fusion

Ford CTO on New Ford Fusion

Paul Mascarenas, Ford's chief technology and VP of research, was in San Francisco showing off the new Ford Fusion, which now comes with a choice of engines including a 47mpg hybrid and a gasoline engine that shuts the engine off when stopped at a light or a traffic jam. CNET's Wayne Cunningham got a brief test drive and wrote some " fun facts" about the car.

In a telephone interview (scroll down to listen) Mascarenas talked about the fuel efficiency features including a "start/stop system" in its 1.6 litre "EcoBoost" gasoline … Read more

Parallels 8 and Fusion 5 benchmarked

Both Parallels Desktop 8 and VMWare Fusion 5 have just been released, with each offering similar approaches to running Windows and other operating systems within OS X.

Since their release, I have used both of these virtualization packages, and in my personal experiences they work quite well to run Windows and integrate its services and programs into OS X. Both support some of the latest features of Mountain Lion such as full-screen modes, seamless presentation of Windows applications within OS X, and easy access to your OS X files from within Windows. In my experiences with running Windows XP and … Read more

Parallels Desktop 8 and VMWare Fusion 5 announced

Both Parallels and VMware have announced the availability of the next versions of their popular virtualization software for running Windows and other operating systems within OS X. VMware Fusion 5 is available for download today, and the next version of Parallels Desktop will be released very soon on September 4.

Parallels Desktop and VMware Fusion are two of several available options for running guest operating systems within OS X so you can use applications and services supported for those operating systems along with your OS X applications without having to leave OS X and boot directly to them. This approach … Read more

T-Mobile unthrottles unlimited data

Wednesday's tech news roundup is at full throttle:

T-Mobile will launch a truly unlimited data plan beginning Sept. 5. No caps or throttling. Sprint also offers this, but T-Mobile is competing with pricing. Sprint's starting price for unlimited data is $80 a month, and users are limited to 450 voice minutes. T-Mobile also starts it at $80 a month, but throws in 500 minutes. The larger difference is when you want both unlimited data and unlimited talk; Sprint charges $110, T-Mobile charges $90 a month. Of course, there's also smartphone choice and service to consider. T-Mobile will … Read more

Huawei's AT&T Fusion 2 Android starter phone clears FCC

Huawei and AT&T are teaming up to bring forth a sequel of the AT&T Fusion, an entry-level Android GoPhone. The A&T Fusion 2 recently cleared the FCC; the files include elements as rich as a consumer-ready user manual.

That user manual tells us that the Android follow-up will has a microSD card, an FM radio, 3G speeds, and the Swype virtual keyboard. A blurry image of the phone's back shows a 3.2-megapixel camera without flash.

So far it isn't clear what differentiates the Fusion 2 from the original, but it's … Read more

Ford's RUTH robot arm extends hand to North America

If you're driving around in a 2013 Ford Fusion and think to yourself, "My, but this seat is comfortable," there's a good chance you have RUTH the robot to thank.

Ford's Robotized Unit for Tactility and Haptics -- a modified consumer packaging arm that tests interiors for quality and comfort -- has crossed the Atlantic from Europe to bring her touchy-feely testing skills to North America.

The robot simulates human motor skills to measure parameters like roughness, hardness, and temperature on points such as the steering wheel, knobs, and armrests. RUTH has already been used for several years at the automaker's European Research Center in Aachen, Germany, to poke and prod European versions of the Focus and Fiesta.

RUTH 2.0, located at Ford's Product Development Center in Dearborn, Mich., measures seat comfort too. She has extended her six-jointed arm all over the seats of the 2013 Fusion, the first North American car headed to production that she's had a major hand (or arm, we should say) in testing. … Read more

Verizon's LTE-powered in-home broadband goes national

While Sprint and T-Mobile are struggling to launch their 4G LTE networks, Verizon apparently has enough LTE to power your devices at home.

Starting Thursday, Verizon's HomeFusion Broadband service will bring LTE-powered Internet access nationwide. The service, which originally launched in March in six markets, feeds Internet to connected devices in the domicile, ranging from computers to gaming consoles.

Verizon's HomeFusion LTE will zip into homes through professionally-installed antennae receivers affixed on the outside of the house (this will cost you $199.99), then transmit signal to a Wi-Fi router inside the house. Using Wi-Fi, customers can connect … Read more

RIM launches BlackBerry Mobile Fusion for iOS, Android devices

Research In Motion (RIM) has finally launched BlackBerry Mobile Fusion for iOS and Android-based devices.

The mobile company announced Mobile Fusion last year. The service allows government and business customers to manage devices across BlackBerry OS, iOS, and Android from a Web-based console. According to the company, Mobile Fusion includes support for multiple devices per use, 256-bit AES encryption, the ability to enforce IT controls, and much more.

RIM was also quick to point out that the platform, which launched back in February for the BlackBerry PlayBook and BlackBerry smartphones, will also support BlackBerry 10 handsets when they launch later … Read more

AT&T Fusion is a prepaid Android GoPhone

Android smartphones aren't as abundant off-contract as they are with a two-year agreement, so it's always nice to see new handsets emerge for the prepaid market.

The 3G AT&T Fusion, available now, has a 3.5-inch HVGA touch screen; Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 2.1, and GPS support; and a 5-megapixel camera. It also has e-mail, text messaging, and instant messaging, of course, and all the apps you can get from the Android Market.

The phone costs $124.99.