Intro to my Automotive Articles

My love and passion for information technology is equally shared in the automotive industry. As such, I shall on occasion, review any car or car technology of note. However, many of these articles will have nothing to do with the actual drive, handling and performance of the cars. This is because I don’t have access to many of them. Consequently, I shall be basing my opinions on what I am able to deduce from press releases and online videos. Therefore, many of the articles will focus mainly on the interior.

I will definitely keep trying to get some hands-on time with some of the vehicles but the logistics of doing so are proving very hard to work out. Until then, happy reading. 

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A Letter to David Cameron: Everyone is Important

The hostage crisis in Algeria, like others before it, is a truly sad occurrence. People have died needlessly. I commiserate with the families and friends of every person who has died. I would however, like to repeat recent comments of the British Prime Minister on the issue.

‘’…Two Britons died on Monday.  Another Briton died … A sad day for Britain.’’

What troubles me about this statement is that Lord Cameron seems to be concerned only about the hostages that are Britons. I would like to point out to him or more appropriately, remind him that everyone, regardless of their nationality, is important. Though his primary duty is to safeguard and ensure the wellbeing of Great Britain and her subjects, he should also be mindful of the fact that others nationals have also died and in that regard, it is a sad day for the whole world and not just Great Britain.

What troubles me even more is that this type of restrictive outlook is quite common around the world. On this crisis, US officials have also concerned themselves with the number of dead Americans. Mainstream media houses are just as guilty. One of ABC’s headlines reads “Algerian Hostage Crisis: Three Americans Killed”. Even here at home in Nigeria, whenever there is any unfortunate incident, accident or disaster, ethnic empathy and sympathies are very common.

While the undertones of the Prime Minister’s comments were probably unintentional,  I would like to plead with him, with other leaders and everyone else that these kinds of sectionalised sentiments run the risk of endangering true unity and by implication, peace. We should all endeavour to embrace a much broader outlook in issues like this. After all, the world is a global village and we are all citizens of humanity.

Respectfully,

Olawale SANNI

Lagos, Nigeria

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Mercedes Déjà vu

When Mercedes Benz resurrected the Maybach brand in 1997, it was for the purpose of competing in the niche ultra-luxury limousine market segment.  The two primary models, the 57 and the 62, redefined automobile opulence and comfort when they were released in 2002. But exactly a decade later, Mercedes is retiring the brand due to less than stellar sales. Mercedes' new plan is to bring ultra-luxury cars under the Mercedes brand to the market. They say the upcoming S Class (tentatively called the W222 model, will be offered in as many as six variants. Some will be made as the staple flagship S Class and some will be made to cater to the ultra-luxury market. This is an inherently flawed plan.

Does President Obama Need A New Car? (Updated)

US President Obama’s second inauguration is fast approaching and as is customary with every inauguration, a new Presidential car will debut on inauguration day. The car referred to as Cadillac One. Like Air Force One and Marine One, the car is a Presidential symbol and is a source of national pride to the American people. Many people the world over also take pride and interest in the car both for its looks and its technological safety and protection features. The current version, the version that has no model name but is nicknamed the Beast and even the one before it, are often viewed as the pinnacle of automotive safety and as the last word in automotive protection. The question now is: does the US president need a new car?

I ask this question whilst considering the financial troubles of the US. A problem they’ve been grappling with before President Obama took office. So I ask again, does President Obama need a new car?

Digital Media: The Unfulfilled Promise of HTML 5 Video

HTML 5 is widely regarded as the holy-grail of internet video, or at least it’s supposed to be. It allows web-enabled devices (Smart TVs, video game consoles, phones, tablets, PCs. etc) to play video hosted on the internet right from the web browser with the need for any additional software i.e – plugins.  The framework for HTML 5 video was first drafted in 2007 and five years later, it is gathering steam. It hasn’t reached critical mass but it is flourishing. So just what has hampered this wonderful technology from being the massive success it was heralded to be? To understand this, we must consider how we got here in the first place.

Digital Media: Pixel Games

This is the first of a multi-part series covering various aspects of digital media. With the ever closing gap between premium and budget devices in the mobile industry, manufacturers are desperate to add features exclusive to their premium models. One aspect where this is being done is in screen resolution. Laptops, phones, tablets and TVs now have HD screens. HD content is either 720p (1280 x 720) and 1080p (1920 x 1080) or anything in between. 1080p is generally referred to as Full HD and this is the highest quality available for home video in the form of Blu-ray discs or digital downloads. With this in mind, I think manufacturers are pushing the envelope with their ever increasing pixel counts. There are already phones and tablets that have a native resolution of full HD. So why do manufacturers perceive a need for higher resolutions in their products? Devices like the iPad 3 and the Nexus 10 have a native resolution well in excess of 1080p. 

The Phones in the Crystal Ball

This is a look into the future. More particularly, the not too distant future of flagship smartphones. Over the course of mobile phone history, high-end features have usually made their debut on flagships; flagships of the major players like HTC and Samsung. The LG Optimus 2X was the first phone with a dual-core processor. The Samsung Galaxy S2 was the first phone to ship with 1GB of RAM. The first phone to ship with a screen larger than 4 inches was the HTC HD2 with its 4.3 inch screen, unless you choose to call the Dell Streak a phone. The first phone with a 720p screen resolution (1280 x 720) was the Samsung Galaxy Nexus, unless you also choose to regard the Samsung Galaxy Note as a phone.