Reports are flying in -- using WiFi, we suspect -- that AT&T's having a bit of a data and SMS outage in San Francisco. Our own personal experiences confirm the data, although text messages are sending and receiving just fine. According to a tweet found by TechCrunch, customer service is saying it'll take anywhere from 24 to 48 hours to fix -- sounds pretty extreme to us, and unfortunately we can't get ahold of anyone to corroborate. Let's put it to you, Bay Area readers, how's that iPhone working for ya?

Update: Just got a statement from AT&T. "We are seeing a hardware issue in downtown San Francisco that is causing some degradation in service. GSM and EDGE voice and data services are still accessible. Our experts are aware and working to resolve as quickly as possible. Further resolution is expected this evening." We tried it ourselves and, yep, if you turn off 3G capabilities on your phone (if possible), data will work just fine.

Update: Our 3G data seems to be working now, and you?

AT&T data outage in San Francisco? originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 11 Dec 2009 20:41:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: Car Buying, Hatchback, Volvo

Possibly the biggest news to come out of Volvo's announcement of pricing for the 2011 C30 is that there is going to BE a 2011 C30. We ogled the nipped and tucked C30 T5 in Frankfurt and came away even more smitten than before with Volvo's neo-brake. The revised fascia and nipped and tucked bumpers bring the C30 into line with the future of Volvo design, however shaky that may be.

It's hard to deny the allure of the stylish little dumpling, and it won't even break the bank. Available in the United States exclusively in T5 trim for 2011, $24,600 (plus *$850 for destination and delivery charges) will get you into the Swedish hatch with a 227 horsepower inline-five hooked to a six-speed manual. If the swoopy Swede isn't enough for you in stock trim, the C30 T5 R-Design brings lowered ride height and a monochromatic bodykit that makes the car look like it's hunkered way down over its new 18-inch wheels.

The best part of the R-Design package are the suspension tweaks. Volvo says the stiffer bushings make the steering more direct and the rack's ratio is faster, too. Spring rates are up, and both the dampers and the swaybars have been stiffened, as well. Sounds expensive, doesn't it? Not so much - $26,950 (plus $850 D&D) strikes us as a small bargain for the nattily styled Volvo hatch with sharpened teeth. Of course, that's before a visit to Ye Olde Options List, where the bottom line can get pretty daunting pretty quickly. Press release posted after the jump.




[Source: Volvo]

Continue reading Volvo prices 2011 C30 T5 from $24,600, C30 T5 R-Design at $26,950*

Volvo prices 2011 C30 T5 from $24,600, C30 T5 R-Design at $26,950* originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 14 Dec 2009 16:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Globe and Mail

Jarno Trulli, Heikki Kovalainen join Lotus' new Formula One team; Steve ... Los Angeles Times (blog) Elsewhere in motor sports, NASCAR Sprint Cup Series crew chief Steve Addington today went from one Busch brother to another. Addington, 45, was named crew ... Lotus F1 confirms Trulli, KovalainenAutoWeek all 433 news articles »

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Filed under: EV/Plug-in, On Two Wheels, Pacific Region, Racing

Having conquered all on this part of the planet and with its quarter-mile record of 7.864 seconds @ 169 mph, the Killacycle is going Kiwi hunting. Yes, the world's fastest cordless drill on wheels has been boxed up and is headed to New Zealand where it will take part in an educational tour, culminating in a drag strip showdown on January 31st. There, it will attempt to school the bat-winged funnybike of Ian Wilkins at the Rotary Nationals in Meremere. Ian's best time on "Afterburner" so far is 8.119 seconds @ 166.37 mph, so the competition should be pretty close.

The tour, which is being organized by Greenstage (remember them?), will bring the Killacycle and crew to museums and schools with the bike to speak and show off their quick creation (schedule here). There is the possibility they will set a new record while in The Land of the Long White Cloud if their most recent upgrade plan has been completed. In possession of A123's hottest batteries yet, they had intended to build a new pack and make some other improvements that would push the bike to 560 hp and simultaneously shed 150 lbs. While we scour the interwebs for a way to place some bets, hit the jump for video of each of the contenders doing their dragstrip thing.

[Source: Killacycle]

Continue reading Killacycle goes Kiwi hunting

Killacycle goes Kiwi hunting originally appeared on Autoblog Green on Sun, 13 Dec 2009 09:22:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Continue reading Philco PC concept makes the 50s seem less lame (video)

Philco PC concept makes the 50s seem less lame (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 14 Dec 2009 04:16:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: EV/Plug-in, BMW, MINI, UK

MINI has officially begun the UK phase of its electric vehicle test program. Six months after 500 MINI Es were delivered to customers in the U.S., another 40 examples have found new homes in British garages. While U.S. customers got 12-month leases on the battery-powered cars, British drivers will only get six-month terms. After that time, a second group will their get their hands on the cars.

Just as MINI is doing here in the U.S., BMW is using this test to evaluate both how the vehicles behave in real world use with ordinary drivers as well as how the drivers themselves behave. What they are looking for is to see how often drivers plug in, how far they drive and how much of the range they use.


[Source: BMW]
Photos Copyright (C)2008 Sam Abuelsamid / Weblogs, Inc.

Continue reading MINI hands over 40 EVs to British test drivers at Oxford plant

MINI hands over 40 EVs to British test drivers at Oxford plant originally appeared on Autoblog Green on Sat, 12 Dec 2009 18:23:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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It's already selling in Europe with one of AT&T's 3G bands, but the prospect of a US-friendly Acer Liquid A1 just got real, governmental-involvement style. The FCC has approved a 850 / 1900MHz version of the Android device, and while this is no guarantee of an AT&T berth -- much of Canada is crowding in on this spectrum, not to mention the possibility of selling the phone unlocked and unsubsidized -- we're massaging our temples this very second with the appropriate good vibrations to get this thing out and about in the States and on the cheap.

