Microsoft has landed a deal with Netflix to bring movies directly to the Xbox 360.

Netflix is by far the largest online movie rental service out there. Thru their “Watch Instantly” feature, subscribers can stream “near-DVD quality” movies and recorded television shows on their PCs or laptops at no additional cost. Major film studios that distribute their releases thru this feature include: Universal Pictures, Sony Pictures, MGM, 20th Century Fox, Paramount Pictures, Warner Brothers, Lions Gate Entertainment and New Line Cinema. Just recently, Netflix subscribers have been able to watch the streaming content with the help of a Roku TV set-top box. This device, which is sold separately, enables streaming content to be played directly on TV sets. With this new Xbox 360 feature, there’s no need for the Roku device.

Microsoft announced the new feature during their pre-E3 press conference. The service will be made available by late fall this year. In the past, Xbox 360 owners have been able to download content from Microsoft’s own video store, but users are complaining that the selection is very limited. Now, that’s just a thing of the past. Currently, Netflix have over 10,000 legitimate movies and recorded TV episodes in their database, with over 100,000 more that they are yet to get the rights to distribute – all of which will be made available to the Xbox 360 users.

According to Microsoft’s VP for interactive entertainment John Schappert, those Xbox 360 owners who are currently subscribed to Netflix won’t have to pay extra for the service. Netflix has approximately 8.2 million subscribers, while Xbox Live (Microsoft’s online service) currently has 12 million active users.

The Xbox Live users will be able to play their Netflix downloads with their Xbox 360 consoles and watch the video on their TV. Plus, they will be able to share the downloaded videos with their friends who are also on Xbox Live and “watch them together despite sitting on different couches,” according to John Schappert.

“You can now share Netflix movies with a Live Party at no extra cost,” he added.

“Live Party” seems to be a newly coined term from Microsoft. Together with the Netflix feature, many more features are coming to the Xbox 360 this coming fall. New features include 3D avatars, instant messaging, video chat, and photo sharing – all on a new Xbox Live dashboard. A Live Party hence is like a “Sims” party of Xbox Live avatars.

Sony has announced that its PlayStation Store for the PS3 will also have the same service available soon; but there are no indications that it’s also going to be in partnership with Netflix. Nintendo has no plans of adding a video store for its hot-selling gaming console, Wii.

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Insiders believe that Microsoft will soon be cutting down the price of the Xbox 360 Pro to $299. The gaming consoles’ former price is $349. Based on my complex mathematics, that’s exactly a $50 price cut!

The cut coincides with the forthcoming E3 (Electronic Entertainment Expo), an annual event widely considered as the video game industry’s biggest trade show. The E3, which will run this year from July 13 – 15 in Los Angeles, is used by all game developers to show off upcoming releases.

Although Microsoft reps have been keeping mum about the price decrease, almost everyone from video game bloggers to tech sites is sure it’s going to happen.

After posting pictures of flyers and posters announcing the forthcoming price cut, gaming blog Kotaku has posted a cellphone capture of a GameStop internal memo announcing that the official date of the price cut is in fact July 13^th, the first day of the E3.

Actually, Target has already posted a $299.99 price tag for the gaming console on their online store.

The last time there was a price cut for the Xbox 360 was way back in August last year, when Microsoft cut back from $399 to $349, coinciding with the upcoming release the following month of their benchmark game “Halo 3.”

Even with the overall economic crisis, the Sony PS3 gained a significant sales boost with the release of Metal Gear Solid 4 exactly one month ago. So aside from the forthcoming E3, a price cut was also necessary to counter the increasing PS3 sales.

After this cut, the 20 gig Xbox 360 Pro will be $100 cheaper than the 40 gig Sony PS3. Their other competitor, the Nintendo Wii, is the cheapest of the bunch at $249. Sony and Nintendo have no plans of cutting down prices yet.

“Our plan is not to reduce the price,” Sony’s CFO Nobuyuki Oneda said in an interview. “Our strategy is not to sell more quantity for PS3 but to concentrate on profitability.” That’s a pretty strong comment, being that we are only four months into the business fiscal year which ends March next year.

“I doubt we’ll see Nintendo do anything on price. They don’t really need to,” said analyst Doug Creutz of Cowen & Co. “But at a difference of $50, it does start to get interesting.” Nintendo has been selling out Wii’s with its cheap $249 price tag. The new difference of $50 between the two consoles will definitely challenge one of the Nintendo console’s main selling points.

