18 September 2007 13:27 GMT - Steve Jobs, Apple’s CEO, has confirmed that there is a 3G iPhone in the works, although fell short of saying when we could expect to buy one.
Making the comments at the “Mum is no longer the word” press conference at the Regent Street Apple store in London, Steve Jobs, CEO of Apple said: “You can expect a 3G iPhone later next year”.
The news comes as a 2G EDGE-enabled iPhone will be available in the UK on 9 November.
When asked why the current model didn’t have 3G, Jobs blamed power issues saying that the 3G chipset would be too much of a drain on the unit’s battery life which promises 8 hours of call time, but said that future models would have the technology.
“We are working on the next iPhone already, the one after that and the one after that”, Jobs said.
After threatening to drop a large-scale cellular service contract based on concerns that it would lock itself out of a trade-up to the iPhone, a Swedish firm has received assurances from its liaison at the provider that the coveted gadget would arrive as soon as September — and, startlingly, that a version of the handset with 3G (third-generation) wireless Internet access would be in the provider’s hands as soon as January of 2008. The contact at the carrier was especially confident, sources said.
If true, the new model would signal a revision to the iPhone just seven months after its slated June 2007 launch. It would be an even quicker response for European customers, who were originally told not to expect the Apple candybar phone in any form until late this year.
Apple hasn’t been especially shy in beating the drums for its long-term 3G plans, as Apple chief executive Steve Jobs himself mentioned 3G in his Macworld keynote and later had his story backed by Cingular (now AT&T) distribution chief Glenn Lurie.
Most cellular-based Internet access in the world today, including the AT&T EDGE network which the iPhone will first use, is considered second-generation (2G). Few would mistake 2G-level wireless for a truly fast connection. Downloads typically crest at a few hundred kilobits per second even under ideal conditions; uploads are regularly far worse, frequently hovering around just above dial-up access.
3G ultimately amounts to the addition of extra channels on a cellphone network to boost those anemic speeds, particularly in terms of uploads. Where downstream access rarely exceeds 800Kbps on present 3G networks, upstream levels are a much healthier 400Kbps. The technology smoothes out wrinkles in mobile Internet access that make some tasks impractical or even impossible on 2G networks, such as uploading large photos in e-mail attachments or video messaging.
Apple’s choice of cellphone networks would obligate it to use a particular form of 3G known as High-Speed Download Packet Access (HSDPA). At first, this would seem to be something of a misstep: the standard has barely lifted off the ground in the Cupertino-based company’s home turf. Only a handful of US cities currently offer AT&T’s particular brand of 3G to subscribers.
The situation was discouraging enough that Apple reportedly left out the technology in its inaugural phone due to the limited amount of HSDPA coverage in the country.
Thankfully, HSDPA also happens to represent Apple’s best shot at selling the iPhone beyond American borders. In Europe, cheaper data rates and widespread 3G networks encourage Internet access from smartphones to the extent that many cellphone giants lavish more attention on their phone lineups for that continent than anywhere else. Nokia’s range toppers, for example, are often badged as “multimedia computers” rather than cellphones.
It remains to be seen whether or not Apple will add any features to the Euro-friendly version. Most 3G cellphones outside of North America ship with front-facing cameras for video calls, but those phones released in the US (such as AT&T’s BlackJack) have typically gone without added features beyond the extra speed.
The Most Complete List of Social Bookmarking Sites (Type Structured).
On a social bookmarking system or network, users store lists of Internet resources that they find useful. These lists can be accessible to the public by users of a specific network or website. Other users with similar interests can view the links by topic, category, tags, or even randomly.
Other than web page bookmarks, services specialized to a specific subject or format — feeds, books, videos, shopping items, map locations, wineries, etc. — can be found.
s - Social Network Site b - Social Bookmarking Site b^ - Social Bookmarking With Links Forwarding e - Some Errors With The Site f - Social Feed Sites v - Social serVices Site (private bookmarks, scripts, widgets etc..) u - Unknown Social Site Type
http://2centsnews.com
s
http://30daytags.com
e
http://43things.com
u
http://a1-webmarks.com
b
http://allmyfavorites.net/td>
v
http://ambedo.com
v
http://backflip.com
b^
http://bibsonomy.org
b
http://blauerbote.com
b
http://blinkbits.com
b+s+e
http://blinklist.com
v
http://blinkpro.com
v
http://bloghop.com
b
http://bloglines.com
f
http://blogmarks.net
e
http://blogmemes.com
s+e
http://blogmemes.net
b+s
http://blogpulse.com
u
http://bluedot.us
s
http://blummy.com
v
http://bmaccess.net
b
http://bookmark-manager.com
v
http://bookmarktracker.com
v
http://buddymarks.com
b^
http://bumpzee.com
s
http://chipmark.com
u
http://citeulike.org
u
http://clipclip.org
b
http://clipmarks.com
u
http://cloudytags.com
b^
http://complore.com
b
http://connectedy.com
b
http://connotea.org
b
http://corank.com
u
http://de.lirio.us
b
http://dealigg.com
u
http://dealoid.com
b^
http://del.icio.us
b
http://digg.com
s
http://diigo.com
b
http://dotnetkicks.com
s
http://dzone.com
s
http://esnips.com
u
http://excites.com
b
http://ez4u.net
b
http://fanpop.com
u
http://fark.com
u
http://favoor.com
u
http://favorites.live.com
v
http://feedmarker.com
b
http://feedmelinks.com
b
http://folkd.com
b
http://fungow.com
u
http://furl.net
b
http://getboo.com
v
http://gibeo.net
u
http://givealink.org
b
http://goowy.com
u
http://gravee.com
u
http://grupl.com
b
http://hanzoweb.com
b
http://hugg.com
s
http://hyperlinkomatic.com
u
http://i89.us
b
http://icerocket.com
u
http://icio.de
b
http://igooi.com
e
http://iloggo.pl
u
http://indiamarks.com
s
http://indianpad.com
s
http://jaiku.com
u
http://jeteye.com
u
http://kaboodle.com
u
http://kick.ie
s
http://kinja.com
s
http://kopikol.net
b
http://librarything.com
u
http://lifelogger.com
u
http://lilisto.com
v
http://linkagogo.com
b
http://linkarena.com
b
http://linkatopia.com
b
http://linkblog.com.br
b
http://linkfilter.net
b^
http://linkroll.com
b
http://linkswarm.com
u
http://listible.com
u
http://listmixer.com
u
http://ma.gnolia.com
s
http://maple.nu
b^
http://markaboo.com
b
http://meme-stream.com
b
http://memestreams.net
s
http://metafilter.com
s
http://mister-wong.com
b
http://my.xilinus.com
b
http://mybloglog.com
v
http://mybookmarks.com
v
http://myhq.com
v
http://myjeeves.ask.com
v
http://mylinkvault.com
v
http://mypip.com
v
http://myprogs.net
v
http://mystickies.com
v
http://myvmarks.com
b
http://myweb.yahoo.com
b
http://netscape.com
b
http://netvouz.com
b
http://networkmenus.co.uk
v
http://newscloud.com
s
http://newsvine.com
s
http://nextaris.com
u
http://nowpublic.com
s
http://onlywire.com
v
http://otavo.com
b
http://oyax.com
b
http://philoi.com
b
http://plugim.com
s
http://plum.com
s
http://popurls.com
v
http://rawsugar.com
s
http://reader2.com
u
http://recipe-buzz.com
s
http://reddit.com
b
http://rojo.com
s
http://rollyo.com
u
http://sandbox.sourcelabs.com/livemarks
b
http://saysaid.com
b
http://searchles.com
s
http://segnalo.com
b
http://shadows.com
u
http://shareddish.com
s
http://shoutwire.com
s
http://simpy.com
b
http://sitetagger.com
b
http://sk-rt.com
s
http://slashdot.org
s
http://socialogs.com
s
http://sphere.com
u
http://spotback.com
s
http://spotplex.com
s
http://spurl.net
b+e
http://squidoo.com
s
http://stanmx.com/sabrosus
b
http://startaid.com
b^
http://stumbleupon.com
s
http://stylefeeder.com
u
http://sync2it.com
v
http://syncone.net
b
http://tags.library.upenn.edu
u
http://tagsy.com
v
http://tagtooga.com
b^
http://tailrank.com
s
http://technorati.com
s
http://techtagg.com
s
http://tedigo.net
b
http://tektag.com
s
http://textnotes.de
v
http://thinkpocket.com
v
http://threadwatch.org
u
http://thumblicio.us
u
http://toread.cc
u
http://trailfire.com
s
http://tutorialism.com
s
http://twitter.com
u
http://unalog.com
u
http://voo2do.com
v
http://web-feeds.com
u
http://webride.org
u
http://wists.com
s
http://wurldbook.com
v
http://ww2.ikeepbookmarks.com
v
http://yattle.com
v
http://yigg.de
s
http://yoono.com
u
http://zurpy.com
v
https://chipmark.com
v
If You want to update this list, change or add something, please, comment this post.
