Nissan launching $100 per month Leaf battery replacement program in 2014

Nissan Announces Battery Replacement Program for LEAF

NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Nissan, the world leader in zero-emission vehicles, today announced plans to offer a battery replacement program for U.S. LEAF customers who wish to replace their original equipment, lithium-ion battery pack.

The program, which will begin during the first half of 2014, will work in tandem with the Nissan standard battery warranty for LEAF – which includes industry-leading five-year, 60,000 mile coverage against battery capacity loss (below approximately 70%) and 8 years/100,000 miles against defects – to provide multiple layers of assurance for electric vehicle owners.

Erik Gottfried, Nissan's director of Electric Vehicle Sales and Marketing, said: "Nissan anticipates that the great majority of our current LEAF drivers will never need this battery replacement option. However, this program is yet another example of Nissan's commitment to deliver peace of mind for our continually growing community of LEAF drivers."

Nissan conducted a global survey of LEAF owners and prospective electric vehicle customers and reviewed publicly available industry data to help shape the replacement proposal. Owners and prospective owners voiced a preference for a monthly payment program, and that they wanted assurances that the battery will maintain its capacity at a certain level.

"Technology is evolving and battery prices are projected to decline as EVs become increasingly mainstream," said Gottfried. "Therefore, this new battery program today affords more flexibility for the future so that customers can both upgrade to the latest available technology for their LEAF and enjoy more predictable vehicle operating costs."

The battery replacement option is being modeled after aspects of both competitor and Nissan Europe battery leasing programs. The majority of the EVs bought in Europe involve battery leasing separate from the vehicle.

All LEAF batteries installed under this program will enjoy coverage similar to the terms of standard battery coverage under the Nissan New Electric Vehicle Limited Warranty and be assured to maintain at least 9 bars capacity, or approximately 70 percent and protection from defects in materials or workmanship for the time they own their LEAF and remain in the battery program. If necessary, Nissan will replace the battery with a new or remanufactured battery to restore capacity at or above a minimum of 9 bars, much like the existing expanded battery capacity warranty.

The Nissan LEAF battery replacement program pricing is consistent with Europe and will be approximately $100 per month. The replacement program will officially launch during the first half of 2014, and all Nissan LEAF vehicles will be eligible. It will be administered by Nissan Motor Acceptance Corporation.

"The battery replacement option will provide the peace of mind that customers have an economical option should they choose to replace the battery for whatever reason," says Gottfried.

Nissan will announce additional details of the battery replacement program later this year, including other global markets.

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Comcast launching Xfinity-branded cloud-based home control, muni-fi services

Comcast Unveils Plans for Millions of Xfinity WiFi Hotspots Through Its Home-Based 'Neighborhood Hotspot' Initiative

WASHINGTON & PHILADELPHIA--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Comcast, a global media and technology company, today announced plans to create millions of WiFi access points for its customers through a neighborhood hotspot initiative. Comcast is beginning to give its Xfinity Internet customers an additional "xfinitywifi" signal (or SSID) in their home that is completely separate and distinct from the family's private and secure home WiFi signal. Offered at no additional cost to Xfinity Internet residential customers, the additional WiFi hotspots will enable friends, relatives, visitors and other Xfinity Internet customers instant, easy access to fast and reliable WiFi.

"WiFi is at the center of our strategy to offer our customers the best online experience, whether it's the fastest WiFi experience in the home, or a fast and reliable WiFi environment outside the home," said Tom Nagel, Senior Vice President of Business Development, Comcast Cable. "WiFi is an important part of our strategy to be the place where customers connect all devices, anywhere and at any time."

Comcast's newest Wireless Gateway broadcasts two WiFi signals. By default, one is securely configured for the private use of the home subscriber. The second is a neighborhood "xfinitywifi" network signal that can be shared. This creates an extension of the Xfinity WiFi network and will allow visiting Xfinity Internet subscribers to sign in and connect using their own usernames and passwords.

