Gadgets/Products

Owners of Blackberries, iPhones, and iPods have been enjoying Sirius XM through their handheld devices since last year, and now, the popular music/talk/news radio service is expanding its reach with a new app for Android. The app is free, and if you're already a Sirius XM subscriber, there's no...Read More»

The line between cars and computers has begun to blur, leaving tech geeks like us giddy. In-car internet, real-time eco-driving feedback, social media apps: they're all great things, and they point to a day when gearheads and propellerheads will be wearing the same hat. But there is, in fact, a...Read More»

Last week, we told you about a group of University of Michigan students who'd been developing apps for cars. Now, some of those students are about to give their work a test drive -- a long, cross-country test drive in a new Ford Fiesta. But they won't be going it alone: in Fiesta #2, some road trip...Read More»

A couple of weeks ago, we mentioned that Google's turn-by-turn navigation service -- currently available on Android headsets only -- is heading to the iPhone. That spells bad news for Garmin, TomTom, and other third-party GPS manufacturers, and unfortunately, there's more where that came from...Read More»

A big part of U.S. Secretary of Transportation Ray LaHood's job is making America's roadways safer. Over the past year or so, he's devoted much time and energy to fighting the hazard of distracted driving, but his newest program actually encourages talking on the go -- only now, it's the cars that...Read More»

Buick's skid from sporty family ride to stodgy senior-mobile was a long, slow one, and the road back to younger consumers has been decidedly uphill. Last week, we reported that after topping out at 72, the average age of Buick drivers has finally begun to drop, and thanks to a new ad campaign...Read More»

The internet is a pretty magnificent thing. It allows us to stay in touch with family and friends. It helps small companies to do business around the globe. And of course, it brought you here. But as the web grows, consuming every square inch of our daily lives, it brings numerous threats --...Read More»

3-D printing is fairly new, but its popularity grows with every improvement to the technology. The process uses either a 3-D scanner to map an item's surface or 3-D imaging software to build something from scratch. Then a special printer recreates that surface in sandstone, plastic, ceramic, or...Read More»

Apple and its hyper-popular iPhone have been in the news a lot this week -- and not for good reasons. It seems that Steve Jobs' minions have begun heavily censoring the apps available on the App Store, removing any that contain nudity, swimsuits, or ice skating tights (not kidding). But while...Read More»

The internet's slow, insidious takeover of Planet Earth inched forward at the 2010 Chicago Auto Show, as Volvo unveiled a new, rear-seat entertainment system. The RSEi-500 debuted on the 2010 Volvo XC70, featuring touchscreens embedded in front-seat headrests, a built-in wi-fi router, and a 500gb...Read More»

True innovation is controversial. Most major developments come with their share of open-armed adopters and up-in-arms adversaries. The printing press, the light bulb, the automobile, the cell phone: while many have welcomed such inventions, many others have shouted them down as stupid, dangerous...Read More»

It's high convention season here in the U.S., and while most of our attention is focused on Detroit, we've also got one eye on Las Vegas and the Consumer Electronics Show. There are a number of gearhead-oriented gadgets on the CES launch calendar, including two from Garmin: Voice Studio, a program...Read More»

New Year's Eve is a special night: a night for wary suburbanites to make their annual schlep to the city center, and for otherwise upright teetotalers to knock back the bubbly like barflies. Here at TCC, we fall somewhere in the middle -- right between "grandpa at the ice cream social" and "Gary...Read More»

The 2011 Ford Fiesta has garnered loads of attention in recent months. It's been popular with drivers and journalists, and it's been the subject of a highly successful marketing campaign. Now there's yet another reason to look forward to the Fiesta's U.S. release: it will be the first American Ford...Read More»

Drivers in urban areas have developed countless ways to cope with red light anxiety -- that frustration that stems from not knowing when that pesky traffic light dangling overhead will turn green. Some folks keep their eyes trained on pedestrian crossing signs, waiting for them to switch from...Read More»

A few weeks ago, we offered readers some great picks for holiday gifts.  And we know that some of you took our advice, but others...well, you've waited, haven't you? Don't worry, we're not here to judge. (Much.) No, we're here to help with ten great gifts -- one for each day remaining until...Read More»

Pandora.com is a fantastic free site that allows users to create personalized radio stations chock-full of their favorite music. When Pandora jumped to the iPhone in 2008, we were stoked because it meant we could finally take streaming music on the road (even though playback is a little dodgy...Read More»

Nissan developed self-healing paint to protect vehicles from the surface damage caused by parking lots, home garages, and the like. Known as "Scratch Shield", it's appeared on a handful of vehicles in the U.S. like the 2009 Infiniti G37, but now the paint's making the leap to objects that see much...Read More»