Martin Eberhard co-founded Tesla Motors in 2003 and has always been an outspoken advocate of electric cars. He left Tesla in 2007 during a dispute with current CEO Elon Musk and is now electric vehicle engineering director at VW’s Electronics Research Laboratory (ERL) in Palo Alto. His biggest project today is developing lithium-ion battery packs for EVs like Audi e-tron and Volkswagen Blue-e-motion Golf. He boldly predicts fully mature electric cars by 2020:

“At the current rate of progress, I’d say we will have banished the range anxiety problem, and will be making EVs with greater than 500 miles of operational range, within 10 years. At that point, the further development of fast charging infrastructure won’t be so important — because how often do you drive more than 500 miles in a day?”

Like Tesla VW is using standard “18650″ lithium-ion cells coming in the same size as most laptop computer battery packs. Two billion of them are produced each year. These “consumer cells” are being developed much faster than other battery types because of greater demand, as Eberhard told a British car magazine:

“To illustrate the point, the lithium-ion cells we’re currently working with contain 2.9 amp-hours of power; five years ago the ones we were using at Tesla only had 1.4 amp-hours. That rate of development has already had an impact on the cars we’re working on. The batteries we used in the original Audi e-tron prototype, for example, gave it 60kWh of power and a range of just over 150 miles. But with the 3.4 amp-hour cells we’re about to take delivery of, it should have 100 kilowatt-hours and do close to 300 miles on a charge.”

Photo: TheNickster / CC (Martin Eberhard)

Samsung did us a favor and not only announced Galaxy Tab officially today, but also confirmed what was first rumored two weeks ago. Android 2.2 Froyo will be followed by version 3.0 Gingerbread – soon to be followed by Android 3.5 Honeycomb, an OS version specially optimized for tablets.

WP Hong, head of product planning, told reporters during a Q&A session about more Samsung tablets to be launched next year – and the OS they are supposed to be running on. But first things first. Galaxy Tab starts out with Froyo and will be updated to Gingerbread:

“The next platform we’ll be using on Galaxy Tab will be Gingerbread. Depending on our international partners, we’ll be working to upgrade from Froyo to Gingerbread.”

Mobility is the emphasis of Galaxy Tab, said Hong, and it will be upgradable to Gingerbread. But not to Honeycomb, because this OS version is conceived for a different kind of device:

“Moving forward, Honeycomb will be implemented in the next generation tablet, as it’s specifically optimized for a different type of tablet, and will be used on another product only.”

Samsung will launch a “portfolio of tablet products” in the years to come. The first Samsung tablet based on Android 3.5 “Honeycomb” is to be expected in 2011.

Credits: Samsung

Archos is coming to IFA in Berlin with it’s own fleet of Android tablets. All are based on Android 2.2 “Froyo”. They run in sizes from 2.8 inches to 10.1 inches (dropping 3.2 inches, 4.3 inches and 7.0 inches in between). Prices are expected in a range from about $100 to $350. It’s not one-size-fits-all as experienced with Apple’s iPad. Choose the size that fits you best.

But there is a caveat: Like some other Android tablets these new devices seem not to be enabled for accessing the Android Market and its more than 100000 apps. Instead Archos praises the AppsLib market to “immediately discover a large choice of Android apps to download for the widest variety of needs you might have”. However “large” oder “wide” it may be, a smaller garden of apps is not enough. Also missing is Google’s own Android suite of applications most users would expect in any Android device.

Some blame Google for licensing hurdles preventing certain devices from accessing the Android Market. There is indeed a list of restrictions and requirements such as an accelerometer and an integrated telephone module. AppsLib even says it is all Google’s fault: “There’s no evidence that any Android tablet will qualify before Google releases its own tablet running Gingerbread in 2011.”

But there are more tablets to be shown at the IFA fair in Berlin. Some of theme are reported to give full access to the Android Market, among them Hannspree’s tablet and Toshiba’s Folio 100. We will have to wait for IFA opening on September 3rd to know for sure.

Credits: Archos

Sony launched its first reader in 2006 but Amazon’s Kindle always comes to mind first when talking about e-readers. The new Sony line of e-readers may have a better chance of getting noticed. Their main advantage is an improved touch display named E Ink Pearl – the same technology Amazon’s new Kindle generation uses. They don’t need an added touch sensitive layer over the e-ink resulting in a clearer picture and less glare in sunlight.

