Danger Danger! High Voltage!

The internal combustion engine has been used to power cars since the first patented auto-mobile was made by Karl Benz in 1886, and is now widely recognised as the way to power many vehicles. However, with resources such as fossil fuels running low and fuel prices increasing more companies are turning to alternative solutions to power their vehicles. A few examples of this are Hydrogen (both to power an internal combustion engine and a hydrogen fuel cell), re-chargeable batteries, solar power and water powered. Since the start of 2012 I have seen an increasing number of electric cars being announced or put on sale. For example the Renault ZE range of electric cars (as shown in the video below). 

In my opinion this range of cars shows what the electric car can be capable of, and that they are not just for commuting around cities as shown by previous electric cars such as the G Whizz. The Renault ZE (Zero Emissions) range covers many aspects of transportation. 
The Twizzy Z.E. is a small two seater vehicle (classed as a Heavy Quadricycle) that is aimed at urban and city usage. It will cost around £7,000 (plus £40 per month battery rental) and has a range of about 60 miles. 
The already released Kangoo Z.E. is a small van that is based upon the current Renault Kangoo, and is aimed at businesses within a city or for shorter delivery distances. It costs around £17,000 (plus £62 per month battery rental) and has a range of about 106 miles. People obviously think this is the way forward for vehicles of this type as it recently won the International Van of the Year Award, beating off rivals such as the VW Caddy and the Fiat Ducato.   
The Fluence Z.E. is a Family Saloon car that is aimed at the Family Market. It will cost around £18,000 (plus £69.60 per month battery rental) after the £5,000 plug in car grant, and will have a range of 115 miles. Due to the range it won't be suitable for long trips, but could potentially be an alternative vehicle for the school run or for the weekly shop.
The ZOE Z.E. will be a big hatchback type car, that will most likely be aimed at the same market as the Fluence. Currently there is no final price for this model, but they do give an indicator of the price with this statement on their website :


'The price of the ZOE Preview has yet to be finalised. Nevertheless, the cost (excluding battery) is expected to be comparable to that of an equivalent diesel model, after state subsidies have been deducted.'


The expected of the ZOE will be 100 miles, which is the same range as the Nissan Leaf and the Peugeot iOn. 


But the big question is...is it worth buying one? There are many opinions on the electric car, some good and some bad. Many people are skeptical, especially due to the range and charge time. Also with electricity prices soaring the cost of the whole package seems to be verging on extortionate. Maybe now isn't the time for the electric car, and it probably won't replace petrol for a few years now. But it is inevitable that we will need to find an alternative to petrol at some point in the future due to the ever increasing prices and our dwindling resources. 


The full specifications of these cars can be seen on the Renault website
 (http://www.renault-ze.com/en-gb/gamme-voitures-electriques-renault-z.e.-1932.html).

Happy New Year!

I know I'm a tad late, but.....
Happy New Year! May this be a great year for products and experiences alike!

New Subaru XV unveiled...MK II

What seems like years ago in the second post on this blog, I looked at how Japanese car company Subaru were advertising their newly revealed XV model. They used a method called augmented reality which allows the consumer to interact with the product. At the time I did not own or have a webcam available to test it out, and said I would test it out as soon as I could get my hands on one. So...as promised here are a few pictures, and my verdict.

In my opinion, augmented reality is a great form of advertising, and it's potential will only grow. It allows the consumer to interact with the product in a unique way, and allows you to see the product from all angles. The rotation of the image was not entirely smooth, and if the paper I used was rotated to too steep an angle the image would freeze. This may be due to the light in the room at the time, or to the lower quality webcam. Even with this I found the experience quite enjoyable, and was able to see all around the car. In future developments I personally would like to see the ability to open doors and use the unique features of the car...but for now it is great.