Acer Liquid A1 hits the FCC with AT&T's HSDPA flavors originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 11 Dec 2009 13:04:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Enter to win this watch! Brand new from Swiss Swatch, comes the the new Automatic Chrono line in the Irony collection. Five good looking watches push Swatch timepieces up to a more luxurious level - but retain the light and airy character that they are known for. The watches house a brand new ETA automatic chronograph movement and retail for $370 each. Style is suitable for a man or a woman, but at about 45mm wide, the watch is sized for a man. Follow Swatch on Twitter here.

I have for you one of the pictured watches, known as the Swatch Automatic Chrono "Sign in the Sky." You can learn more about it directly from Swatch right here. You can see the nicely engineered automatic movement through the case back of the watch, while the dial has a mixture of textured white and brushed metal tones. The bezel is steel with lume dots, and the case is a tough semi-transparent plastic. I quite like the soft, white rubber strap. You'll like this watch too - perfect for snowy days ahead.

To enter, leave a comment on this post sharing why you'd like to win the watch. The giveaway ends on December 4th at 8:00pm PST. See additional rules below.

* To enter, leave a confirmed comment below.
* The comment must be left and confirmed before December 4th, 2009 at 8:00PM Pacific Time.
* You may only enter once.
* One winners will be selected in a random drawing.
* One winners will receive one Swatch Auto Chrono Sign in the Sky watch valued at $370.
* Open to legal residents of the 50 United States, and the District of Columbia, who are 18 and older.

GIVEAWAY IS NOW OVER. THANKS FOR PARTICIPATING

See full giveaway rules here.

Ariel Adams publishes the luxury watch review site aBlogtoRead.com.

Filed under: Timepieces

Luxist Giveaway: Swatch Automatic Chrono "Sign in the Sky" Watch originally appeared on Luxist on Fri, 27 Nov 2009 12:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Bernie Madoff's last home may have sold strong, but it looks like the momentum is fading. His home in the Hamptons beat the listing price and ultimately moved for more than $9.4 million. Unfortunately for his victims, interest in his Manhattan penthouse and Palm Beach estate isn't as strong. The prices for both have been cut, as the Ponzi schemer moves from news to history. Both homes have been on the market for only two months.

The Manhattan home, on the Upper East Side, offers 4,000 square feet which the broker, Sotheby's International Realty, says is "perched atop a distinguished white-glove prewar cooperative." Originally offered at $9.9 million, the asking price has been slashed by $1 million. So, if you're looking for some new digs in the city, this should be perched atop your list. A 10 percent price drop after only two months in the game means that you could probably work the price down a little bit further. If you were a Madoff investor, think of it as recouping some of what was so wrongly taken from you.

The situation in Palm Beach, Florida isn't much better. The discount is only 7 percent, with the price plunging from $8.49 million to $7.9 million according to the Corcoran Group, which is handling the sale. This home is billed as "a return to classic Florida island living ... when Palm Beach was a less manicured tropical paradise." What does that mean? Does classical Florida island living have anything to do with defrauding the neighbors?

Madoff, now a resident of Butner, North Carolina, believed that the Manhattan apartment was worth only $7 million. He pegged the Palm Beach residence at $11 million.

When both properties move, the proceeds will go to Madoff's victims. Of the $65 million, roughly, that he took, $1.4 billion is said to have been recovered. Even when compared to the investor losses identified, $21.2 billion, it's but a drop in the bucket. The auction scheduled for Saturday may help a little bit, with Bernie's Mets jacket and Ruth's golf clubs going under the gavel.

Filed under: Real Estate Developments

Remaining Madoff Homes Already Discounted originally appeared on Luxist on Thu, 12 Nov 2009 05:02:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: App Store, First Look

In case you haven't noticed, I'm a huge fan of iPhone photography apps. I've written about Best Camera, played with ColorSplash, and taken panoramic photos with Pano. When I noticed the $1.99US Lo-Mob [iTunes Link] while doing my weekly pass through the photo apps, I decided to buy it and give it a try.

Part of my fascination with iPhone photo apps is that the flexibility of the software combines with the camera that is always at your fingertips, and you can do things with your photos with a few taps that would have taken hours in a darkroom. Lo-Mob provides 33 different effects that give your iPhone pics the look of taking photos with old film, instant film, 35 mm film in a medium-format camera, and more. With many of the effects, changes with saturation, focus, and tint are mixed with artifacts (dust on the frame, for example), vignetting, and frames.

As soon as you either take a new photo or select an existing one in Lo-Mob, the app takes about 10 - 12 seconds to pre-process all of the images. The result is that when you go to choose your effect, you see exactly how it's going to look in a small thumbnail image located next to information about the effect. After you've selected your effect, you see a full size image that can then be saved in the original photo resolution and then shared with others through email, Facebook, or Twitter.

Now for some fun! We have three Lo-Mob promo codes to give away to three lucky TUAW readers. Here's the scoop:

• Open to legal US residents of the 50 United States and the District of Columbia who are 18 and older.
• To enter leave a comment telling us what you would take a photo of and then "retro-ize" with Lo-Mob.
• The comment must be left before Wednesday, December 16, 2009, 11:59PM Eastern Standard Time.
• You may enter only once.
• Three winners will be selected in a random drawing.
• Prizes: Promo Code for one copy of Lo-Mob (Value: US$1.99)
• Click Here for complete Official Rules.

Check out the gallery below for an idea of some of the cool effects you can slap on those iPhone photos.

TUAWFirst look and reader giveaway: Lo-Mob, for that retro photo look originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Mon, 14 Dec 2009 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Read More... [Source: The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW)]