Breaking: Toyota recalls 6.39 million vehicles globally due to 'various faults'

Toyota is recalling a staggering 6.39 million cars globally due to what it says are 'various faults.' The no. 1 automaker issued the second largest vehicle recall in history which affects  27 models in five different regions of the world. Faults mentioned include defects like a sliding driver's seat and issues with the steering mechanism. 1.3 million vehicles are to be recalled in North America.

Various glitches were found in 27 different Toyota models. This list includes the RAV4, Corolla, Yaris, Matrix and Highlander. This comes after a massive recall Toyota issued for 7.4 million cars in 2012 and an earlier recall of 2.1 million vehicles earlier this year.

Other recalls include:

• Approximately 2.32 million vehicles over problems with the seat rails
• Some 760,000 vehicles because of a potential defect with the steering column bracket
• Nearly 160,000 vehicles to replace the windshield wiper motors

This latest recall casts a pall over Toyota's once sterling reputation for safety and reliability. The company said it “is not aware of any injuries or fatalities caused by this condition,”  in a statement.

Source: Time

Video: VW's moving tribute to the Type 2 Kombi's Last Wishes

The iconic Kombi Microbus is just one of the various VW models that endeared itself to millions of users. As the last Kombi is produced in Brazil, VW has given their most popular van a stunning farewell video, website and even a coffee tablet book. The above documentary took six months to produce and really captures the essence of what made these vehicles such a huge part of people's lives. Hey, didn't Steve Jobs sell his Kombi to start-up Apple. So, Type 2 lovers everywhere, raise a glass to one of the greatest and most enduring vehicles in automotive history.

Source: VW Brasil

Why I decided to back The Micro, a home 3D printer

By Simon Cohen

New Kickstarter project brings the price of 3D printing down-to-earth for the first time ever.

I’ve been a little (OK a lot) fascinated with consumer-grade 3D printing ever since I saw my first MakerBot device in the flesh at the Consumer Electronics Show back in 2010.

The MakerBot booth was surrounded by onlookers on a nearly constant basis and not because the company had employed scantily –clad women to attract the milling masses. They didn’t need to. They had something way better than a booth babe: a new technology that let people create virtually any 3D object from scratch. Show attendees huddled around small wooden boxes that looked like they’d been made from spare TinkerToy parts, while a robotic mechanism jumped and jerked around, slowly producing a 3D object, layer by layer. It was mesmerizing.

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Netflix starts 4K streaming of ‘House of Cards’

If you own a 4K TV, then you can finally take advantage of the feature that costs you thousands of dollars. Netflix has started streaming its smash hit House of Cards in 4K resolution. But you’d have to make sure the TV has HEVC/H.265 decoding though. Other than that, we think you’re all good to stream the show in all that high resolution goodness.

Netflix hasn’t said what else they plan to upgrade to 4K next but we will keep you posted when we find out.

Source: Engadget