Unauthorized - Parent Directory - Support

Recommendations

Info

LCD panel comes standard BILL HOWARD Steerable headlights track you through corners BLUE&ME : Low-Cost Telematics The technology star of the 76th International Motor Show in Geneva was Blue&Me, the first product of a joint venture by Fiat and Microsoft. The device, a low-cost telematics box, works as an in-car communication system that enables hands-free Bluetooth-based talk, voice recognition, music player connectivity for MP3 and WMA files, and remote diagnostics. It also has the potential for turn-byturn navigation downloads via cell phone.—BH DIESEL CARS ARE BACK WHAT WOULD IT TAKE to get you into a diesel engine car? Will you wait till diesels run clean, and until there’s no engine clatter? Until somebody makes diesel airplane engines? Until a diesel engine car wins an auto race? Done, done, and done. In March, an Audi won the Sebring 12-hour endurance race, four laps ahead of the gasoline-powered runner-up. This is the first time a diesel engine vehicle has triumphed in a major automobile endurance race, and it’s a shot in the arm for the image of such vehicles. Diesels account for nearly half of all passenger cars sold in Europe but for only a fraction in the U.S. Technology has eliminated much of the noise that diesel engines make; there’s none inside the car and hardly any outside. A sophisticated common-rail fuelinjection system propels an atomized stream of fuel into the cylinders at twice the speed of sound, ensuring that air and fuel are properly mixed. They start almost instantly, even in the cold. As for running clean, this year the EPA ordered fuel companies to stop whining and start refining diesel fuel with low levels of sulfur, the pollutant that’s responsible for the rotten-egg smell and black soot. Most diesels also run on biodiesel—fuels made in part from vegetable oils or animal fats. So if the Jetta ahead of you smells like a McDonald’s, now you know why. New technologies, such as particulate filters (here now) and the injection of urea into the exhaust stream (coming), make diesels even cleaner. In European countries, Herr Doktor Rudolf Diesel’s 1892 invention purrs along under the hoods of one-third to two-thirds of all cars. But here in the U.S., only a dozen passenger-vehicle models with diesel engines are offered: a bunch of brawny American trucks/SUVs, the Mercedes-Benz E-Class, and four Volkswagens. California, Maine, Massachusetts, New York, and Vermont effectively outlaw diesels, and some automakers say they won’t introduce diesel cars until they’re allowed in every state. Still, I don’t think you can deny that we’re entering a golden era of performance coming from a wider array of engine types: gasoline or diesel boosted by hybrid, turbocharged, or supercharged technologies. If you’re a stop-and-go driver, hybrids make sense. But if you rack up a lot of highway miles and/or spend a lot of time idling, a diesel may be your best bet. Wait a year and you’ll see more choices. Diesels are definitely back. YYePG Proudly Presents, Thx for <strong>Support</strong> MAY 9, 2006 PC MAGAZINE 21
FIRST LOOKS WHAT THE RATINGS MEAN: lllll EXCELLENT | llllm VERY GOOD | lllmm GOOD | llmmm FAIR | lmmmm POOR INSIDE... LIKE THIS SPIFFY OLYMPUS E-330 DIGItal SLR, many of the products covered in this edition of First Looks look familiar but feature subtle yet important differences that set them apart from all that’s come before. The E-330, for example, is the first D-SLR with a live-view/articulating LCD screen. HP’s Pavilion Media Center (in our hardware section) looks like any other MCE desktop, but it’s our first Viiv- certified system. We have hands-on reviews of Lenovo’s new laptops, small business NAS’s, and Samsung’s Nano competitor. Plus, there’s advice on how to make some of your most important purchases: photo printers, parental-control software, and Windows Mobile Devices. Come check out products you’ll be buying today. Olympus Evolt E-330 Flawless? No, but for now, this camera stands apart from all other D-SLRs on the market. Full review starts on page 32. YYePG Proudly Presents, Thx for <strong>Support</strong> MAY 9, 2006 PC MAGAZINE 23
Page 1 and 2: THE BEST Photo Printers • $20 Key
Page 3 and 4: PCONTENTS FUTURE GADGETS KEEPING UP
Page 5 and 6: www.pcmag.com EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Jim L
Page 7 and 8: FEEDBACK SAFEGUARDING YOUR PHOTO CO
Page 9 and 10: PIPELINE WHAT’S NEW FROM THE WORL
Page 11: TECHNORIDE MORE ON THE WEB Want the
Page 15 and 16: Dual 160GB hard drives HP Pavilion
Page 17 and 18: FIRST LOOKS HARDWARE Lexmark E120n
Page 19 and 20: FIRST LOOKS HARDWARE BUYING GUIDE D
Page 21 and 22: FIRST LOOKS CONSUMER ELECTRONICS Po
Page 23 and 24: 1.3-megapixel camera CINGULAR’S M
Page 25 and 26: Controls are recessed into the fram
Page 27 and 28: ANALYST’S VIEW BY SASCHA SEGAN li
Page 29 and 30: FIRST LOOKS SOFTWARE BUYING GUIDE P
Page 31 and 32: FIRST LOOKS SMALL BUSINESS One-touc
Page 33 and 34: WHAT TO BUY MEDIA CENTER DESKTOP HP
Page 35 and 36: MICHAEL J. MILLER An Open Letter to
Page 37 and 38: YYePG Proudly Presents, Thx for Sup
Page 39 and 40: VISTA PREVIEW Because It’s Cool S
Page 41 and 42: word-wheel search) within a Web pag
Page 43 and 44: VISTA PREVIEW Because It’s Loaded
Page 45 and 46: Unlike the firewall in Windows XP,
Page 47 and 48: VISTA PREVIEW To Work Together Bett
Page 49 and 50: A fleet of concept designs that pro
Page 51 and 52: SMART PILL BOTTLE The Concept: Elec
Page 53 and 54: Power for the display is created by
Page 55 and 56: BY LOYD CASE if you do find them, t
Page 57 and 58: ADVERTISEMENT Maximum System Perfor
Page 59 and 60: BUILD IT Making a Quiet Case Quiete
Page 61 and 62: BUILD IT CPU Cooler and Graphics Vo
Page 63 and 64:
CONNECTEDTRAVELER SAN FRANCISCO WOR
Page 65 and 66:
ASK LOYD SATA AND PATA HARD DRIVES
Page 67 and 68:
ASK NEIL 96 pixels wide For those w
Page 69 and 70:
SMB BOOTCAMP Your Site’s Stats We
Page 71 and 72:
GAMING + CULTURE PS3: What We Know
Page 73 and 74:
GEARLOG Full-color OLED screens MOR
show all

Unauthorized - Parent Directory - Support

You also want an ePaper? Increase the reach of your titles

Delete template?

Save as template?