In a first hands-on review Technologizer said: “I wasn’t able to compare them side-by-side with other e-readers, but they were noticeably more legible than last year’s Sonys.” PC Magazine came away with a similar impression: “… and it makes the old displays look downright dull – text was crisp and clear, and there was less lag turning pages and navigating menus than on the old readers.”

Sony also was reasonable enough to lower prices like competitors did. 5-inch Pocket Edition ist now offered as PRS-350 for $179.99, 6-inch Touch Edition as PRS-650 for $229.99. They are available immediately and both smaller and lighter than their predecessors. Steve Haber, president of Sony’s digital reading division: “Consistently the No. 1 thing we heard was it needs to feel like a book, so you just forget that you have a device in your hand.”

If you need a wireless connection you will have to wait for November and the upcoming 7-inch Daily Edition. It will be called PRS-950, come with 3G and WiFi and cost $299. Sony also wants to follow up with apps for Android smartphones and Apple’s iPhone so you can read on when using another device.

Sony is still charging a bit more than some competitors but you get better design and an aluminum case. The US book store for Sony Readers now offers 1.2 million titles. Sony also plans to expand the number of countries to serve with “a thoughtful approach to country expansion, including Italy, Spain, Australia, Japan and China, working with local bookstores to ensure content is compatible, relevant and in the appropriate language for each market.”

Credits: Sony

IFA 2010 in Berlin has to be renamed the International Tablet Exhibition. Samsung will officially present its 7-inch Galaxy Tab. Toshiba is said to show off a 10-inch Tablet named Folio 100. ViewSonic wants to get there with ViewPad, another 7-inch tablet. All of them are expected to run with Google’s Android OS 2.2 Froyo.

Today’s newcomer is Hannspree officially announcing yet another tablet for IFA. No Pad and no Tab, Hannspree calls it what it is – Tablet. It has some heavyweight specs with a capacitive 10.1-inch display and WSVGA (1024×600), but it ist also slightly more heavy than the iPad with 790 grams. Nvidia’s Tegra 2 platform with a dual-core processor (ARM A9 Cortex running at 1 GHz) and integrated graphics should guarantee HD videos running fluidly. A mini HDMI port allows to show videos on external displays up to 1920 x 1080.

Specs seem to be okay at this price (iPad starting at Euro 499): 16GB flash memory, SDCard slot, WiFI 802.11b/g/n, Bluetooth 2.1, mini-USB, speaker, microphone, accelerometer, ambient light sensor. There is no mention of camera, 3G or GPS which we may expect from other tablets to be revealed at IFA on September the 3rd.

Hannspree says the 3500mAh battery will let you see videos in 1080p for up to 8 hours. Android 2.2 Froyo sports a modified user GUI more suitable for a 10-inch display. Users will be able to download apps from the Android Market. The Taiwanese manufacturer plans to launch its first Android tablet in November.

Credits: Hannspree

Yesterday it was caught on video in Australia, today new prototype pictures come in from China. They were snapped with a handset camera but give us a better view of the upcoming Android tablet as Samsung’s “officially” leaked photo.

The pictures show a Tablet running with Android 2.2 Froyo. If we can believe the somewhat flowery Google translation from Simplified Chinese we can indeed expect a 7-inch 1024 x 600 display, a 3.2-megapixel camera and a QVGA front camera. But it seems still unclear whether Samsung will use a LCD display or even AMOLED.

The guys from Ifanr believe it is the first real rival for the iPad. They seem to be very impressed about it being a formidable e-reader thanks to Samsung’s own software ReadingHub.

Credits: Ifanr.com

Some people had the unexpected experience of a new feature in Google search. Rob Ousbey was quick to react and captured it on video. A Google spokesperson confirmed it to be the real thing, one of many search experiments they are always running.

If this should become a standard feature it would significantly change the way we are searching. As you can see in the video search results are constantly changing while you are typing. It’s not only suggested search – you don’t have to click on the “Search” button to get constant live updates with each letter or word. Google is always trying to guess what you really want to see and updating the search results using AJAX.

It could be called incremental search, live updating, live preview or streaming as Google seems to prefer. The video shows a link for “Turn off streaming”. There may be good reasons to turn it off. It uses more bandwidth and resources. It may be very distracting and even annoying – but I might give it a try.

eiPOTT, as manufacturer Koziol called its egg cup, sounds rather similar to iPod in German pronunciaton. Ei means egg, Pott means pot. Apple did not like this wordplay and the obvious phonetic similarity. Since early 2009 it tried to prevent production and distribution by taking legal action. Apple had to file 3 legal complaints to finally get a restraining order against the company who calls itself a “happiness factory” with “better design to get a bigger smile”.

