assistant

Apple releases a tool to automatically create recovery disks for Mac OS X Lion, researchers at the Black Hat hackers conference say that you should change all of your passwords if your laptop gets stolen, and the BlackBerry Colt will be the first QNX-powered smartphone from Research in Motion in early 2012.

Links from Tuesday's episode of Loaded:

Buick just announced pricing on the 2012 Regal with eAssist, and the sportier 2012 Regal GS.

The Regal with eAssist will start at $29,530. The eAssist system is actually a $2,000 option on the Regal base model, mated to a 2.4L Ecotec engine. According to Buick, the base model without eAssist will continue to be available along with the 2.0L turbo.

The Regal GS will start at $35,310. Both prices include $860 in destination charges.

"Regal with eAssist and Regal GS offer distinct advantages to midsize luxury sport sedan customers," Tony DiSalle, U.… Read more

If you're planning on upgrading to Mac OS X 10.7 Lion tomorrow, you'll want to do a quick software update and be sure you've got Migration Assistant version 1.0 installed.

The update fixes an issue that prevents the migration of data from systems running Mac OS X 10.6.x Snow Leopard to systems running Mac OS X 10.7 Lion.

The update can be downloaded via Software Update on qualifying machines or directly from Apple.

Be sure to follow MacFixIt on Twitter and contribute to the CNET Mac forums.

The battle between telematics services is starting to heat up with Ford treading into GM's territory by adding live operator assistance to Sync.

Ford's cloud-based Sync Services is an automated system that lets drivers use voice commands to look up businesses, directions, traffic updates, and other information, such as sports scores, stock quotes, and horoscopes. Sync Services can send turn-by-turn directions to vehicles.

However, even with 14 million business listings, Sync Services isn't perfect. Looking up nearby businesses or entering directions is a hit-or-miss experience, and around the third or fourth time you scream "Starbucks" … Read more

On this episode of CNET's Roadside Assistance, we take a look at the cars that we have owned over the years. Not all of them were pretty but they were ours.

• The cars of CNET Car Tech editors: Antuan Goodwin (photos)

• The cars of CNET Car Tech editors: Wayne Cunningham (photos)

• The cars of CNET Car Tech editors: Brian Cooley (photos)

The 2011 Honda CR-Z found itself on the receiving end of much criticism from the automotive press and enthusiasts, ourselves included, when it launched last year. Greenies didn't like the hybrid's merely average fuel economy, and enthusiasts chided its less-than-hard-core performance. A few of these enthusiasts figured they could do better. This is where Mugen, Honda's sometimes-official tuning division comes into the picture with its CR-Z Mugen concept, set to debut in July at the Goodwood Festival of Speed in July.

Realizing that you can't please everyone, Mugen instead focuses on the needs and wants of … Read more

Audi released its Roadside Assistance app, which lets car owners send requests to Audi's 24-7 vehicle assistance electronic service.

The new app is available for iPhone, Android, and some BlackBerry smartphones, and should speed service requests when drivers need it the most. The app saves time by automatically sending the stored vehicle identification number and personal contact data, and also passes along the phone's GPS location to the assistance operator. Although the application doesn't appear to send any diagnostic data, drivers can submit a request for help with general services, such as a lock-out or a flat … Read more

This week is all about your car's backside. How do rear wheel drives perform in the snow, we talk a bit about rear view cameras, and at least one of you wants to see more tech cars with a bed out back.

• LOL Cars

Researchers at the University of Hertfordshire in the United Kingdom are unveiling a prototype system they say is designed to learn from its inhabitants, text if security is breached (or a door left unlocked), and now even monitor its occupants' health.

The InterHome, developed in a doll's house, uses a touch-screen control panel that enables online and smartphone monitoring and control from afar.

The house not only incorporates energy-efficient and security features that learn from the occupants' living habits (when lights tend to be on or off where, when the house is empty, etc.), but also a device that … Read more