hybrids

In announcing the 2014-model-year Panamera, Porsche released details of a new plug-in hybrid variant, a replacement for the current Panamera Hybrid model. The new model, termed the Panamera S E-Hybrid, gets a larger battery pack and more powerful electric motor than the previous Panamera S Hybrid.

Porsche says the 2014 Panamera S E-Hybrid will drive over 20 miles under electric power.

That distance may not sound like much, but it is a robust number for plug-in hybrids. Ford rates its C-Max Energi at 21 miles of electric range, while the Chevy Volt, the leader in the class, rates at 38 … Read more

Microsoft's official online store has cut prices on a handful of Window 8 devices. These systems, from HP, Toshiba, and others, are all different, but each straddles the line between laptop and tablet and falls into the growing hybrid category; you can see the current discounts on the Microsoft Store site.

With these new discounts (no word on if they are temporary or permanent), our initial reviews of these specific systems deserve a second look, if only because a big knock against each one was the unrealistic asking price.

Are they much better machines at $100 to $250 off, … Read more

NEW YORK--Toyota's soccer-mom-mobile gets an infusion of cabin tech, modernized safety features, and an updated sense of style with the debut of the 2014 Toyota Highlander midsize SUV at the New York International Auto Show.

With the previous generation pushing seven years old, the Highlander was very much in need of an update. Also, the SUV still seats up to eight passengers across its three rows or seven passengers when equipped with the optional second-row captain's chairs. Both configurations benefit from increased interior volume for passengers and cargo thanks to a new, double-wishbone rear suspension that removes the … Read more

The first benchmarks of Intel's upcoming "Haswell" Fourth-Generation Core processors have leaked. But asking how fast future Windows 8 PCs will be is probably the wrong question.

The Haswell chip that Tom's Hardware got a hold of and tested showed only modest central processing unit, or CPU, performance improvements over the latest hardware.

This would seem to indicate the future of Windows PCs -- which in this case means newfangled devices like Microsoft Surface and HP's Envy x2 -- isn't about the desktop anymore.

"The mobile space is where Intel's efforts should … Read more

Expect to see significant price cuts on Windows 8 touch-screen laptops if Microsoft's expected Windows 8 discount on licensing fees for PC makers is implemented.

Those price cuts could range between 10 percent and 20 percent, according to a report in Digitimes, which cites sources at Taiwan's retailers.

Those same sources indicated that touch-screen laptops now account for about 10 percent of sales, but this could jump to 20 percent in some cases with discounts from Microsoft.

Reports Tuesday in Digitimes and the Wall Street Journal indicated that Microsoft will lower the price of Windows 8 for PC … Read more

Ferrari is in negotiations to expand its in-car entertainment partnership with Apple, the luxury-car maker's chairman revealed today as the company unveiled a car with Siri and two iPad Minis.

The companies will be "more precise" about their partnership in the coming months, Luca Cordero Di Montezemolo said today at the Geneva International Motor Show, according to a Bloomberg account of his comments. CNET has contacted Apple for more comment and will update this report when we learn more.

The partnership apparently began last November when Eddy Cue, Apple's senior vice president for Internet software and … Read more

Remember the exciting solid-state hybrid drives (SSHDs) Seagate showcased at CES 2013? You can now get versions for both laptops and desktops.

The storage vendor announced today the availability of the Seagate Laptop SSHD drive -- a 7mm-thin SSHD designed for laptops and certain ultrabooks -- and the all-new Seagate Desktop SSHD, the first hybrid drive for desktops. The former is the third-gen hybrid drive from the company, replacing the previous Momentus XT 500GB and Momentus XT 750GB.

Similar to the Momentus XT drives, the new SSHDs (both laptop and desktop versions) come with both solid-state (flash memory, normally used … Read more

Laptop hard drive speeds aren't tied strictly to revolutions per minute anymore, according to Seagate.

Seagate is abandoning 2.5-inch 7200rpm magnetic mobile hard drives for hybrids that have slower-rated RPMs but integrate large solid-state drive (SSD) caches, the company said today in a statement provided to CNET.

"Seagate's innovation in the area of Solid State Hybrid Drives (SSHD) technology provides a much faster overall performance platform than 7200 RPM based hard drives," the company said.

Bottom line: Seagate is saying a 5400rpm hard drive with a large SSD is faster than a pure 7200rpm magnetic … Read more

Aesthetics may be subjective, but I believe the 2013 Ford Fusion is the best-looking midsize sedan of the current crop. Despite its trout-mouth grille, the Fusion exudes premium-car style. The only other midsize sedan that comes close in looks is the new Honda Accord.

But a midsize sedan must do more than look pretty. This class of car tends to be a multipurpose vehicle for a majority of Americans, a comfortable car for the daily commute that can also take the family to the relatives' on holidays. It is the weekend errand runner and road-trip vacationer.

The Fusion, with its … Read more