Speed Unfettered: Best of the Goodwood Festival of Speed 2014

Goodwood FoS 2014

The racing world is still recovering from the pounding speed hangover left by this weekend's Goodwood Festival of Speed. Its pain is your gain, as this year's festival was filled to its artistic arch with ultra-fast supercars, racing personalities, legendary vintage cars, dirt-spewing rally cars and futuristic virtual concept cars.

Welcome, Mercedes style

Not to be outdone by Porsche and its rocketing 911s from the 2013 Festival of Speed, this year's sponsor Mercedes-Benz decorated the 2014 event with an arch that could have made St. Louis jealous. The span stretched its way over the Goodwood House, carrying with it Mercedes' first and latest eight-cylinder Silver Arrows Grand Prix race cars. A replica of the 1934 Mercedes-Benz W 25 Silver Arrow and a 2013 Mercedes AMG Petronas F1 W04 held still above the lawn as if making their own individual leaps over the manor.

"It is a tremendous opportunity to be asked by Mercedes-Benz to create a sculpture to celebrate their 120 years of motor racing," said artist Gerry Judah. "For this we have pushed the limits of what is possible with size and complexity in engineering, with a 160- tonne steel arch connecting two of their great historic cars over the top of Goodwood House."

Video game or reality?

One of the interesting themes at this year's festival was the blurring between the worlds of video game racing and real racing. Both Nissan and Aston Martin debuted brand-new race cars aimed exclusively at the pixelated tracks of Gran Turismo 6.

The virtual/reality theme continued to the Hillclimb, where gamer-turned-driver Jann Mardenborough set a supercar Hillclimb record of 49.27 seconds. Behind the wheel of a Nissan GTR-NISMO "Time Attack," Mardenborough narrowly beat out Anthony Reid and his Noble M600 in the Michelin Supercar run.

Mardenborough developed his racing chops playing Gran Turismo, eventually taking home a win in the 2011 GT Academy, sponsored by Nissan and Sony. That competition boosted him into the world of professional race car driving, where he's raced for Nissan in a number of events, including this year's Le Mans 24 Hours.

Sebastian Loeb becomes Festival's speediest

Last year, Sebastian Loeb drove the 208 T16 Pikes Peak to an eye-popping Pikes Peak record time of 8:13.878, more than a minute and a half faster than the previous record. That stirred quite a buzz ahead of his run in the 2014 Goodwood event. With crowd whispers about a potential fastest Hillclimb ever fresh in his ears, Loeb pushed the 208 T16 to a time of 44.6 seconds. It left him three seconds behind Nick Heidfeld's 1999 record, but proved enough for the best time of the 2014 Festival of Speed.

It's worth noting that Gregory Gilvert drove the same car to a first-place 45.86-second time at last year's Goodwood event, tying with none other than Nick Heidfeld.

100 years of Maserati

Maserati plans a big 100th anniversary bash later this year, but that didn't stop it from celebrating a little early. Goodwood's Stable Yard played host to the brand's "largest ever display of cars past and present". The display bridged the past, present and future, with notable cars like the Tipo 26M, the all new Alfieri concept, and the 250F, winner of the 1957 F1 world championship.

The most special part about the Festival of Speed is the sheer amount of incredible automotive hardware on hand – from exotic sports cars, to race cars, to motorcycles and beyond. Our photo gallery gives you as full a tour as you'll get without attending in person.

Robots help create ultra-thin wooden exhibition hall

Robots have helped to create a lightweight, ultra-thin wooden exhibition hall (Photo: ICD/ITKE/IIGS University of Stuttgart)

The Landesgartenschau Exhibition Hall in Stuttgart, Germany, is claimed to be the first building to have its core structure made entirely from interlocking timber sections created by robots. Made up of over 240 individual segments of beech plywood created using a robotic fabrication method, the 17 meter (55 ft) tall, 245 square meter (2,637 sq ft) structure required just 12 cubic meters (424 cubic feet) of timber to construct.

Looking remarkably like a very large peanut, the exhibition hall consists of plywood panels just 50 mm (2 in) thick that, according to the academics from the University of Stuttgart who constructed it, make use of 7,600 individual finger joints interlocked in such a way that they create a shell that needs no additional support.

Though other timber buildings – such as the "WikiHouse" – have benefited from the use of computer-controlled milling machines and robotics, most of these are made using conventional construction methods, such as stud frames and truss roofs. The Landesgartenschau Exhibition Hall is different because it uses structural forms that mimic those found in nature in its construction.