Of the three gaming giants, Microsoft will be the first to have a press conference during E3. We are all hoping that the rumors are true, and we are hoping against hope that the other two console makers follow suit.

Remember that in 2004, when Microsoft dropped the cost of the original Xbox to $149, Sony followed suit and did the same for to the PlayStation 2. And just last summer Sony had a price cut of their own, selling the 60 gig PS3 at $499 - by which Microsoft reacted with a $349 20 gig Xbox 360. After four months, Sony introduced the $399 40 gig PS3 -with a $50 difference and a 20 gig added hdd, the PS3 is now catching up with the Xbox 360 for control of the gaming console market. Though it should be noted that the Xbox 360 has a year’s head start over its next gen competitors.

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According to the lawsuit, filed yesterday in a federal court in Marshall, Texas, Harmonix’ famous title “Rock Band” violates a Konami patent. Konami owns patents issued in 2002 and 2003 for simulated musical instruments, music-game systems and a musical-rhythm matching game.

Aside from the classic “Dance, Dance Revolution” titles that involved the dance pad, Konami is also responsible for its singing spinoff called “Karaoke Revolution,” which involved a mic. These two games were both big hits in the United States and are covered by the same patent. But the original Konami games with the most similarity with Rock Band are “Guitar Freaks” and “Drum Mania.” The picture below shows the corresponding arcade machines of the two games. These were first introduced in Japan in 1999 and were big hits there, before they were brought to other parts of the globe as imports. This was years before the patent was officially awarded to Konami.

The suit, which could spell disaster for the much anticipated sequel to Rock Band coming later this year, names Harmonix Music Systems, the studio’s owner Viacom Inc., and Viacom’s MTV Networks Co., which is Harmonix’ parent company. Aside from cash compensation, Konami is also asking for an order to stop Rock Band from using their inventions which causes further infringement.

For those unfamiliar with the game Rock Band here is a brief refresher:

Rock Band was first released in the United States for the PlayStation 3 and the Xbox 360 on November 20, 2007. The music video game allows players to… well… play simulated music instruments as counterparts of the game’s virtual band. The game - which is best played with four players - has three different peripherals modeled after typical band instruments: a guitar peripheral which can be used for both lead guitar and bass guitar simulation, a drum peripheral, and a microphone. Notes of the song are scrolled on the TV screen, which the players follow thru their peripherals. Aside from infringing a music gameplay that they invented, Konami also claims that these peripherals were copied from their Japanese arcade games.

Not less than two months ago, MTV Networks Co., Harmonix Music Systems, and Electronice Arts (Rock Band’s distributor) were sued by the Gibson Guitar Corporation for violating another patent. The 1999 U.S. Patent 5,990,405, owned by Gibson, covers technology that simulates a concert performance via pre-recorded audio and a musical instrument. Gibson also sued another game, Rock Band’s main competitor, “Guitar Hero” for the same issue.

Guitar Hero was also developed by Harmonix but was published by RedOctane and Activision. The game uses only the guitar peripheral, which they patterned from Gibson guitars. Harmonix reps revealed that the Guitar Hero series, which was released prior to Rock Band, was patterned to the aforementioned Japanese arcade hit Guitar Freaks by Konami – which was still on its way to North American soil. But Activision mentions the three above Konami patents in its Guitar Hero III homepage – leading us to believe that unlike Viacom, Activision has acquired a license from Konami to use its patented gameplay and instruments. It would be dumb for them to show the patent if they didn’t have the license to use it.

But the important question to ask here is this… After all these years why only now? It’s worth noting that Konami will be releasing their own Rock Band-like game called “Rock Revolution,” coming out later this year. The game was developed for the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 by Zoë Mode and by HB Studios for the Nintendo DS and Wii. It was the perfect time to file the case – putting a hold on Rock Band 2 which has been in development for so long. And now that Rock Band has made millions of dollars, Konami will be getting even more compensation for potential damages.

According to Viacom spokeswoman Kelly McAndrew, the company is still to receive the formal complaint so they will not be making any comments regarding the issue until then.

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With the proliferation of computer viruses it is a must that you utilize a computer security that can keep you computer integrity intact. There are several types of anti virus and they exist in various degrees, “virulence” and severity of the damage it can do with your computer. Pathologic viruses in human beings do cause certain diseases that may have deadly and fatal complications. These viruses have different degrees of virulence or the pathogenicity of a virus. This virulence refers to the capacity of the virus to cause harm or ability of any agent of infection to produce disease. Believe it or not both men and machines can suffer from viruses too. But they differ in some degree and aspects.

