself. The Z2300 can be ordered from Polaroid's online store for US$159.99 (4,999 baht). Black or white models available.

Have you ever wished your iPhone flash did something more than flood all your photos with harsh white light? It seems impossible to avoid even with the help of all those photo-editing applications on the market.

Well, here's your chance to get some better photos while looking like you've just stepped out of a period film. Resembling one of those outsize flashes photographers used to mount on their cameras, the Paparazzo Light boasts a 300 lumen LED powered by two CR123 batteries. It is equipped with three different setting for brightness, from full to zero, and has both "photo" and "video" modes so that you can choose the right amount of light for the occasion.

A Kickstarter pledge of US$45 will get you either a black or a white one. If you want to exude more of that retro Hollywood glamour, then spring for the US$55 chrome version. The expected shipment date, should the Kickstarter campaign be successful, is January 2013. The Paparazzo Light supports the iPhone 4/4S, but there will be a newer version that will work with the iPhone 5.

The German house of technology has just come out with a special-edition SoundBox in fashionably vivid colours which is being marketed as "the perfect audio solution for any room". And, as always, it doesn't matter from where you source your favourite music, whether from an iPhone or MP3 player, the radio or a CD. The Sound-Box brings together an RDS stereo radio with optimal reception and clean channel separation, a high-quality CD player supporting current music formats (such as MP3 and WMA), an integrated docking station for iPod/iPhone and an alarm.

Also built into this compact device are two 4-inch, full-range stereo speakers and two digital stereo amplifiers, resulting in an astonishing surround sound. All functions can be controlled on the SoundBox itself or via remote control.

The design is minimalist. The inset in the top panel, under which the integrated slot-in CD drive is concealed, is interchangeable. The special-edition SoundBox is available in green, beige and orange, with new insets which emphasise sustainability. With black and silver models still on the market, this brings to five the number of colour options available.

Lite-On sees biggest profit in five months

Lite-On Technology Corp , the nation’s largest power supply unit maker, yesterday posted its strongest monthly revenue in five months for last month, thanks to a sustained increase in orders for power supply units used in cloud-computing services and camera modules for mobile devices.

Revenue increased 3 percent to NT$10.4 billion (US$347.8 million) last month, compared with NT$10.08 billion in July. That was a decline of 2.16 percent from NT$10.63 billion in August last year.

Camera module revenues grew 10 percent year-on-year after the company delivered high-end products and made gains in the PC and smartphone market, Lite-On said in a statement. The company attributed the growth partly to new orders from tablet vendors in the US, excluding Apple Inc.

Another bright spot was the company’s LED lighting component business, whose revenue quintupled from the same period last year because of solid customer demand and smooth mass production.

The success of the camera module and LED lighting components sectors brought 11 percent annual growth, or 6 percent monthly growth, to the company’s optoelectronics business group, last month, Lite-On said.

In addition, PC peripherals grew 20 percent month-on-month last month after Lite-On expanded shipments of keyboards for tablets and made gains in global market share. No annual figure was provided.

Last week, chief executive officer Waren Chen said he expected business would rise slightly this quarter from last quarter, boosted by seasonal demand.

In a separate statement, Vanguard International Semiconductor Corp, which makes controller chips for LCD panels and power management chips, yesterday said its revenue rose by 5 percent to NT$1.66 billion last month from NT$1.58 billion in July. The increase made last month’s figure the highest in about two years.

The boost in profits was due to growth in the volume of wafer shipments, company spokesman Tseng Dong-liang said in the statement.

On an annual basis, the figures indicate an increase in revenue of 20.07 percent from NT$1.39 billion in the same period last year.

Tseng said shipments would fall by between 4 percent to 6 percent this quarter from last quarter, when the company shipped 357,000 units, saying that the global economic slowdown would cut end-product demand and thereby customer demand.

Gross margin would drop to between 24 percent and 26 percent this quarter from 28 percent last quarter, it said, while chip prices would rise from 4 percent to 6 percent in the same period.