Xperia 5 Ii Gets December 2020 Security Patches + Xperia 1/5 Too

Xperia 5 II gets December 2020 security patches + Xperia 1/5 too

Sony is now rolling out December 2020 security patches to a number of its premium models including the Xperia 5 II, Xperia 1 and Xperia 5. The Xperia 5 II is seeing an update mainly to version 58.0.A.28.51, although there is another build version (58.0.A.28.60) that has been released in Asia. Both have December 2020 security patches.

Bus Service For Arrivals From Abroad Gets Underway

Bus service for arrivals from abroad gets underway

A bus service has been launched to transport international travelers from Haneda and Narita airports directly to hotels in Tokyo, as part of an effort to prevent the spread of the coronavirus.

The Airport Transport Service started offering the direct bus routes on Wednesday. It is providing three trips a day from the airports to 12 hotels in Tokyo. Travelers who will stay at the hotels are eligible to use the service. Advance booking is required. Fares cost about 39 dollars from Narita and about 14 dollars from Haneda.

Narita Temple Gets Year-end Dusting

Narita temple gets year-end dusting

A major Buddhist temple in the city of Narita near Tokyo has been spruced up for the New Year.

About 40 monks and staff members wearing masks gathered in the main hall of Naritasan Shinshoji Temple shortly after 5:00 a.m. and began dusting Buddhist statues and altar ornaments with brushes and cloths.

2021 Nissan Sentra Gets Top Safety Pick Award From Iihs

2021 Nissan Sentra gets Top Safety Pick award from IIHS

Redesigned headlights earned the 2021 Nissan Sentra a coveted Top Safety Pick award from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS). Some 2020 models built after the last round of updates get the distinction, too.

Nissan's eighth-generation Sentra made its debut for the 2020 model year with a new platform, a much more muscular design inspired by the bigger Maxima, and better technology inside. We drove it and called it an appealing small car, but the IIHS gave its snazzy headlights an inferior rating. Nissan took the criticism to heart.

2021 Toyota C-hr Gets Top Safety Pick Award From Iihs

2021 Toyota C-HR gets Top Safety Pick award from IIHS

Newly-available electronic driving aids earned the 2021 Toyota C-HR a Top Safety Pick award from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS). The Japanese firm's smallest crossover missed out on a Plus rating, however.

Toyota made its Safety Sense 2.5 suite of electronic driving aids standard across the full C-HR range for 2021. It bundles a long list of features including a pre-collision system with pedestrian detection, road sign assist, adaptive cruise control, lane-keeping technology, and automatic high beams. It's the first feature (called PCS w/PD in alphabet-soupese) that made a difference from the Institute's standpoint. It allowed the C-HR to avoid collisions at 12 and 25 mph, and it either avoided or at least slowed down for a dummy in three separate tests.

Xperia 1 Ii Gets November 2020 Security Patches (58.0.a.3.224)

Xperia 1 II gets November 2020 security patches (58.0.A.3.224)

Sony is pushing out the November 2020 Android security patch for its flagship Xperia 1 II (Mark 2). The new update arrives with build number 58.0.A.3.224 in the form of a 108.6MB OTA update. As usual, frustratingly there is no changelog so we cannot say definitively if there are other changes. If you've updated please let know your impressions below.

2021 Infiniti Q60 Starts At $42,675 And Gets A Few Equipment Changes

2021 Infiniti Q60 starts at $42,675 and gets a few equipment changes

The 2021 Infiniti Q60 coupe starts at $42,675 (including $1,025 for destination), Nissan's luxury subsidiary announced today. The two-door variant of Infiniti's compact sport sedan boasts only a handful of relatively minor equipment changes for the '21 model year. 

The base (Pure) Q60 now has blind spot monitoring, rear automatic emergency braking, surround-view camera, lane departure warning, adaptive cruise control and automatic high beams as standard equipment. The high-output Red Sport model gains available power-folding outside mirrors and a tweaked carbon fiber interior trim package. 

Honda Grom Gets An Updated Engine And A New Sense Of Style

Honda Grom gets an updated engine and a new sense of style

It's been six years since Honda introduced the cute little Grom mini machine, and at this point it's safe to say it's had a very successful run. Now it's time for a refresh. The updates seen here specifically apply to the European version of the Grom, but Honda's U.S. Powersports arm promises we'll see the new Grom Stateside at some point in the not-too-distant future.

The Grom soldiers forth with a single-cylinder 125cc engine, but it's been updated and is now compliant with EURO5 emissions regulations. Power is up a fraction of a horsepower, but the big news is the addition of a five-speed gearbox to replace the old four-speed unit. Honda says the Grom's top speed increases from 54 miles per hour to around 59 mph, and while that isn't a massive increase, we'd wager around-town, seat-of-the-pants performance will see a more meaningful improvement.

2021 Infiniti Qx50 Adds More Features And Gets A Higher Price

2021 Infiniti QX50 adds more features and gets a higher price

The 2021 Infiniti QX50 is out, and Infiniti has made a couple changes of note. Most of them are equipment related, but the luxury crossover's price is going up this year, too.

A base QX50 Pure is $700 more expensive this for 2021, with the new total being $38,975. That gets you the front-wheel-drive model. If you want all-wheel drive, that'll be another $2,000. For your extra coin, Infiniti has added a Wi-Fi hotspot, acoustic laminated front side glass, rear seat-mounted side-impact airbags and a new automatic emergency call system for when the vehicle is involved in a collision. All those features are standard across every QX50.

2021 Honda Accord Gets Better Base Tech, Hybrid System Improvements

2021 Honda Accord gets better base tech, hybrid system improvements

The 2021 Honda Accord is getting some trim shake-ups, some refinements to the powertrain in its hybrid variant, and some minor styling updates to keep the midsize sedan fresh. 

On the styling front, you'll have to really squint to see the differences, which are effectively limited to the Accord's front bumper. The grille is a bit wider, and the accent lines reaching toward either side of the lower fascia from the fog lamps now take slightly different routes. Apart from that, you'd be hard-pressed to notice anything has changed. 

Xperia 5 Ii Gets Unboxed

Xperia 5 II gets unboxed

The Sony Xperia 5 II is expected to release in the next few weeks, and the first unboxing has arrived. Sony's official European YouTube channel has a quick unboxing video, and we've also included some pics courtesy of Marco Kao. Sony is using the same packaging that it has done over the last few years, so no surprises there.