most affordable cars

The Tara Tiny was reported as the world’s cheapest car, replacing former cheapest car Tata Nano. The Tiny, an electric vehicle, has a 22 volt motor and travels between 80 to 100 kilometers with just one 8 hour charge.

Its two-seat capacity and speed limit of 50 km makes it a nice urban bachelor's vehicle. On the other hand, I haven't read yet if it can survive traffic jams, potholes, humps and flooded streets. I'm guessing it can barely.

The Tata Nano, on the other hand, with its two-cylinder engine, can reach 65 miles per hour and has enough space for four people. The price of a Tata Nano was published as just $2,500 or approximately P100,000. However, it doesn't have any add-ons such as radio and air conditioner.

Such inexpensive cars might attract buyers who also consider purchasing a motorbike or scooter to take a good look at their specs. On my part, I still prefer riding a car than a bike. With that amount, I would consider getting a second-hand car or a custom-built vehicle (a jeep) for more reliability. Of course, the car is not available here yet. Perhaps local car manufacturers can still improvise cheaper vehicles for local buyers. With the technology available nowadays, I'm sure there will be innovators out there who'll try to scale down the costs and at the same time make the add-ons available in a package that gives customers an efficient, environment-friendly and dependable vehicle that can survive local terrain.

My first iPod

A few days ago, Mom sent me an Apple iPod Shuffle with a 1GB memory.

Many reviewers consider the Apple iPod as a revolutionary digital music gadget, while retaining its basic format and design over the years. It remains popular as new models and features come out into the market.

The first generation Shuffle was innovative but the stick design has waned. The second generation Shuffle is a lot better. The polished white plastic used in iPod products has been replaced with an anodised aluminium finish. Colors range from silver, blue, red and other cool varieties. The classic white plastic just lines the top and bottom edges.

The shuffle has a clip made of the same anodised aluminium so users can clip it on their clothes. The clip allows users to attach the Shuffle on their shirt, jeans, bag strap, tie, and its light weight of 15.6g makes it virtually unnoticeable. Anybody can now take this portable player wherever they go and have their favorite music or soundtrack playing non-stop.

The new Shuffle is also much smaller now. It measures 41 x 27 x 10mm. The little switch on the edge controls the playback mode (either random or in order). The circular control buttons change the volume or skip forwards or back a track.

Battery life goes beyond the stated 12 hours as it can play for over 16 hours from a single charge. An iPod shuffle dock is used in charging and synchronizing music files saved in your computer. Small indicator lights just flash when the unit is powered up, green for good, amber for ok, red for low and white for empty.

Now, I can wear almost 500 songs and enjoy a music-filled day without noticing the player.

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