As the nation's largest ISP with nearly 20 million customers, Comcast started a neighborhood hotspot trial last year in parts of Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Northern Virginia and the Greater Washington, D.C. metro area. Currently, more than 100,000 Xfinity Internet subscribers already enjoy these WiFi access points being offered by other Xfinity Internet subscribers.

WiFi is part of Comcast's broader strategy to create the foundation our customers need to power their Internet-connected devices in and out of the home. Comcast recently introduced a new Wireless Gateway that gives customers the nation's fastest wireless speeds with the most coverage throughout the connected home. By combining WiFi speeds with the latest Xfinity apps, home control technology and other Internet-enabled services, Comcast is giving customers new, simple and convenient ways to take advantage of the speed delivered on its broadband and WiFi networks.

Comcast's WiFi strategy currently includes two approaches. The first is the inclusion of tens of thousands of Xfinity WiFi access points in the CableWiFi Alliance, which enables Xfinity Internet customers access to more than 150,000 indoor and outdoor WiFi hotspots on the go in more than a dozen major cities across the country through the "CableWiFi" SSID. The second is this launch of the new home-based, neighborhood hotspot initiative.

Comcast has invested tens of billions of dollars to create a network across the U.S. that makes broadband widely available. The company has changed the Internet experience for millions of customers by providing the nation's fastest speeds, reliable service, trusted security and online content. Comcast has increased Internet speeds for its customers 11 times, most recently doubling two of its most popular Xfinity Internet speed plans, Blast! and Extreme 50, for no additional cost across the company's entire footprint.

A coverage map and more information about Xfinity WiFi are both available at: www.xfinity.com/wifi.

For more information, please follow Comcast on Twitter and Google+.

Comcast Launches New Xfinity Home Control and Energy Management Service

Xfinity Home Adds EcoSaver, a New Cloud-Based Solution that Learns Heating and Cooling Patterns of a Home for Additional Energy Savings

WASHINGTON & PHILADELPHIA--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Comcast, a global media and technology company, today announced the launch of Xfinity Home Control, a new product under the Xfinity Home umbrella of services. Xfinity Home Control is for customers who want smart home solutions like video monitoring and the ability to either schedule or remotely access lighting and thermostat controls, but do not choose the professional security monitoring that is offered with other Xfinity Home services, which are now called Xfinity Home Secure.

"The home control market is growing tremendously, and it's being driven by innovative technology, affordability and consumer demand," said Mitch Bowling, Senior Vice President and General Manager of New Businesses for Comcast Cable. "With the launch of Xfinity Home Control, we're adding yet another way customers can remotely manage their homes anywhere and at anytime."

Xfinity Home Control provides customers with the ability to get real-time text and email alerts when doors and windows open or close; watch live streaming video of their home via wireless cameras; and manage home devices including lights and thermostats remotely or by using automated schedules. Comcast is offering Xfinity Home Control service starting at only $9.95 per month. A "starter pack" of Xfinity Home Control monitoring equipment is available starting at $99.95.

Additionally, Comcast is adding to its Xfinity Home service today with the launch of EcoSaver, a new cloud-based solution that can help customers potentially reduce their energy use and save money on their utility bills year-round. The EcoSaver service, paired with the Xfinity Home thermostat, learns the unique heating and cooling patterns of a home and makes automatic and incremental adjustments to the thermostat based on real-time weather data, the thermal characteristics of the house and the temperature preferences of the occupants. The homeowner maintains full control over the thermostat. Over time, the system adapts to user inputs to help reduce energy while keeping the home comfortable.

Comcast continues to enhance its' Xfinity Home platform. Last week, Comcast and OSRAM SYLVANIA announced an agreement to offer energy efficient light bulbs that can be controlled remotely from anywhere through the Xfinity Home platform.

Xfinity Home is one of the primary services that takes advantage of the WiFi speeds that Comcast delivers. Comcast recently introduced a new Wireless Gateway that gives customers the nation's fastest wireless speeds with the most coverage throughout the connected home. This is part of Comcast's broader strategy to create the foundation for customers to power their Internet-connected devices and experiences, in and out of the home. By combining WiFi speeds with the latest Xfinity apps, home control technology and other Internet-enabled services, Comcast is giving customers new, simple and convenient ways to take advantage of the speed delivered on its broadband and WiFi networks.

