hybrid

Judge rules Honda overstated hybrid fuel economy

A judge in California awarded $9,867 to a woman who sued Honda in small claims court, with the complaint that her Civic Hybrid did not achieve the fuel economy advertised by Honda.

A class action lawsuit against Honda is currently being argued over the Civic Hybrid's fuel economy advertising. But Heather Peters decided to bring her own suit over the issue in small claims court.

Honda based its advertising on the EPA test figure, which estimated 50 mpg for the Civic Hybrid in the city. Peters argued that her 2006 Civic Hybrid achieved much less than the advertised … Read more

Why it's time for the 13-inch MacBook Pro to go away

October 2008. I remember eagerly buying Apple's newly designed and sleekly beautiful unibody MacBook. My son, now 3 1/2, was just born. The last presidential election was just wrapping up. "Avatar" hadn't even come out yet. The iPhone was in its second iteration. The iPad was still a year and a half away.

A long time has passed since, yet the 13-inch MacBook Pro, in terms of just sheer design, has barely changed at all. Sure, under the hood it's a completely different computer: fast Intel processor, Thunderbolt, integrated long-life battery, better screen. Yet, I can line up that 2008 13-incher (then just known as the MacBook) next to the latest 13-inch Pro and most people wouldn't be able to tell the difference. … Read more

Home not built in a day? How about in under 60 (video)

How do you build a house in under two months? HybridCore Homes does it by building the most complex parts in a factory and the simpler ones on site.

The company, which sells 70 different "cores" and 100 different house plans, uses nearly all recycled construction materials. SmartPlanet's Sumi Das takes a look at the company's formula that combines the custom look of stick-built construction with the speed and cost-savings of factory-built homes.

This video originally appeared on SmartPlanet with the headline "Pre-fabricated cores enable builder to churn out houses in less than 2 months.&… Read more

Windows 8 stable on ARM, going to developers soon, say sources

Windows 8 is stable on the ARM chip platform and will be seeded to developers soon, sources told CNET. Devices may be priced significantly less than their Intel counterparts, too.

Windows 8 on ARM should go to developers in February, said one source, who had some hands-on time with a high-profile device from a major PC maker, adding that Windows 8 was impressive and stable.

"In October of last year. [Windows 8 on ARM] scared the industry because it was unstable. But what we are seeing now is quite stable," said another source, who also confirmed an expected … Read more