Clive Owen has just delivered a baby in an abandoned warehouse. The newborn sits in his arm, smeared in a coating of blood and vernix, while the mother lies beneath him, legs apart, face lathered in sweat. Owen is satisfied, but one thing remains – the umbilical cord needs to be cut. Not hesitating for a second, he reaches into his coat, pulls out an enormous gun and, much to the protestations of the terrified mother, simply blows the cord in two from point-blank range The scene is from the opening of Owen’s new action movie, Shoot ’Em Up, and is emblematic of much that follows – violent, provocative, risque and, well, violent. In fact the film, which describes the adventures of a weapons expert called Mr Smith (Owen), who spends 90 hyperkinetic minutes planting furious lead into an ever-replenishing army of cockeyed Mafia henchmen (they’re after the baby, but this hardly matters), might well be the most violent movie that Owen has made, and perhaps just a tiny bit offensive because of it.
“I hope not,” says the 42-year-old actor today, a vision of masculinity in suit and open-necked shirt, reclining on a vast couch in a Central London hotel room. “The violence is so heightened and cartoonish that you just can’t relate it to reality. And you can’t deny that a well put-together action sequence, if done with wit and verve, can be entertaining.”
If Owen seems untroubled by the prospect of becoming the sole poster boy for contemporary screen violence it’s possibly because he’s also starring in the upcoming period drama The Golden Age. The film, a sequel to Shekhar Kapur’s Elizabeth, stars Owen as the swaggering, piratical Sir Walter Raleigh, the sassy foil to Cate Blanchett’s uptight monarch. The role, he says, required a lot of research, including “reading two huge biographies”. It was also, he says modestly, and with a certain resigned finality, a lot of fun.
Owen shot to fame as the gambling guru in the 1998 thriller Croupier, and has more recently aced a string of heavy-hitting roles, some Oscar-nominated, that have included the screen adaptation Closer,the dystopian sci-fi Children of Men, and the impeccable heist movie Inside Man. He does deep soulful stillness to perfection, and is the swoon-inducing first choice for big-money blockbusters seeking credibility – and that includes interballistic headwreckers such as Shoot ’Em Up.
“Look,” he says, grinning slightly, “when I was pitched the film, I have to be honest, I thought, ‘This is not going to be for me.’ But then, after reading the first page, I was chuckling. I was like, ‘This is so wild! So deliberately un-PC. I have to do it.’ ” This, you quickly learn, is a typical Owen moment. He’s a tricky fish, and a conundrum of sorts, but in the nicest possible way. He has a reputation for seriousness and deflecting journalistic inquiry, yet he does so with disarming joviality, and a booming laugh. He won’t talk about his private life, and yet he mentions his wife and two daughters with ease. He has rejected LA in favour of his home in Highgate, North London, even as he reveres the glamour of Hollywood. And, most importantly, he groans at the mention of his place in the postBrosnan James Bond succession debate, despite having made numerous Bond-style commercials for BMW, and a Bond-like cameo in The Pink Panther. Even his Shoot ’Em Up director and producers consistently refer to his part in that movie as a “blue-collar James Bond”.
“The only similarity between the movies, really, is that the main guy is going to deliver during the shoot-outs,” he says, before adding, categorically, that despite the media speculation (one newspaper poll said he was 90 per cent favourite for the role) he was never actually offered Bond, and if he was, he probably wouldn’t have taken it anyway. So, is he saying that not taking the role that he wasn’t offered was a good move? He laughs, three big booms. “What I’m saying is that if you look at my career, I’ve tried to keep it as varied as I can. It’s a healthy thing to do.” Owen’s career began in 1977 at Binley Park Comprehensive, in Coventry, during a school production of Oliver! He was the fourth of five brothers raised by his working-class mother and his stepfather (his biological father, a country singer, left home when Owen was 3). He describes his childhood as “rough”, yet refuses to play the sympathy card and describes acting as a last resort for a troubled soul. Instead he says that playing the Artful Dodger in Oliver! somehow made sense, and so after leaving school he joined a youth theatre, and spent two long years on the dole. “I learnt that life can be f***ing hard,” he says, laughing again. “It was the toughest time. The work had all dried up, and I thought, ‘Is this ever going to happen?’ ”
Thankfully, he won a place at RADA, where his contemporaries included Ralph Fiennes and Jane Horrocks. He met his future wife, Sarah-Jane Fenton, soon after, at the Young Vic, where the two were starring in, appropriately enough, Romeo and Juliet. Both were young firebrands, but when success came calling for Owen, Fenton duly stepped down, and is now the devoted wife and mother who appears on Owen’s arm at premieres and awards. I ask him if they had, back in the old days, a secret Blair-Brown type agreement about which one would step aside if fame came calling? More booming laughter. “No, it was never like that. The only notable thing about it was that the relationship took a bit of time to come together, and we were doing a seven-month tour of Romeo and Juliet all over Europe. And there was an apprehension there about getting involved, because if it went wrong it would have, er, ramifications for the whole production.”
Owen had a famous false start as the smoothie hero of the yuppie-era TV drama Chancer, but then later, after lots of theatre work, seemed to emerge fully formed as an Alist star in Mike Hodges’ Croupier. The film, neglected in the UK, was championed in the States by Stanley Kubrick’s former marketing man Mike Kaplan. Owen thus became the archetypal overnight sensation, cast as the scene-stealing hitman in The Bourne Identity, a Chandler-esque tough guy in Sin City, and a raging dermatologist in Closer. In the latter film his expletive-filled rant at co-star Julia Roberts (“Because I’m a f***ing caveman!”) has already become a modern quotable classic.
Always quick to deconstruct his own image – his other roles have included a bisexual, an incestuous brother and a gay concentration camp victim – Owen can nonetheless flex his Alist screen persona at will, and effortlessly wrestle scenes from the likes of Denzel Washington in Inside Man, despite being obscured by his character’s face mask. “It was strange,” he says. “Because you finally get to act with someone like Denzel, and yet you can’t even look him in the face. But then halfway through the scene he says to me, ‘This is weird, I can’t f***ing see you!’ But, still, it worked.”
As for the future, once the Shoot ’Em Up and Golden Age hoopla has faded, he is to play a widowed dad in The Boys are Back in Town and a financial investigator in the paranoid thriller The International. After that, he’s not sure. He might do some theatre – or maybe not. In any event Owen-watchers should expect the unexpected. “I generally don’t get attracted to the more obvious leading man roles,” he says, “because, really, there’s nothing more boring than a very wholesome, straight, uncomplicated leading man.”