Using the principles of biomimetics – literally forms copying biological structures found in nature – the team from Stuttgart University took inspiration from natural plate shells and used them in the construction of their hall. In this case, the academics have used the idea of a sea urchin's skeleton of calcium carbonate plates joined by microscopic interlocking projections along the plate edges as the template for their plywood plates and human-constructed finger joints.

Designed by a team from the university's Institute for Computational Design (ICD), the Institute of Building Structures and Structural Design (ITDK) and the Institute of Engineering Geodesy, the building was also constructed with robotically-created insulation, waterproofing and cladding. And, in keeping with the building's theme of sustainable construction techniques using less material, not even off-cuts from these prefabricated sections were wasted; the parquet flooring inside the building was made from them.

By using a robot able to shape wood across multiple planes, the team asserts that they were able to construct all of the panels for the building in just three weeks, and put the entire structure together in just four more. This was achieved by determining the shape of each panel on a CAD program first, and then programming the robot to cut the panels using the most effective method the machine was capable of performing.

As a result, the building panel fabrication accuracy is claimed to be within just 0.86 mm (0.03 in), which is exceptional for any type of construction, let alone timber. This superfine precision has, according to the team, been a necessary requirement for the finger-joint connection geometries that allowed them to use such thin, lightweight panels.

The Exhibition Hall was built with support from timber manufacturing specialists Müllerblaustein Holzbau GmbH, and is part of the twice-yearly Schwäbisch Gmünd Landesgartenschau open gardens event.

The short video below explains the concept in further detail.

GE switches onto smart light bulb market with Link

GE is entering the smart bulb market with Link bulbs starting at around US$15

One device that's leading the charge of internet of things devices into the home is the light bulb, with companies including Philips, Insteon, LIFX Labs and Lumen all providing options. Now, GE is joining the party with Link, a connected LED bulb with a fairly reasonable price tag.

As you might expect, Link bulbs can be controlled via an app that allows users to adjust brightness and set different moods for different spaces in their home. Of course, it also allows users to remotely turn lights on and off. The app, called Wink, has been around for a while, as it works with GE's other connected products, such as the Aros air conditioner.

Link light bulbs will be available in three different options – an A19 shaped 60 W replacement, a BR30-shaped 65 W equivalent, and a 90 W replacement PAR 38 spotlight-style bulb. The A19 60 W replacement is the standard light bulb shape and comes with a US$14.97 price tag, while the 65 W equivalent costs $19.97, and the spotlight is a little more at $24.97.

To take advantages of the connected features provided by the ZigBee-certified bulbs, a GE Link hub is required, which will set consumers back $29.97. There's also a starter kit that contains two of the 60 W bulbs and a hub for $49.97. Like all LED bulbs, GE promises a longer lifespan and lower power use than traditional incandescents, thus saving money in the long run despite the higher up front cost.

GE has started taking preorders for its new Link LED bulbs at Home Depot, with orders set to be filled between July 4 and July 8.

First production HondaJet takes-off

The first production HondaJet made its first flight at the company's world headquarters in Greensboro, North Carolina

Honda Aircraft Company has announced that its first production HondaJet has taken to the skies. The flight took place at HondaJet’s headquarters at Piedmont Triad International Airport in Greensboro, North Carolina, on Friday at 10:18 am PDT. The test flight moves the executive jet aircraft closer to certification ahead of a planned entry into service next year.

The initial flight was conducted under the command of Honda test pilot Warren Gould and lasted for 84 minutes, during which the aircraft reached an altitude of 15,500 ft (4,700 m) and a speed of 348 knots (400 mph, 644 km/h). During the flight, the crew carried out high and low speed tests of the aircraft’s handling, avionics, landing gear, flaps, speed brakes, and other systems.

Billed as “the fastest, highest-flying, quietest, and most fuel-efficient jet in its class,” the Hondajet marks Honda’s first tilt at the aircraft business, as well as GE’s return to the executive jet engine field, which it originally entered in the 1960s by converting the J85 military engine for the first Learjets.

The HondaJet's lightweight carbon composite fuselage seats up to five and has a 12.15 m (39.8 ft) wingspan and overall length of 12.7 m (41.6 ft). It also boasts a cruising speed of 778 km/h (483 mph, 420 knots) and a range of 2,593 km (1,611 mi, 1,400 nm).

According to Honda, the GE Honda HF120 over-the-wing turbofan jet engines combined with the wing’s laminar flow design and the composite fuselage reduce aerodynamic drive, producing greater efficiency, improved fuel economy, less noise inside and out of the cabin, and more interior space. The aircraft is certified for single-pilot operation and has a new glass flight deck with a bespoke Garmin G3000 avionics system.

