Mercedes C63 AMG inside your iPhone

Popular culture is something which we try to avoid but we cannot escape. Since 2007 I avoided iPhone, because everyone had it and it become more common than carrying your national identification card. Owning an iPhone became something like, entering an invisible group.

Also the other irritating popular culture icon is the new Mini. Like iPhone, everyone wants to own one and I don’t see a point to a buy a Mini. I can understand iPhone but Mini no way!

As you might understand, I own a iPhone4. Unfortunately the world mobile application business drag me to iPhone4. Nearly every brand has an application for iPhone and it is quite hard to experience them in somewhere else.

Anyway as I have the excitement of mobile application world. I immediately started to install automotive related applications starting from Rolls Royce Ghost. And Mercedes for sure. Interestingly Mercedes keeps its passion alive for making malfunctioning products. In 2000s, Mercedes was the king of producing malfunctioning car and it reach the peak in 2003. After that they revised their mentality and things became better.

Interestingly someone in Mercedes still has the passion of malfunction but in mobile applications. After installing the Rolls Royce application I found an application for Mercedes C63 AMG. The application was designed in US, you can understand from the bumper lights on both sides of the car. Application is very clever, you can experience sound of C63 AMG, pictures and videos !?! Actually you cannot watch videos because the software is trying to run flash based video on iPhone.

Unfortunately iPhone and Flash are not working together, everyone knows this thing. And the second funny thing is the non-functioning back button. You just enter a menu and you cannot go back, you have to exit the application and run it again! I have never seen these kinds of basic problems in applications.

But is this application belongs to Mercedes or Daimler AG? That’s main point, the application looks very corporate but does not function properly and this is very common in corporate applications. But is Mercedes this senseless to release an application like this? Actually I have no idea and I wrote this blog on purpose to see their reaction. May be someone from Mercedes tell whether it is real or not.

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Mercedes

Plastic dreams: SLS

The movie inception reminded me the ugly truth of dream and reality. When we dream of something, we don’t dream of something dull, ugly or plastic. Therefore we don’t want to have these things in our real life also. Especially when you dream of cars, you don’t dream of dull, ugly, slow and plastic. Unfortunately car companies don’t like to create dream which avoid these facts!

Especially the Mercedes, a few days ago I saw the SLS AMG. The real one! And I felt nothing; I didn’t feel the same excitement when I saw the Bentley Arnage. SLS is just a contemporary refurbishment of 1950s Gullwing model with park sensors. It was not something special! Sure, it has many new technologies, very fast and looks okay.

The main reason for my disappointment is the addiction of plastic. Unfortunately SLS AMG has couple of cheap plastic parts inside the car. This time Mercedes was cleaver and they hide those plastics in goods places. But when you pay huge amount of money for a car, you don’t want to find hidden plastic parts. SLS AMG has the cheap feeling plastic parts for the seat adjustments. The button which moves the seat to desired position is made by plastic and from very cheap one. Even the CL has better looking metal buttons for this thing. I do know that SLS AMG is focused on weight saving but they could have used carbon fibre instead of plastic. I think Mercedes thought, nobody will ever bothered with those plastics and let’s ignore the carbon fibre. And they transformed a perfect dream into plastic reality.

Mercedes can say; Ferrari and Lamborghini have plastic parts. But they are Ferrari and Lamborghini. They don’t produce diesel powered estate cars! Therefore, Mercedes should be much much better than those cars. Because, they are real dreams and in those dreams people might ignore the material quality.

And I have never seen a footstep made from soft plastic and looks terribly cheap in any other car! Even the Mercedes G Class offers blue lighted chrome Mercedes foot step.

Sakis's Hummer

I was thinking are there any video clips which were taken in Europe and placing a Hummer! Usually Hummer is mostly preferred by the American Rappers, they love to song with their 42inch wheels and flashy interior with 2467873 LCD screens with unidentified exterior colour. This is very usual and nobody would be shocked to a Hummer in those kinds of video clip.