Shoot ’Em Up is released nationwide on Friday
THE CHANCER WHO HIT THE JACKPOT IN CROUPIER – CLIVE OWEN ON SCREEN
CHANCER (1990-91)
That jaw and baritone proclaimed themselves to Britain’s housewives when Owen played a beguiling conman in this ITV series. Beginning in the chirpy confines of a car dealership, Chancer got steadily darker. Owen honed his trademark glower as his character battled prison, death and personal demons.
CROUPIER (1998)
After a few wilderness years following his role in the 1991 incest drama Close My Eyes, Owen’s big-screen break came playing yet another morally dubious type. “He’s not really a good guy or a bad guy,” he said of the writer-turned-casino worker he played in Mike Hodges’s neo-noir. “But people generally aren’t, are they?”
CLOSER (2004)
Owen had already appeared on stage as the wimpy Dan in Patrick Marber’s savage deconstruction of sexual politics. In the film adaptation, Jude Law took that role and Owen played the inscrutable dermatologist Larry. The switch paid off, as he earned an Oscar nomination, a Bafta and a Golden Globe for Best Supporting Actor.
CHILDREN OF MEN (2006)
Having hefted his sword in a period piece (2004’s King Arthur), Owen dipped his toe into sci-fi as a world-weary civil servant in Alfonso Cuaron’s dystopian drama. Who better to brood about a future in which suicide is rife and the human race has become infertile than Britain’s king of photogenic gloom?
(Story by Kevin Maher)
Biography
Early life
Owen was born in Coventry, West Midlands, England, the fourth of five brothers. When Owen was three, his father (a country and western singer) left the family. Owen was raised by his mother and step-father, a railway ticket clerk, and only met his father again at the age of nineteen. While initially opposed to drama school, he changed his mind in 1984, after a long and fruitless period of searching for work. Owen graduated from RADA in 1987 in a class including both Ralph Fiennes and Jane Horrocks. After graduation, he won a position at the Young Vic, performing in several William Shakespeare plays. In an incident he later described as “very schmaltzy,” he met his future wife Sarah Jane Fenton.
Career
Initially, Owen carved out a career in television: in 1988 Owen starred as Gideon Sarn in a BBC television production of Precious Bane and the Channel 4 film Vroom before the 1990s saw him become a regular on stage and television in the UK, notably his lead role in the ITV series Chancer followed by an appearance in the Thames Television production of Lorna Doone.
He won critical acclaim for his performances in a 1991 Stephen Poliakoff film called Close My Eyes, about a brother and sister who embark on an incestuous love affair. Due to personal conflicts with the press, Owen decided not to appear in television programmes for a while. However, he subsequently appeared in The Magician, Class Of ‘61, Century, Nobody’s Children, An Evening With Gary Lineker, Doomsday Gun, Return Of The Native, The Turnaround and then a Carlton production called Sharman, about a private detective. In 1996 he appeared in his first major Hollywood film The Rich Man’s Wife alongside Halle Berry before finding international acclaim in a Channel 4 film directed by Mike Hodges called Croupier in 1998. He played the title role of a struggling writer who takes a job in a London casino as inspiration for his work, only to get caught up in a robbery scheme. In 1999 he appeared as an accident-prone driver called Split Second, his first BBC production for a decade.
He then starred in The Echo, a BBC1 drama. He also starred in a film called Greenfingers about a criminal who goes to work in a garden, before appearing in the BBC1 mystery series Second Sight, in which he played DCI Ross Tanner. In 2001 he provided the voice-over for a BBC2 documentary about popular music through the years called Walk On By, as well as starring in a highly-acclaimed theatre production called The Day In The Death Of Joe Egg, about a couple with a severely handicapped daughter. He then appeared in Robert Altman’s Gosford Park, alongside an all-star cast including Helen Mirren and Ryan Phillippe. He has also appeared in The Bourne Identity, along with American actor Matt Damon. In 2003 he starred in other films including Trevor Preston’s I’ll Sleep When I’m Dead and Beyond Borders before taking on the title role in King Arthur. He took horse-riding lessons for the latter role.
He has since appeared in the comic book thriller Sin City as the noir antihero Dwight McCarthy; as a mysterious bank robber in Inside Man and as Sir Walter Raleigh opposite Cate Blanchett’s Elizabeth I in the film Golden Age.
He also appeared in the West End and Broadway hit play Closer, by Patrick Marber, which again became a film which was released in 2005, before he starred in Derailed alongside Jennifer Aniston. It is interesting to note that he played ” Dan” in the play “Closer” but was “Larry” the dermatologist in the film version of the play. His blistering, darkly comic portrayal of Larry in the film version earned him a lot of recognition as well as the awards mentioned above.
In 2006, Owen starred in the highly acclaimed Children of Men. He received widespread praise for his role as the former political activist-turned-reluctant hero Theo Faron. The film was nominated for various awards including an Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay; Owen worked on the screenplay, although he was uncredited. He noted that the expectations of him since the Oscar nomination have not changed the way he approaches film-making.
I try, every film I do, to be as good as I can and that’s all I can do.
He became well known to North American audiences after starring as The Driver in the BMW films. Despite public denials, Owen had long been rumored to be a possible successor to Pierce Brosnan in the role of James Bond. A public opinion poll in the United Kingdom in October 2005 (SkyNews) found that he was the public’s number one choice to star in the next installment of the series. In that same month, however, it was announced that British actor Daniel Craig would become the next James Bond. In 2006 Owen spoofed the Bond connection by making an appearance in the remake of The Pink Panther in which he plays a character named “Nigel Boswell, Agent 006″ (when he introduces himself to Inspector Clouseau he quips that Owen’s character is “one short of the big time”).
In November 2006, he became patron of the Electric Palace Cinema in Harwich, England and launched an appeal for funds to repair deteriorating elements of the fabric.
He was mentioned by Karl Pilkington in a podcast and named him as ‘Clive Warren’ by accident.
Rambo is a saga of popular action films starring Sylvester Stallone, based on the characters created by David Morrell in his novel First Blood. The films are: First Blood (1982), Rambo: First Blood Part II (1985), and Rambo III (1988). A fourth film, titled John Rambo, is expected in February 2008. The films focus on a troubled Vietnam War veteran, John James Rambo, who is greatly skilled in all aspects of survival and guerrilla warfare.
In popular culture, the name has become an eponym for a tactic of military aggression or, alternatively, a person demonstrating heroism through extreme violence.
The fictional character of Rambo (John J. Rambo according to First Blood) was born on July 6, 1947 in Bowie, Arizona of Native American and German descent. He joined the United States Army on August 6 1964, shortly after leaving high school. Rambo was deployed to South Vietnam in September 1966. He returned to the U.S. in 1967 and began training in the Special Forces (Green Berets) at Fort Bragg, North Carolina. In late 1969, Rambo was re-deployed to Vietnam. In November 1971, Rambo was captured by North Vietnamese forces near the Chinese-Vietnamese border. At the POW camp, Rambo was tortured along with other American POWs. Rambo escaped captivity in May 1972, but was then re-deployed. Rambo was discharged on September 17, 1974. In his return to the U.S., Rambo discovered that many civilians hated returning soldiers from Vietnam. His experiences in Vietnam resulted in an extreme case of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder.
About eight years later, Rambo has difficulty adjusting to civilian life (presumably after losing his job managing motor vehicles) and wanders the country as a drifter. He eventually has a run in with the police in a rural Washington State town (in the novel, the town was located in rural Kentucky), which results in Rambo being the subject of a manhunt which culminates in the destruction of most the town’s main street, and Rambo being taken into custody by his former special forces commander, Colonel Trautman. In the second installment of the series, Rambo is tasked by Col. Trautman to return in Vietnam to search for American POWs remaining in Vietnamese captivity. After another successful mission, Rambo goes to fight the Soviets in Afghanistan and rescue a captured Col. Trautman.
