focus

Ford is putting its customers to work by giving them a chance to help develop the final in-dash display for the Ford Focus Electric through the use of a specially designed driving simulator.

Inside the simulator, drivers see same information that would appear in the real Ford Focus Electric, including two 4.2-inch full-color LCD screens flanking the speedometer in the center. Then the simulator takes drivers on an 11-mile circuit through a variety of terrain such as hills, cities and flat land.

The screens in the simulator provide details to the driver such as battery charge, distance to the … Read more

In this episode of Roadside Assistance, we decide whether aftermarket is the way to go for car audio, come up with an alternative for HDD-based audio storage, and take a look at a potential revenue stream for the Ford Focus Electric.

• LOLcars (photos)

iMuscle helps you work out by showing you a 3D representation of the human body with the musculature exposed and animations of the muscle groups used for specific exercises. The app offers over 450 3D animations to show how stretches and exercises effect your body--a great workout aid when your at the gym and want to know how to best focus on specific muscle groups.

The interface of iMuscle lets you choose an area of the "Muscleman" you want to work on and then zooms in on the area. You then get a list of thumbnails that work … Read more

One of the frustrating aspects of using a graphical user interface such as OS X is that when you launch a new application, the system assumes that is the application you wish to bring to the forefront. If you launch multiple applications, sometimes they may take a few moments to load and if you decide to switch focus to another program in the meantime then you chance having the program you launched grab your focus and place windows above those of the application you are working in.

These behaviors can be exceptionally frustrating, and while the basic remedy is to … Read more

The computer industry has spent much time obsessing over how to make things smaller. Teensy smartphones. Thin tablets. Itty-bitty USB drives. InFocus is saying, "Screw that!" and going big with its new Mondopad.

As the name suggests, the Mondopad is a honking big tablet. This is 55 inches of HD tablet that can go up on a wall or hang out on a stand. It's so big you'll be cleaning hand prints rather than fingerprints off of the glass.

I know what you're thinking. This could be awesome for gaming. I'm sorry to break it to you, but it has a different purpose in life.

The Mondopad's aim is to drain the boring out of business meetings. It features a multitouch display, video conferencing, a 720p video camera, Wi-Fi, and soundbar speakers. It can act as a whiteboard, browse the Web, or display PowerPoint presentations, Word docs, and other typical business-y sorts of files.… Read more

The 2012 Ford Focus and Explorer models will have quieter cabins thanks to new laser inspection technology.

Ford today announced it is investing $100 million to install robotic plant laser inspection technology to better attach doors and other large panels to vehicles. A tighter fit equals less cabin noise, Ford said.

The new laser inspection will be used at the at Michigan Assembly Plant and the Saarlouis, Germany, plant, both plants build the 2012 Ford Focus. And then at the Chicago Assembly Plant, which builds the 2012 Ford Explorer.

According to Ford, robots are programmed to recognize any minute deviations … Read more

Ford wants the action of plugging in a new Ford EV to have an intuitive feel. The automaker today announced it has standardized the location of charge points on the Focus Electric and C-MAX Energi to the left front fender.

"After benchmarking multiple competitive vehicles, we found there wasn't much consistency in charge port location," said Susan Curry, Ford Electrified Vehicle Technology Integration supervisor. "We wanted to give customers a location that made the most sense for them and would seem as simple as filling up at the gas station."

According to Ford, EV owners … Read more

EVs: They crash well, but will their sales crash, too? Dr. Dre now fits in your dash. Chitty Chitty Bang Bang is for sale. And we take you for a run in the 2012 Ford Focus.

The new Ford Focus is a completely different car than what you are imagining right now. It descends clearly from the Euro/Global Focus the rest of the world has been quite fond of and there's plenty of reason for the U.S. to fawn as well. But it's not perfect. Brian Cooley takes you for a drive to check the tech.

(You can also read CNET's full review of the 2012 Ford Focus.)