It is necessary that an anti-virus should be installed into your computer. It will serve as the computer’s defense for any invading computer virus threatening the entire computer system. The antivirus software is made up of computer programs which are accustomed to identify and sort out viruses and malicious software or what they call as “ malware”. The antivirus software in your computer can attack these unscrupulous softwares and entirely eliminate them out from the computer system.

Antivirus software program is available in several ways. Possibly you may purchase a computer set that has been installed with antivirus software program. You can buy computer antivirus software installers and install your choice if antivirus software immediately. There are viruses which can be considered as “invaders” as they attack the inner processes of the computer and the computer must be protected from the damages that these viruses can cause. Potential damages of viruses are numerous. You will be o frustrated to know that these viruses cause damage more than you can ever think of. Imagine your most precious files are deleted by the virus. You will be very devastated to know that the reports and other pertinent files that you have worked for several weeks are damaged by the virus and it will cause your files to be inaccessible. The virus can cause severe damage in your computer through the use of the platform of the computer. You will be surprised that the virus has invaded your personal data through unauthorized access. It is very devastating. It is like a crippling disease that can cause debilitating effects after the disaster have subsided.

The antivirus works in two alternative techniques. It will scan files for viruses. Much like of screening the computer for invaders. After identification of the virus, it will refer it to the virus dictionaries. If it matches it is a identified as a virus. The antivirus also identifies the infection in the computer due to suspicious behavior identified as virus infecting the entire computer system. There are a lot of anti virus products in the market. Some of the best antivirus software are for free and can be installed with no much of hassles. The best antivirus can be identified through its technical capabilities and degree of accuracy during virus dictionary matching process. Anti-spywares are a fad now adays. You will surely get sick and tired of seeing your computer being invaded by adware and spyware. In order to address these concern it is best that you free yourself from much worry of eradicating spyware in your system. You have to understand first the importance of these spywares. If you have ample working knowledge of things regarding spyware, you will not have as hard time being combative with these stubborn spyware. You can try to detect any spware activities in your computer.

Anti-spyware in action

An anti-spyware will help detectm sort, isolate, remove and prevent occurrence of spyware.
Spyware is a coined word that is used as an interent jargon to convey an advertsing supported software or what we call Adware. It is a money making move of some authors through selling it to the users. Banner ads are usually are offered by large advertising and media companies. Spywares are not an illegal type of software.
Spywares are detrimental softwares which are installed in the computer with unauthorized access and installation systems. These spywares can be malwares, adwares ,spywares can include data miners as well as the browser parasite and a lot more. The spywares usually attack Interne Explorer and Microsoft Windows application to crash it down. They are often in forms of Trojan horses, dialers and homepage hijacker. Scary and crazy it may seem these spyware can bring your computer to dooms day.
There are a lot of anti-spyware and anti-virus products in the market. With the various types of anti-virus software it is helpful if you can read on the following product summaries to give you an overview of the anti-spyware and anti virus in the market.

1. Norton antivirus by Symantec is one of the worlds leading antivirus solution. It is user friendly antivirus software which works with Windows and Macintosh. It works with viruses downloaded in files through email. Norton can watch out for suspicious PC activity and automatically check downloaded for presence of virus. Norton AntiVirus was built to handle E-mail virus scanning for incoming and outgoing electronic mails.
2. Stopzilla is anothwe antivirus and antispam software that protects, blocks and detect the existence of spyware and adware. The Stopzilla aborts pop-ups and erases cookies. This antivirus works humungous true to its name similar to Godzilla.

3. Pandas Antivirus can protect the computer against viruses and spyware. This user friendly software has no rivals and is very affordable. Now you can protect your computer efficiently. You can easily install this Panda antivirus, Scanning time is similar to other antivirus software. Panda Antivirus is equipped with automatic update function. A full service scheduler is provided. This would allow the user to define how often and when scans would occur.
4. Anonymizer Anti-Spyware detects spyware and tracking programs that antivirus software won’t discover since they are on disguise as if they are real and existing program. Anti-spyware Anonymizer allows the efficient cleaning up from bothersome adwares and spyware.

