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Chris Theodore, Ford's former head of North American product development and the man who brought us the Ford GT, stopped by this morning to chat with editor-in-chief Jean Jennings and to tell us more about one of his current projects as vice chairman and chief technical officer of Saleen.
 
That would be the mid-engine Saleen S5S Raptor supercar concept that debuted at this year's New York Car Shows.
 
Saleen and its partner company, ASC, Theodore reminded us, are "the largest independent design facility in the world." The product guru elaborates: "We did the S5S partly to showcase our design capability. It was done right here in Michigan, in Warren, by one of our young designers, David Byron. We had an in-house design competition among half a dozen designers, and it came down to two finalists. We had a Betty Crocker bake-off, and David's design won.
 

"Yes, the cars has the potential for reality. We are well aware that the sweet spot in supercars is between about $150K and $200K." [Where Bentley has done so well with the Continental GT.] "We also wanted to showcase our new 5.0-liter, 620-hp motor, which is already available in our Extreme Mustang. We decided, let's float the idea of an E85-dedicated vehicle, and bump hp to 650.
 
"We designed the car around a feasible business model. And the next thing was to see the market reaction. The response at New York was phenomenal. We got 10 million hits on our Web site, and thousands of articles of one form or another were published.
 
"Now this new cars is on tour with some of our 200 Saleen dealers. The S5S Raptor is clearly a magnet for the Saleen brand.
 

"We have not yet decided whether to build the car. It will be difficult to find the right partner, and there are lots of technical and manufacturing obstacles. If we do decide to build it, though, I could have a prototype S5S Raptor up and running in six months, and it would take a couple of years to bring it to market.
 
"If we decide to do it, sometime in 2009 we'd have a running prototype."
 
Build it, Chris. America should not cede this profitable, image-building slice of the car market to the Italians, the Brits, and the Germans. (And the Japanese. The Lexus LF-A might play in this price league, as well.) The new Corvette ZR1 and the Dodge Viper ACR are cresting the $100K mark, but with the demise of the Ford GT, there's nothing else coming out of Detroit to take on the Ferrari F430, the Lamborghini Gallardo, the Aston Martin V8 Vantage, and the Porsche 911 GT2. The slow-selling, outrageously expensive, practically undriveable Saleen S7 supercar, really just a racing car with street clothes, was too much of a stretch for the Saleen brand. But the S5S Raptor is exotic, hot, and uniquely American. Build it!

 
Coincidence is a funny beast, is it not? On the very same day, releases have been put out touching on both of the major navigation deals that have long since been pending. To kick things off, we've got TomTom and Tele Atlas in quite the celebratory mood, as TomTom intends for Tele Atlas' listing on Euronext Amsterdam and on the Frankfurt Stock Exchange "to be terminated as soon as legally possible." Can't blame a brother for wanting what's his, right? Moving on, we're hearing that Nokia will receive clearance from EU regulators "to buy digital map supplier NAVTEQ, as no formal charges are to be levied against the deal." It's also noted that the time for sending a statement of objections has passed, so from the outside looking in, it seems the two can at least move forward with their plans.

 
That sound you hear is the not-yet-released nüvifone trembling in fear, as TomTom has just announced that an iPhone-ready version of its famed navigation software is practically ready to rock 'n roll. More specifically, a TomTom spokesman was quoted as saying that its "navigation system runs on the iPhone already," and he made the statement hot on the heels of the iPhone 3G announcement. Sadly, he wouldn't disclose an estimated release date for the software, but it's safe to say that the TomTom touch could make Apple's darling a formidable nüvifone opponent.

 
Everyone remembers the terrible stories on the news a few years ago, of climbers and hikers lost in the wilderness and the desperate search to find them before the unthinkable happened. If you love the outdoors, a situation like that could be your worst nightmare.
 
A number of products have appeared to help you survive the elements should you wind up in a bad position. The SPOT Satellite Messenger is one of those products, and while I didn't take it to the top of a mountain, it certainly proved itself useful on more than one occasion.
 