For more information on Xfinity Home pricing, equipment and features, visit www.xfinity.com/home.

Please follow Comcast on Twitter and Google+.

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Cricket launching Galaxy S 4 on June 7th, starting at $55 down

?Cricket Announces Launch of the 4G Samsung Galaxy S®4

~ Next Generation of the World's Best-Selling Smartphone Available On Cricket's Value-Packed Unlimited No-Contract Plans ~
~ Rate Plans Start as low as $50 per Month including Unlimited Muve Music ~

SAN DIEGO - May 22, 2013 - Cricket Communications, Inc. today announced the upcoming availability of the Samsung Galaxy S4. The Samsung Galaxy S4 smartphone builds on the success and innovation of its predecessor, the Samsung Galaxy S3, and provides a suite of new innovations that will change how customers interact with a smartphone. The Galaxy S4 uniquely makes advanced technologies and features easy to use by integrating them into the way individuals use their phones every day. The Galaxy S4 will be available at Cricket company-owned stores, dealers and at www.mycricket.com starting June 7, 2013 for $599.99 (MSRP). Qualifying customers can put $54.99 down at purchase plus monthly payments.

"The Galaxy S4 redefines the smartphone and we are very proud to offer our customers the highest level of wireless technology on the market," said Matt Stoiber, senior vice president of devices for Cricket. "Cricket's three smartphone rate plans start as low as $45 per month1 and give customers value-packed choices for the plan that's right for them with unlimited music included."

The Galaxy S4 is the first device to enable consumers to control the device with touch-less features including scrolling or turning a page and viewing documents within a file folder or a link on a web page. It enhances memorable moments with innovative camera features that captures progressive action and easily removes unwanted people from the photo. The Galaxy S4 also enhances the TV watching experience with the new Samsung WatchON™ service that simplifies searching and recommends TV, movies and sports according to personal tastes. With WatchOn and the built in IR blaster, the Galaxy S4 also functions as a remote control for home theater equipment.

The Galaxy S4 combines the simple and visual interface introduced with the Galaxy Series Camera with a 13-megapixel rear-facing camera to take professional looking photographs with a smartphone. The front-facing 2-megapixel camera on the Galaxy S4 allows consumers to capture special moments in unique and new ways with Dual Camera shooting mode. Dual Camera mode takes pictures with both the rear and front cameras simultaneously to enable the photographer to be in the photo as well.

The Samsung Galaxy S4 is available on Cricket's 4G LTE Android Muve Music Double Data service plans that offer, for a limited time, double the monthly full speed data allowance offered in 3G rate plans. The $50 4G LTE Android Muve Music Double Data Rate Plan allows 2GB of full-speed data; the $60 plan allows 5GB of full-speed data and the $70 plan offers 10GB of full-speed data.

The Galaxy S4 is also available on Cricket's 3G all-inclusive smartphone rate plans start at $50 for unlimited talk and text plus up to 1GB of full-speed data per month. The $60 smartphone plan contains up to 2.5GB of full-speed data per month and the $70 smartphone plan offers up to 5GB of full-speed data per month. With the $60 and $70 plans, customers can use their device as a hot spot to power additional wireless devices.

Cricket 4G LTE service is now available in Philadelphia, Phoenix, Houston, San Antonio, Austin, Laredo, Corpus Christi and the Brownsville-McAllen-Harlingen market, Texas in addition to existing 4G LTE service in Las Vegas and Tucson. The company's LTE service now covers approximately 21 million potential customers.

