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The GMC Granite: Chevy's new concept

Today marks the first day of February, but not too long ago back in January at the Detroit auto show, gearheads, critics, and industry folk got the first look at many of the new and exciting production models coming to a dealer near you, as well as the several concept vehicles whose futures are up in the air. Yes, many of the intriguing concept vehicles that were on display at Cobo Arena in Detroit will never make it to the streets, so it's always interesting to consider the possibilities of each. I thought it would be a neat idea … Read more

EconoDriver, SafeDriver records driving performance from key fob

The EconoDriver and SafeDriver by Lemur are wireless vehicle monitors that record driving performance to a key fob display to help drivers be more efficient and safe.

The key fob displays are battery powered and can be mounted on the dashboard for continuous monitoring of reports. Both units ship with a sensor that plugs into your vehicle's OBD-II port to wirelessly transmit information from your vehicle's sensors to the key fob.

The SafeDriver displays the maximum speed, distance traveled, and sudden braking incidents to help parents keep tabs on new drivers. The device locks with a PIN to … Read more

2010 Ferrari 458 Italia

As you may have figured out by now, I'm a sucker for Ferraris and European sports cars in general. I thought we'd kick off the year with a bang as this CarAndDriver.com video shows us a little bit about this bad ass Ferrari known as the 458 Italia.

This Web clip is from the Frankfurt auto show where the Ferrari 458 Italia made a big splash. The sports car packs a good punch with its 4.5-liter engine that kicks up to 563 horsepower. The Ferrari also breaks ground with its seven-speed dual-clutch transmission and can break … Read more

PC service station

A relatively new Web-based service we've seen more of lately is the driver maintenance site, a Web site that, for a fee, will scan your computer, identify incorrect or out-of-date drivers, and install the proper ones from a vast database of hardware and software drivers. One of them is PC Pitstop, which is both software and a Web site, www.pcpitstop.com. The visually intense site is both a storefront and a portal to forums, newsletters, and other information. It offers numerous free scans for various PC-related issues, all of which seem to lead to the same conclusion: you … Read more

Safe Driving Monitor supervises teen drivers

Maurice Tuff, an electrical engineer from Newfoundland, is the brainpower behind a technology that will deter teenagers from reckless driving. Root Four Imagination, Inc. will be showcasing the Safe Driving Monitor, a device that monitors a driver's speed, distance traveled, and braking habits.

The company recently received $25,000 from the Provincial Government of Canada to better their marketing through an e-commerce enabled website, promotional materials, and possibly attending CES 2010.

Safe Driving monitor consists of two simple parts: a sensor that plugs into the car's diagnostic port (easily accessed underneath the steering wheel), and a keychain sensor … Read more

Apple fixes AirPort problems marring video playback on 27-inch iMacs

Last month we blogged about a bug marring Flash playback on the latest 27-inch Apple iMacs. Users on several Web sites, including the Apple Discussion Threads, noticed a problem with the Flash player that caused choppy audio and video playback, but it appears that the newest Mac OS X v10.6.2 update fixes the issue that was apparently caused by a conflict with the Airport driver.

According to Apple, the update "addresses video playback and performance issues for iMac (21.5-inch, late 2009) and iMac (27-inch, late 2009) computers that may occur in some situations while AirPort is … Read more

Drivers, use caution

Driver Robot is a free utility that offers to scan your PC for incorrect and out-of-date drivers. It's also a marketing ploy designed to upsell a $30 software package and subscription to a driver database. Whether it's a scam or a lifesaver might depend on your skill level, how you use your PC, and how old your system is.

Driver Robot is one of many such utilities out there, and they have similar looks, functions, and even marketing techniques, which typically involve securing a high ranking on Google and other search sites so that you'll hit on … Read more

Unique technology speakers, made in Brooklyn

I remember listening to Ohm Acoustics speakers ages ago, but I've lost track of the company. Founded in 1971, Ohm Acoustics is still around and still building all of its speakers in Brooklyn.

Ohm speakers feature radical technology, and it's not just that they're omnidirectional designs.

Quoting from the Ohm Web site, here's how the technology works: "The Ohm CLS Driver is a vertical line source that combines inherently perfect time and phase alignment and uniform polar frequency response....At the source, the sound originates simultaneously from the face of the super tweeter and the top of the inverted cone driver..." Translation: they sound good.

The CLS Driver looks like a downward-facing cone, but its sound radiates up and out, in a near 360-degree radiation pattern. In all Ohm designs a single CLS Driver produces bass, midrange, and most treble frequencies; no wonder it sounds nothing like speakers that use separate woofer, midrange, and tweeter drivers.

During my recent factory visit I listened to a set of Ohm Micro Walsh speakers ($1,000 a pair). They're skinny towers: 36 inches high, 6 inches by 6 inches wide, and deep. Even within the huge factory space, the wee towers sounded huge. Bass wasn't super deep, but it was rich and warm. There's no need to add a subwoofer for stereo systems; and larger Ohm speakers sound much the same but can play louder and make deeper bass.… Read more

Fix Ethernet driver problems in virtualized Windows 7

One advantage that Macs have is that you can legally run every operating system you want on them. I'm excited to have OS X, Ubuntu, Windows XP, and Windows 7 all on one machine. But after adding Windows 7 to VMware recently, I ran into a problem. It said that my Ethernet driver was no good and I couldn't get the Internet to work.

I tried reinstalling VMware Tools, but nothing worked. Nothing, that is, until I tried this handy tip I found on Dave Taylor's Web site. The problem is in a VMware configuration file. Let … Read more