2009

I've been taking a lot of inspiration for my blog posts lately from the many beautiful and bad-ass cars I saw earlier this month at the 2009 International Auto Show in San Francisco. Likewise, I've been focusing on the several sports cars that really tickled my fancy at said car show, and I've been posting up Web video covering their attributes in great detail amid scenic backdrops and general fanfare. Today I'm going to talk about yet another newly unleashed sports car, the 2010 BMW Z4, but the video posted here is more of a hit-and-run … Read more

PIMShell is a feed reader that you can use to post and track the comments you leave on Web pages and your favorite blogs. It has gadgets that can be used in the sidebar of Windows operating systems, so you can have ready access at your fingertips.

The interface of this feed reader is fairly utilitarian, but it's well organized. You can customize the interface and easily add radio stations of your choice to the list. You can also add pages and note your favorites. The default display has a built-in media player that will tune in to the … Read more

One of the few European sports cars at the 2009 International Auto Show in San Francisco that people were allowed to get behind the wheel of was the 2010 Porsche Boxster S. I had to get in on the act, and I must tell you that all I wanted to do was punch the gas pedal and go for a joyride. And for those of us who may never get such an opportunity, here's a video of the 2010 Porsche Boxster Spyder in action on the roadway. Boy, what a sweet view it is.

This new Boxster model is … Read more

The year is beginning to officially draw to a close. And 2009 has been an interesting year in terms of software, crammed with two jackpot operating system releases and some major updates to popular programs. Which software titles won your interest? See for yourself in our slideshow of the 10 most-viewed programs on CNET Reviews.com in 2009.

Before you dive in, keep two caveats in mind. First, the list necessarily favors some products released earlier in 2009, which have had more time on Reviews.com to attract a larger number of eyeballs. The same principle applies to titles that … Read more

Greetings, Comrades! Free codecs for the people, thanks to the benevolent CCCP. Not the USSR but rather the Combined Community Codec Pack Project, a group dedicated to propagating Windows video codecs to achieve de facto standardization among competing anime formats, many of them developed and used by fan groups. Over time it's grown into a collection of useful codecs for playing just about any kind of video file you're likely to encounter online. The whole point of the CCCP is to provide a comprehensive set of codecs that will not only play common files but also uncommon ones.… Read more

It was no SEMA Show, but the 2009 Los Angeles Auto Show featured its fair share of rides that had spent time under the knife to become something more than stock.

From race-prepped Fiestas and Mazda2s to a pair of crazy Scions that take tailgating to a new level, modifications at the LA Show took all shapes and forms. Suzuki brought out two examples of its new Kizashi sedan modified by Rockford-Fosgate and Road Race Engineering to deliver great sound and great performance.

Meanwhile, SMS Supercars showed us the meaning of "exotic muscle" with a pair of SMS … Read more

Remember when the bottom dropped out of the economy and everyone was screaming for small, inexpensive, and fuel efficient cars? Well, they're here; and they're in Los Angeles.

Small cars ruled the roost at the 2009 LA Auto Show, with marquees such as the Ford Fiesta, the Mazda Mazda2, and the VW Up Lite attracting a lot of attention and stealing the spotlight from bigger more powerful cars.

Check out our gallery of small cars at the 2009 LA Auto Show for a closer look.

In our current roundup of retail-specific laptops, we've divided our 25-plus systems into four price categories, from sub-$700 budget models to high-end ones that cost more than $1,000.

In the "high-end" category, we looked at four off-the-shelf models that all retail for $999 and above. While there's certainly a lot to like about the $2,000 HP Envy 15 (it sported the highest screen resolution and a new Core i7 processor), we thought the best bang for your buck was to be found in the Sony Vaio FW560, which has a big 500GB hard drive and Blu-ray, all for $999.

If you're looking for something even less expensive, the Sony Vaio NW270offers no-frills Blu-ray for $699.

Note: For a roundup of retail laptops in all price ranges, check here.

Check out details of each system below:… Read more

Last week I got to attend the 52nd Annual International Auto Show in San Francisco. I actually got to sit behind the wheel of many fine automobiles, but one of the several cars that were off limits was the 2010 Lamborghini Murcielago. Unfortunately I've never had the pleasure of sitting (let alone driving) in a Lambo, so I've got to live vicariously through Web videos like this to get a taste of what it's like to drive the 2010 Lamborghini Murcielago LP670-4 SuperVeloce. And just as you might expect, this car appears to kick ass even on … Read more