5.2

Audi R8 5.2 FSI Quattro: The everyday supercar

When we last left our hero, I was putting the kibosh on the track session in the Audi S4 and had just been handed the keys to the Audi R8 5.2 FSI Quattro, affectionately known as the R8 V-10.

Taking a walk around the R8, I took note of the supercar's low-slung good looks and sporty proportions. Externally, the R8 V-10 can be visibly discerned from the V-8 model in a few ways. The R8's trademark sideblades receive flared intakes to help the larger engine to breathe. The front and rear bumper vents have been enlarged and finished in a glossy piano black. The HID Xenon headlamps have been replaced with the world's first production full-LED arrays. Most obviously, chrome "V10" badges on the front fenders let everyone know how many cylinders you're working with.

Under the rear glass, on display for all to see, is the 5.2-liter direct injected 10-cylinder gasoline engine. Not only does this power plant have two more cylinders and a full extra liter over the V-8, but it also gains a whopping 105 horsepower and 74 pound-feet of torque. The result is a complete transformation of the nature of the vehicle, whether cruising a back road or barreling, flat-out down the back straight of your favorite racetrack.… Read more

Cross-platform consistency

A single platform to download individual applications across multiple operating systems. What's not to love? Adobe Air (which stands for Adobe Integrated Runtime) is a sleek runtime platform that installs and runs an application on Windows, Mac, and Linux computers. You'll need it to download applications built using Air. Since developers need only make one version of the app for all three computing platforms, they can spend more quality time creating their product.

Or so the theory goes. As a runtime and delivery mechanism, Air won't determine how well the app fulfills its purpose, but programs built … Read more

Cluttered interface

Like its free counterpart, AnVir Task Manager Pro offers users a one-stop shop for managing their system's running processes and applications. After putting it to the test, we found very few discernible differences between the two.

The program's user interface is a bit overwhelming. It uses tabs to distinguish system categories, such as start-up, applications, processes, and services. Command buttons at the top of the window give you the ability to kill processes, block processes, free memory, and select a parent process. The bottom of the window details CPU, memory, and disk usage, but it's cluttered and … Read more

Computer health snapshot

Creating a snapshot of a computer's health, the AnVir Security Suite holds a microscope to every inch of a user's system. This program is so detailed that it will appeal to a wide swath of those interested in keeping viruses and spyware out of their lives.

This free 20-day trial displays everything with an easy-to-understand home screen. A simple list of programs, with their appropriate icons, is listed with a color code and percentage sign detailing how much of possible risk each holds. By clicking on these programs, users see its origination, where it is stored, and why, … Read more

More options than Notepad

Discover an alternative to Microsoft's Notepad: BDV Notepad. This Text file composition app offers users improved options on the traditionally simple program, but sacrifices some of the original's sleekness.

BDV Notepad provides many improvements upon normal word processors that save as txt. files. In an attempt to combine some of Microsoft Word's options with Notepad, users can click a button to undo previous work. In addition, users can send documents directly to a recipient in an e-mail, choose background and font colors, and even create URLs automatically as they are typed. This unlimited trial also offers an … Read more

Optimizing made easy

Developers are getting smarter by making their applications more appealing through improved interface design. But good looks don't necessarily mean good performance. But in the case of this toolbox, a professional-looking interface is nicely combined with ease of use and quick performance.

Memory Improve Professional launches a nicely designed interface that's easy to comprehend and simple to navigate. The dial-based gauge displays a quick-to-grasp visual of your system's memory use.

This app's tools performed nicely in our tests. We liked that the settings for configuring this utility's performance were on the launch window, so we … Read more

Programmer's pal

When Word is too much and Notepad isn't enough, you might want to give TextPad a look. The text tool requires little drive space, but comes with a surprising array of unique features that are especially useful for programming tasks. A group of simple formatting tools such as indenting, line numbering, character transposing, and condition-based word wrapping help keep code in order. It offers excellent customization features, letting you create formatting and code coloring specific to whatever language you're programming in. Those looking for a robust tool for low-end desktop publishing will be disappointed, however. TextPad works best … Read more