touring

We look at a real swagger wagon from Toyota, find some cool-looking Honda hybrids, sit in a new supercar from McLaren, and drive the lowest tech car we've seen this year.

• SEMA 2010

• Toyota debuts Swagger Wagon Supreme

• Honda CR-Z concepts and special editions

• Sneak peek: McLaren's most lust-worthy supercar

• Aston Martin transponder watch

The days of blasting music out of a portable boombox are behind us, and while some companies still offer retro jambox wannabes for iPods, the best way to free your music from the aural confines of an MP3 player is through a portable Bluetooth speaker.

We've rounded up several Bluetooth speakers for your consideration. All of these wireless speakers benefit from limited loss in audio quality while still maintaining a small footprint and extended range. Functionality varies according to model, and they differ in regard to rechargeable versus alkaline batteries, size versus sound, and the capability to be used … Read more

CAMBRIDGE, Mass.--Bill Gates didn't leave Harvard on Wednesday with a degree, but the Microsoft chairman said he did leave feeling that the top colleges are paying more attention to the needs of the developing world.

"Schools are really doing more," Gates told CNET in an interview, as he headed to the airport following his three-day college tour. "These leading institutions are out in front... Certainly versus when you go back all the way to when I was here, there were no poverty classes."

At MIT, for example, Gates met with students working on projects … Read more

CAMBRIDGE, Mass.--As he has at each of the stops on his college tour, Bill Gates took time Wednesday morning to meet with a group of minority students whose university education has been funded by his family's foundation.

After a few photos were taken, the group of several dozen Gates Millennial Scholars here at Massachusetts Institute of Technology had a chance to speak with their benefactor. Most just wanted to say thanks, while a few had questions about how they could make a difference.

One student asked what Gates expected from the scholars.

"The dream is that it … Read more

PALO ALTO, Calif.--Bill Gates was feeling pretty good Monday night, though the Microsoft chairman said he's still honing his pitch to convince college students to change the world.

"I can always say to myself, 'Hey, I could have answered that question better.'" Gates said. "I'll get better as time goes on."

But Gates, who travels to Chicago on Tuesday before wrapping up the three-day tour in Boston on Wednesday, said he is pretty pleased with how things have gone so far.

"There's only so much you can squeeze into a day,&… Read more

PALO ALTO, Calif.--Microsoft may be known for PowerPoint, but Bill Gates' college tour has just one slide in it.

In his effort to convince students to devote more time and energy to society's big problems, Gates points to one chart--the decline in death rates of children during the past 50 years. In 1960, roughly 20 million kids younger than five died each year, a figure that has dropped to less than 9 million due in large part to vaccines.

Already Gates said, more people are focusing on global health, something he said is making a difference.

"I … Read more

BERKELEY, Calif.--While the world faces enormous challenges feeding its populations, developing clean energy, and fighting diseases, many of its best and brightest citizens are focused on other issues.

That notion was reinforced for Bill Gates several weeks back as he sat with several friends who were engaged in a passionate discussion on two key topics: March Madness and the reforms being debated for Wall Street.

The philanthropist and Microsoft chairman said he would like to see some of this brain power shifted to issues like education.

"How possible is it that we could be having this same intense … Read more

BERKELEY, Calif.--The University of California at Berkeley's Zellerbach Hall is still empty, but that won't last long.

In just over an hour, Bill Gates will kick off a three-day speaking tour of college campuses. While such gigs were frequent during his days at Microsoft, this is the first such tour that Gates has done in his role as full-time philanthropist.

"On our way to Berkeley & Stanford for day 1 of the college tour," Gates said Monday, in a post on Twitter. "I am very excited to talk with students and see the work … Read more

Bill Gates is going back to college, and Beyond Binary is going along for the ride.

Next week, the Microsoft chairman and philanthropist is doing a three-state college tour, meeting with students and faculty to encourage more people to join efforts to solve society's biggest global challenges.

In a blog post this week, Gates noted that he's done similar tours during his time at Microsoft, but that this is the first time he's done it in his capacity as head of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.

"I'm most looking forward to my conversation with … Read more