The first production jet sported the new HondaJet livery of deep green pearl with a gold stripe, though the aircraft is available in a choice of colors. Honda plans to make the plane ready for market in Europe and North America as soon as it obtains certification.

"With this first flight, the HondaJet program has entered the next exciting phase as we prepare for delivery," says Honda Aircraft Company President and CEO Michimasa Fujino. "Today's celebration is the culmination of extensive engineering and production efforts, and this is an important achievement in bringing the world's most advanced light jet to market.”

Harrison taking orders for ultra-exclusive Alfa Romeo guitar

The Alfa Romeo guitar from Harrison Custom Guitar Works

In the unlikely event that Alfa Romeo takes its Marshall MiTo concept car into production, you might find yourself looking for a guitar to plug into the JVM205H head at the back that matches its rock pedigree. A guitar like this eye-catching build from Harrison Custom Guitar Works perhaps.

"As a concept, the 'Alfa Romeo' guitar seeks to mirror the passion, the curves, the sportiness, and the occasionally unconventional designs you get with Alfa Romeo through the grille shape, the use of high quality materials and the sleek body" said the company's Guy Harrison.

The inspiration starts with milled aluminum pickups, tail piece and bridge that straddle the gap between the maple-fronted poplar body finished in Alfa Red. The guitar's three Strat-voiced single coil pickups are hand-wound by Armstrong pickups in Kent, and selected via a concealed 5-way switch on the upper side of the body. The Alfa Romeo badge acts as the guitar's volume control.

Carbon fiber composite has been used behind the grille bars and to the back in reference to the Alfa Romeo 4C, and there's a metal plaque on the back inscribed with the model's production number and the luthier's signature.

The Alfa Romeo guitar features a carbon-reinforced 25-inch scale neck in Korina topped by an Ebony fingerboard. There's a green four-leaf clover symbol at the third fret, a TUSQ (man-made ivory) nut, and Hipshot classic open gear tuners at the head.

Harrison Custom Guitar Works out of Yorkshire in the UK is hand building just 11 Alfa Romeo guitars, one for each decade of the Italian brand's existence. There's an 8 month build time, and each guitar is priced at £4,000 (about US$6,800).

Guy Harrison introduces the Alfa Romeo guitar in the video below.

McLaren's 650S gets the GT3 treatment

The new McLaren 650s GT3

No one could accuse Mclaren of being lazy lately. On top of the 650S Special Edition that wowed Goodwood, the British manufacturer has also shown the world the GT3 racer that will replace the 12C's GT3 edition.

The 650S GT3 is built around the same carbon fiber chassis as the 650S, but gets a more aggressive front splitter and bigger cooling ducts, designed for professional GT3 racing. The bodywork on the car's flanks has been replaced with carbon fiber, all wrapped around bigger air intakes to feed the V8 that sits behind the driver.

The aero package is crowned by the massive carbon fiber spoiler at the rear of the car.

Speaking of the engine, the turbocharged 3.8-liter V8 in the 650S GT3 makes roughly the same amount of power (500 hp) as the older 12C racer, due to the FIA's "balance of power" regulations. But the new 650S has more efficient cooling through the larger front and side air intakes, and a repositioned oil gearbox oil-cooler allows the 650S to cut a cleaner shape through the air. The 7-speed dual-clutch paddle shift gearbox in the standard 650S is replaced with a 6-speed sequential racing gearbox in the transition from road car to racer.

Ultimately, racing is about getting around corners quickly, so the 650S GT3 has a 52 mm wider track than the road-going car. The road car's adaptive suspension set up has been replaced with a race-tuned system, while the 18-inch lightweight forged-aluminum wheels are wrapped in slick tires to provide the best grip and feel possible for the driver. The whole package is finished off with ventilated discs, clamped by monoblock six-piston calipers at the front and four-piston calipers at the back.

Although race cars are very different to road cars, reliability still matters on the circuit, so while it might not be talking about fixed priced servicing, McLaren says that the 650S is more durable than the outgoing car, through the strengthening of individual engine and drivetrain components.

Unsurprisingly, luxury is no longer a priority when it comes to the car's interior. Instead of the comfy standard seats, the GT3 is fitted with McLaren designed race buckets and 6-point harnesses designed to provide better leg and headroom than the previous units. Cabin ventilation and cooling has been improved over the 12C, the dials found in the 650S have been replaced with a multifunction digital readout that sits behind the F1-inspired steering wheel, while the pedal box is a movable race set up.