5. Acronis is an essential tool for internet savvy individuals who are at greater risk in catching spy ware and virus. This spyware are hidden application that can monitor your activities and feed the information thorough the mothership or main processing center. Acronis is capable of system scanning, and monitoring
6. Iolo antivirus automatically scan and disinfects email messages both incoming and outgoing. It can fully provide an integrated email protection which saves you from scanning the files manually. A comprehensive inspection can be performed manually to remove viruses. Its fully integrated email protection works transparently in the background automatically scanning and disinfecting messages as they are transmitted, and an intuitive interface makes it easy to activate scheduled system inspections for a permanently virus-free PC. It van also provide hourly updates.
7. Trend Micro antispyware are capable of faster scanning speed and it serves as an active shield in sorting out of the spyware trying to invade your personal computer. It has full features and are well equipped with programs that can detect all antivirus needs. It can make you Pc process in a slower pace but then copes up when thorough and frequent scanning is done.
8. PC Tools AntiVirus is one of world leading virus protection for computers. It has real time protection and has a systematic and comprehensive approach in scanning your PC. It is easy to use and navigate. You can opt for a full scan to scan entire computer and the other time is custom scan which files you would scan.

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Google recently announced that they are coming up with their own free-to-use virtual world much like that of Linden Lab’s Second Life. This new offering is called Lively and like with other new business ventures, Google reinvented the virtual world model and made it better.

One of the major improvements that Google added to their version of the virtual chatroom is the freedom to allow its users to create their own virtual rooms; which in turn they can embed in their chosen websites and blogs. And since the room is embeddable, it can be transformed into a widget and posted on social network pages like Friendster, MySpace and Facebook. This was the major issue lacking in Second Life, which was an overnight success that failed to sustain its initial boom. In Second Life, users are required to download, install and run a separate software package just to enter their online world.

Another huge difference with Lively is the ability to access other online content. Being that the software is from Google, users can gain access to a lot more stuff – perhaps the largest of which are videos from the widely popular online video sharing site YouTube.

Basically, Lively is much like Second Life, but in a web browser.

“It’s integrated with the Internet. It’s not an alternate destination,” said Google’s Niniane Wang, engineering manager for the Lively project. “Our intention is to add to your existing life.”

Each room possesses its own unique URL and can be embedded in a website through an iframe. These rooms, just like users’ avatars, are fully customizable. Backgrounds and furnishings can be changed just as easily as your avatars change clothes and hairstyles. The rooms can be also be popped out to enable users and visitors to see more of the entire 3D space.

“If you enter a Lively room embedded on your favorite blog or website, you can immediately get a sense of the room creator’s interests, just by looking at the furniture and environment they chose,” added Niniane.

Gone are the days of animated emoticons and IM status messages. People can express themselves thru more mediums these days. There are a million of widgets available for embedding, each expressing certain interests that many users share and enjoy. Then there’s the Twitter Flash badge that keeps friends updated on each other. Now, there’s the Lively interaction.

“Of course, you can chat with each other, and you can also interact through animated actions. In our user research, we’ve been amazed at how much more poignant it is to receive an animated hug than seeing the text [[hug]]”

Like we said, Second Life was pretty popular when it first came out. So there’s no doubt that people are interested in this new media. Thankfully, Google has made it more accessible for the majority of us who are mostly working with browsers when online.

“We think there is a desire to socialize in this way,” Niniane said. “We hope this product will help them do that.”

To gain access to Lively all we need to do is download and install the software. Of course, it requires Flash in order to run as an embedded content but every browser-dependent user has that already so that’s pretty much covered. Video requirements for the virtual world are minimal – an average video card with a 32 megabyte memory will probably do. No need to worry if it will eat up your site’s bandwidth, much like other embeddable online content the rooms and avatars will be hosted by Google’s own web servers.

Although Google spokeswoman Sara Jew-Lim said that they have no immediate plans to put advertisements on Lively nor do they have a concrete plan to make profit from it, we doubt it will stay that way for long. It takes a lot of money to host these 3D spaces and Google is not one who will shy away from a profitable opportunity. There is simply too many ways to earn from Lively and putting ads is probably the simplest. They can even share some of the earnings with site owners, enticing more of them to create and embed quality Lively rooms in their sites.

The project is said to be still in its early stages but everyone already expects it to be the next big thing on the internet. We’re pretty sure fans of games like the Sims and those who played their Second Life a lot can’t wait for the official release of Lively.

In fact, other companies who have built their businesses around these virtual worlds are already jumping on Google’s train. One of them is UK-based firm Rivers Run Red, who has announced that they are already developing their own customized 3D rooms specifically for Lively.

This is definitely a way better venture than YouTube. That stinker eats up too much bandwidth and produces even far less profit. Maybe before officially releasing Lively, Google should clean up their “toilet” first. That way Lively avatars will only get to watch quality video clips on their virtual living room television sets.

