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

Windows 8.1 update is rolling out now

While the demise of Windows XP may be sad news for some people, there's happy news coming out of Redmond today as the much awaited Windows 8.1 update is finally rolling out and available to current Windows 8.1 users for free. Coming in the Mother of All Patch Tuesdays, the new update offers refinements to the current Windows 8.1 experience highlighted here. While Microsoft says it will take a few weeks to reach all users, I just went into Windows Update on my Surface Pro and the update was available along with a half-dozen others. Grab a cold beverage, some popcorn and get with the latest version of Windows now.

Adobe's Lightroom comes to iPad, requires Creative Cloud subscription

It's been an amazing month for Apple's iPad as a post-PC platform. First came Microsoft Office for iPad and now Adobe's bringing Lightroom to the iPad which is great for photographers who now just need to conect their iPad to their cameras on location to enable quick non-destructive editing. It is the most efficient way to manage and edit professional images across desktops, mobile and the web. Hit jump for details.

Click to read more ...