From Autoblog: Video: 2013 Toyota Prius C doesn’t get much love from Consumer Reports

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Consumer Reports' 2012 Toyota Prius C road test - screencap

Consumer Reports has panned the 2012 Toyota Prius C in a new video review that urges car shoppers to get a used regular Prius over the new baby model, “it’s a much better car overall,” said Mike Quincy in the review.

The problems Toyota ran into in creating the Prius C appear to be in making it cheaper, according to Consumer Reports. The list of adjectives during the video review included: “lackluster,” “hard plastic,” “cheap materials,” “dead steering” and “slow.”

Toyota may see those words as misplaced modifiers compared to the glowing recommendations the larger mainstream Prius has received in its decade-long Synergy drive to becoming the eco-poster child for hypermiling greenies out to save the Earth and ride in California HOV lanes with a single person aboard. (HOV access for most gas-electric hybrids has been discontinued in the Golden State.)

While the Prius C may start at $18,995, its price climbs quickly and its value does not, Consumer Reports said. A new regular Prius starts at $24,000.

However, the bad news from Consumer Reports hasn’t hurt Prius C sales, which began in April. During its first month, Toyota sold 4,782 Prius C models, outpacing the other Prius variant, the family-minded Prius V, as well as the subcompact Yaris, which donates its platform for the Prius C.

Scroll down to watch Consumer Reports’full Prius C video review or read more at the source link.

Continue reading 2013 Toyota Prius C doesn’t get much love from Consumer Reports

from Autoblog

From Gizmodo: RIM in Crisis as a Billion Dollars of BlackBerries and PlayBooks Sit Unsold [BlackBerry]

Things are getting dire for RIM, which diffidently announced its new BlackBerry 10 platform earlier this month to an internet full of aggressive disinterest. The latest grim tiding? Trading has been halted on RIM’s stock—which is a very bad sign—on the heels of news that its stash of unsold BlackBerry phones and PlayBook tablets has ballooned to a value of just over $1 billion. More »




from Gizmodo

From Geeks are Sexy Technology News: New Mini-Episode of Doctor Who Written by Kids

In January, BBC Learning, working with Blue Peter, ran their Script to Screen 2012 competition that challenged children aged 9-11 to write a script for Doctor Who with an Olympic theme in the comedic fantasy that is the Doctor Who style, and, of course, some Doctor Who tropes.

The winners are credited in the episode as “The Children of Ashdene School”. It’s actually a rather funny little script, especially considering it came from young uns. It’s also a wonderful little extra for the Doctor Who fans who just need something new from Doctor Who whenever they can get it. 😉

[Via The Uniblog Facebook page and io9]

 

from Geeks are Sexy Technology News