2011

TweakNow's WinSecret bundles a lot of system tweaks and tools into one easy-to-use interface. It helps people who don't feel comfortable editing the registry take advantage of some of the great performance and stability tweaks inside Windows without having to use RegEdit or system consoles. It also includes system cleaners, a startup manager, and an uninstaller.

WinSecret's tabbed interface is attractive, yet it avoids the overdesigned look of many similar tools. It opened on the Quick Optimizer tab, which listed a variety of quick tweaks like cleaning temporary files and compacting browser database files. We simply had … Read more

LAS VEGAS--A letter F on a report card is usually a bad thing. However, when Lexus slaps an F-badge on the back of one of its vehicles, you should know that the automaker means fast and not fail.

Actually, the F stands for finesse, but let's not split hairs. The GS 350 sedan with F Sport package that Lexus debuted at the 2011 SEMA Show is no mere appearance upgrade, it should also be faster than the standard model.

However, the extra performance comes in the form of suspension, aerodynamic, and chassis upgrades, as the GS 350's 3.… Read more

LAS VEGAS--Last year's SEMA Show may have been the year of the hybrid, but this year Honda is throwing its weight behind its original golden child, the Honda Civic.

The automaker has filled its booth here at the 2011 SEMA Show with a collection of high-performance and high-styled 2012 Honda Civic Si Coupe and Sedan models.

Leading the high-performance charge is the Bisimoto Engineering 2012 Honda Civic Si Coupe, which spins the dyno's rollers to the tune of 1,004 horsepower. That's no typo: one thousand and four ponies. More amazingly, Bisimoto does so with the Si'… Read more

LAS VEGAS--Vizualogic's Android rear-seat entertainment (RSE) system is not the first of its kind that we've seen, but it may yet end up being the first to market.

The replacement car seat headrest features an integrated full-color, 7-inch capacitive touch screen that allows rear-seat passengers to interact with the Android 2.3 operating system. When asked why Gingerbread was used rather than the newer and tablet-optimized Honeycomb (or Ice Cream Sandwich) versions of the Android OS, Vizualogic stated that the the unit would be updated to version 3.1 or better by the time it reaches production. However, … Read more

LAS VEGAS--Only at the SEMA Show could a car as wildly styled as the Scion FR-S be the least eye-catching ride in a bunch, but that was exactly the case at Scion's booth.

Scion is no stranger to SEMA. The automaker never makes a big fuss (there's no press conference and its booth is best described as humble). However, Scion has consistently showed off some of my favorite concepts during the three years that I've been attending this show.

This year, the star of Scion's show was the new iQ. Four custom examples of the microcompact … Read more

LAS VEGAS--If I told you that a performance car manufacturer has developed a lightweight version of a popular roadster with a tent-style fabric roof, dubbed "Spyder," you might assume that I'm months late with my Porsche news.

However, I'm talking about Mazda, not Porsche, and the car in question isn't the Boxster Spyder, but the Mazda MX-5 Spyder.

The MX-5 Spyder starts with the MX-5 Miata and ditches the retractable roof in favor of a single-panel grenadine-red soft top made by Haartz. Additional weight savings come from the swapping of the lead acid battery for … Read more

Chrome badges look great during the day, but they mostly go unnoticed at night. The opposite is true of illuminated trim; it can look great at night, yet horrible during the day. However, Ford's new illuminated chrome trim should, in theory, look as good at night as it does during the day.

Ford says that it has developed a technique to project light through a chrome finish for small parts and had examples on display at the 2011 SEMA Show in Las Vegas. The particulars of how Ford pulls off this trick of light are beyond me, but the … Read more

LAS VEGAS--As the meme goes, "Yo dawg, I heard you like sports, so we put sports in your car so you can play while you drive."

Kia seems to have taken a page out of late '90s TV show "Pimp My Ride's" book when it commissioned the six custom models unveiled today at the 2011 SEMA Show. This selection of Optima Hybrids, Rios, and a Soul feature designs and accessories that are based on the golf, basketball, surfing, hockey, and, of course, motorsports.

The first model unveiled was a the Hole In One Soul built … Read more

The new Escape model, debuting at the 2011 Los Angeles auto show, will feature a rear hatch that opens with a kick.

To show off its new hands-free hatch on the upcoming 2012 Escape, Ford released a video where people try to figure out how to open it. The hatch, when someone kicks a foot underneath the rear of the car, seems like an especially useful feature for people laden with suitcases, babies, and groceries.

But the video inadvertently suggests that this feature is not very intuitive, as the first person approaches the car and can't figure out how … Read more