xdrive

The 2010 Audi Ice Driving Experience event

So recently we've gotten a look at BMW's xDrive all-wheel traction control system, both in theory and in action. Not surprisingly, German manufacturer Audi thinks its vehicles run and handle better on snowy and icy roads to the point that the company is hosting an event known as the Audi Ice Experience; it's a racing-track-based high-performance practical driving education event that's been around for more than 20 years now. And today we've got video from the most recent Experience held this year in Finland.

The Audi Ice Experience is a winter-specific course that is usually … Read more

A closer look at BMW xDrive technology

All-wheel traction control systems can make a trip on snowy and icy roads an easier time on you and your car. On Monday we got a brief glimpse of the innovative BMW xDrive traction system in action, and in today's video blog we dive into the deeper details of the technology involved and how BMW xDrive works.

For those of you just joining the conversation, BMW's xDrive is an "intelligent" electrical all-wheel traction control system that through Dynamic Stability Control (DSC) sensors can redistribute power between the axles depending on what is felt on existing road … Read more

A look at BMW xDrive

I was on the phone with my mom yesterday, and she was telling me that she made the trek from Ohio to New Jersey to visit my brother. Apparently, she was not aware that the East Coast was about to get hit again with yet another blast of snow, and according to Mommy Dearest, Jersey got smacked with 20 or so inches in this latest winter storm, and they had to drive through it. (No offense, Mom, but better you than me).

Even though it's technically March now, Old Man Winter has still got a lot of the U.… Read more

AOL announces final resting place for AOL Pictures, Xdrive files

As has been previously reported, AOL is shutting down its photo-hosting services AOL Pictures and Bluestring, and its online file storage service Xdrive. Everything stored there goes away on December 31, 2008. Photos on AOL Pictures are getting an optional new home at American Greetings' PhotoWorks service, although users have to actively sign on to the new service before June 30, 2009, to rescue their images.

The best bet, for everyone, is to sign on to your AOL services before the end of the year and download your photos or files. All three services will have bulk downloading available until … Read more

Cloud storage providers bail out Xdrive users

With AOL-owned Xdrive on the auction block, competing cloud storage providers are scrapping together all sorts of plans to woo these potential paying customers to their services. Two in particular, Dropio and Box.net, have set up simple escape hatches wherein Xdrive users can simply plug in their account credentials and have their data piped over.

There's a catch, though: both services have free storage caps well beneath Xdrive's generous 5GB. In the case of Dropio, that cap is 100MB. To supplement this, the service is offering Xdrive users a special premium drop, which bumps up the cap … Read more

Buzz Out Loud 774: The feel-good episode of the year

That's sarcasm, I'm afraid. Lots of bad news today, including the tragic end to the Spam King escape story, the cell-phones-and-cancer debate makes a resurgence with some serious recommendations for careful use, and AOL starts up a fire sale. In good news, though, a new iPhone firmware upgrade is on deck, and it may bring turn-by-turn GPS AND copy and paste. But you know, don't get your hopes up. Have a great weekend! Listen now: Download today's podcast EPISODE 774

Escaped ’spam king’ allegedly kills self, family http://news.cnet.com/8301-1009_3-9999451-83.html

Cancer doc urges … Read more

Xdrive releases AIR-based file manager

Now that AIR 1.0 has officially shipped, it's time to start experimenting with applications based on the shiny new platform, like the AIR-based file management application for AOL's Xdrive, Xdrive Desktop Light. I got a quick demo of this new application at CES in January, but now that it's out we can take a look at how well an AIR-based application can compare with a mature desktop application.

I like AIR applications, but it's very early days for this platform, and it shows in Xdrive Desktop Light. The application is pretty, and it does a … Read more

AOL tweaks BlueString, preps new XDrive

At CES, AOL was showing new features in its media-sharing service, BlueString (see hands-on). The latest news is the release of a Facebook app, My Memory Gallery, that lets you share your pictures with your Facebook pals. It's a nice bow to AOL's realization that, "We need to be where people actually are," as a representative told me. In my quick tryout of the application, though, I found no way to move files from preexisting BlueString folders into the Gallery folder so they'd show up on the Facebook widget. That kind of burst my bubble. … Read more

Digital Bucket stores all your stuff in a familiar fashion

Waiting for Google's online hard-drive service to launch? Check out Digital Bucket, a new storage service that's simple and intuitive. We've seen plenty of virtual desktop services here at Webware, and the one thing many have in common is attempting to emulate an existing GUI. In the case of Digital Bucket, that look and feel is the Microsoft Windows file explorer, and as I've found by using the service this morning-- this isn't a bad thing.

When it comes to files, drag and drop is by nature a very effective way of moving things around. … Read more

First hands-on: AOL's BlueString

AOL is showing off today a new media sharing and storage service, BlueString. I snuck into the unfinished product after I got a preview, and it looks like it's going to be very straightforward and easy to use. There are several services that do what it does, but few that do it as easily.

BlueString's neat trick is that it manages to work well as both a sharing site--a good place for you to create slide shows of events that you then e-mail to your family or embed on your personal site--and a media storage service.

The storage back-end for BlueString is XDrive, an online storage and backup service that AOL acquired, and where AOL has clearly been testing BlueString ideas. BlueString's show creator function, for example, looks like a rebuild of a nearly identical feature in XDrive.

Getting media into BlueString is quite easy. The import dialog box allows you to select multiple files to import at once. If you're a user of AOL Pictures, files from there also automatically load into your workspace. These features are being showcased today at the TechCrunch 40 event in San Francisco. BlueString will also import from Flickr, which is great for people who miss the straightforward Yahoo Photos application recently killed in favor of the higher-concept Flickr service.