All of this adds up to a package that promises to be hugely competitive in the 2015 GT3 race series, but McLaren won't have things all its own way if the likes of Ferrari, Aston Martin and Audi have anything to say about it.

So how can you get your hands on one? Well, if you have the money (and talent) McLaren will sell you a 650S GT3 for €330,000 before tax, and 15 are set to be built for the start of the 2015 season. Existing 12C GT3 owners can have their car upgraded with some of the new components from the 650S, to provide the same reliability benefits as the new car.

Interactive Music Battle turns anyone into a musician

The Interactive Music Battle from phonotonic

Even though music-driven games like Rock Band and Just Dance could see you engage in epic contests with friends and family, you still spend much of the time looking at a screen rather than truly interacting with fellow players. The only display needed for the Interactive Music Battle system from Paris-based phonotonic is an iPad screen to choose from banks of sounds. After that, motion sensors convert player moves into music – one providing the rhythm and the other the melody.

The Interactive Music Battle (IMB) is the first product from a group of engineers, researchers, musicians and designers collectively named phonotonic. The two player music creation game has spent 2 years in development, and is designed for would-be musicians who can't play instruments or seasoned players, performers and dancers looking for something new.

Each player will need one of two smart objects connected over Wi-Fi to an iOS app running on an iPad or iPhone (Android coming soon) and a bit of room to move around. Players select a beat and melody from a list in the app, grab an object and start a movin' and a groovin'.

One connected object is used to provide rhythm, the other some sort of lead instrument and the players riff off each other's creative juices. The data from the sensor unit within the 2.75 in (7 cm) diameter, 7.76 oz (220 g) object is converted into real-time music by the app using technology developed by phonotonic.

The motion sensor unit (which includes an accelerometer, gyro and magnetometer) within the object can be removed and placed in something else – under your cap, inside a child's toy, in your shoes or even strapped to the underside of a frisbee, for example. The unit's built-in batteries are said to be good for 2 hours of movement-driven music creation before needing a top-up via micro-USB, and will auto wake-up when connected to the app, and enter sleep when the connection is broken.

There are currently includes 10 music packs to choose from, but the developers are working on more, up to two simultaneous connections to objects can be supported, and a learning mode allows players to master some basic moves before heading into gaming mode.

phonotonic is currently seeking production funds on Kickstarter. A pack containing two objects, two sensors and an iOS app is pitched at US$199. The campaign is due to end on July 14 and, if all goes to plan, shipping is estimated to begin in December.

The IMB pitch video is below.

Tofu ingredient could clean up solar cell recipe

Dr Jon Major says magnesium chloride could replace toxic cadmium chloride in CdTe solar cells without impacting efficiency

Tofu has long been touted as a good way to clean out your insides, but now a researcher at the University of Liverpool says an ingredient in tofu could also be used to clean up solar cells. The hope is that the naturally occurring substance could replace a key ingredient in thin film solar cells that is highly toxic and expensive to produce.

Conventional manufacture of thin film solar cells requires sophisticated safety measures to protect workers from the hazards presented by cadmium chloride, a key ingredient in thin film solar cell technology. Additionally, once the solar cells have reached the end of their life, specialist disposal is required to deal with the highly toxic soluble compound.

Despite these shortcomings, its benefit is improved solar efficiency. By applying it to the cheapest kind of solar cells that are based on a thin film of insoluble cadmium telluride (CdTe), conversion efficiency jumps from under two percent to over 15 percent.

Now, Dr Jon Major, a physicist working at the University of Liverpool's Stephenson Institute for Renewable Energy, says cadmium chloride could be replaced by magnesium chloride, a compound that can be extracted from seawater and already has a wide variety of applications. These include, being used for de-icing roads, as a fertilizer, as a mineral supplement for animals, in fire extinguishers and acting as a coagulant in the preparation of tofu from soy milk.

Adding to the long list of uses, Major claims that magnesium chloride can produce the same boosts in conversion efficiency as provided by cadmium chloride, while being much safer.

"We have to apply cadmium chloride in a fume cupboard in the lab, but we created solar cells using the new method on a bench with a spray gun bought from a model shop," says Major.

Additionally, Major says magnesium chloride is much cheaper, costing US$0.001 per gram compared to $0.3 per gram for cadmium chloride.

"Cadmium chloride is toxic and expensive and we no longer need to use it," adds Major. "Replacing it with a naturally occurring substance could save the industry a vast amount of money and reduce the overall cost for generating power from solar."

