Safe Gadgets: October 2011

Hyundai EON Review - Users & Experts Reviews

There is always a hysterical amount of interest that a new, affordable small car generates. How could we forget the Tata Nano? So there was in case of Hyundai Motors’ latest model in small car (in fact, latest by any in long time) named Hyundai EON. The Eon has been pitted squarely against the Maruti (Suzuki) Alto, the Chevrolet Spark and possibly even proves in-house competition for the Hyundai Santro Xing.

Pitched as a low cost car to attract vast Indian middle class, it was predicted to be at the price of even lower than alto. But albeit it’s assumed prices, it turned out almost the same price as Hyundai Santro and has disappointed lot of people. Though its end variants are cheaper but they come with hardly any luxury.

So, how does it look anyways? The Eon stays very much within the ‘Fluidic’ design philosophy that Hyundai has adopted of late, with the characteristic hexagonal ‘mouth’ and the swept back headlamps. The ‘kick-up’ lines down its flanks give it a sporty look, as do the creases on its bonnet; the triangular fog lamps look cool as well. Comma-shaped taillights and an integrated rear spoiler round off the fresh, funky look – this is a car that will appeal to a broad cross-section of people, if not its price.

Eon boast off a three-cylinder, 814cc engine. In essence, this is the 1.1-litre motor that powers the i10, with one cylinder less. The engine does, however, get a counter balance to keep vibrations in check. Bore and stroke measure 67 x 77mm while the engine features a 3-valves-per-cylinder SOHC arrangement. Peak power output is 55bhp. The Eon shares its 5-speed transmission with the Santro and features a mechanical linkage.

Generating a peak power of 56PS at 5,500 rpm and a peak torque of 7.65 KgM at 4,000 rpm, the Eon's engine manages to beat the current benchmark – Alto – convincingly. The Alto's 800cc engine manages 47 PS of peak power at 6,200 rpm and a peak torque of 6.3 KgM at 3,000 rpm. For a 3-cylinder unit, the Eon's engine manages to be fairly refined under steady acceleration and gets a bit gruffy and audible only at high revs.

What you may not like is its “Gears” which tend to vibrate a lot along with its external body and could prove a turn off for many buyers. Also, the steering lacks self-centering action and this can be a concern at highway speeds. Power delivery at slow speeds is slightly jerky. The engine does not have the pep of the Alto K-series' larger motor. Power is adequate to keep up with city traffic but you do need to pre-plan when overtaking bigger vehicles.

The single-piece front seats provide fair back support but their tapering shape means your shoulders are literally unsupported. Under-thigh support is not impressive and the fixed headrests a tad short. The rear doors open wide enough but the flat seat with built-in headrests feels too reclined and taller passengers will be short on shoulder support in the back as well. Under-thigh support could be better and headroom is limited.

To lower down costs and to keep the price competitive, some parts from the Santro and i10 have been carried over into the Eon. Hyundai has also decided to offer a variant with a driver's airbag and a front passenger airbag will also be available, though that might be offered later.

This new car may not have the space of the Tata Nano or the power of the Alto K10, but it tempts you with its combination of eye-catching styling, well-built interiors and promises of great fuel economy. Santro may eventually turn out its main competitor because of the Eon's price being very close, if not overlapping with the Santro.

Golden Audi R8 Cars - Seems Designed With Gold Only

Brought in 2006, the Audi R8 is based on the Lamborghini Gallardo platform. This amazing car is due to replaced with an all-new model in 2014. Ever since its release, modders have been going crazy with the car, including creating golden versions. The new monochromatic finish definitely calls for extensive staring at the vehicle. That’s a tantalizing blend of making us believe that such things do exist. Onlookers will not get blinded with a brilliant reflective surface but instead can have a closer look at its rich matte finish, which sets this car apart from all other GT machines. The rich color of gold and the superb matte finish has even made the black Audi R8 look dull.

Some of the noteworthy features of Audi R8 are mid-mounted V8 FSI engine, quattro permanent 4 wheel drive and Audi space frame aluminum body. The engine can deliver almost 420 HP and sprints the car from 0 to 60 mph at 4.5 seconds and can go up to 187 mph.

Though gold lovers may not get to drive a car made of gold but they have a possibility of driving a golden car with this remarkable golden Audi R8.