Bugatti Automobiles S.A.S. exhibited the latest evolution stage of its Bugatti EB 16.4 Veyron with 736 kW and 1001 HP on the Geneva Motorshow. The new design study is much closer to production maturity than before in both the power train and body areas.
The extended, presented study has numerous technology highlights. Similar to the racing cars for the Formula One and Le Mans, the self-supporting body of the EB 16.4 is manufactured in carbon fiber technology. The car body is made of aluminum which reduces weight to a minimum.
The extraordinary design of the EB 16,4 Veyron also appears in the interior.
The extended, presented study has numerous technology highlights.
The large 20 inch wheels with a front tire size of 245-690 R 520 A and a rear tire size of 335-710 R 540 A show clearly the high sporty requirements of the EB 16,4 Veyron. With the special tires developed by Michelin, the Bugatti can even be driven with all the air lost from the tire up to 200 kilometers at speeds up to 80 km/h and without the handling becoming unsafe.
There, luxury and sporty design elements form a tremendous and comfortable atmosphere in the interior.
The design and arrangement of the operating elements are a resemblance to the historical Bugatti racing cars.
A high-end sound system from the Berlin manufacturer of outstanding hi-fi systems, Dieter Burmester, creates a perfect audio spectrum in the interior.
A large round central instrument is surrounded by four round supplementary instruments, which focus attention on the most essential information.
In close co-operation with the Bugatti design team , the optimal arrangement of the components has already been fixed during the development of the monocoques bodyshell in order to get the best possible of function and design.
The exciting study of the EB 16,4 Veyron impresses by the use of racing technology and a daring design. The identification “Veyron” is to remind of the former Bugatti plant driver Pierre Veyron, who was able to win with a Bugatti the 24 hours of Le Mans in the year 1939.
Default was to reflect the character and the myth of the brand Bugatti. The power of the engine reaches the wheels through a permanent all-wheel drive system, which guarantees a high traction.
The Veyron with a length of now 4.466 millimeters and a height of 1.206 millimeters is a flat super sports car which combines sensory and dynamic elements in the same way.
The aluminum body finished in two colors, namely ” Rouge Ventoux and Noir” has a very tasteful interior.
The car body is made of aluminum which reduces weight to a minimum.
Similar to the racing cars for the Formula One and Le Mans, the self-supporting body of the EB 16.4 is manufactured in carbon fiber technology.
The “super- Bugatti” is powered by a 16 cylinder engine, which is installed as a mid-engine ahead of the rear axle. The 8.0 liter engine in the W 16 design has two exceptionally narrow V8 cylinder blocks. For this reason it is a visual and unique product !
The engine is installed as a mid-engine and develops 1001 HP with its four turbocharges. It accelerates from a standstill to 300 km/h in less than 14.0 seconds and reaches a top speed of more than 400 km/h .
The engine with its 64 valves has 1001 HP; however a futur engine with 1200 HP is planned. Its maximum torque reaches enormous 1.250 newton-meters.
The 16 cylinders are visible and installed directly behind the two seats. They are conspicous because of the two silver colored intakes.
2. Koenigsegg CCX 245mph+, 0-62mph 3.2 seconds
February 24th, 2006 - To meet international regulations and take advantage of the market potential in America, Koenigsegg have revamped and retooled their CCR supercar into the CCX. Named to commemorate 10 years since the first prototype saw the light of day, the CCX now meets the strict California emissions limits as well as other tough US safety laws. Fortunately, this process let Koenigsegg improve the CC, and as a result the CCX is larger and more refined.
So much so, the Koenigsegg won Top Gear’s coveted test track challenge, but not without infamy. First time the around, the Koenigsegg went off the track, swallowing a tire, and was ridiculed for not having enough downforce. Fortunately, Koenigsegg weren’t turned off by the mishap when they repaired and returned the car with a new downforce lip to suit Top Gear’s presenters. The effort became worthwhile when 1:17.6 was achived, beating the Zonda F, Maserati MC12 and Ferrari Enzo.
For certification, one of the major issues Koenigsegg faced was conforming to bumper tests and safety issues while retaining the same basic shape that claimed the title of world’s fastest 2005 production car. To do so they drafted a new set of body panels that lengthened the CC and made many more performance revisions possible. Changes now include a new front end with scoop for cockpit cooling, wheel extractors behind the front arches and new side rocker panels that enhance the under tray aerodynamics. At the back, more room is made for the exhaust, and better ducting helps the engine bay stay cooler. And just for that added flair, the supercharged V8 engine can now be seen through a clear covering.
Koenigsegg also spent a lot of development time to cast their own V8 that could drink US-grade, 91 octane fuel, yet still run at a high compression ratio. In the past, these engines were controversial, as they used a Ford Racing block with Koenigsegg manufactured components. However, for the CCX, Koenigsegg have made their own block casting, leaving no connections to Ford or the Mustang.
Despite all the regulatory changes, the CCX is still one of the world’s fastest supercars. Back in early 2005, a CCR supercar had won the fastest production car title when it achieved 241 mph (387.87 kph) on at Italy’s Nardo Track. However, with the introduction of the long awaited Veyron, Bugatti became the king of the hill and made the CCR second.
With the CCX debut slated for an upcoming debut at the 2006 Geneva Motor Show, we can only hope that Koenigsegg might get sweet revenge. Their supercar, engineered and constructed in Sweden, certainly has the hallmarks of modern design: a carbon fibre monocoque, a supercharged V8 located mid-ship and an inboard, double wishbone suspension.
Each CCX is will be specially ordered, and for 2006, Koenigsegg have added a tasty list of new ingredients. Now on menu are carbon fibre wheels and carbon fibre disc brakes which can shed 11 lbs (5 kgs) per corner. Each car comes with a storable hard top and long list of equipment. A ’standard’ car is delivered for $540 000 USD, while a fully laden car, like the one in our spec table comes for $610 910 USD.
(Story by Supercars)
3. Bristol Fighter T 225mph+, 0-62mph 3.5 seconds
Unlikely as it might sound, Bristol Cars is set to unleash a car with more power, more torque and potentially a higher top speed than the Bugatti Veyron.
The 8-litre V10 Fighter supercar is now available with two intercooled turbos, boosting power to a scarcely believable 1012bhp at 5600rpm and, even more stunningly, 1036lb ft at 4500rpm. According to Bristol’s calculations, the new Fighter T, as the car has been named, should be capable of ‘over 270mph’. However, customer cars will be limited to just 225mph.
Priced at ?346,625 – around ?115,000 more than the standard 525bhp Fighter – the first T will be delivered in September 2007. The average Fighter owner (if there is such a thing) covers over 10,000 miles per year in their hand-built, front-engined supercar, and many use them for trackdays.
The most common request the factory receives is for ‘more power’.
Bristol has a good relationship with Chrysler, which supplies its 8-litre V10 to Bristol’s own specifications for the Fighter and (628bhp, normally aspirated) Fighter S models, but had to work on the turbocharger system in its own engineering facility in Florida. The results are startling, and Toby Silverton, owner and engineering force behind Bristol, is adamant that the T is just as docile and tractable around town as the standard car. He also says that it’s ‘incredibly good fun’ and that ‘it gets up to 225mph [at just 4500rpm] very quickly indeed’.
The engine’s internals have been reinforced to cope with the turbos blowing at 10psi, and the six-speed gearbox is thoroughly uprated. Torque is limited up to around 85mph (both for improved traction and for the sake of the ‘box), but Silverton says the car has remarkable traction thanks in large part to its 48/52 weight distribution.
The T’s chassis is 30 per cent more rigid than a regular Fighter’s, allowing the fitment of stiffer springs and dampers, and a thicker front anti-roll bar.