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According to an analyst at Lehman Brothers, one of the largest investment firms in the world, the video entertainment industry will soon fall victim to the digital age much like the music industry.

Anthony DiClemente said that, “Shifts from physical to digital will disrupt the marginal economics of the TV and movie businesses, just as it did for music.”

“To date, we have argued that until a capable video distribution player device finds a user-friendly means of transferring Internet-based movies and TV shows to the living room HDTV screen, the traditional home video model remains safe. But given 1) recent declines in standard-definition DVD sales reported by the big box retailers, 2) new strategies from Apple that may emphasize lower-priced movie options including the more popular iTunes rentals; 3) a recent strategy from Sony that underscores the value of distribution as opposed to content; and 4) given the increasing likelihood of PC/TV integration, this status quo argument is bound to failure, and no longer tenable, in our view. We humbly believe the long tail argument of why packaged media ‘will last longer than you think’ is also untenable, as investors who have touted the structural benefits of the newspaper, radio/TV station, and broadcast TV businesses have all recently observed.”

His comment can be derived from the recent Dow Jones figures:

The stocks of the five major entertainment companies received major blows. The Walt Disney Co., News Corp., CBS Corp., Time Warner Inc. and Viacom Inc. fell slightly more than market at closing. Disney shares closed at minus 82 cents, or 2.7 percent = $30.08; Viacom shares closed at minus 74 cents, or 2.5 percent = $28.96; News Corp. shares closed at minus 13 cents, or 0.9 percent = $14.63; and Time Warner shares closed at minus 20 cents, or 1.4 percent = $14.49. CBS took the most damage by falling to $17.73, 87 cents less, which is a 4.7 percent dip. The TV network’s current share is actually 50% down from last year’s July numbers.

DiClemente added that the average profit of these companies from selling “physical” DVDs and Blu-ray discs is roughly $10.59. But when they sell the same movie through iTunes’ online video store they only get $9.29 profit, which is 12 percent less than the physical DVD or Blu-ray sale.

Aside from the lesser profit from disc sales, these media companies, according to DiClemente, are also losing big to the more convenient online movie rental services. From their “rental by mail” concept, Netflix, the largest DVD rental site on the internet, now offers online streaming rentals in the United States. They have approximately 8.2 million renting subscribers. And the profit the studios get from this method is estimated to be around $1.81 to $2.44, which is 77 percent less than selling the actual title.

“Owning a collection of movies in this new digital world is really just not that cool for young adults in the target demographic that we look to for the future of the business,” DiClemente said.

This is exactly the same thing that happened to the music industry; no one wanted to keep CDs piled up in their rooms. People preferred online purchases than can be stored in their computers.

As for the recent fall of CBS, DiClemente said the main culprit were the digital video recorders (DVRs) like TiVo and ReplayTV. Because of them, viewers are increasingly skipping ads - creating less advertising profits.

Overall, the digital revolution is making it difficult for these companies. He even failed to mention the sales lost to piracy which - like DVRs - let people watch their favorite TV shows without the fuss of commercials. More and more people are getting their shows online, having less need to actually turn on their TVs.

To counter this recent trend, TV networks like CBS and ABC (owned by Walt Disney) have distributed some of their syndicated shows online. But because of the smaller audience, execs said that revenue from online ads is but a small fraction compared to the profit of TV broadcast.

Some analysts, however, believe that this recent fall in stock prices are caused by the bigger economic crisis facing the entire country - and the entire globe for that matter. Although they agree that a total technological shift is fast approaching, they feel that there is no immediate need for panic.

An analyst for Cowen & Co. believes that the video industry is far more prepared for the shift than the music industry was. Music companies were “caught completely flat-footed by digital distribution,” said Doug Creutz.

“Studios have worked very hard to get in front of this thing,” he added.

Sony Corp. is one of those leading the way into the digital future. It announced last month it will deliver movies and TV shows to Sony Bravias online before they release the DVD and Blu-ray version. The first movie to be distributed this way will be Will Smith’s “Hancock,” which was produced by Sony Pictures. Also, with the emergence of high-definition, Sony is also planning on adding a digital download service for PlayStation 3 console owners who are already downloading games and other content thru their exclusive online store.