Dr Major's study is published in the journal Nature.

New water-based organic battery is cheap, rechargeable and eco-friendly

The USC organic redux flow battery (not pictured) replaces metals with water-soluble organic materials (Photo: Shutterstock)

Lithium-ion batteries have made portable, rechargeable electronics commonplace. Unfortunately, they do have some glaring drawbacks, including heat issues, being made with rare, toxic elements, and the fact the technology doesn't scale up very well, which limits applications. A team of scientists at the University of Southern California (USC) is working on an alternative in the form of a water-based organic battery that is not only cheaper and more environmentally friendly, but also holds the potential for scaling up for use in wind and solar power plants as a means to store large amounts of energy.

The technology developed by the USC team is what’s called an organic redux flow battery. It’s a bit like a fuel cell, and a similar one was developed for NASA’s Helios electric-powered drones. It consists of two tanks containing solutions of electroactive chemicals. These are pumped into a cell, which is divided by a membrane. The solutions interact through the membrane and electricity is produced.

According to the team, the tanks can be of any size in comparison to the cells, so the total amount of energy that the system can store depends on how large the tanks are, which is one up on conventional batteries. The flow battery also has a better life span than lithium-ion batteries and its variants.

"The batteries last for about 5,000 recharge cycles, giving them an estimated 15-year lifespan," says Sri Narayan, professor of chemistry at the USC Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences. “Lithium ion batteries degrade after around 1,000 cycles, and cost 10 times more to manufacture.”

The key to the new flow battery is the electroactive materials used. Instead of metals or other toxic materials, the USC team used organic compounds. By trial and error, the researchers were able to develop materials based on oxidized organic compounds called quinones, which are found in plants, fungi, bacteria, and some animals and involved in photosynthesis and cellular respiration.

Specifically, the quinones used in the new battery are anthraquinone-2-sulfonic acid or anthraquinone-2,6-disulfonic acid on the negative side, and 1,2-dihydrobenzoquinone- 3,5-disulfonic acid on the positive side of the cell.

The team sees the technology as one day leading to large “mega-scale” battery banks that are cost-effective and environmentally friendly. The quinones used in the flow battery are currently produced from naturally occurring hydrocarbons, but the team hopes one day to derive them directly from carbon dioxide. However, the immediate goal of the team is to scale up the technology to make it more practical.

The team’s findings were published in the Journal of the Electrochemical Society.

World's first remote air traffic control tower to open in Sweden

Saab's remote aircraft tower places human air controllers miles away from the airfield to consolidate operations (Photo: Saab)

In a world first, air traffic controllers armed with a suite of high-tech video and sensor equipment have been authorized to direct flights over 100 km (61 mi) away at an airport in Örnsköldsvik, Sweden. The technology, developed by Saab, offers alternatives to consolidate smaller airfields with smaller budgets under one control, and provides options for training, crisis situations, and tower maintenance or refurbishing.

Designed to meet the current needs of airport control, but scale in the future, the Saab Remote Tower System (RTS) has two components. First, the airstrip itself is installed with a tall, repositionable bank of high-res cameras, microphones, signal light guns and meterological sensors.

All that information is sent to the Remote Tower Center (RTC), where human operators direct air traffic as they might traditionally, but over a great distance from the airfield. The RTC can also be designed to resemble more of a high-tech media room, with a 360 degree LCD or projected image live from the airfield, instead of 360 degrees of windows.

The Swedish RTC has been approved to direct air traffic for two remote airports in Sweden, with full operation expected to begin in autumn this year. Theoretically the system allows smaller airports to upgrade their towers and by efficiently grouping multiple airfields together in one remote control center, airfields can avoid limiting flights or closing completely.

Australia and Norway are also in the process of testing the Saab system, with Norway slated to begin use soon. The Landvetter Airport in Sweden, the second largest in the country, has begun testing the system for something slightly different – in the case of an emergency, a remote tower could provide contingency operations, avoiding a forced closure or reduced capacity of the airport.

An obvious concern might be what happens in the case of an equipment failure, since there won't be "eyes" on the ground. Saab says its cameras are being able to cover for each other in case one fails, and that the procedures for an "unavailable system" are no different than other air control procedures for dealing with an inadvertent problem.

Nissan Concept 2020 Vision Gran Turismo gets real at Goodwood

The Concept 2020 Vision Gran Turismo was unveiled at the Goodwood Festival of Speed

Virtual reality became reality reality at the Goodwood Festival of Speed this week as Nissan unveiled the physical version of its Concept 2020 Vision Gran Turismo “virtual supercar.” The futuristic concept will be available next month as an avatar in PlayStation Gran Turismo 6 to celebrate the 15th anniversary of the driving game.