However I watched a video clip and I was shocked by seeing a Hummer H2. Not H1; the petrol eater, usual, inefficient, pointlessly big, ugly, plastic H2. But it becomes more surprising, the video clip is from Greek singer Sakis Rouvas. I was not expecting to see Sakis inside a Hummer H2, what was the producer thinking while placing a Hummer in a video clip! There is one explanation for this, they wanted to get bankrupted very quickly. That machine is eaten petrol like nothing else on planet! Even if you used an Airbus A380 double deck air plane, it would be cheaper than Hummer H2 :)

Hopefully that’s an old video clip and there is no more Hummer brand exists :) Sakis next time try to drive something better like a Range Rover or Mercedes G Class or Toyota LandCruiser not a petrol eater ugly machine :)

And my creation for the lyrics:

I am guessing the lyrics of the song. I bought this Hummer, I don’t know how to fill it up, I decided to make a song for it, may be someone will listen it, then I can fill up my Hummer. I bought this Hummer, I can’t find place to park it, so I drove to mountain but I run out petrol. I bought this Hummer, I wrote this song for it.  

Technical note: Hummer H2 has an inefficient 6,2lt engine which produces only 393 horse powers. Germans are producing 510 horse powers from the same engine with better consumption.

Translation by Google Translate:

Σκεφτόμουν υπάρχουν τα βίντεο κλιπ που ελήφθησαν στην Ευρώπη και την τοποθέτηση ενός Hummer! Συνήθως Hummer είναι ως επί το πλείστον προτιμάται από την αμερικανική Ράπερ, αγαπούν το τραγούδι με 42inch τροχούς τους και φανταχτερός εσωτερικό με 2467873 LCD οθόνες με αγνώστων στοιχείων εξωτερικό χρώμα. Αυτό είναι πολύ συνηθισμένο και κανείς δεν θα είναι συγκλονισμένη με Hummer σε αυτά τα είδη των βίντεο κλιπ.

Ωστόσο Είδα ένα βίντεο κλιπ και σοκαρίστηκα βλέποντας ένα Hummer H2. Δεν Η1? Ο τρώγων βενζίνης, συνήθως, αναποτελεσματικές, άσκοπα μεγάλο, άσχημο, πλαστικό Η2. Αλλά γίνεται όλο και πιο περίεργο, το βίντεο κλιπ από την ελληνική τραγουδιστής Σάκης Ρουβάς. Δεν περίμενα να δω τον Σάκη μέσα σε ένα Hummer H2, ποια ήταν η παραγωγός σκέψης ενώ δίνει Hummer σε ένα video clip! Υπάρχει μια εξήγηση για αυτό, ήθελαν να πάρουν χρεοκοπήσει πολύ γρήγορα. Η εν λόγω μηχανή τρώγεται βενζίνη τίποτα άλλο δεν ήθελα στον πλανήτη! Ακόμα και αν έχετε χρησιμοποιήσει ένα αεροσκάφος Airbus A380 διπλό αεροπλάνο κατάστρωμα, θα είναι φθηνότερο από Hummer H2:)

Ας ελπίσουμε ότι αυτό είναι ένα παλιό βίντεο κλιπ και δεν υπάρχει πλέον μάρκας Hummer υπάρχει:) Σάκης επόμενη φορά που προσπαθείτε να οδηγήσετε κάτι καλύτερο σαν ένα Range Rover ή Mercedes G Class ή Toyota Landcruiser δεν τρώγων βενζίνη άσχημο μηχάνημα:)

Και της δημιουργίας μου για τους στίχους:
Είμαι μαντέψουν τους στίχους του τραγουδιού. Αγόρασα αυτό το Hummer, δεν ξέρω πώς να το γεμίσει, αποφάσισα να κάνω ένα τραγούδι γι 'αυτό, μπορεί να είναι κάποιος θα το ακούσει, τότε μπορώ να γεμίσουν Hummer μου. Αγόρασα αυτό το Hummer, δεν μπορώ να βρω μέρος για να το πάρκο, γι 'αυτό οδήγησε στο βουνό, αλλά εγώ τρέχω έξω βενζίνη. Αγόρασα αυτό το Hummer, έγραψα αυτό το τραγούδι για αυτό.