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Sony Entertainment Network web store launching in Japan on May 29th

Sony Entertainment Network web store launching in Japan on May 29th data = {blogUrl: "www.engadget.com",v: 315};when = {jquery: lab.scriptBs("jquery"),plugins: lab.scriptBs("plugins"),eng: lab.scriptBs("eng")}; var s265prop9 = ('20575952' !== '') ? 'bsd:20575952' : ''; var postID = '20575952'; var modalMNo = '93319229', modalVideoMNo = '93320648', modalGalleryMNo = '93304207'; when.eng("eng.omni.init", {pfxID:"weg",pageName:document.title,server:"acp-ld39.websys.aol.com",channel:"us.engadget", s_account: "aolwbengadget,aolsvc", short_url: "",pageType:"",linkInternalFilters:"javascript:,",prop1:"article",prop2:"gaming",prop9:s265prop9,prop12:document.location,prop17:"",prop18:"",prop19:"",prop20:"", prop22:"sarah-silbert", prop54:"blogsmith",mmxgo: true }); adSendTerms('1')adSetMOAT('1');adSetAdURL('/_uac/adpagem.html');lab._script("http://o.aolcdn.com/os/ads/adhesion/js/adhads-min.js").wait(function(){var floatingAd = new AdhesiveAd("10000057",{hideOnSwipe:true});}); onBreak({980: function () { adSetType("F");htmlAdWH("93319229", "LB", "LB"); adSetType("");}}); EngadgetMenu NewsReviews Features Galleries VideosEventsPodcasts Engadget ShowTopics Buyers Guides Sagas Store HD Mobile Alt Announcements Cameras Cellphones Desktops Displays Gaming GPS Handhelds Home Entertainment Household Internet Laptops Meta Misc Networking Peripherals Podcasts Robots Portable Audio/Video Science Software Storage Tablets Transportation Wearables Wireless Acer Amazon AMD Apple ASUS AT&T Blackberry Canon Dell Facebook Google HP HTC Intel Lenovo LG Microsoft Nikon Nintendo Nokia NVIDIA Samsung Sony Sprint T-Mobile Verizon About UsSubscribeLike Engadget@engadgettip uswhen.eng("eng.nav.init")when.eng("eng.tips.init") onBreak({980: function () {htmlAdWH("93308280", "215", "35",'AJAX','ajaxsponsor');}});Sony Entertainment Network web store launching in Japan on May 29thBySarah SilbertpostedMay 20th, 2013 at 9:46 AM 0

The Sony Entertainment Network, which is already live in the US and Brazil among other countries, will launch in Japan on May 29th. As you may recall, the service is a browser-based marketplace with games, movies and other media available for download. SEN is especially targeted at PlayStation users; games and videos purchased will automatically show up in the PlayStation store. Given that Sony calls the Land of the Rising Sun home, it's high time its Entertainment Network opened its doors to Japan. And with E3 less than a month away, the world may get a taste of Sony's next-gen hardware for enjoying this service -- stay tuned.

when.eng("eng.perm.init")

Via: The Next Web

Source: Sony Computer Entertainment Japan

Tags: PlayStation, sony, Sony Entertainment Network, sony japan, SonyEntertainmentNetwork, SonyJapan, web store, WebStore

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YouTube Launching Paid Subscriptions to Some Video Channels: Report

By Anita Li2013-05-06 02:25:19 UTC

YouTube is set to launch a paid subscription model for its specialist video channels as early as this week, according to a report.

The move, which has been in development for months, aims to help channels finance a wider range of content such as television shows and films, and will serve as another source of revenue, according to the Financial Times.

The service will include up to 50 YouTube channels, and subscriptions to each channel will start as low a $1.99 per month, the newspaper reported Sunday, citing anonymous sources.

In response to the report, a YouTube spokesperson told Mashable, "We have nothing to announce at this time, but we're looking into creating a subscription platform that could bring even more great content to YouTube for our users to enjoy and provide our creators with another vehicle to generate revenue from their content, beyond the rental and ad-supported models we offer."

Rumors that YouTube will monetize its premium content have circulated for some time. In January, AdAge reported that the site asked a small group of channels to apply to be among those paid.

At the time, a YouTube representative told Mashable, "We have long maintained that different content requires different types of payment models ... The important thing is that, regardless of the model, our creators succeed on the platform. There are a lot of our content creators that think they would benefit from subscriptions, so we’re looking at that."

