Are You Completely Happy With The Design Of Elio?

[Coss]

And yet, we go nuts about texting, and ignore all the heads bowed down playing with the car computer. Used to be people playing with the radio and cosmetic mirrors in the visors that caused inattentiveness. Yet we never got rid of the radios, or the mirrors - because we liked playing with them. Texting is new, and used by young people, so we go nuts.

Texting is far from being new; it's been around since 1992 (24 years) but wasn't really started being popular till 1995 (21 years)

The first text message was sent in 1992 from Neil Papworth, a former developer at Sema Group Telecoms. Mobile phones didn't have keyboards at the time, so Papworth had to type the message on a PC. Papworth's text — "Merry Christmas" — was successfully sent to Richard Jarvis at Vodafone.

Nokia was the first handset manufacturer whose total GSM phone line in 1993 supported user-sending of SMS text messages. In 1997, it became the first manufacturer to produce a mobile phone with a full keyboard: the Nokia 9000i Communicator.

Like any new technology, initial growth for SMS was slow. The average American user sent 0.4 texts per month in 1995. Gradually, phones and networks adapted to better accommodate SMS. In 1999, texts could finally be exchanged between different networks, which increased its usefulness. By 2000, the average number of text messages sent in the U.S. increased to 35 a month per person.

The IBM Simon had the first touchscreen in 1992 — it's also referred as the first "smartphone," though the term was not yet coined. The phone was 15 years ahead of its time. Smartphones advanced, and in 2007, Apple introduced the iPhone, notable for its multi-touch interface and virtual keyboard.

That year, 2007, also happened to mark the first year that Americans sent and received more text messages per month than phone calls. Social media sites like Twitter adopted the short character format, which has likely helped the text message phenomenon — we've learned to be more concise and character-conscious.

Today, SMS is the most widely-used data application in the world, with 81% of mobile phone subscribers using it. And SMS has become more than just a way to text with friends — it also lets us receive updates and alerts, keep track of our finances, send email, and much more.

The section above was taken from Mashable on "The brief history of texting"

http://mashable.com/2012/09/21/text-messaging-history/#Nkt4yIye9aqI


NOTICE*** this is Geek, and it can be moved if need be. But I won't continue Geek here after this quote.

 

[wizard of ahs]

I AM HAPPY WITH THE OVERALL DESIGN OF THE ELIO .

IT IS SURE TO BE REFINED ONCE LARGE NUMBERS OF THEM ARE ON THE ROAD
AND CUSTOMER FEEDBACK STARTS TO WEED OUT SOME OF IT's SHORTCOMINGS .

FACE IT , NONE OF US HAS EVEN HAD THE CHANCE TO DRIVE ONE YET .
I AM SURE I WILL BE ABLE TO MAKE UP A LIST BY THE TIME I HAVE PUT 100,000 MILES ON THE CLOCK .

Amen !

For what it is and the price/performance....I'm extremely...and will be more so IF I ever get one !!

PS....David.. NO NEED TO SHOUT

 

[Sethodine]

Amen !

For what it is and the price/performance....I'm extremely...and will be more so IF I ever get one !!

PS....David.. NO NEED TO SHOUT

HE'S NOT SHOUTING. THAT'S JUST THE WAY HE TALKS.

HOWEVER, I AM SHOUTING! BECAUSE I'M VERY FAR AWAY....

 

[Marshall]

HE'S NOT SHOUTING. THAT'S JUST THE WAY HE TALKS.

HOWEVER, I AM SHOUTING! BECAUSE I'M VERY FAR AWAY....

AND IT'S EASIER TO READ...

 

[KD]

I have nothing but these:
I wish cruise control would be optional, as I despise anything that overrides my manual control. Ever. No computer controls. Just a wheel and gears between me and the front wheels, hydraulics between me and the brakes, a mechanical throttle to control the engine. No antilock brakes, as that means a computer is awaiting an opportunity to take over from me, and I don't trust it. I've driven my old cars forever, and it seems I know how.
I wish manually cranked windows were an option. Electric windows are one more item to break down. Manual cranks last longer than the car. I *like* cranking the window. No accidental bumps, no groping in the dark for the buttons.
This will make people nuts: I'd like the option to pass on the air bags.
I want an late-80s early-90s style simple, unkillable car. That I can fix. I want a super-light Escort. Hell, I wish I could pass on the ECM. That's a rare dream.
And I used to be a programmer, and am a tech enthusiast. I just believe they are hubristic in their trust of control systems overriding the driver. There's a lot of confirmation bias, and childlike trust in computers we used to reserve for teddy bears. It's a toaster.

