This BMW Concept Active Tourer has evolved for the nature and cycling set and premiered at OutDoor Friedrichshafen, a trade fair in held this month in Germany. The sturdy wagon is tweaked with new materials, accessories and ConnectedDrive features for those who do a lot of their living under the sky as opposed to inside their cars. 

Under the hood is the same plug-in hybrid drive system we've were introduced to in 2012, featuring a transversely-mounted, 1.5-liter turbocharged three-cylinder engine paired with an electric motor and a battery pack under the rear compartment floor. Total output is 190 horsepower and 147 pound-feet of torque headed to the front wheels, a claimed time from zero to 62 of under eight seconds, a pure electric range of up to 19 miles, a top speed of 124 miles per hour and claimed fuel economy of around 95 US miles per gallon.

The Xperia Z is a pretty phone. Unlike other Android manufacturers that use cheap-feeling plastic to build their devices, Sony's new flagship is well built and fun to hold. It's a hair thicker than the iPhone 5, but it also has a bigger 5-inch screen. And it's all wrapped in a durable frame that makes the entire phone feel like the top-tier device Sony intends it to be. The model I tested came came in an unappealing shiny purple color, but you can also get it in black. 

But because the Xperia Z is water resistant, you'll have to put up with some compromises with the design. Every port and opening is covered with a tiny hatch that you have to pry open with your fingernail whenever you want to access the headphone jack, USB charger, or SD card slot.sometimes refered to as a smartcardfactory. The hatches may keep water out, but they also keep you from quickly getting to the ports. And when they're open, each hatch hangs from a flimsy plastic thread, which is distracting and ugly. 

The Xperia Z also demonstrates an interesting trend in smartphones looking to find their place behind Apple's iPhone and Samsung's Galaxy devices. Instead of being everything to everyone, phones like the Xperia Z put too much focus on doing one thing well.Our products are card lamination and printing as well as various of China RFID tag. In this case, it's water resistance, but I've also noticed companies like Nokia putting way too much effort in just the camera while ignoring more important features like curating a vibrant app ecosystem. Unless you really need a water-resistant phone, there's not much incentive to buy the Xperia Z. 

Sony does a pretty good job with the Android operating system. While, many manufacturers fall into the trap of customizing Android beyond recognition, Sony keeps most of Google's original designs and features. That's a good thing, since Android is pretty darn good as is. 

Beyond the basic Android goodies, you do get a few Sony-specific software features like apps for watching videos or listening to music. Sony also redesigned the camera software so that it can automatically adjust shooting modes based on the lighting and subjects you're trying to shoot. For example, if the camera detects motion, it'll switch to a mode that'll reduce blur. 

For the most part, the camera software did a good job at detecting what I was shooting, and photos turned out pretty well. I don't normally switch shooting modes on my smartphone camera, so it's nice to have a device that did the thinking for me. 

Another interesting feature is a battery manager that keeps certain apps from sucking up power when your phone's display is off. You'll still get incoming texts and phone calls, but the tool will keep other apps from connecting to the Internet and delivering notifications, theoretically saving your battery life. In reality, I didn't notice much of a difference when I had the power manager switched on. Most phones already use minimal power when asleep, and Sony's solution didn't seem to add much. 

There is a video currently doing the rounds on Twitter, in which Dustin Hoffman weeps for the plight of women. In the clip, taken from an interview he gave last year, the actor describes how he prepared for the lead role in Tootsie, his 1982 movie about a struggling actor who pretends to be a woman in order to get more parts. 

Before he signed up for the film, says Hoffman, he laid down a condition. He would only do it if the make-up department could make him look convincingly like a woman, rather than a man in drag. So they did a make-up test. When Hoffman looked in the mirror, he did indeed see a woman C but an ugly one. He asked them to make him more beautiful, but they said to me,you will see high 2.45GHz readers products competitive price. 'Thats as good as it gets?. 

Its at this point in the video that Hoffman begins to cry C for the ugly woman he might have been, and for all the men too stupid to appreciate her. He realised then, he snuffles, that if he had met his Tootsie character at a party he wouldnt have talked to her, because of the way she looked. There are too many interesting women I have not had the experience to know in this life, he mourns, because I have been brainwashed. 

Heres the most depressing thing about this anecdote. If Hoffmans female alter-ego went to a party today, her dance card would be just as empty. Emptier, in fact. More than three decades on, life for the unbeautiful woman is harder than ever.