Review: Mazda CX-5

The brand that used to make super cool sports cars with a small but punchy rotary engine is planning its resurgence with a compact crossover.

Mazda's CX-5 is a soft-roader and the Japanese carmaker's first model to combine its Skyactiv Technology with its Kodo design philosophy.

As far as Kodo is concerned, the CX-5 has neat styling but is hardly striking. Skyactiv, on the other hand, sounds more promising.

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It is a blanket term for Mazda's innovative technologies, such as a Skyactiv-G high-efficiency, direct-injection petrol engine with a very high compression ratio; a Skyactiv- Drive quick-shifting but smooth automatic transmission; lightweight but rigid high-tensile steel body with a straight and continuous framework for greater strength; and a Skyactiv-chassis for suspension and steering that is agile and comfortable.

Driving the CX-5's front wheels is a 2.0-litre engine with 155 hp and 200 Nm (four-wheel-drive versions are not available locally).

Its compression ratio of 13.0:1 is unusually high and makes it more efficient (Mazda says this translates into a 15 per cent increase in fuel efficiency). But on the road, it feels slightly anaemic. Low-end torque is at a premium and the CX-5 only displays its oomph above 3,000 rpm. So to keep the engine buzzing, the gear lever has to be manually shifted instead of being left in auto.

Thankfully, the transmission obediently changes down as and when required, unlike some gearboxes which do so only below certain revs. And downshifts are effected by the more intuitive forward nudge of the gear stick, so it's still fun.

The CX-5 also displays competent handling and is well-controlled in corners - there is little body roll despite its height.
Mazda CX-5
Price:from $174,988 (with COE)
Engine: 1,998cc V6
Transmission: Six-speed automatic transmission
Max Power: 155 hp @ 6,000 rpm
Max Torque: 200 Nm @ 4,000 rpm
0-100kmh: 9.5 secs
Top speed: 187 kmh
CO2 emissions: 161 g/km
Distributor: Trans Eurokars

But the bland interior with its sea of grey is less exciting. Everything is neatly and logically laid out with simple controls and instruments and there is a high-end soft-touch upper dashboard. However, it is framed by large sections of hard plastic.

The integrated centre display with GPS navigation by Tom Tom is a nice touch, though.

At 4,540 mm in overall length, the CX-5 does not have a huge footprint. But its 2,700 mm wheelbase and excellent packaging result in a spacious cabin with a huge boot. Head and leg room in front and behind are impressive, and because it is an SUV, there is easy ingress and egress.

There are two variants of the CX-5 - a basic car and a luxury version for $10,900 more. For that extra cash, there is an electric sunroof, auto bi-xenon headlights, rain sensor, blind spot warning, factory-fitted leather seats and an eight-way electric driver's seat, among others. But with its fuel efficiency and roomy interior, either version should qualify as the perfect family runabout.

Source:http://motoring.asiaone.com/Motoring/News/Story/A1Story20120507-344372.html

Tips to improve your business with technology tools

1. Business owners and entrepreneurs should look into offering their services in a mobile way through mobile applications.

2. Businesses should track the effectiveness of social media by looking at how often their postings are being clicked on through Twitter.

3. Sometimes it’s hard to get a top executive on board to adopting social media changes but it’s something business owners should consider.

4. Create or hire for a position that handles customer feedback through Yelp, Twitter, and Facebook.

5. When implementing new technologies, carefully choose the managers assigned to lead projects.

6. Consider adding a “live chat” tool to a website to answer customer questions interactively.

7. Social media is not always the best advertising method but coupled with other forms of advertising can be especially effective.

8. YouTube and Twitter expands advertising opportunities for companies that might not be able to afford expensive campaigns.

9. If you are in food, fashion, or tourism in Hawaii, consider looking into pinterest.com, a social photo sharing website.

And of course:

10. For social media tools, do not choose a “stupid password” — avoid words that are in the dictionary, include numbers and symbols, and change it periodically.

Source:http://www.bizjournals.com/pacific/blog/2012/05/tips-to-improve-your-business-with.html

HTC One X vs Samsung Galaxy S3 in core technology

Many of you will already have heard that the Samsung Galaxy S3 (or S III) was finally made official yesterday and just some of our posts so far have been about official specs, hands-on looks, sign-up pages, bundles and much more. You may also have heard of the HTC One X, another impressive phone, and today we want to take a look at the HTC One X vs. the Galaxy S3 as far as core technology is concerned.

We should begin by saying that the international variant of the HTC One X has a quad-core processor but the US variant will have a dual-core Snapdragon S4 processor and will offer LTE connectivity. In a similar pattern the official specs for the European version of the Galaxy S3 have been confirmed and it will also have a quad-core processor and although the processor for the US variant is still unclear it’s certainly possible that this too could have the Snapdragon S4 dual-core instead of the quad-core for other regions.

This comparison then is based on the HTC One X and Galaxy S3 quad-core versions. The HTC One X has the NVIDIA Tegra 3 1.5GHz quad-core processor and has come in for a lot of praise for its speedy performance. It could be said to have 5 cores in fact as NVIDIA calls it “Super 4-PLUS-1” Quad Core. A Cnet article explains how this fifth core is more power efficient and comes into play to boost the battery life when there are no requirements for performance and also manages the low-power tasks.

The NVIDIA Tegra 3 quad-core processor also features DirectTouch technology to enhance touch responsiveness and lessen power consumption. The Tegra 3 is based on the ARM Cortex A9 design and uses a 40 nanometer fabrication process in manufacturing. We told yesterday how the battery life for the HTC One X using this processor has been praised although Cnet says, “Top-shelf components and a massive 4.7-inch screen take a toll on this pricey superphone’s battery life.”

Moving on to the quad-core processor for the Galaxy S3 then and this is the Exynos 4 Quad at 1.4GHz. Samsung say that the quad-core processor was chosen for several reasons, one of them being that it offers full-speed video at 30fps for 1080p video capture and playback. The high-quality camera and HDMI 4.1 interface is also possible because of an embedded image signal processor interface.

This processor uses 32 nanometer technology, more recent than the 40 nanometer process for the NVIDIA Tegra 3 used on the HTC One X. Samsung claims this means its processor has twice the processing capability of the Exynos dual-core processor and also uses 20% less power. The Exynox 4 Quad processor is also based on the ARM Cortex A9 design used for the NVIDIA quad-core. Obviously as the Galaxy S3 has only just been announced there has been no chance yet to test out how well this quad-core processor works in Samsung’s flagship device.

When the first reviews start to come in we’ll have more of an idea of which of these quad-core processors comes out best in tests but the HTC One X has already been a huge hit and it’s more than likely that the Galaxy S3 will achieve phenomenal sales too. What are your thoughts on the latest smartphones using quad-core technology? Do you think the Exynos quad-core used by Samsung will match the NVIDIA Tegra 3 quad-core, or maybe even better it?

Source:http://www.phonesreview.co.uk/2012/05/04/htc-one-x-vs-samsung-galaxy-s3-in-core-technology/