The 2020 Vision started life as a study model for young designers at Nissan Design Europe in London. Borrowing design cues from current Nissan supercars and adding a dash of the futuristic, the results were impressive enough to engage a Nissan engineering team in Japan to make the four-wheel drive chassis with active suspension more realistic. It was duly tweaked from an engineering point of view so that the aerodynamics would match the aesthetics.

The design was later adapted as an avatar for the Gran Turismo 6 video game along with models from 28 other car makers, who were invited to participate in filling the game’s virtual garage. Up to this point, the only versions of the Concept 2020 were digital, but now there’s a physical version sitting at Goodwood. Unfortunately this "real" concept is only for looking at, if you want to drive it you'll have to head back to the virtual reality of the Gran Turismo 6 game.

"This is in line with the Nissan philosophy," says Koji Nagano, Vice President, Nissan Design Europe. "In reality, not everyone would be able to own a car like Nissan Concept 2020 Vision Gran Turismo, but through Gran Turismo anyone can drive it and experience Nissan's promise of delivering innovation that excites."

Samsung Gear Live vs. Pebble Steel

Gizmag compares the features and specs of the Android Wear-running Samsung Gear Live with the elegant Pebble Steel

Android Wear is on its way, with watches running Google's new wearable-focused OS landing in a couple of weeks. But how does Wear compare to a smartwatch that keeps a simpler focus, but looks really good while doing it? Let's compare the features and specs of the Android Wear-running Samsung Gear Live to the Pebble Steel.

Size

When we're comparing things like smartphones, laptops and tablets, bigger can sometimes mean better. But when it comes to wearables, you could easily argue that less is more.

If that's the case, then we're looking at a mixed bag here. The Gear Live (which has a bezel that curves around your wrist) is 22 percent taller and 12 percent wider than Pebble Steel. But, on the other hand, the Gear Live is 15 percent thinner.

Pebble probably has the advantage here, though, as a thicker watch is easier to pull off than one that stretches out farther across your wrist.

Build

Both watches' main bodies are made of stainless steel, but that's where the design similarities end. Pebble Steel draws inspiration from luxury watches, coming off more like a piece of jewelry than a tech product. If you use an analog watch face, Pebble Steel can almost pass for something like a Movado.

The Gear Live, meanwhile, has the same design language as Samsung's older (non-Android Wear running) Gear watches, and looks more like a miniature smartphone strapped to your wrist than something you'd find on a jeweler's shelf.

As we look at other categories, design language will be a good thing to keep in the back of your mind. We're going to be seeing some more advanced tech in the Gear Live, but just remember that, in order to get those fun new features, you'll be losing some of the Pebble Steel's elegant style.

Physical buttons

Neither of these watches is like LG's G Watch, which is completely buttonless. But the Gear's touchscreen lets it get away with having just one button. The Pebble relies entirely on buttons for all navigation, coming in with four total.

Swappable band

The original Pebble was compatible with any standard 22 mm band, but those prongs sticking out of Pebble Steel limit it to Pebble's own bands. Right now that includes steel and leather options.

Weight

Not a huge difference here, with Pebble Steel coming in at 5 percent lighter.

Colors

We're looking at two color options for each watch, though it doesn't look like the wine red (purple-ish) Gear Live is available just yet.

Display (size)

If you're okay with the Gear Live's more gadget-like design, then you'll get a bigger screen. The Pebble Steel only gives you 59 percent as much display real estate as the Gear Live does.

Display (type)

Here's yet another area where the Gear Live is the more smartphone-like of the two. Its Super AMOLED screen is like a shrunken-down version of what you'd see on a Galaxy phone – including touch and deep colors. Pebble Steel uses the same "e-paper" (power-sipping Sharp LCD) display as the original Pebble, and has no touch or color.

Display (resolution)

The Gear Live also gives you a much sharper display, with a 58 percent higher pixel density.

Always-on display

Samsung's pre-Android Wear Gear watches only lit up their displays when you lifted your wrist (or pressed a button). But Android Wear, like Pebble, is designed for always-on displays. So you can pick a watch face that tickles your fancy, and see it staring back at you every time you glance at your watch.

Software

Pebble Steel's big advantage is that it can pass for a luxurious piece of jewelry, but this is the Gear Live's biggest plus. It runs the new Android Wear platform, which essentially puts Google Now on your wrist. You get quick and accurate voice control, along with context-sensitive "cards" based on things like your location, recent searches and interests.