Τεχνική παρατήρηση: Hummer H2 είναι αναποτελεσματικός 6,2 lt κινητήρα, η οποία παράγει μόνο 393 ίπποι. Γερμανοί παράγουν 510 ίπποι από τον ίδιο κινητήρα με την καλύτερη κατανάλωση.

 

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GM, Toyota, Land Rover, Mercedes

Identical Audi Family

I planned today as a blog-free day but Audi changed my mind :) Because they have just bought the photocopy machine from Mercedes-Benz which was used one decade ago in their design department. Mercedes-Benz had a very similar look vehicle range; C Class, E Class and S Class one decade ago were looking the same. They were the identical triple kids! Hopefully Mercedes-Benz realized the problem and got rid of the photocopy machine.

Today I understand where the photocopy machine is now, it is in Audi! Yesterday Audi revealed the pictures of new Audi A6 which looks exactly the same A8 and A4. I am interested on cars since I was born and I cannot understand their difference. Here is the proof, enjoy!

Vorsprung Durch Destroying Brand Identity

 

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Audi

Italian Passion, German Perfektion

I always try to highlight the passion and soul in Italian cars. They always have a distinctive character and sometime they can drive you crazy, actually most of the times! To understand the difference between German and Italian cars, I found an excellent example.

There are three videos. One from Mercedes-Benz, one from BMW and one from Lamborghini. The content of the videos are the same, engine production and testing. In German videos, there is no music or anything, camera was recording the production with no effects or anything. Just recording what really happening! Technically very nice video but boring but the German engines are the state of the art technology. They are the best engines on earth. Okay some of their engines are not that good but the ones in these videos are excellent :)

On the other hand Lamborghini’s video is expressing the passion and the sensation of the Lamborghini brand. The content of the video is the same, engine production. Hopefully Lamborghini did not lose its soul despite it Germany owner.

Don't buy Winter Tyres!

Winter tyres, in UK this sounds a bit weird. What is it for? Many people are saying this and they are right. For eighteen years in UK history, they did not see proper snow so they did not have a solid reason to buy winter tyre. However during last two years, the white thing that comes from the sky became a huge problem. And people started to wonder, is there something for snow?

Continental tyres UK Twitter page is working really hard to increase the attention towards winter tyre and my journalist also publishing posts in twitter to increase the awareness. But the result is not very satisfying, I talked with many people and they all say “it is expensive”. Yes, car is not something expensive and you bought it from one-pound store. And winter tyres perceived as expensive. This sounds interesting but it is the ugly truth.

Similar story happened in Turkey also, many people were saying a tyre cannot change the way car goes on snow. And they ignored, after many bad incidents now everyone is rushing to replace their tyres on winter.

I can understand financial pressure of buying four extra tyres and people did not see the real difference between winter tyres and summer tyres. Instead of trying to increase their awareness for winter tyres, let people learn by their selves! For that reason I would like to share the “advantages” of not to buy winter tyres!

First of all; if you have problem with manual cars and stall your car all the time don’t buy winter tyres because you don’t have to worry about the clutch in snow. You will just leave the clutch and car will not go anywhere despite the engine is still working!

One of the other important advantages for avoiding winter tyres is to understand the meaning of friction. Because; while your car is sliding nicely without responding to your controls, you will learn the friction differences between snow and dry!

This sliding opportunity will also help you to make new friendship. Forget Facebook and Twitter, they are for summer times :) When your car started to slip with no control, it will hit somewhere. This is very basic, every objects hits somewhere to stop! So, sliding will not last forever and you will hit to a vehicle or an object or some other places. In the end some people will come to help you or the other drive come to express own nice feelings to you. But you will make this friendship instant, no private message, no wall posting! Directly, face-to-face. But I cannot guarantee how long and how will last.

As a result of sliding and meeting with a new people, you might need to call some numbers. Of course, not for reservation in a restaurant. You will be calling emergency number to report the incident. And you will be able to calculate how quick an ambulance can arrive after your phone call in winter while you are shaking from cold. Also you will experience the privilege to attend a car with siren and colourful light and that is called ambulance. You will be the fastest moving vertical person on street!