Apple’s lawyers went to a court in Hamburg which is well known for often deciding in favor of trademark and copyright holders – it has a similar reputation as a certain Texas town as patent-lawsuit capital. The judges conceded that eiPOTT was a funny idea but said it was not enough to be covered by freedom of art. Because of the obvious phonetic similarity and “a likelyhood of confusion” they served a preliminary injunction.

This means the manufacturer could have to pay up to Euro 250000 if he continues to sell the eiPOTT. Koziol will have to think of another name for the egg cup, but is still allowed to use the name eiPOTT for any other products if it wants to do so.

Does Apple really think it’s customers are stupid enough not to differentiate between an egg cup and a media player? You guessed it – Apple refused to comment on the story.

“Apple vs. egg” – eiPOTT manufacturer press release (Google Translate)

Credits: Koziol

Taiwanese NMA News have done it again. In a truly epic animation masterpiece they portrayed Steve Jobs and his Antennagate. Now they took a sharp look at Google’s world domination many people are fearing. It starts out with all the commotion about Google Street View and leads straight to Google using drones to keep the planet under even more thorough surveillance.

A satanic deal between Verizon Wireless and Google seems to be a further step to global domination. The Verizon-Google proposal for US lawmakers explicitly excludes net neutrality from wireless access to the Internet, though Google always vowed to fight for it. Even confessing Google fanboy and book author Jeff Jarvis (“What would Google do?”) is mad as hell and compares it to the Munic Pact in 1938

Huawei is not new to Androids and launched its first Android smartphone U8230 in 2009. At Mobile World Congress in February 2010 the manufacturer showed off several new models as well as a 7″ tablet running with Google’s Android OS.

Soon to be expected in Europe and other parts of the world is Huawei U8150-B “Ideos”. It already left a data trail at the FCC as well as the Global Certification Forum (GCF). British E-tailer Clove offered it for a short time and a rather sensational price of 170 British pounds (that would be $132) without a contract. The offer was removed quickly though and even disappeared from Google’s cached pages.

Still around are the specs: 2.8-inch capacitive touchscreen, 320×240 px, 3.2 MP AF camera, GPS, accelerometer, WiFi, 1200mAh battery, MicroSD card up to 16GB. Dimensions: 104 x 54.8 x 13,5mm.

Credits: Huawei / Clove

Pictures are leaking steadily and indicate a lot of circulating prototypes and a possible launch in the near future. The exact product name is Yepp YP-MB2, but it displays itself as Galaxy Player. YP-MB2 probably relates to Android smartphone Samsung Galaxy S about the same way an iPod touch relates to the iPhone.

It has quite similar specs but lacks cellular connectivity and has a 3MP camera instead of 5MP. You still get a 1GHz chip, the 4-inch Super AMOLED display, WLAN, Bluetooth and more goodness.

The Personal Media Player (PMP) is said to come in capacities of 8GB, 16GB and 32GB. It is expected to get official on August 11.

Samsung has been selling PMPs for a long time without ever enjoying the success Apple had with its iPod range. This could change rapidly with the Galaxy Player specs and Android OS, which opens the door to countless Apps in the Android Market.

Credits: Blog.Naver.com

While most online users are eagerly waiting for already delayed Street View in Germany, some politicians and regulators campaigned heavily against the service and its alleged privacy violations. They forced Google to wait for property owners to eventually put up objections against their houses being visible in Street View. The Register made fun of this by calling it “Deadline for Germans to hide from Street View”.

Actually it is more of a political play, and there are not many objections to be expected. But these not so relevant politicians did arouse irrational fears among many people not so web savvy. Starting tomorrow Google tries to counter them with an expensive ad campaign in high circulation magazines as well as national and regional newspapers. It’s a print-only campaign because Google wants to reach the people it might not reach online and who are not as informed.

The ads don’t even mention a launch date for Google Street View which is said to be later this year. Instead they try to answer “5 questions about Google and Street View”. The questions tell it all:

1. What exactly is Google doing?
2. How is Google making money?
3. What exactly is Street View?
4. Why do I need Street View, anyway?
5. Is Street View somehow compromising my privacy?

Well, you know the answers.

Screenshot: Google Street View, Zurich, Switzerland