We think the bottom line is that there is a net loss with the emergence of the digital era, but it’s not like their losing that much anyways. They are probably losing much more to piracy than to digital. And it’s not like they can’t do anything about it. Digital is a welcome global shift to the future. All they can do is adjust accordingly, like what Sony is doing. Release to digital before the DVD. It might sound like it will do more damage but in fact it’s more beneficial. Since the digital release is now more convenient to purchase, then it’s okay to take the hit with the profit because you’re reaching far more customers in this method anyway.

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While Ford and Chrysler are trying to outdo each other to provide car-buying tech junkies added value for their money, with the SYNC and the UConnect Web respectively, Toyota looks the other way and thinks outside the buyer.

According to a Japanese daily called Nikkei, Toyota will be including solar panels on some of its future models – the very first of which will be the 2009 Prius hybrid. The solar panels will be powering some of the car’s electronics - especially the air conditioning system which needs almost five kilowatts of energy to run. By doing so the panel saves energy, which in turn can be used by the hybrid to power the engine. The third generation Prius will be redesigned to include this concept. The model is expected to come out later this year.

The first is always the best

Toyota couldn’t have picked a better choice to be the first recipient of the solar panels. The Toyota Prius is a mid-sized electric and gasoline hybrid car first released in Japan 10 years ago. It is the first mass-produced hybrid automobile. It was released in other countries four years later and has since become one of the leading hybrid models in the world - sold in more than 40 countries and regions. North America is actually the largest market of the model; Japan only comes second.

The Prius captures what used to be lost kinetic energy during braking and converts it to usable electric power. And it makes use of its gasoline engine to charge its own battery. A computer system automatically uses this stored electric power whenever it is most efficient to do so.

According to the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the 2008 Prius (model NHW20) is the most fuel efficient car sold in the U.S. This model is actually the first ever car to operate its air conditioning system independently of the gasoline engine. According to the UK Department for Transport, the 2008 Prius is also the third least CO₂-emitting vehicle in the United Kingdom (tied with the MINI Cooper D). The U.S. EPA study says that a 1.5 liter 4-cylinder engine, 4-door Prius hybrid can get up to 48 miles per gallon.

With some power coming from the solar panels, even more energy is saved for the engine’s use. This innovation is a welcome thrust into the future, especially now that gasoline prices are skyrocketing. Automakers around the world are racing to produce vehicles that can beat this worldwide crisis.

A wrong turn?

Although it is a promising concept, further studies and development are needed before solar panels can completely power a car’s engine. Even if you live in a region where the sun stays up longer than usual, the small surface area of a typical car won’t be able to capture enough energy to run solely on the sun’s rays.

According to resource person Felix Kramer of CalCars (California Cars Initiative, a non-profit org that promotes the concept of electric hybrids), “Car rooftop panels can provide only enough energy for vehicle cooling while parked, maybe a small contribution while driving.”

“This story will get lots of attention and will give people the impression Toyota is doing something pioneering, unique and valuable. We wish Toyota would instead focus on rapid progression to plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEV). By far the largest leap comes from adding a larger battery and grid-charging so the vehicle can have an energy source besides gasoline,” Kramer explained. He added that solar panels would prove to be more efficient if installed on buildings and structures where they can be made larger.

PHEVs use a larger battery pack that is recharged from external sources. This means even less fuel consumption. CalCars is currently working on making a PriusPlus – a PHEV converted Prius that uses lead-acid batteries. This do-it-yourself kit promises an efficiency of 100 miles gallon.

Value for money

With or without the solar panels, the Prius is already making big bucks for Toyota. According to the automaker’s numbers, the Prius has sold well over one million units worldwide, more than half of which have been sold in North America alone. A total of 183,800 units were sold in North America in 2007. In the first four months of 2008, Toyota has already sold 66,100 in the same region, 21,757 of which same in April alone. And with that many units sold, even a greater effect is consequently attained towards protecting our environment.

The company estimates that their 1 mil sales figure, in relation to greenhouse gases, equals to a total reduction of around 4.5 million tons of CO2 in our atmosphere. The estimate is based on the total savings of the energy efficient engine of the Prius compared to all the other non-hybrid gasoline vehicles that belong in the same class and size as the Prius.

The Prius was named Car of the Year Japan in 1997-98. In 2003, the Scientific American named Toyota Motor Corporation as “Business Leader of the Year” for its accomplishment in the commercialization of affordable hybrid cars. It was also named North American Car of the Year and International Engine of the Year for 2004, and the European Car of the Year for 2005. Intellichoice awarded the Prius Best Overall Value of the Year - Midsize for 2006 and Best in Class Winner for 2007. The International Engine of the Year Awards gave the Prius the Green Engine of the Year for 2008.