If you are lucky, you will have a nice conversation with the insurance company and then call your “new” friends and then go to service and this will repeat for quite long time. If you are not that lucky, you can measure the love of your friends through their visit in hospital. And also you will have chance to taste hospital food, learn about the problems of health system.

If you do not wish to experience this stupid story, go and buy winter tyres. They are much cheaper than all of these and it will help you to make better friendship with no anger involved :)

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Continental, Mercedes

Key, just a Key!

For quite long time, car keys became so boring. Most of the look very similar to VW and the rest of them are quite boring. Despite the improvement in design the car keys did not change that much. You buy a Ferrari and you end up with a stupid looking key. The Mercedes has the change key, commercial to Maybach! BMW offers a very nicely designed key. The most interesting and the post came was introduced by Mercedes as usual! This is matching their brand identity. Swarovski crystal covered key for Japanese market. It is not offering anything more just more crystals and bigger price tag!

The most cleaver key I have ever seen is from Land Rover. I know you won’t be that excited for a car but in daily basis, the stupidly designed key can turn your life into hell. Especially in case of emergency! Unless they don’t cause, they look terrible. I didn’t see a key which is offering the both. I am sure no one will ever change own car for a key but they supposed to look good and function seamlessly. And Land Rover made it, just watch the video and you will the cleaver design. Especially replacing the battery looks very easy! That’s one of the most annoying thing in a car key.

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Land Rover, Bentley, Mercedes

A detailed explanation for the problem of German Cars

For very long time I was trying understand what is wrong with German cars. I didn’t make mistake while writing, German cars. There is always something missing with them, I could not understand but German cars never have the same taste with Italian cars. Of course, I am not licking cars to identify their differences. I am pretty sure that all German cars would taste the same :)

And recently I found the problem with German cars. The huge problem which irritates me for very long and irritates many other people, I am using sales figures of Italian cars as a proof! German cars are offering everything; perfection, design (not all of them), efficient, luxury, perfect, gray, very gray, light gray, very dark gray and this goes forever. Germans cars are doing what you told them to do! Actually if a German car goes wrong, it terribly goes wrong. This happened in 2003-2004 with Mercedes E Class, electronic brake system and electronic control modules of C Class. Anyway, they don’t cause trouble anymore. The main thing is German cars are doing what they are supposed to do and they do not questionize. They just are doing it!

A German car always handles well, the automatic screen wipers always works with the same amount of rain, engine always makes the same sound, all the parts inside the car have the same millimetric distance within each other. This combination of perfection obsession is not matching with human being because we are not perfect and we want things different. I think the best explanation for German cars is they are like trains. They are doing what they are supposed to do, trains cannot change travel anywhere else than railway and they always follow a route.

The Italian cars are like pizza, each pizza is a unique dish. It is nearly impossible to have the same pizza, even if you manage to have the same one you cannot eat in the same way. All the mozzarella cheese will try to go somewhere else, you will try to make some weird moves to eat the slice and some vegetables will fell on your trousers while you are trying to clean your trousers, your elbow will hit to pizza. Basically each time you try to eat an Italian food, you will have a new adventure like in Italian cars. Each Italian car is totally unique, I don’t know how they manage to do it but they are excellent at producing each car unique. There is no identical twin of a Ferrari 458 or Alfa Romeo MiTo or Fiat 500. Even if the factory is robotized, their supplier may not be robotized and their production technique might be influence the employees emotional conditions.

Therefore each Italian car is like a sculpture, you cannot find the same one. And Italian cars do not react as you wished, try to control a Ferrari 599 GTO. Jeremy Clarkson tried to do it in “Italian Job” and he failed, try to control an Alfa MiTo diesel. The electronic systems will help you but the car will control you. You will do what the car is ordering you!

And lastly British cars; very basic definition, there is always something is missing. In order to proof this, just look at British taps! They have separate taps for hot and cold water. You cannot find this in other part of the world. British engineers never connect hot and cold water together, you either burn your hands or freeze your hand. There is no balance and you can face with this ugly truth even in the most prestigious hotels or in houses. Everything looks excellent, suddenly you want wash your hand, and you burn your hands!