The Fighter has always been a bit of an oddball supercar, and with the T it’s even more intriguing. However, you’ve got to admire the sheer absurdity of a 1012bhp, 225mph supercar from a tiny British engineering company. If the car verifies its 270mph+ potential at Nardo (and Silverton says it will) then the huge expenditure and massive delays suffered by the Veyron will start to look very silly indeed…
(Story by EVO)
4. Gumpert Apollo 224mph, 0-62mph 3.0 seconds
Gumpert are now assembling a range of the most daring supercars built around Audi components. Their first saleable product, which has started its show rounds, is a production version of the Apollo mid-engine supercar seen earlier this year. It’s powered by a twin turbo Audi V8, and if the spec tables are to be believed, new owners can be treated to 60mph in just 3.0 seconds.
The Apollo just might be capable of such a run. Its carbon fibre body sits atop a chrome molybdenum alloy and steel frame that supports an RS6 engine cranked out to 650 bhp. With this setup the Gumpert has a better power to weight ratio than the big ‘Mac’Laren F1. Although, some customers might opt out of the carbon for a GRP body and a have the superchared 440 bhp option to save a few dollars, or maybe a little sanity.
Other niceties include a sequential 6-speed transmission, a twin clutch system attached to that, an inboard suspension setup and as much down force as a DTM car. All of this down force is created by the under tray which means the Apollo has no fussy wings and instead, two massive venturis extending the length of the car that increase the drag to 0.43 Cd.
Sensibly, the Apollo has huge brakes hiding behind its 19 inch center-lock wheels. To keep speed in check, 8-piston calipers grab 15 inch discs on all four wheels and an ABS system is included.
Gumpert say they are production ready and can make cars ranging from 150 to 220 thousand euros. They are suggesting that a full-on race version might be feasible, but until then we patiently wait for The Nurburgring lap time.
(Story by Supercars)
5. Pagani Zonda C12 F 214mph, 0-62mph 3.5 seconds
Unveiled at the 2005 Geneva Auto Show, The Zonda F is one of the fastest supercars ever made. Built using Pagani’s extensive experience in carbon fibre construction, the Zonda is leader with regard to fit and finish. With this car, Pagani Automobili is among a small group of independent supercar manufacturers that challenge more established competition such as Porsche, Ferrari and Lamborghini.
During the outset of the Zonda project, Juan Manuel Fangio consulted and influenced Horacio Pagani on every aspect of the Zonda. Horacio says Fangio had great ‘technical sensibility’ and was a major source of inspiration for his car. Thus, it should come to no surprise that Pagani’s latest work pays tribute to the late Fangio, a world champion five times over.
Zonda F is a special edition car that will be built alongside the regular production model. It takes the modifications adapted to the C12-S Monza and refines them into a more appealing package. As a result the Zonda F is lighter, more powerful and faster than its predecessor.
Aerodynamics play large role in shaping Zonda’s new car. More traditional devices include a one-piece fixed wing which now gets undisturbed air thanks to relocated mirrors. To help airflow underneath, a larger front splitter and rear diffuser with twin stabilizing wings create even more downforce. At the front of the Zonda F is a much larger air intake to increase cooling effectiveness of the more potent V12 engine.
To give the Zonda F more power, a new induction system is used which replaces the standard Mercedes-Benz unit. It features larger intake apertures and, when combined with a larger, hydroformed exhaust, the 7.3 liter Mercedes-Benz engine reaches 620 bhp. This is up from 550 achieved with the standard Mercedes intake. A clubsport model is available as an option which increases power to 650 bhp @ 6200 rpm.
The chassis receives several upgrades which lighten both the overall and unspung weight of the Zonda. Newly designed 19 and 20 inch wheels make room for much larger brakes which can now be ordered in a ceramic compound for the first time. Combined with the titanium wheel nuts, and various trimmings of the carbon fiber tub, the Zonda F weighs 1230 kgs without liquids.
After all these changes it should come to no surprise that Pagani has made a much superior Zonda. With 650 bhp on tap, the clubsport model should easily rival cars including the Porsche Carrera GT and Ferrari Enzo.
The new Lamborghini Murcielago LP640 features considerable innovations in terms of body design and mechanics. And also with a new name: Murcielago LP640, which refers to its engine position - longitudinale posteriore - and to its power 640 bhp. Designers and engineers have not only focused on reworking the engine, suspensions, gearbox, exhaust system, brakes and electronics, but also the interior and exterior design; improvements that make the Murcielago LP 640 the most extreme and fastest sports car in its class, placing it at the very top.
The first vehicles will be available in spring 2006. Since the original Murcielago’s debut at the 2001 International Car Show (IAA) in Frankfurt, around 2,000 vehicles have left the car plant in Sant’ Agata Bolognese.
Unmistakable Lamborghini Design
In their reinterpretation of the Lamborghini Murcielago LP640, the designers at the Lamborghini Style Centre have remained true to the traditional Lamborghini principles of purism, sport and function. The Murcielago LP640 now appears even more aggressive, with the new front and rear bumpers contributing significantly to its appearance. The exhaust system terminal has been incorporated in the diffuser on the rear bumper. Other innovations include the rear lights, which enhance the distinguishing features of the Murcielago LP640, making it unmistakable even at night. The design of the sides is also worth mentioning: while the area behind the air intake on the right side is practically closed, the left side features a vast aperture for cooling the oil radiator. Together with the aerodynamically defined front and rear, this proves yet again that the shape of a Lamborghini is dictated by function.
More Powerful Engine
The engine of the new Murcielago LP640 has undergone outstanding and radical modification. The increased bore and longer stroke have boosted the displacement of the classic 60° V-engine from 6.2 liters to 6.5 liters. Thus the already extraordinary 580 bhp engine power has now been elevated to an impressive peak of 640 bhp at 8,000 rpm. The 12-cylinder engine reaches a maximum torque of 487 lb-ft at 6,000 rpm.
The new Murcielago LP640 features a modified sixratio gearbox as well as a tougher rear differential and new axle shafts. On request, the e-gear automatic gearbox is also available equipped with the new dedicated “Thrust” (acceleration program) mode.
Frame and Chassis: Perfect Harmony
The body of the Murcielago LP640 with its characteristic scissor doors is created from the prized union of sheet steel and honeycombed carbon fiber, glued and riveted together.
Driving, handling and stability at high speed are enhanced by new springs and stabilizers, as well as by a redesigned electronically controlled damper. The “antidive” and “anti-squat” features on the axles, which efficiently prevent so-called “brake diving” and “squatting”, have not been changed. The two springs on every rear wheel, the single spring on every front wheel and the damper are placed coaxially.
Optional CeramicCarbon Brakes
The dual hydraulic circuit brake system equipped with a vacuum brake booster ensures considerable deceleration values. The self-ventilating front and rear brake disks measure 380 mm x 34 mm and 355 mm x 32 mm respectively. The control circuit of the four-channel anti-blocking system (ABS) with electronic brake control (DRP) and traction control (TCS) features a new characteristic curve. The system consists in an electro-hydraulic control unit and four speed sensors.
When particularly high braking performance is required, it is possible to equip the vehicle with 380 mm x 36 mm ceramic carbon brakes featuring six-piston brake calipers.
Even More Exclusive Interior
The seats in the cockpit have undergone the most radical changes; more spacious and equipped with redesigned head restraints, the seats now ensure better comfort. The leather upholstery features lozenge-shaped stitching called “Q-citura”. The same design is recaptured on the upholstery on the door panels, the panel between the seats and the engine compartment, and on the roof panel.
A new instrument panel has been developed with lights featuring a new graphic design, flanked by a new Kenwood car radio with a 6.5” widescreen monitor and DVD, MP3 and WMA player. An optional navigation system is also available (standard in Japan).
The new Mercedes-Benz SLR 722 Edition has all the attributes of a thoroughbred racing car. Refined in numerous respects, this super sports car has more output, a tailor-made suspension configuration and a decidedly sporty interior. Sale of the SLR 722 Edition in the U.S. has not been confirmed.
