Pickin' and Grinnin'? How about Truckin' and Vannin' 

There are utility vehicles and there are utility vehicles. Some, like the Ford Explorer Sport Trac are part pickup truck and part SUV. Others, like Ford's Taurus X, are part SUV and part minivan.

Such vehicles are called crossovers today for the most part, undoubtedly because SUV's and pickup trucks have been deemed evil by a gang of vocal busybodies who'd rather see us walk than transport our families and stuff in the manner of our own choosing. But while the term "Crossover" fits well with the Taurus X, the Explorer Sport Trac is at heart an SUV converted into a pickup truck, and it looks and acts like one, too more...

Comfort Station for the Boonies, and an Industry Giant Honored

Leave it to technology coupled with a healthy does of entrepreneurial ingenuity to solve some of life's most pressing problems.

In this case, thanks to the folks at Global Inventive Industries, the question of how to use a water closet when there's no water around has been answered – and these people, inventors of the EcoJohn, are undoubtedly flushed with success.

And while you may not have heard about Doctor Floyd E. Toole, but his name means a lot to audiophiles, especially to companies who manufacture audio system loudspeakers. more...

Pontiac's Compact Crossover Gives Good Vibes

Pontiac's little wagon is back, with new looks, new features and new power. It's a nice car, too, roomy and reasonably fun to drive.

When it comes to Vibes, I have a secret weapon: my best friend is on his second Vibe and both have served him very well. We parked them side by side before heading out to put both through their paces in a head-to-head comparison.more....

MediaGate Server Sends Music, Video Through Your Home

Media servers can be an easy way to get programming from Point A to Point B without having to actually get up from your easy chair and go get it yourself. Sounds like a plan! Depending on the one you buy, they can store and/or stream files from device to device, for instance from your home network to your Big Screen TV in the home theater.  

An exampleis the MediaGate MG450HD Wi-Fi Net-Disk multimedia player, which is about as flexible as you'd need in this day and age. more....

Porsche Boxsters – Fun, Fast and Easy to Drive

My name is Jim and I'm a Porscheholic.

Which brings me to the Boxster, Porsche's entry level two seat sports car. This is open top motoring as it should be – like driving an MGB of days gone by, but with a little more room, a little more luxury – and a lot more performance. Boxsters, unlike B's, also run in the rain and don't require a college degree to get the roof up when the clouds burst. more...

JBL ES Series Speakers ES-sy to Love

James B. Lansing's company made its name in professional applications such as movie theaters and recording studios, which is a pretty good place to do it.

Now there's the ES series, the objects of my newfound audio lust. more....

TSX – Acura's Bad Boy Goes Good

It sports a new set of clothes and a grown up demeanor, but is the TSX still Acura's bad boy, the little sedan with attitude?

I'm not sure. After driving it for a week, my impression of Acura's 2009 TSX is that the TSX I loved so much may have lost some of  its soul in the process of maturing.

Don't get me wrong; the TSX is a very nice car. more...

Photo Radar Gadget and Plastic Work Seat Make Life Worth Living

Whether high tech or low tech, there's a gadget for just about every occasion these days. It seems that, wherever there's a need perceived, there's an inventor who wants to fill it.

Two car-related cases in point are the NavAlert "non radar" radar detector from PhantomAlert and the Rugged Roll Work Seat from Step2, two decidedly different solutions to very different challenges, but both of which are pretty cool ideas. more....

Volkswagen GTI – Upgrades Your "Zip" Code

Volkswagen's zippy little GTI is back, a sporty hatchback that's fun to drive yet practical as well.

The GTI, which could perhaps be called the fairest haired boy in the Golf/Rabbit family, traces its roots back to 1976, when Volkswagen introduced its "compact, wild, young racer" to the Autobahn. According to the company, the GTI was planned as a limited series of 5,000 units, but the market spoke and VW listened – and the rest, apparently, is history. more....

Griffin iTrip AutoPilot

The iTrip AutoPilot ($100 US) is a recent addition to Griffin's amazingly long list of iPod compatible products, ranging from cases, to speakers, to FM Transmitters.  The iTrip AutoPilot is an iPod-specific FM transmitter car adapter with some neat features.

Much as I love the idea of this device, though, I could only stand it for a couple of days. more...

Audio Cleaning Lab Brings New Life to Stale Discs

Compact discs were sold to us as the ultimate in audio reproduction, a computer-controlled recording and storage medium that was truer to the original source than the old fashioned vinyl we'd been using to that point. And it was true to a point, but what also became clear was that many older CD's didn't sound as good as their LP brothers, despite the hype.

But what if you could take that sterile and weak-sounding old CD and tweak it yourself, to return some of the life the digital bits seems to have drained from it? more....

Car Enthusiasts Converge for Classic Ford Fiesta

They called it a "T Party," and that description suited the event to, well, a T.

It was the celebration of the Ford Model T's 100th anniversary, a week-long bash in and around Richmond, Indiana put on by the Model T Ford Club of America. The event saw literally hundreds of Ford Model T's of varying age, state of restoration, and configuration take over the Wayne County Fairgrounds for a gigantic group hug and hat tip to the vehicle that sold more than 15 million copies during its reign. more....

Audio Only Blu-ray Discs Debut in Norway

Blu-ray is the latest and greatest video format – and if one Norwegian label has its way it may be the latest and greatest audio format as well.

I've been hoping someone would take the high end audio bull by the horns by exploiting Blu-ray's potential. DVD-Audio and SACD (Super Audio CD), the current "audiophile champions", have been around for several years, but have never really caught on with consumers especially, it seems, in North America. It's a shame; such discs can offer truly spectacular sound quality as well as multi-channel surround sound capability. more....

Chevy's Little Red Wagon Appeals to the Inner Child

It's wonderful when utility and fun combine in a vehicle. And combine they do in the HHR SS, the "abnormally aspirated" version of Chevy's little utility wagon.

It’s a modern small wagon that not only lets you haul your family and its stuff, but which has a healthy dash of retrol style thrown in for good measure. more....

Brother Takes Bother from Printing Labels

Looking for a quick and easy way to print labels? If so, Brother may have a good solution for you. It's the QL-570 Label Printer, a nifty little gadget that works pretty well as advertised.

The printer parks on your desk (or wherever else you want to stick it) and lets you print as many labels as you want, in various sizes and configurations, incredibly quickly and very easily. more....

Cyberlink PowerDirector 7 - Video Editing With Power

Take note all ye aspiring film directors: here is yet another video editing program designed with your best interests in mind.

Sadly, while the program does have an extensive set of editing tools; it fails in some major areas. more....

Subaru Forester a Clear Cut Choice

My favorite Subaru is back, with a new set of clothes and fresh make-up for the 2009 model year. But are the changes enough to keep the Forester in the hunt for consumers' small SUV dollars?

Probably. The new Forester is a compelling vehicle that has a lot going for it, not that it didn't already. more....

Panasonic Notebook a Tough Customer

They call it the Toughbook, but it's more than hardy: it's small and incredibly light, too.

Panasonic sent me the Toughbook W7, part of the "7 series" (note to BMW: you may have a trademark infringement law suit here!) of "business-rugged notebooks ready for any challenge facing mobile professionals." more....