Check it out at :  http://subaru.co.uk/vehicles/xv/?partner=google&utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=9%2E%20Subaru%20XV&utm_term=subaru%20xv%20-p&gclid=CMedo43oua0CFaEhtAodADXrBA 

iPhone 5 Concept

A company called aatma studio has decided to construct a CGI video to show the potential features of the up and coming iphone 5. With features such as a lazer keyboard and holographic display, this would be the ulimate of ultimate phones if the features shown on this video were to come true. I don't even think it would surprise me if Apple were to use atleast one of these features on the new phone...I guess we'll just have to wait and see...

Exclusive Rights over Purple for Cadbury

Cadbury has fought off Nestlé over exclusive rights for the distinctive purple colour it has used on chocolate wrappers for more than 100 years. The Cadbury brothers are thought to have picked the colour as a tribute to Queen Victoria.

The group, which has been locked in a legal battle with its rival for three years, was granted a trademark for the tint – pantone 2865c – to be used on certain chocolate goods such as Dairy Milk in 2008. Nestlé challenged the ruling, arguing that the colour was not distinctive enough to receive a trademark.
The Swiss group's challenge appears to have failed after the registrar at the UK Intellectual Property Office this week ruled in Cadbury's favour, saying it had showed enough "distinctive character" for a trademark. One legal expert said that while it was an interim judgment, the decision was unlikely to be changed in the final report. Nestlé can appeal the decision.
A spokesman for Cadbury said the group was "pleased" with the ruling, adding that the colour was something those at the company "jealously guard".
In his ruling, Allan James, the registrar, said the colour purple had built a distinctive character associated with Cadbury. He added that the colour had been used in its advertising campaigns to distinguish the brand. One of the most popular of those campaigns in recent times was the use of a gorilla playing the drums. He rejected claims that Cadbury had registered the colour in bad faith as "absurd".
Fiona McBride, a partner at Withers & Rogers, described the decision as a "major relief" for Cadbury, saying its use of the colour was now "iron-clad and the brand will be unlikely to face further challenges over the use of the colour purple in the future".
Yet, executives at Kraft, which bought Cadbury in a controversial takeover deal earlier this year, will not get carried away with the victory. The trademark was limited to using the colour on its chocolate bars and chocolate drinks. It had not proved such a distinctive character in all confectionery chocolate, Mr James said, or for protection in relation to assortments such as its Roses chocolates. "Both sides have achieved a measure of success, Cadbury more so than Nestlé," he added.
Ms McBride said: "Colour registrations are notoriously difficult to obtain, largely because it can be difficult to prove sufficient use to demonstrate that the colour has become synonymous with the brand in the mind of the consumer."
Cadbury first applied to patent the colour in 2004, although it was not approved for another four years. Cadbury did try to stop the Australian confectioner Darrell Lea from using purple on its packaging. Three years ago, however, its complaint was rejected by the Federal Court in Melbourne.

Source : http://www.independent.co.uk/news/business/news/cadbury-wins-right-to-the-colour-purple-6262717.html

We've got an app for that...

With the smartphone becoming an ever growing part of our world, it's no surprise apps are following the same trend. These days you can get an app for almost anything, and advertising is cropping up anywhere and everywhere for them. As I was walking through the train station the other day I spotted two lots of apps advertising, and only a metre apart! One is the Cross Country Train app, which is used to track trains, book tickets and check train timetables. The other was an app for Swift Cover car insurance...why it was in a train station I will never know. But it just shows the growing trend of apps and how they're going to evolve over the coming years, especially with the introduction of 3D phones and Augmented Reality.

The 'Super'market

Sitting here in Morrisons Cafe pondering about life, and I think I've found a trend in the business of 'Super'markets.
In all the super markets I have been in over the past year, only a hand full of small branches haven't had either a cafe or a petrol station contained within it's dull surroundings. The managers of supermarkets have obviously recognised a need for food areas and petrol stations in supermarkets...but why? Even in a smaller supermarket like this one, they have managed to fit a bigger than costa sized cafe and a 12 pump petrol station. And when the food is relatively cheap in price, and the petrol is the cheapest in the town, i'm not suprised that super markets across the country have turned to this business trend.