Continuing the Tradition
The new model variant SLR 722 Edition is a homage by Mercedes-Benz to the unforgettable victory won by the British racing legend Stirling Moss and his co-driver Denis Jenkinson in a Mercedes-Benz 300 SLR with the starting number 722 (indicating a start time of 7.22 a.m.) at the Mille Miglia in 1955. With an output of 650 bhp and a corresponding performance, the new super sports car, which goes on sale on July 11, 2006, will not only make the hearts of car enthusiasts beat faster.
The supercharged 5.5-liter V8 engine in the 722 Edition, which is hand-built in the AMG engine shop in Affalterbach, generates 650 bhp. The particular strengths of this high-performance engine are immediate response to movements of the accelerator, highly emphatic torque build-up and an unmistakable V8 sound. The performance figures are outstanding even for a high-end sports car: the 722 Edition accelerates from standstill to 62 mph in only 3.6 seconds, and 124 mph is reached in just 10.2 seconds. The top speed (209 mph) is above the 207 mph previously achieved by the SLR.
Handling characteristics worthy of the racetrack are also provided by the sophisticated suspension, with 19-inch light-alloy wheels, a stiffer damper configuration and 0.4 inches lower body. Larger brake discs with a diameter of 390 mm ensure excellent braking performance.
Discreet visual modifications mark the Mercedes-Benz SLR 722 Edition out as special, in line with the wishes of the enthusiastic gentleman drivers and wealthy sports car collectors who make up the core target group. The modified front spoiler with an air splitter, as well as the rear diffuser, improve both the aerodynamics and contact pressure at high speeds, and reflect the transfer of cutting-edge technology from motor racing. At the same time, the use of clear-lacquered carbon as an extremely strong yet lightweight material symbolizes the practicality of these technical features. Bucket-type sports seats upholstered in leather/Alcantara provide outstanding lateral support, while the grippier racing steering wheel with a hunting-leather lining, gearshift paddles and black carbon highlights lend a thoroughbred racing touch to the interior.
Exclusive “SLR. Club” for SLR owners
Before the sales release date, customers and selected guests will have the advance opportunity to appraise the new SLR 722 Edition. This is to mark the foundation of the worldwide “SLR. Club” at the Circuit Paul Ricard in Le Castellet, southern France. As an ultra-exclusive community of which SLR customers automatically become members, the “SLR Club” provides an attractive platform for outstanding events related to the SLR, as well as numerous other benefits. Another exciting feature is the club’s SLR Safety & Speed Academy, which offers special driver training courses and seminars. David Coulthard, Jochen Mass, Klaus Ludwig, Chris Goodwin and Christina Surer are among the highly skilled and well-known instructors.
(Story by Rsportscars)
8. Ferrari 599 GTB Fiorano 205mph+, 0-62mph 3.7 seconds
1st March 2006-One of the more exciting releases of 2006 is the 599 GTB Fiorano. It replaces the 550/575 Maranello and offers more interior space and power than its predecessors. It also leaves behind the 575 as the last Ferrari to use a steel chassis and completes Ferrari’s overhaul of their entire range which is now all-aluminum.
As with all Ferrari introductions, the 599’s initial screening was completed over dinner with trusted dealers and friends, this time at the Palazzo Re Enzo in the Piazza del Nettuno, Bologna. By diner time, so many photos of the car had surfaced, that the Geneva Motor Show release was almost old news. However, the accompanying ladies at Pininfarina’s and Ferrari’s Geneva stands ensured excitement, even if the cars didn’t.
But how can the 599 not impress? Underneath its purposeful skin, the 599 retains the same front engine V12 layout which the 550/575 Maranello line successfully reintroduced, and to make up for its longer chassis, the 599 uses a 6.0-liter engine engineered from the same one found in the Enzo supercar that can reach 612 bhp and 8400 rpm! With it, the 599 is the most powerful front engine Ferrari!
Attached to this engine and sitting in the rear, is a considerably upgraded flappy paddle transmission called the ‘F1-Superfast’ that changes gears in just 100ms. This is a huge improvement compared to 250 ms in the older roadcar systems, but lags behind the 80ms FXX and 30ms Formula One unit it’s named after.
Unfortunately, Ferrari’s fully electronic E-Differential, first seen in the F430, is absent. It is intstead replaced with intelligent mototronics called Manettino that adjust the brakes and engine to control power delivery. Ferrari says this type of system is more suitable for the front engine design. When the Manettino switch is turned onto Race or Sport mode a system called F1-Trac montors the difference between the front and rear wheels for optimum traction.
Providing a base for the the 599 are three extruded aluminum sections on which the body is rivited and welded to. This lightweight design makes the 599’s chassis 100 kg lighter than the 575 desipte being 250 mm longer. And since the V12 engine is 8 percent lighter and more compact than previous versions, it can sit further back in the engine bay. This means almost 85 percent of weight is contained bewteen the wheels.
At first glance the GTB’s styling seems to mimic its larger 4-seat brother, the 612 Scgalietti. Both were designed at the same time and share the common interior bits, as well as similar front end designs which Pininfarina now sets as the enduring face of Ferrari. But unlike the 612, the 599 has an entirely new roof line and much tidier rear end treatment with two sexy rear buttresses that create 25 percent of the 599’s downforce. Specifically it produceses 160 kg at 300 kph.
One aspect that gets constant debate are the Delphi-sourced magnetorheological dampers that actively stabilize the car and are totally adjustable. They use special fluid in the dampers that can change viscosity almost instantly with a magnetic field. What this means is that 599 reduces about 30 % more bumps than the 599, and the damping can adjust to what ever suits the driver. The exact same system is used on GM cars such as the Corvette but Ferrari are adamite that their own controlling software is unique.
Like all Ferraris, the 599 comes with a range of options, and for the spirited customers the ‘Racing and Track’ options include CCM (Carbon Ceramic Material) brakes, 20 inch Challenge one-piece rims with run-flat tyres, four-point harnesses and a cockpit roll-bar.
With the 599, Ferrari seem well on their way. Each year they are selling more cars, and offer increased levels of uncompromising luxury and power. The next chapter for the 599 will hopefully start on the track and end at LeMans.
(Story by Supercars)
9. Aston Martin Vanquish S 200mph+, 0-62mph 4.8 seconds
Beauty may be in the eye of the beholder, but only the seriously visually impaired, or criminally insane will fail to appreciate the supermodel looks of the Aston Martin Vanquish S.
It’s an achingly beautiful machine, never before has a car, any car, attracted quite so many camera phone-toting neighbours and relatives pressed against the window and stroked the seats. It would have been embarrassing, had I not done the same thing myself.
There’s none of the race hate that goes with a Ferrari, Porsche or BMW either, only admiring glances, smiles and respect. Drive one and all manner of doors will open.
Aston Martin is an institution in England and everyone loves them, in part due to the haphazard way the perennially poverty-stricken marque would, ever so rarely, spring a stunning yet painfully flawed car that everyone knew wouldn’t work but wanted anyway. Each car takes 400 man hours and is still built at Newport Pagnell, the original factory, and the panels are made by men with hammers, not robots.
And then there was the James Bond factor, which has ‘inspired’ 1000 near comatose articles from journalists in rented dinner jackets.
The sense of occasion is undeniable, and it’s easy to get sucked into a fantasy. The Vanquish S is big, imposing and visually stunning, with the sleek, animal lines erupting forward from those muscular haunches towards the open, aggressive mouth at the front end.
Other luxury marques, including the last bastions of good taste, Bentley and Ferrari, have now produced imposing rather than beautiful GTs, in the same way as a female shotputter. But Aston Martin’s chief, Dr Ulrich Bez, can talk for hours about sensual car design. The Vanquish S is the peak of his craft and makes both Ferrari’s 575 and 612 look ungainly and, from some angles, plain ugly.
