Car Tech

Shortly after the Google I/O keynote yesterday, Google rolled out a list of app updates, one of which was an update to Google Maps. In the update, Google enabled the ability to save a section of a map for offline access. This is a great feature when you are traveling in an area with spotty coverage.

To save an area, launch Google Maps and tap on the menu key. Select Make Available Offline from the menu and then narrow down the area you want to save. You'll want to make sure you do this in advance and when … Read more

Places like McDonald's, Cracker Barrel, IHOP, and Denny's are just a few of the restaurants you normally see when traveling the roads of the USA. While many of these places say they offer healthier choices, you probably know there are better options than chain restaurants. So if you're seeking some local cuisine, or you have special dietary needs, why not reference a guide made for just that?

The Eat Well Guide travel map is a useful Web site for finding more than 25,000 healthier places to eat. This guide doesn't just cover restaurants, it also … Read more

As I unpacked my luggage on the night before the 2012 New York auto show, I made a very unfortunate discovery. I'd forgotten to bring my DSLR's charger and my camera's battery was dead. This wasn't a showstopper--we tend to cover these shows with the assistance of a dedicated photographer much better than I am--but it did mean that I'd be doing a bit of solo shooting with little more than my smartphone's camera.

Now, the HTC ThunderBolt 4G's camera is nothing to write home about, but with the aid of an app … Read more

We already know quite a bit about Fisker's follow-up to the Karma electric sports sedan. We know that it's called the Atlantic, that it's smaller than the Karma, and that it should be significantly less expensive--rumors put the MSRP at about $40,000 after a $7,500 federal tax credit. Heck, we even know what it looks like thanks to a batch of leaked photos.

However, there's a great deal that we don't know. There have been no power, range, or economy ratings leaked to go along with the photos. We don't have dimensions, … Read more

When they asked me to compare these two cars, I almost choked on my morning Castrol: the Porsche 911 is just about unassailable as a driver's car, while Jaguar has insulted us for ages with X-Types, S-Types, and a bunch of XJs whose resale value drops faster than the Dow in '08.

But as I went over my notes from driving each recently, I found an interesting story and a couple of cars you might actually cross-shop. Maybe.

Let's get them head-to-head and see if the 911's latest edition can unnerve Britain's best example of an … Read more

Hyundai is clearly done being that car you don't know the name of.

For a long time, Hyundai cars were sort of bland, and when you did get close enough to read the name, you then recoiled at its reputation. This new i30 is a stylish crossover that shows the Korean car maker is not only interested in competing but also stomping out the embers of its ugly past.

(CNET's full coverage of the 2011 Frankfurt auto show)

As the car industry recovers, crossovers are one of the first sectors to come back.

So that brings us to the world premiere of Mazda's CX-5, a crossover with an interesting engine that puts the emphasis on efficiency. And, like the new Ford Escape, it takes on a high-style sculpted look that says "car" all the way.

(CNET's full coverage of the 2011 Frankfurt auto show)

Not the most imaginatively named car, but to our eyes another handsome step forward for Kia.

Sleek, stylish, and sporty are not the type of words you would use to describe a Kia, but the Korean automaker wants you to think about those things, especially in this sedan concept called the GT at the 2011 Frankfurt auto show.

(CNET's full coverage of the 2011 International Motor Show in Frankfurt)

The Ford EVOS concept is part of what they mean by "rolling consumer electronics".

This is currently Ford's most important concept car, the one that looks far forward and envisions styling, power and cabin technology innovations the company may bet its brand on. From another carmaker it might be dismissed as car show puffery, but Ford has a pretty good track record lately of putting innovative cars in showrooms. Brian Cooley shows you want the EVOS telegraphs.

(CNET's full coverage of the 2011 Frankfurt auto show)