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Short of employing a full hybrid system, automakers are finding many ways to improve fuel economy in current, gas-engine cars. Engineers are looking at every part of the drive cycle to determine where savings can be made.

Some of the technologies being employed are old, such as turbochargers and continuously variable transmissions, but they are being refined to take advantage of new materials and computing power.

There have also been some newer innovations that cut fuel use, such as the use of idle stop and dual-clutch transmissions.

A number of factors are helping push these developments. Consumers are trying to cope with increasing gas prices, and governments are pushing for reduced carbon dioxide emissions, which relate directly to fuel economy.

Check out these 11 technologies that reduce fuel consumption. … Read more

Sprint revealed today that it will launch its next-generation Direct Connect push-to-talk service, along with the compatible Kyocera DuraMax, starting October 2.

With the help of Qualcomm, the new Direct Connect platform works on Sprint's 3G CDMA network and allows for faster data speeds compared with the current Nextel iDEN network, which is being phased out in 2013. Another advantage to the next-gen service is broader coverage. Sprint says that by early 2012, Direct Connect is expected to match its CDMA voice coverage area, which is about three times the square miles covered by iDEN.

Aside from the usual push-to-talk functionality, Direct Connect will continue to offer call alert with text, Group Connect, Next Mail, availability notification, and the signature chirp sound to let you know that your call was successfully sent.

Of course, with the new service, you need new handsets and the Kyocera DuraMax will be the first compatible model. The rugged flip phone meets military specifications and comes with a 2-inch QVGA internal display, 1-inch monochrome external screen, a 3.2-megapixel camera, stereo Bluetooth, and a 1GB microSD card (supports up to 32GB). The cost of the phone is $69.99 with a two-year contract and after a $50 mail-in rebate.

In addition to the DuraMax, Sprint will offer the Kyocera DuraCore by the end of the year and an Android-based Direct Connect device from Motorola in Q4. Pricing and release dates for the two models were not given at this time. … Read more

Intel has released a graphics driver update for its Sandy Bridge processors that boosts performance up to 37 percent for games on Windows 7 and Vista.

"This major graphics driver update for 2nd generation Intel Core processors with Intel HD graphics improves game performance by up to 37% on ULV platforms," Intel said in a statement.

ULV--or Ultra Low Voltage--processors are Intel's most power efficient and are typically used in thin and/or compact laptops such as Hewlett-Packard's updated Pavilion dm1 and Samsung Series 9.

ULV-based systems will see the biggest performance improvement, Intel said. "It is where some of the biggest gains are seen on the driver," Intel spokesman Dave Salvator said. But the driver update applies to all systems with Sandy Bridge processors sporting HD graphics. … Read more

Intel's upcoming Ivy Bridge processor will pack two key--some might say essential--technologies that will make it the platform of choice for Ultrabooks. Hint: one of them is not Thunderbolt--the widely publicized connection technology that is now part of the entire Apple MacBook lineup.

For the uninitiated, Ivy Bridge is Intel's next-gen processor that is being manufactured now and is due to land in laptops by the first quarter of next year. It will have more powerful graphics silicon than the current Sandy Bridge chip and offer improved power saving features to boost battery life.

But those marquee features … Read more

The high-end notebook graphics war is on for 2011. Nvidia was first to fire a shot a few weeks ago, unveiling the GeForce GTX 580M.

AMD has since counterpunched with the AMD Radeon HD 6990M, its new, most high-end laptop graphics card, which the company now claims, as Nvidia did weeks ago, is the "fastest notebook GPU." This time, the edge indeed seems to belong to AMD. The company boasts a 25 percent improvement over the next-fastest notebook GPU. According to slides from AMD showing head-to-head performance benchmarks versus the GeForce GTX 580M, that statement seems to hold … Read more

Mozilla has answered Microsoft's concern that WebGL raises too many security risks with the observation that Microsoft itself has accepted the same risks with 3D interface technology coming with its own Silverlight browser plug-in.

WebGL, a new standard from Khronos Group, lets Web programmers add hardware-accelerated 3D graphics to the Web with an interface that mirrors the OpenGL ES 2.0 standard used among other places in Android and iOS devices. WebGL opens up online possibilities such as virtual worlds and graphically rich games, and it's built into Mozilla's Firefox and Google's Chrome today.

Microsoft, though, … Read more

I cover a wide range of headphones on this blog, everything from the $40 Deos earbuds to the state-of-the-art Woo Audio WES headphone amplifier ($4,500) and Stax SR-007Mk2 headphones ($2,410). I've written about a lot of great headphones priced between those two extremes.

The common thread to all of the headphones I cover here is they all have excellent sound quality, but if there's one thing I know about the audio business, it's that most people don't prioritize sound quality, even when a better sounding product fits within their budget. With headphones, most buyers … Read more

Ford's been taking advantage of its EcoBoost forced-induction technology to downsize engines across its line. V-8s give way to turbocharged V-6s. V-6s give way to turbo four-bangers. Continuing the trend, Ford has just announced the smallest engine it's ever built: a 1.0-liter EcoBoost three-cylinder engine.

Besides the obvious fuel savings from its lower displacement, Ford's new tiny terror packs in all sorts of economy-boosting technologies. For example, Ford's split cooling system helps the cylinder block to warm faster which helps to save fuel during the least efficient warm-up phase, especially in cold weather. The three-cylinder'… Read more

When you accidentally call someone from your phone, they may hear background noise in your house, or a conversation they shouldn't be privy to. Even worse, it could be an international number that is extremely expensive to call! Here are three tips to help you prevent pocket-dialing from your Android phone.

1. Install an app that confirms calls before you make them. It is unlikely that you will select someone to call and manage to hit the Call button in the confirmation window. There are many choices for this style of app, in this example Call Confirm … Read more