And behind the meaty steering wheel emblazoned with those gorgeous wings, snuggled in to the handstitched sports seats with the custom-built Linn stereo system singing loud, the tale goes on. A quilted roof lining and a dash shrink-wrapped in even more leather clearly prove that a lot of animals died for this car. Judging by the switchgear, so did a Ford Focus, but it doesn’t detract from the overall experience.
But this car comes to life when you push that jewel of a starter button and give the six-litre V12 its head.
The Vanquish S produces 520bhp and 425lb-ft of torque in this guise. But it’s the deep, guttural roar that kicks in as soon as an indecent amount of right foot is deployed, with the traction control struggling to keep the 19” rear wheels spinning out of control, that leaves the lasting impression.
Yes the V12 started out as two Mondeo V6s strapped together, but the sum is far greater than the parts and this engine provides arguably the sexiest sounds in motoring.
The big beast charges past 100kph in 4.2 seconds and accelerates from 80-110kph two seconds faster than the Vanquish. That’s good for overtaking, and it’s also a lot of fun. Put the pedal down in almost any gear and the Aston effortlessly punches down the road.
New cylinder heads with fully machined inlet ports and a variety of other engine and exhaust mods have increased the power output from the Vanquish’s 460 bhp. Torque is also up by 25 lb-ft. In fact the figures have now just crept past those posted by the Ferrari 575M, which is obviously no coincidence.
Its officially the fastest ever Aston Martin with a speed in excess of 200mph, but at 1875kg it takes a while to get there. The average Aston Martin owner is unlikely to test the top speed in any case, and it’s still nice to know it can get there.
The car certainly scythes into bends willingly for such a big car and with that much power on tap it would be a simple matter to send the tail out of line and balance this 1875kg car on the throttle out of hairpins, should you have the nerve to disengage the electronics, while in high speed bends it feels calm, assured and planted to the floor.
The ride is much harder than the DB9, thanks to a more sporting set-up. It will still soak up the bumps at town speeds, but at speed takes on a keener edge and the chassis seems to stiffen up to match the bristling roar of the engine. The car skips off bumps, rather than absorbing them, and the suspension gets tougher the more you lean on it. It’s no Ferrari F430, but it’s not that kind of car,
It’s hugely comfortable inside the Vanquish S, too, with luggage space and all the usual accoutrements for the rich to enjoy a cruise down the boulevard or a long distance journey down to the coast, whichever coast that may be, in absolute style.
But nothing’s perfect. Live with a supermodel and you will find they pass wind in bed, pick their nose or start stupid fights after snorting copious amounts of Cocaine, allegedly. Even fantasies have problems and the Aston is no different.
The paddle-shift gearbox is a massive improvement on the recalcitrant DB9, but it’s still no match for Ferrari’s F1 tuned system and the lack of a manual option is a sheer frustration here. If this car came with a six-speed manual box and a meaty clutch it would have become an instant classic and one British tuning company is working on it now. It’s a shame that you don’t get the choice when you’re spending ?174,000.
Like a supermodel, too, I couldn’t leave it alone anywhere and ended up recruiting guards when I was forced to park it overnight in the most secure place I could find, the local underground car park.
And the Aston has another problem: its own family. The DB9 and especially the AMV8 are such fantastic cars in their own right, will both snap knicker elastic at 100 paces and are so much cheaper that the maths just doesn’t add up.
Any Aston has the same effect and the AMV8 is perhaps slightly less ostentatious. It lacks the V12 noise, but it’s a more enthusiastic sportscar and gives far more bang per buck.
So if the supermodel had a younger, equally beautiful sister that was more fun, was happy going for a steak rather than overpriced sushi and was, ahem, a more enthusiastic ride, which one would you take?
For some it’s all about the prestige, they date models, they wear a Rolex and they drive a Vanquish S, that’s the point of this car. Like a girl charging ?10,000 a day to prance down a catwalk you can’t justify it in pure terms, but the Vanquish S is the best of its breed and an attention-grabbing supermodel. And for plenty of people in this world, that will always be enough.
Lord Voldemort, an evil and powerful dark wizard, has just been defeated. When he tried to kill a one-year old child, Harry Potter, the killing curse rebounded upon him, destroying his body. Harry is left an orphan with a lightning-bolt scar on his forehead, Voldemort having killed his parents, Lily and James Potter. Professors Dumbledore and McGonagall and Gamekeeper Hagrid leave him on the doorstep of his ultra-conventional, insensitive, negligent Muggle (non-magical) relatives, the Dursley family, who take him in. Harry’s relatives decide to conceal his magical heritage from him and make him live in a cupboard (closet) under the stairs for ten years.
Shortly before Harry’s eleventh birthday, he receives a letter addressed specifically to him. His outraged uncle, however, reads and burns it before Harry has a chance to look at the contents. The sender does not give up, and the Dursleys receive successively larger numbers of the same correspondence. Soon, his uncle becomes so paranoid that the Dursleys, with Harry in tow, hide in a hut on a small island to escape. That night (which happens to be before Harry’s birthday), he is visited by an enormous man named Hagrid who bursts through the locked door of the hut. With Hagrid holding the Dursleys at bay, Harry finally reads his letter, in which he learns he has been invited to study magic at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. The next day Harry and Hagrid leave the hut and head to Diagon Alley in London (the secret magical location hidden behind the famous wizarding pub The Leaky Cauldron). Harry enters the wizarding world for the first time, learns to his surprise that he is famous, and meets the new Hogwarts Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher, Professor Quirrell. He takes the train to Hogwarts from Platform Nine and three-quarters, befriending Ron Weasley, and meeting Neville Longbottom and Hermione Granger, a Muggle-born witch.
Admission to Hogwarts
Upon arrival, the Sorting Hat places Harry, Ron, Hermione and Neville in Gryffindor House. Draco Malfoy, an arrogant and elitist student whom Harry had met at Diagon Alley, gets placed in Slytherin. At the end of his first week at Hogwarts, Harry and Ron discover that the wizarding bank Gringotts was robbed, and a vault that Harry and Hagrid visited had been the subject of the burglary. Later, Harry discovers he has a talent for riding broomsticks, and after a broom-mounted game of keep away with Malfoy, is recruited to join Gryffindor’s Quidditch team as a Seeker. He is the youngest Quidditch player at the school in a century, much to Malfoy’s displeasure.
Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Neville are out in Hogwarts’ halls late at night waiting for Harry’s duel challenger Malfoy to arrive. When the caretaker Filch startles them, they flee and accidentally stumble across the door to a corridor, finding themselves near a monstrous three-headed dog, christened Fluffy by Hagrid, that guards a trapdoor. On Halloween, Quirrell informs everyone that a troll has entered the castle and is in the dungeon; as the rest of the students hurry to their dorms, Ron and Harry remember hearing that Hermione is in the girls’ bathroom crying because Ron insulted her, and realize that she does not know about the troll. The two of them go to the girls bathroom and see that the troll has broken into it. They fight the troll and save Hermione and the three become best friends.
Suspicions
At Harry’s first Quidditch match, Harry’s broom becomes possessed, nearly knocking him off. Hermione sees Professor Severus Snape, the sinister Potions master, staring at Harry and mouthing words, making her believe that Snape has caused the broom to misbehave with a dark curse. Hoping to save Harry, Hermione sets Snape’s robes on fire, distracting him and others and allowing Harry to survive.
