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Car of the Year Trials a Runway Success

Wed, 04 Nov 2009 10:00:00 MDT

Close down a regional airport for a week, fill it up with the latest and supposedly greatest new cars available, add a heaping helping of car writers and what do you get? Test Fest, the annual gathering of the Automobile Journalists Association of Canada (AJAC), at which they help decide the Canadian Car of the year (CCOTY).

Dragon NaturallySpeaking 10.1 - A Product that Speaks for Itself

Fri, 06 Nov 2009 09:00:00 MDT

Now in version 10.1, Dragon NaturallySpeaking not only works with Windows Vista 64 bit, but the company says it's also ready for Windows 7. It runs like a hot darn under 64 bit Vista, better than many applications I have that treat the OS as if it's carrying H1N1. more...

smart fortwo - Smart? Or Just Politically Correct?

Fri, 23 Oct 2009 11:00:00 MDT

There are many, many good and economical cars on the market today. The "smart" fortwo is not one of them.

BlueAnt Devices Keep Your Hands on the Wheel

Fri, 23 Oct 2009 11:00:00 MDT

Bluetooth technology is wonderful, and could even be a life saver. But what if your car doesn't have Bluetooth built in?

Honda Civic, Toyota Corolla Still Good Choices for Economy Cars

Wed, 14 Oct 2009 12:00:00 MDT

I'd forgotten just what great little cars the Honda Civic and Toyota Corolla are.

Panasonic Lumix Camera Great for Cruising

Wed, 14 Oct 2009 12:00:00 MDT

Panasonic's Lumix DMC-TS1 is a small and cute little beastie that also just happens to be waterproof. What better way to test such a unit in real world conditions than on an Alaska cruise?

VW New Beetle and Golf City - Reasonably Sublime to Downright Ridiculous

Wed, 27 May 2009 08:00:00 MDT

Volkswagen's entry level Golf City is a nice little car, affordable and comfortable and undoubtedly easy to live with. Then there's the New Beetle convertible.

Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs on Blu-ray disc

Wed, 27 May 2009 08:00:00 MDT

The animated movie that started it all - "all", as in the trend toward full length animated features - is now available in high def Blu-ray and, as usual, Disney has done a bang up job with the title.

2010 Mustang Freshened, but Still Packs Muscle

Thu, 01 Oct 2009 08:30:00 MDT

The original muscle car finds itself facing serious competition from the government-controlled domestic car industry as the Dodge Challenger and Chevy Camaro vie for a slice of the Pony car market the Mustang once had to itself.

Headphones Promise Ear Relief for Gamers, Flyers

Thu, 01 Oct 2009 08:30:00 MDT

Headphones. You can get them big and small, snuggling in your ear, on your ear and around your ear - some that cancel outside noise and some with microphones built in so you can talk with them as well as listening with them.

Hyundai Adds a Dash of Elan to Elantra

Thu, 24 Sep 2009 13:00:00 MDT

The new five door Elantra Touring is a sportier, yet still eminently functional and practical version of the Elantra sedan that not only ups the styling ante, but which also has a little fun injected into it as well.

Hard drive, Turbo Stick offer "Tera-riffic" Storage and Fast Surfing on the Go

Thu, 24 Sep 2009 13:00:00 MDT

This week's "playing with and writing about" stuff involves a cellular phone device that brings the web onto the road with you and a new and supposedly "green" hard drive meant for Enterprise applications. So if you're in charge of Star Trek's starship, this might be for you!

Mazda 3 and MX-5 A little - and a lot of - Driving Fun

Wed, 16 Sep 2009 13:00:00 MDT

Mazdas are a blast, even if you don't go beyond their most basic entries. And if you do go beyond - to the fabulous MX-5 roadster, for example - it's a blast heard around the world.

New Bose System Claims to Take iPod Docks to the Next Level

Wed, 16 Sep 2009 13:00:00 MDT

Bose considered its latest product a big enough deal to premiere it in New York City and, to paraphrase the song, if they can make it seem like a nifty product there it just may seem like a nifty product anywhere.

Toyota Venza Blends the Line Between Car, SUV

Sat, 22 Aug 2009 14:00:00 MDT

Take a Toyota Camry, feed it Wheaties to help ensure it grows up nice and tall and what might you get? The Toyota Venza.

Lincoln MKZ and Ford Fusion - Variations on a Theme

Sat, 15 Aug 2009 12:00:00 MDT

Whether you want your car luxurious or mainstream, the Ford Fusion and Lincoln MKZ sedans are nice pieces of work.

BodySound Claims to Keep Home Theater Sound inside the Home Theater

Sat, 15 Aug 2009 12:00:00 MDT

What's a home theater without the type of big, rumbling bass and powerful main speakers that can shake your room with the sound of exploding planets, screeching tires, zooming aircraft or ricocheting bullets? But what if you live in a condo where any volume over a particular level goes right through them and causes neighborhood angst?

Porsche Ups the "Sport" Quotient in Sport Utes, Automatic Trannies

Fri, 07 Aug 2009 20:00:00 MDT

Porsche continues to tweak its lineup, making it sportier all the time. To illustrate this, they've added a GTS version to the Cayenne, and a new "automatic" transmission that's anything but shiftless.

Adobe Creative Suite 4 - A Healthy Upgrade

Fri, 07 Aug 2009 20:00:00 MDT

Adobe's popular Creative Suite is back with more power and ease of use than ever.

Focusing on a Ford and a Honda you Really "Odyssey"

Sat, 01 Aug 2009 16:00:00 MDT

"Fun to drive" may not be everyone's priority, but if an everyday vehicle also has some of that factor built in it can certainly make life with it more pleasant. Such is the case with a couple of 2009 vehicles that, while nowhere near "all new" or "all fun" are still worth a look if you're shopping for a compact sedan or minivan.

Trackle Promises to Organize Searches, Send You Updates

Sat, 01 Aug 2009 16:00:00 MDT

Have you ever missed getting that important score from the Big Game, or had your own big game rained out because you didn't get the weather forecast in time? Trackle promises to change all that.

Chrysler's Aspen a Big, Brawny Hybrid

Thu, 23 Jul 2009 07:00:00 MDT

Is a HEMI hybrid an oxymoron or a pander to political correctness?

Panasonic Brings Portability to Blu-ray players

Thu, 23 Jul 2009 07:00:00 MDT

With Blu-rays making inroads in the consumer marketplace, it was inevitable that someone would introduce portable players that let you take your HD discs on the road with you. That someone appears to have been Panasonic, whose DMP-B15 is being billed as the world's first portable BD player.

Hyundai Flagship a Smooth and Luxurious "Enterprise"

Thu, 16 Jul 2009 16:00:00 MDT

Perhaps someone at Hyundai is a Trekkie, because its new flagship sedan sure seems to have Star Trek influences. Heck, besides having a unique (and quite attractive) grille that also just happens to look like it was inspired by a Star Trek Klingon's forehead, the name Genesis itself featured prominently in two Star Trek movies - a device that literally created life from lifelessness. Maybe that's just the ticket needed to bring some life back to the new car market!

Popular Lexus Ute Gets a Brand New Suit

Thu, 16 Jul 2009 16:00:00 MDT

Lexus' most popular model has undergone its first major restyling and reengineering, a process designed to keep it current and competitive. And it has. While recognizable as an RX, the new RX 350 looks and feels quite a bit different than its predecessor. It's still a fine vehicle, though, and should continue to be a top seller for Toyota's luxury division.