manuals

I'm having flashbacks to high school typing class, caged in a room full of incessantly clacking keys. I was likely one of the last students to ever have to hunt and peck my way through "The quick brown fox jumped over the lazy hen" on a typewriter.

If you stick around long enough, what's old becomes new again. Hammacher Schlemmer came up with a most-excellent press release headline: "Hammacher Schlemmer Introduces The Classic Manual Typewriter." It's as if the classic manual typewriter had never existed before. What crazy alternate universe is this?… Read more

There's an Easter Egg in Hyundai's color codes, what's the point of all of this advanced engine tech anyway, and where do we go for our DIY car maintenance needs? We get to the bottom of these questions and more on on this week's episode of CNET Roadside Assistance.

We heard from the Voltisti, get an earful about carbon buildup, muse MPG and shifting, and find more answers in the question of the ages: why does a '96 Buick get such good mileage?

When it comes to performing do-it-yourself fixes or upgrades on your Mac, one of the main resources to use is the online take-apart guides from iFixIt.

The company has detailed how to open and access internal components of many Mac models, and has gained a reputation for quickly tearing down newly released Apple hardware and outlining what's inside.

The manuals and high-quality detailed images offered by iFixIt can be invaluable, but if for some reason your Mac is not working and you need to use one of the manuals to replace a component, then you will need to access … Read more

United Airlines today announced its cockpits will go paperless by swapping out printed flight manuals in favor of Apple's iPad.

As part of the swap, the carrier is giving 11,000 iPads to all United and Continental pilots. The iPads are loaded with Jeppesen Mobile FliteDeck, an app that contains navigational charts and local airport information.

United estimates that the change from paper will save it 326,000 gallons of jet fuel a year, based on the paper the iPads are replacing.

"Each iPad, which weighs less than 1.5 pounds, will replace approximately 38 pounds of paper operating manuals, navigation charts, reference handbooks, flight checklists, logbooks and weather information in a pilot's flight bag," the company said in a statement. "A conventional flight bag full of paper materials contains an average of 12,000 sheets of paper per pilot."

United says it began doling out iPads to pilots a few weeks ago and that all its pilots will have them by the end of the year.

Both Delta Airlines and Alaska Airlines began testing iPads for navigational purposes earlier this year as part of a trial program. Executive Jet Management, a unit of NetJets, announced in February that it had gained approval from the Federal Aviation Administration to use Jeppesen's app as well. … Read more

Diskeeper 2011 automatically takes care of hard-disk fragmentation as it occurs, making the manual defragmenters we're all accustomed to a thing of the past. For any Windows users experiencing a lag in hard-disk performance, this hassle-free tool is a fantastic option.

Shortly after installation, Diskeeper analyzes all the volumes on your computer. The data it collects is used as a baseline for the Performance Reports it generates from that point on. These reports let you know how many fragments the program has eliminated as well as how, exactly, it has improved your PC's performance. While most users won'… Read more

It's only been on roads for a few months, but the Ford Fiesta is already getting a few changes for the 2012 model year, including mostly appearance customization options, but also one small performance upgrade.

Leading off the new customization options is a sport appearance package that supposedly evokes the European Ford Focus RS with blacked-out side mirrors, headlamp housings, front grille, license plate header, and rear spoiler. However, this appearance package is not just all show and no go. When equipped with the six-speed manual transmission, the sport appearance package also gains a slight performance advantage in the … Read more

When Hyundai debuted its line-topping Equus, the automaker also made the grand claim that it would be ditching the luxury sedan's paper owner's manuals in favor of a 16GB Wi-Fi Apple iPad and an app. We've already taken the Equus for a test-drive, and now prospective buyers can test-drive the Hyundai Equus iPad Owner Experience app, which is available for download in the iTunes App Store.

Demonstrated in the video below, the app is shown playing promotional videos, giving users access to a 3D vehicle walk-around, and running animated and interactive demonstrations of vehicle safety features, such … Read more

Canon's PowerShot S90 continues to be one of the most popular cameras on CNET, but it is expensive and really targeted at a prosumer user. The SD4000 IS announced Tuesday brings some of the S90's features--primarily its f2.0 lens--to the masses in a body design intended to be stylish or, in other words, less serious-looking than the S90.

The camera is also the company's first to feature a high-speed backside-illuminated CMOS sensor, though it's still the typical compact camera-size sensor, 1/2.3-inch type. This sensor means Canon is finally able to offer features that … Read more