Planet CNET: OMG the Pope sends SMS Video

Planet CNET: OMG the Pope sends SMS Video Transcript

[ Music ] ^M00:00:07

>> Hey there, I'm Kara Tsuboi reporting from CNET headquarters in San Francisco.

>> Welcome to Planet CNET, our weekly show where our CNET editors around the world showcase the latest tech news and cool gadgets from their home countries. Oh, and did I mention cool cars too.

>> We begin this episode in the UK where Rory Reid has a very tough decision on his hand. ^M00:00:27 [ Music ] ^M00:00:30

>> Hi, I'm Rory Reid at the British International Motor show looking for a special type of car.

>> It's got to be electric. And it's got to represent the hotness that is me. Sounds like an impossible task, but I think I found three contenders. First up representing the USA is the Tesla Roadster, the world's first electric supercar. This packs plenty of American muscle. So it stands a good chance of bowling [assumed spelling] me over. Representing the UK is the Lightening. This bad boy comes from South Landon, just down the road from me, enough said. And the final contender, coming all the way out of India, is the G-wiz. Okay, round one is all about the looks. Let's see, which one of these mechanical marbles [assumed spelling] is the sexiest. The Tesla is a hot, little two seater that has a lot in common with the Lotus, another British sports car. I'm thinking this bad boy will look pretty good on my driveway, and even nicer when I'm cruising down the streets with the top down. But then there's the Lightening, just look at this thing, I mean words don't really do it justice. The only way to describe it properly is kind of making noises like, [inaudible], Yeah, [inaudible]. As for the G-wiz, well, it kind of looks like this. Next, is performance, I need an electric car, but I can't be overtaken by granny driving a [inaudible]. So which one of these cars has the most horsepower? The Tesla will go from [inaudible] to 60 in a heart pounding 3.9 seconds, and reach a top speed for around 125 miles per hour. That my friends will do nicely. It has range of around 220 miles, which isn't bad considering the average daily commute in London is around eight miles. The Lightening is still in development, and although the manufacturers claim a sub four second [inaudible] to sixty time, and a top speed of 130, the fastest we've seen it go is about one mile per hour. And that was on a spinning podium. It might be the fastest thing in the world one day, but right now I need more then just hollow promises. The G-wiz doesn't have a [inaudible] time, mainly because it only goes up to forty. But it will get you anywhere you want to go, as long as that place is less then forty miles away, and provided you're not in a hurry, or care what you look like when you get there. Our final round is about the tech, which one of these is going to appeal to my inner geek? Well, the Tesla has a nifty touch screen interface that lets you monitor everything from the battery charge levels to the temperature of the electrical components. [Inaudible], it even has a CD player. But wait a minute, the Lightening has a carpet that looks like it belongs on a [inaudible], plus you get MP3 playback, [inaudible], and a program of an engine sound generator. So you can make it sound like a Ferrari, or a [inaudible] want. The G-wiz comes with electric wipers and an optional space for a radio. [Inaudible] it's even an airbag right here, which is probably a good thing because you're going to need one. I've had a look at the contenders and there is no clear winner. But there is a clear loser. I'm Rory Reid, Planet CNET.

>> What's wrong with the G-wiz, Rory, not exactly the chic magnet, you had pictured?

>> Now, even though that Lightening is slick, dollar for dollar in this economy, it seems like you're going to get a longer charge for your buck if you go for an American car. In US dollars, the decision really comes down to one hundred thousand for the Tesla, versus 240 thousand for the Lightening. Yikes. Turning to Japan, CNET's Kaori Omoto shows us the tech equivalent to the Patch, or Nicotine game.

>> Hi, I'm Kaori Omoto. If you have ever been to Japan, you should have run across a lot of vending machines. You can buy anything [inaudible] then drinks, like noodles, flowers, snacks, toys, and cigarettes. Starting in July when you want to buy cigarettes from vending machines, you need to verify that you are over twenty years old. As part of the age verification, most cigarette vending machines are equipped with RFID [assumed spelling] readers that checks if the buyer has a Taspo card. If didn't person didn't have a Taspo card, and couldn't manage to buy a cigarette. The purpose of this card is to prevent underage smoking. The [inaudible] card is issued only to adults aged over 20. So this person is going to show you how to buy cigarettes using the Taspo card. It is said that only 25% of the smokers apply for the card, as of late June. So the cigarette industry is getting worried that the Taspo card is encouraging even adults to quit smoking. The very low penetration of Taspo cards comes as a shock to retailers nation wide. No, no, look at this, smoking in public area is [inaudible], reporting from Japan, I'm Kaori Omoto

>> Did you know that Japan has the highest number of vending machines per capital about 1 for every 23 people, from cigarettes to alcohol, to hot meals. It sure does make American vending machines with just sodas and snacks feel so twentieth century. Finally, we end up in Australia, where I own Ella Morton gets some divine messaging by way of her cell phone.

>> July saw the biggest event that Australia has ever hosted, World Youth Day. It's kind of like a big party for 500,000 people, hosted by the Pope. It actually was such a big event, we wanted to see what kind of technology was behind it.

>> Here's a look. ^M00:05:50 [ Music ] ^M00:06:03

>> Now, probably the most interesting feature is this SMS thing from the Pope. What's behind that?

>> Yeah, Pope SMS. I don't pretend to speak for the man himself, but I understand that the World Youth Organizers were doing a connect with young people using the technology that young people use, and SMS is huge. It's no surprise to us that young people send SMS, so for the first time the Pope's going to be sending a daily text of inspiration to Pilgrims. It's a free SMS subscription. It's a monthly prayer [assumed spelling], [inaudible] some words of inspiration.

>> Is it actually the pope doing the old thumb aerobics or is there some delegation going on?

>> Well, I'm going to be honest, the Vatican sent us the messages, and they [inaudible] off from really the same from Telstra [assumed spelling] Global Operation Centres [assumed spelling], so we [inaudible] at the Centre. It won't be the Pope [inaudible], not here, and texting alway with his thumb. But he certainly provided the messages to us by the Vatican. I think the Pope has an iPod as well, the very first Pope to have an iPod.

>> So he's a very high tech Pope. ^M00:06:54 [ Music ] ^M00:07:02

>> A very techie [assumed spelling] Pope, indeed.

>> Just look at the tricked out Popemobile [assumed spelling]. But now that he is text messaging, I wonder what is next, perhaps, the Pope Podcast. Thanks for watching Planet CNET.

>> I'm Kara Tsuboi reporting from CNET San Francisco. ^M00:07:19 [ Music ]