It's almost creepy how much Google Now can learn about you (if you're a big privacy advocate, this isn't the platform for you), but it can also be extremely useful. And it's likely to be even more useful on your wrist. Imagine being able to call a cab, get directions to an upcoming meeting or view your flight's boarding pass – all on your wrist. That's an abbreviated description of Android Wear's capabilities, but you can hit up our coverage of Google's announcement for more on Wear.

Pebble's software, meanwhile, is much more barebones. If the Gear Live is like a Galaxy S5 on your wrist, then Pebble is a bit more like having an old-school e-reader on your wrist. Pebble developers have come up with some very cool stuff, and the platform is nothing to sneeze at. But its capabilities are also going to look pretty primitive next to Android Wear.

Android compatibility

Neither of these watches will do much of anything without a paired Bluetooth phone. For Android Wear watches like the Gear Live, you'll need an Android handset running at least 4.3 Jelly Bean (you can visit this page from your phone to see if it's compatible).

Pebble Steel is a bit friendlier with older phones, as you'll only need Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich or higher to run the Pebble companion app.

iPhone compatibility

As cool as many of the Gear's features look, this category is going to rule it out for lots of customers. iPhone owners can use the Pebble – or perhaps wait for Apple's rumored iWatch.

Notifications

Both watches' capabilities center around notifications. Again, though, those are going to be more advanced on the Gear. Those context-aware Google Now cards are designed to give you more relevant-in-the-moment information. The Pebble's notifications are limited to things like phone calls, SMS, email and alerts from other smartphone apps (the Gear can do all of those as well).

Voice control

Android Wear is designed around two kinds of input: tapping on the touch screen and speaking voice commands. And unlike the primitive voice control on older Samsung Gear watches, Android Wear's speech recognition is going to happen almost instantly.

Fitness tracking

Both platforms have apps that let you track your steps and workouts, but there's a huge difference here. Pebble's fitness apps require you to constantly run the app in the foreground, or it won't track you. On Android Wear, you can track your steps in the background while you have other watch faces or "cards" on your screen.

Heart rate sensor

One of the biggest ways that the Gear Live stands out from its early Android Wear rival, the LG G Watch, is its built-in pulse monitor.

Cameras

Samsung's older Gears each had a built-in camera, either in the band or the top of the watch's main body. But, so far, cameras don't look like they're a part of Android Wear.

Storage

Another big limit for Pebble is that you can only store eight third-party apps or watch faces at a time on the watch. I'm not sure what Pebble's creators were thinking here – for many customers, this baffling constraint could be a deal-breaker.

Battery life

We've put Pebble Steel through the ringer, and think the 5 to 7 day estimate is sound. We're going off of Samsung's estimate for the 1-day estimate on the Gear Live. If you buy a Gear Live, be prepared to charge it every night, like you would a smartphone.

Water resistance

Both watches can handle some water. The Gear's IP67 rating, though, makes it better for handling splashes, rain and an accidental drop in the sink or toilet. You can go for a swim while wearing Pebble (as long as you aren't using it with the leather band).

Processor

Of course the Pebble's simpler software isn't going to require a blazing-fast processor, so this one is extremely lopsided. We confirmed with Samsung that the Gear Live runs the quad core Qualcomm APQ8026, which is believed to be a member of the Snapdragon 400 family.

Release

Pebble Steel was announced at CES, and started shipping in February. The Gear Live is available for pre-order now, and is scheduled to ship on July 8.

Pricing

Considering its feature set, the Gear Live is looking like a solid – if not very good – value, at US$200. With Pebble Steel, you're paying more for the jewelry aspect. You can pick one up at a Best Buy for $230, including only a leather band. If you want a steel band (along with a leather band) then you can order it for $250 from Pebble's website.

We're just scratching the surface with the Gear Live, and Android Wear in general, so stay tuned for much more. In the meantime, you can check out our Android Wear coverage and our comparison of the first two Android Wear watches. And if you're leaning in the Pebble Steel direction, you can hit up our full review.

Jaguar to give F-Type Project 7 roadster a limited production run

The Jaguar F-Type Project 7 is fully road legal

Like McLaren with its MSO 650S, Jaguar has used this year’s Goodwood Festival of Speed to debut a vehicle making the jump from concept to limited production run. For Jaguar it's the F-Type Project 7, a fully road-legal two-seater roadster described as the "most performance-focused derivative of the acclaimed F-Type range," and the fastest and most powerful production Jaguar ever built.