The SPOT looks like a big orange walky-talky; it's light, it fits in the palm of your hand, and it is very orange. The thick black plastic buttons and grips on the side add to its rugged feel. The AA batteries required for the device to work are included in the package, along with a user guide to help you get used to it.
 
Because the SPOT is a satellite messenger, it must acquire a signal before you can really start using it; you can't turn it on and expect it to work. You need to leave it out in the open (or at least somewhere with skyward view) for a good 10 to 20 minutes before it's able to send messages. Its size and shape do make it obvious that the SPOT is a device designed for safety--the bright-orange exterior is impossible to mistake, and the fact that there are only four buttons (on/off, check-in, help, and 911) make the device incredibly simple to use, even in an emergency.
 
 

 
There's a new little toy I've started throwing in my camera bag--a GPS receiver. It's not what you're thinking. There are no movings maps. In fact, there's no readout at all. This GPS receiver, smaller than a pack of Tic Tacs, doesn't tell me where to go; it shows where I've been. I'll explain how that enters into photography in a second.
 
I found the i-gotU (among the worst named products of this century) on eBay; it's available widely online at electronics outlets too. For $40 or so, including shipping, you get the receiver, a small USB holster for charging and data transfer, and a software CD.
 
The i-gotU itself features a single button and two hidden LEDs. That's all you need, because as it finds your position using the constellation of GPS satellites, it's also recording it on internal memory. Back home, the data is quickly pushed to your computer.
 
If you carry the i-gotU while you shoot, and the clock on your camera is reasonably on-time, your photos can be geotagged. That means the major photos sites, and even Google, will properly place them on the map.
 
I lent mine to a friend, who carried it and his camera as he snowmobiled through Vermont. I now have documentary proof that he's crazy enough to hit 80 mph on snow!
 
The i-gotU is not without its shortcomings: When you turn it on, make sure to leave it in the clear until it's latched onto a few satellites. Once that's done, it works fine in your pocket. Forget step one, though, and you'll find yourself missing data points.
 
The time interval between fixes, which you can set, is really more a suggestion than a hard-and-fast rule. Does it make a difference that I knew where I was about every 26 seconds instead of exactly every 15? Probably not. I'm told this has to do with the battery-conserving sleep mode it goes to between sightings.
 
Speaking of battery--shades of iPod--it can't be changed. I have no idea what the reasonable life expectancy is, but hopefully when it gives up, the next generation will be here and be cheaper!
 
Post by Geoff Fox

Little News from Auto Show in North American at this year (2008)
Let's call it NAIAS 2008 (NORTH AMERICAN INTERNATIONAL AUTO SHOW 2008) were one of largest auto show (say it also : cars show)in this word. It already held and successfully!. There are 58 vehicles that participated in this show, including 14 local debuts (North American)  and the other (44 debuts) were come from around the world. This NAIAS 2008 use to show to public about new cars,  new concept, and also new debuts in automotive world. 
How can I say that this were successfully? Just look at this category below
1. Look at the attendees. It reach until 700.000 attendees. It's a huge number!
2. Look at the number of media that report this show. At least 6000 media were participate in this show, and those 6000 media were international media! (approximate from 60 country). What a spread rumors and information!
3. Look at the industry that follows this show! At least 37.000 industry has counted from 2000 companies.
4. How much money that can gain from this show. From this show, $6 million were raised for children's charities.
This car show excitement were heightened by the presence of several celebrity and political guests. Other entertainers included singers Bryan Adams, Mary J. Blige and Toby Keith; celebrity chef Wolfgang Puck; Monster Garage host Jesse James; IndyCar Series driver and "Dancing with the Stars" champion Helio Castroneves; NBA All-stars George "Iceman" Gervin, Willis Reed, Bill Walton, Spud Webb and Dominique Wilkins; Katie Feenstra from the WNBA's Detroit Shock; Richard "Rip" Hamilton from the NBA's Detroit Pistons; actors Kim Catrall, Giancarlo Esposito, Rosie Perez, Drew Sidora and Lisa Vidal; heavyweight boxer Evander Holyfield, hip-hop legend Funk Master Flex; media moguls Damon Dash and Russell Simmons; The Tonight Show with Jay Leno's Ross "the Intern" Matthews; among several others.
 

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