Other signs suggest that YouTube is likely working on à la carte and pay-per-view options for its video channels. Code found in a February app update mentioned subscribing and unsubscribing from paid YouTube channels.

Image courtesy of Flickr, Rego - d4u.hu

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Antares: Private Rocket Launching on First Flight Saturday

for Space.com 2013-04-20 19:11:46 UTC

Antares, a new American rocket designed to fly cargo missions to the International Space Station for NASA, is poised to make its launch debut from the U.S. East Coast today (April 20) after a three-day delay.

The private Antares rocket, built by the commercial spaceflight company Orbital Sciences Corp., is set to launch from a new seaside pad at NASA's Wallops Flight Facility on Wallops Island, Va.. The critical test flight has been delayed since Wednesday (April 17). Liftoff is set for 5 p.m. EDT (2100 GMT).

You can watch the Antares rocket launch live on SPACE.com beginning 4:30 p.m. ET (2030 GMT), courtesy of a NASA TV webcast. Weather permitting, the rocket's ascent toward space may even be visible from a wide swath of the U.S. East Coast from Portland, Maine, to Charleston, S.C., according to an Orbital visibility map.

The Antares rocket is designed to launch Orbital's new unmanned Cygnus spacecraft on cargo missions to the International Space Station under a $1.9 billion contract with NASA. Under the deal, the Dulles, Va.-based Orbital has pledge to launch at least eight Cygnus flights using Antares to deliver a total of 20 tons of cargo to the station through 2016.

But first, Orbital officials want to be sure the two-stage rocket can perform as expected. That's where today's test launch, called the Antares A-ONE mission, comes in.

Orbital is launching a full Antares rocket topped with a cylindrical dummy payload that mimics the shape and weight of the Cygnus spacecraft. If all goes well, the rocket will blast off at 5 p.m. EDT and reach orbit about 10 minutes later to place the Cygnus mass simulator in orbit.

Orbital initially tried to launch the Antares rocket on Wednesday (April 17), but a data cable separated from the booster earlier than expected minutes before liftoff. The cable relays vital commands from Orbital's launch control center to the Antares rocket's computer brain, so engineers wanted to be sure the rocket was in pristine shape to fly. A simple fix — adding some extra slack in the cable — was made to clear the way for today's launch attempt.

Orbital officials also opted to skip a Friday launch attempt because of dismal weather forecasts, but conditions at launch time today on Wallops Island are expected to be favorable.

The 13-story Antares rocket is the largest booster ever to launch from NASA's Wallops Flight Facility, which has long been the home of NASA's small sounding rocket launches and balloon science program. The rocket will lift off from Pad 0A, a new launch pad operated by the Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport and overseen by the Virginia Commercial Spaceflight Authority.

Orbital Sciences is one of two U.S. companies that have contracts with NASA to provide commercial cargo deliveries to the International Space Station using robotic spacecraft. The other firm is Space Exploration Technologies (SpaceX) of Hawthorne, Calif.

SpaceX has a $1.6 billion contract to fly at least 12 cargo delivery missions to the space station using its Falcon 9 rockets and robotic Dragon space capsules. The company launched its first test flight to the station in May 2012 and has flown two official cargo deliveries since then.

With the retirement of the U.S. space shuttle fleet in 2011, NASA is relying on private spacecraft like those built by Orbital and SpaceX not only to keep the space station stocked with supplies, but eventually to ferry American astronauts to and from the orbiting lab.

If you live near the Wallops Island area in Virginia and want to watch today's launch attempt, NASA's Wallops Flight Facility Visitors Center is open to the public. The launch can also be viewed from the nearby Assateague National Seashore.

Photo courtesy NASA, Bill Ingalls

This article originally published at Space.com here

Topics: Antares, NASA, space, Tech, U.S., World Space.com is a Mashable publishing partner that is the world's No. 1 source for news of astronomy, skywatching, space exploration, commercial spaceflight and related technologies. This article is reprinted with the publisher's permission.

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