At Christmas, Harry receives an Invisibility Cloak, once belonging to his father, which renders its wearer invisible. Harry uses it to explore the Restricted Section in the library to research information on Nicolas Flamel, a name Hagrid lets slip when confronted about his knowledge of Fluffy. On being discovered in the library by caretaker Argus Filch, Harry escapes to a disused classroom in which he finds the Mirror of Erised which shows Harry’s family. After three nights of returning to the mirror, once accompanied by Ron, Harry is confronted by Dumbledore though he is not angry at Harry. Dumbledore explains that mirror shows the deepest desires of our Hearts; Harry can see his family. Dumbledore then tells Harry the mirror is to be moved and if he sees it again he will be prepared. Harry then asks Dumbledore what he saw when he looked in the mirror and he answers a pair of wollen socks, he says every Christmas holidays he is given books and for once he would like some nice wollen socks. However, Harry suspected that this was the only question that Dumbledore did not answer honestly in their friendship. Eventually, Harry learns (through Hermonie who found out from a library book) that “Nicolas Flamel is the only known maker of the Philosopher’s Stone, which produces the Elixir of Life which will make the drinker immortal.”
Harry sees Snape trying to get information from Quirrell about getting past Fluffy; Quirrell says he does not know what he’s talking about. Harry, Ron, and Hermione are sure that Snape is trying to steal the Philosopher’s Stone in order to restore Lord Voldemort to power, but Hagrid denies it. While at Hagrid’s hut, the trio discover a dragon egg Hagrid was nursing in a fire. Later the egg hatches a Norwegian Ridgeback dragon, and Hagrid decides to call him “Norbert”. The friends are nervous for Hagrid, since dragon breeding had long been outlawed in the wizarding world, and Hagrid had something of a reckless nature, who has long since nursed a strong desire for a dragon. Finally, Harry, Ron, and Hermione are able to convince Hagrid to let Norbert go live with other dragons of his kind in Romania, and arranged for the dragon, (now quite large in size), to be picked up by Ron’s older dragon trainer brother, Charlie.
Harry, Hermione, Neville, and Draco are caught out late at night (Ron is meanwhile in the hospital wing, being treated for a bite from Norbert), and are forced to serve detention with Hagrid in the Forbidden Forest. Harry sees a hooded figure drink the blood of an injured unicorn, which makes Harry’s forehead scar start burning. Firenze, a centaur, tells Harry that it is a monstrous thing to slay a unicorn, let alone drink its blood. He also tells Harry that unicorn blood sustains life but gives the drinker a cursed life and that the hooded figure is in fact Voldemort.
The Philosopher’s Stone
Harry, Hermione and Ron find out that Hagrid, while he was drunk in a pub, has told a hooded stranger how to get past Fluffy, and they believe the theft of the Stone is imminent. Rushing to finally confide in Professor Dumbledore their news, they meet Professor McGonagall, who is shocked to find out how much they knew about the Stone, but reassures them all the same that it is safe in the castle. She also tells them that Dumbledore has been sent away on an important mission by the Ministry of Magic. Positive that Dumbledore’s summons was a red herring to take Professor Dumbledore away from Hogwarts, the trio make plans to thwart Snape’s theft of the stone. They set out to reach the stone first, navigating the security system set up by the school’s staff, which is a series of complex magical challenges. The three make it through together until finally, Harry must enter the inner chamber alone. There he finds that meek Professor Quirrell, not Snape, is attempting to steal the Stone who then uses magic to tie Harry up. Realising that Snape was trying to protect him from harm all along, Harry confronts Quirrell and survives a second encounter with Lord Voldemort, who has possessed Quirrell and appears as a ghastly face on the back of Quirrell’s head. Quirrell gets blisters when he touches Harry’s skin, and Harry suffers because of his close proximity to Lord Voldemort. Dumbledore arrives just in time to rescue Harry. Voldemort then pitilessly abandons Quirrell, who dies in the aftermath of his possession.
Aftermath
Dumbledore reveals to Harry that Harry’s mother died to protect Harry as an infant. Her pure, loving sacrifice provides Harry with an ancient magical protection from Voldemort’s lethal spells and also prevents Voldemort from touching Harry without suffering terribly. Dumbledore also says that the Philosopher’s Stone has been destroyed to prevent future attempts by Voldemort to steal it.
Whilst in the Hospital wing Harry asks Dumbledore why Voldemort attempted to kill him when he was a young child. Dumbledore tells Harry when he is old enough he will tell him why.
Finally, at the end-of-year feast, the House Points totals are given: Gryffindor is in last place. However, Dumbledore gives a few “last-minute additions”, granting points to Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Neville, so that Gryffindor wins the House Cup.
Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone Book
Judging by this first volume, the Harry Potter books are a fine addition to English children’s fantasy literature. Harry Potter, orphaned when his parents are killed by the evil wizard Voldemort, is taken in by his aunt and uncle, who are Muggles — ordinary, non-magical people. Harry is rather out of place there, but things improve greatly for him when he goes to the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry — except that one of the staff is in league with Voldemort.
Part of the attraction of Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone comes from the familiar but at the same time exotic setting of an English public school, complete with houses and schoolboy adventures, in which Harry and his friends Ron and Hermione struggle to save the world and win the house cup. Part of it comes from the pleasantly frivolous (verging on spoof) take on the trappings of pop magic, with pointy hats and “Nimbus 2000″ series broomsticks. And Rowling adds some delightful novelties of her own, such as Quidditch, a seven-a-side ball game played on broomsticks, with three different kinds of balls. This is all pulled together by some excellent story-telling.
I can’t understand, however, why quite so much fuss has been made about the Potter books. To highlight the limitations of Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone, it is instructive to compare it with another children’s fantasy novel in which a neophyte wizard attends a school for wizards — Ursula Le Guin’s A Wizard of Earthsea. This works just as well as a story, but it displays invention of a qualitatively different order. Where Rowling reworks superficial popular ideas about magic in an ad hoc fashion, Le Guin constructs a fully-fledged, but consistent and coherent, world of her own: dragons in Earthsea, for example, are both an integral part of the imagined world and anchored to mythological precursors; for Rowling they are just a plot device appropriated from common cliche. Le Guin cuts far deeper, too, in dealing with such subjects as coming of age and acceptance of mortality, and her protagonist is rounded in places where Harry Potter is no more than one-dimensional.
So Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone will be a great Christmas present for kids who haven’t read it yet — and it is a book that adults (at least those without stunted imaginations) can read as well. But A Wizard of Earthsea is all of that and more, and children’s fantasy is a reasonably well-populated genre, so don’t let the hype surrounding the Harry Potter books hide the other goodies out there.
(A book review by Danny Yee)
Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone Movie
Possibly Hollywood’s first bespectacled hero since Harold Lloyd, Harry Potter makes a satisfactory, albeit unspectacular, celluloid debut in Chris Columbus’ $125 million movie about the young boy destined to be a great wizard.
Treating JK Rowling’s debut novel with a reverence that wasn’t even accorded to The Bible, Hollywood serves up a two-and-a-half hour fantasy that gets the introductions out of the way, paving the way for more plot-driven tales in what’s sure to become the biggest franchise of all time. (On the big screen, incidentally, the story’s similarities to “Star Wars” are even more pronounced.)
If you’ve read the novel - and if you haven’t, why not? - impeccable casting means you’ll feel like you’ve met all of these characters already. The three young leads - Radcliffe, Grint, and especially Watson - deliver likable, natural performances, while the film’s biggest joy is watching the spot-on performances of their peers: Maggie Smith plays Professor McGonagall like Miss Jean Brodie with a pointy hat, while Robbie Coltrane steals the show as loose-lipped Hagrid. Alan Rickman, meanwhile, sneers for England as Professor Snape.
Indeed, the whole film plays like an advertisement for historic old England - if this doesn’t get Americans buying our castles and cathedrals, or at least coming to look at them again, nothing will. Hell, even King’s Cross station looks pleasant.
The film’s not flawless, though. It’s half an hour too long and much of the book’s humour is jettisoned. Still, it’s refreshing to witness a big-budget movie where the impressive special effects complement the story, rather than merely compensate for the lack of one.
“Harry Potter” may not leave you spellbound, then, but it’ll definitely leave you wanting to discover the “Chamber of Secrets”