When the Jaguar F-Type Project 7 concept was unveiled at Goodwood last year, it caused a bit of a stir with its ‘50s-style fairing behind the driver’s head and lines intended to evoke the Jaguar D-Type racers that walked away with seven Le Mans victories since their launch in 1954. In the 60th anniversary year of the D-Type, Jaguar is taking the Project 7 out of the concept stage and onto the roads.

As far as styling is concerned, the production version of the rear-wheel drive Project 7 is a neat transition from the concept, smoothing out some of the rough edges that were probably the result of its going from first spare-time sketch to 2013 Goodwood debut in only a few months.

The Project 7 has a refreshing air of understatement about it with a compact, minimalist design that conveys power without bulk. The lines are a neat compromise between the aesthetic and the aerodynamic, and though the Project 7 is boxier than the undulating D-Type body, it still manages to echo its inspiration.

With a 103.3 in (2,622 mm) wheelbase and weighing in at 3,495 lb (1,585 kg), the Project 7 is 176 lb (80 kg) lighter than the F-Type V8 S Convertible. The most obvious difference is in the number of passengers. Where the concept was a one-seater with only a helmet rest on the other side, the Project 7 production version not only keeps the driver’s side fairing, but also has rollover hoops for both the driver and the new passenger seat.

Keeping with the track feel, the windscreen is shorter, and there’s an emphasis on aerodynamics to maximize downforce, with a carbon composite front splitter, side skirts, a rear diffuser, and an adjustable rear spoiler. According to Jaguar, the Project 7 produces 177 percent more downforce than the F-Type Convertible.

The grille is nicely balanced and the air scoops either side to cool the brakes have a welcome feel of something fitted to a car rather than a fighter plane. In addition, Jaguar says the rear deck, bonnet vents, side vent louvers and mirror cap are all carbon composite. The Project 7 will be available in Ultra Blue, Caldera Red, British Racing Green, Ultimate Black, and Glacier White – all with go-faster decal options, if you feel the need to advertise the car’s performance credentials.

Under the bonnet is a 5-liter supercharged V8 petrol engine punching 575 bhp (423 kW), (25 bhp (18 kW) more than the F-Type R Coupé) and 502 lb ft (680 Nm) of torque. It feeds into the 8-speed Quickshift flappy paddle gearbox with its second generation Electronic Active Differential (EAD).

When let loose, the Project 7 can clock 0 to 60 mph in 3.8 sec (0 to 100 km/h in 3.9 sec), and has an electronically limited top speed of 186 mph (300 km/h). There’s also a switchable Active Sports Exhaust system with quad, matt-black ceramic-coated, outboard-mounted tailpipes designed to reduce back pressure and give the Project 7 a suitably throaty roar on demand.

The vehicle is fitted with bespoke front suspension knuckles with increased negative camber, and new anti-roll bars front and rear. In addition, the specially designed front and rear spring and damper units are height adjustable. Roll and pitch rates are actively controlled by the Adaptive Dynamics system, which adjusts the damper rates 500 times per second. Traction control is configurable through the car’s 8-in touchscreen.

The 20-in Storm alloy wheels of the Project 7 are brought to a halt by its 398 mm front and 380 mm rear Carbon Ceramic Matrix (CCM) brakes with six- and four-piston monobloc calipers. Jaguar says that these use a pre-fill system for fade-free braking. Handling is improved by Jaguar’s Torque Vectoring by Braking system, which applies precisely calculated brake force to each wheel while going around corners. The Electronic Active Differential can go to full locking torque in 200 milliseconds, and there’s a Dynamic Stability Control system for optimal traction and steering.

The interior of the Project 7 (what there is of it) is dominated by the racing-style seats and the carbon-fiber veneer. There’s also an Alcantara steering wheel, machined aluminum flappy paddles, and bespoke treadplates with the Project 7 logo.

"F-Type Project 7 is the perfect example of how, as a design team, we can move quickly with our engineering colleagues to go from concept vehicle to production reality – we've pushed the boundaries of what's possible without losing any purity of form," says Ian Callum, Director of Design at Jaguar. "Modern, purposeful and with a stance that screams intent, F-Type Project 7 is the perfect contemporary embodiment of the D-type that inspired it."

The Jaguar F-Type Project 7 will be hand-built at Jaguar’s Technical Centre in the West Midlands in a limited run of up to 250 cars, with each unit given an individual number plaque signed by Callum. The first deliveries are expected in mid-2015 with a price tag of £135,000 (US$ 230,000).

The video below introduces the Jaguar F-Type Project 7.