Bill Howard

The floppy disk is so dead that most people have stopped declaring that its dead. One of the culprits is the USB memory drive, which lets you carry far more data in a device small enough to stick in a pocket or use as a keychain. But while these storage accessories have become commodities, companies […]

Why is Toyota about to become the worlds number-one automaker? Look no further than the 2007 Camry Hybrid. Its an incredible combination of fuel economy, roominess, and fit and finish. About all thats missing is a sense of the automotive character found in competitors or in the sibling Prius Hybrid. But enough people seem not […]

Cadillac no longer is the Cadillac of automobiles; that would be Lexus, Mercedes, or BMW. But Cadillac continues to be the most technically innovative and exciting of the traditional upscale U.S. brands. The company gave a technological upgrade to its recrafted best-selling model, the DeVille, firmly planting a foot across decades and perhaps centuries, with […]

The BMW iDrive cockpit controller is like the flashing-12 display seen in home electronics: a symbol, correctly or not, of technology run amok. The Bavarian elves at BMW have been hearing cranky-owner complaints for five years. But the iDrive might have easier times ahead, with the arrival in November of the second-generation X5 sports utility […]

Yawn! Chalk up another win for Lexus, on yet another J.D. Power survey: the 2006 Vehicle Dependability Study (VDS) released today. Thats 12 in a row for the automaker. J.D. Power & Associates surveyed 37 brands to determine problems found by owners of 2003 model-year cars. The survey showed a fairly even mixture among luxury […]

On paper, the Tesla Roadster is the electric car thats finally going to revolutionize transportation. I want to see it happen. I hope it happens. If Tesla wants to change the course of history, it has to change the mixed history of electric vehicle (EV) cars. It certainly attracted a wide range of celebrities and […]

BMW integrates the most technology into its cars. So says the Telematics Research Group , a Minneapolis technology consultancy. The TRG scored individual models in 30 areas including telematics, phone, head unit and navigation, audio, radio, video, and driver assist. BMW placed four individual models in the top 13, the odd amount because theres a […]

Chrysler raises the bar on in-car technology with the MyGiG: a 20GB hard drive embedded in the dashboard for ripping CDs and for storing navigation data. Included is a Gracenote lookup engine to provide artist, track, and title information; this is the first use of Gracenote in a new-car audio system in North America. (By […]

Buying a $60,000 hybrid car to cut driving costs makes sense the way putting Mrs. H. Ross Perot into the workforce makes sense: The Perot family finances improve, but the improvement is the size of a rounding error. Still, there are plenty of other reasons to covet the Lexus GS 450h, not the least of […]

Alternative fuels arent a perfect alternative to gasoline. They have less energy than gas and cost more; its improbable that production will be ramped up for more than a fraction of Americas vehicles; they have corrosive effects on normal fuel systems; and its not certain well get the technology to work soon. Popular Mechanics (May) […]

Whats old is new again. Acura gave the century-old technology of turbocharging a new twist in the RDX, an appealing small SUV with a wealth of technology goodies, all aimed at toppling the BMW X3 from its perch. Turbocharging for Power, Economy This is the first foray into passenger-vehicle turbocharging for Acura and its parent […]

“Why dont we review more affordable cars?” asked my editor-in-chief. “Because they dont have as much technology as, say, the $100,000 Mercedes S-Class,” I rejoined. It was a Mexican standoff, and I blinked. Besides, Jim had a good point. Click here to read the full review of the Honda Fit. 2 “Why dont we review […]