24K Gold Bar USB Drive - World's Most Luxurious Pen Drive

This is Gold INGOT USB Drive from Japan. This is not a really gold ingot but the memory inside carries 99.99 percent 24 karat pure gold leaf. If you ever dreamed of a golden USB memory stick, here’s one in front of your eyes. Made by I-O Data, the so-called Gold Ingot USB Memory [JP] offers 4GB capacity. The body is mainly made of Japanese wood and covered by a thin layer of gold. The USB drive is manufactured in alliance with Japanese company Hakuichi [JP] and weighs 15g. It can be used with Windows PCs and Apple Macs. This 24K gold bar USB stick is priced at $870 to be exact. It is available in either 4GB or 32GB varieties.

iPad3 Production Started - Launch Early 2012

In competition with iPhone 4S, Apple ready to is approach with iPad 3 as its future product.

For consumers, the big question is when the iPad 3 will launch, from sources, Apple is sending the iPad 3 into production this quarter. Apple believes 600,000 to 1 million iPad 3 units will be built this quarter and only commit to early 2012.

Some feature of iPad 3 would be like "A6" processor and processor will feature four cores instead of the dual-core A5 in the iPad 2. And as you might expect, the company has so far been reluctant to comment on the iPad 3.

Hyundai EON Car - Launch Prices & Reviews

Update: Hyundai India launched its smallest car Eon today in Gurgaon. Hyundai Eon launched in 6 variants with starting price if under Rs. Rs 2.69 Lakhs to top variant of Rs. 3.71 Lakhs. Hyundai Dealers have already started to accept the booking of Hyundai Eon car starting October 1, 2011 with a booking amount of Rs. 20,000. Here're the list of prices basis on the model:

Hyundai EON D-lite : Rs 2.69 lakhs
Hyundai EON D-lite-o : Rs 2.91 lakhs
Hyundai EON Eera : Rs. 3.11 lakhs
Hyundai EON Magna : Rs. 3.36 lakhs
Hyundai EON Magna-o : Rs. 3.46 lakhs
Hyundai EON Sportz : Rs. 3.71 lakhs

First instance of action in the cut throat low end entry level car segment is almost a revolution with Hyundai throwing style, substance, space, performance and fuel efficiency to take on the Alto league.

After launching a slew of premium hatchbacks in India, Hyundai is now preparing to introduce a small car priced below Rs. 3 lakh. The car, to be called Hyundai Eon, will compete against Maruti Suzuki's best-selling car Alto.

Eon will be an entry-level car but at the same time it is likely to be spacious with a large boot. The car is likely to be powered by an 814 cc engine with a mileage promise of over 20 km per litre.

Brings us straight to discussing the price point of the new vehicle which should be on or about the Rs 2.5-lakh ex-showroom sticker tag for the base Alto. Hyundai would have worked out what it had to do with a brand new modern design to try and engineer it not just to the pricing of the Alto but more importantly, allow it to deliver more in terms of style, occupant space, performance, fuel efficiency than the established segment leader.

Thus was born Project HA, which saw not just Hyundai’s design and development centre at Namyang in Korea do most of the work, but the fact that Hyundai’s Hyderabad-based R&D centre also pitched in massively to firm up a product which is fresh and appealing and also meets most requirements in this class of small car in India.

The new Hyundai is a stunner with substance to boot, as I discovered during the course of an exclusive half an hour session driving this small Hyundai at the firm’s Namyang test track. In one fell swoop Hyundai seems to have re-written a new chapter for entry level small cars and it is here in the Rs 2.5 lakh to Rs 3.0 lakh space, where most entry level buyers are to be found searching for their first spanking new automobile.

While the Tata Nano may be cheaper, the Indian consumer is looking at better value, more substance and style rather than just focus on pricing. And in this era where every detail counts, the Eon should be the one which could ignite an all-new and more meaningful race in this segment.

The Eon is built on a completely new platform which has no bearing on the ones used before, either for the Santro or the svelte i10. What clearly denotes the Eon is its stylish exterior with hints of Hyundai’s fluidic design language showing. It is no secret that trying to style a small package is much more difficult than a larger sized hatch or saloon.

But with the Eon, the Hyundai design team has really pulled out all the stops and emerged with a package that is fresh, contemporary and appealing. Casey Hyun, the Australian-born Korean who headed the design team, was clear in his mind that style was as important as the interior detailing needed to prepare a product which had to stand the test of time in a class which would see newer competition arrive sooner rather than later.