You can find this in British cars also, everything is excellent. Design, materials, engines but you cannot have a door closing aid in a Bentley Azure. This is a very basic technology from Germans, when your door is not fully closed the hydraulic system closes for you. But you cannot have this in a Bentley Azure! This car costs more than a country and you have to close your door properly by yourself. But still I like British cars they are combination of Mr. Bean and Paul Smith shirt!

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Mercedes, Pizza Express, Aston Martin, Deutsche Bahn, Maserati, Paul Smith

A night dress with big pocket by Mercedes-Benz

There are some things in life which you shouldn’t try! Like doing a bungee jumping without a rope, using industrial silicone for having bigger boobs or trying to produce a four door coupe estate. Interestingly Mercedes engineers did it. I don’t know how, but they suddenly decided to produce the world’s most weird looking coupe ever made.

I am pretty sure that, there are hundreds of reasons and lots of imaginary customers ready to buy an estate four door coupe! Like some women are looking for a night dress which has a pockets big enough to swallow everything inside their handbags. The logic is the same! I need for space for my sexy thing. Unfortunately, there is no one looks for a night dress with huge pocket because it ruins the look! Like a coupe which looks like an estate.

Mercedes will be producing a CLS with a huge boot. I have no idea what is the reason for this weird looking car. And I am definitely sure that, there will be senseless AMG version which nobody will ever buy it! An estate coupe car, the point of buying a coupe is have something sporty, not something looks like you will be running to Aldi with your family!

In near future we will see this interesting vehicle on roads, I hope Mercedes will never ever try to produce any dress :) And the dress is from Valentino.

Pictures' Copyrights

Net-A-Porter, Mercedes-Benz

Carbon Fibre Fashion

Carbon fibre became a very popular material in many different areas. It started with airplanes, formula 1 cars, normal cars, laptop computers, iPhone cases and many other things. Carbon fibre is a composite material. This means, it is a combination of carbon and fibre. More basically, it is a very strong plastic! Actually it is stronger than steal and also very light, therefore it is very expensive. This unique characteristics make is very popular for automotive and aerospace industry. Mercedes McLaren SLR was a carbon fibre car, all formula 1 cars are carbon fibre, some Porsche 911 models especially GT series have carbon fibre parts to reduce weight and sustain the same level of safety.

Interestingly this ugly looking material and offers the feeling of plastic become a fashion material. Actually I was afraid of this integration in fashion, because carbon fibre is like a plastic. You cannot feel the difference in fashion products and looks weird. For iPhone cases, it might be okay. Light and robust to damages, that’s fine. A fresh fashion designer from Prague decided to use carbon fibre in shoes, in women shoes! I am not kidding. She designed high heels made from carbon fibre, the material looks exactly the same as a car interior or some unpainted parts of Mercedes SLR.

In terms of creativity, this is a great integration but in terms of functionality I really wonder the benefit. With these carbon fibres shoes, you will use less calories to walk around and even if you use them for breaking some other things nothing would happen. Also you can run faster with these shoes, as they are lighter! Actually I have no idea how carbon fibre create a benefit for fashion.

For more details; Zuzana Serbak and Carbon Fibre

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Mercedes, BMW, Zuzana Serbak

Starts on paper, ends up on paper

Usually I don’t watch the videos on iPhone applications. They might be boring, too long or I just don’t bother to watch. This time I wondered the Fendi’s video section on iPhone application and watched it. It was an interview with Karl Lagerfeld. As you can imagine, it is all about fashion but I like the last sentence of the interview. Fashion starts with paper and ended up in magazine or newspaper, paper is the starting point and where it ends up. This sentence basically defines the fashion business.

From this point of view, cars stars with paper and ended up in paper also. The design stage, sketches mostly starts on paper, then to computer and later on with clay models. The production is done with metals and finally the pictures are printed on magazine or newspaper. I know the end up product of design is a car and made by steel, however every car built on earth printed on paper. Either it is nice or ugly, you can find a picture of each car printed on somewhere. As Lagerfeld mentioned, starts with papers, ends up with paper! I think cars and fashion have more common aspects than we know!

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Fendi, Land Rover, Mercedes McLaren