My god man, I have to disagree with almost all of your points! Nobody is going to make sure you utilize that cruise control. Ever. Most of the other items you mention are so very nice to have, standard, it still boggles my mind. Electric windows are so awesome, I finally broke down and got them on my last vehicle. Holy smokes, why the f did I wait so long for such a nice treat? Same goes for most of the other things you mention. Breathe deep, inhale what is Elio, and enjoy the ride each and every time you drive this marvel of transportation!

 

[Sethodine]

My god man, I have to disagree with almost all of your points! Nobody is going to make sure you utilize that cruise control. Ever. Most of the other items you mention are so very nice to have, standard, it still boggles my mind. Electric windows are so awesome, I finally broke down and got them on my last vehicle. Holy smokes, why the f did I wait so long for such a nice treat? Same goes for most of the other things you mention. Breathe deep, inhale what is Elio, and enjoy the ride each and every time you drive this marvel of transportation!

I get his point, and in particular I wish I could have manual windows as well. My only gripe with windows in the past was how difficult it was to roll up the passenger windows when you are driving, but that wouldn't be an issue in the Elio.

But unfortunately, power windows being standard is not due to hubris, or pandering to a bourgeois sense of entitlement, or anything like that. It is simply that we have gotten to the point where power windows are cheaper to buy than roll-up ones. Making them standard is simply to get the base vehicle down into the goal of $6800 each.

 

[Coss]

I wish cruise control would be optional, as I despise anything that overrides my manual control. Ever. No computer controls. Just a wheel and gears between me and the front wheels, hydraulics between me and the brakes, a mechanical throttle to control the engine. No antilock brakes, as that means a computer is awaiting an opportunity to take over from me, and I don't trust it. I've driven my old cars forever, and it seems I know how.
I wish manually cranked windows were an option. Electric windows are one more item to break down. Manual cranks last longer than the car. I *like* cranking the window. No accidental bumps, no groping in the dark for the buttons.
This will make people nuts: I'd like the option to pass on the air bags.
I want an late-80s early-90s style simple, unkillable car. That I can fix. I want a super-light Escort. Hell, I wish I could pass on the ECM. That's a rare dream.
And I used to be a programmer, and am a tech enthusiast. I just believe they are hubristic in their trust of control systems overriding the driver. There's a lot of confirmation bias, and childlike trust in computers we used to reserve for teddy bears. It's a toaster.

Cars like this no longer exist, they didn't in the 80's or 90's either.
"no groping in the dark for the buttons" - I can see groping around for the window switches when you first buy a car, or you're just learning how to drive; but once you own and drive a vehicle you have muscle memory as to where everything is.
"Electric windows are one more item to break down. Manual cranks last longer than the car" - this was true 30 or 40 years ago, not any longer; talk to the service manager at any dealership how well built cars are today compared to how they were in the 80's (think Dodge K cars); the US had to improve their quality if they wanted to compete in a world market and the US market. People for a long time would compare US cars to Toyotas; and Toyotas were being built here. If they could do it, why couldn't the US; this brought major changes to the domestic car building process.

"This will make people nuts: I'd like the option to pass on the air bags." - is this your reason for posting this here; just to see if you can fire people up and push buttons? If it is, then we will have to ask you to stop posting here.

Air bags were mandated in 1998; they were proposed in 1953! Air Bags save lives.
You may want to read a little history about safety in cars over the years

"I want an late-80s early-90s style simple, unkillable" - no such thing. I worked on cars professionally from 1972 through 1992 so I do know what I'm talking about.

 

[KenK]

"Electric windows are one more item to break down. Manual cranks last longer than the car" - this was true 30 or 40 years ago, not any longer; talk to the service manager at any dealership how well built cars are today compared to how they were in the 80's (think Dodge K cars); the US had to improve their quality if they wanted to compete in a world market and the US market. People for a long time would compare US cars to Toyotas; and Toyotas were being built here. If they could do it, why couldn't the US; this brought major changes to the domestic car building process.

I haven't paid any attention to brand, model, or year, but I am always amazed when I am in line at a drive through or going through the gates on the Army post, at the number of times I see people crack the door to hand over their money/ID card because their window doesn't function. I don't think I could live with that inconvenience any longer than it took me to order the parts off eBay or Amazon.

 

[Elio Amazed]

This will make people nuts:

Behold... My Avatar.

 

[WilliamH]

Behold... My Avatar.

Ah! But when they are finally screwed on right they'll stay.
After all, they're nyloc nuts!