The 2012 Tesla Model S

What you should know: 
Tesla Motors turns our idea of an automobile on its head with the first real fruit of its labors, the 2012 Model S. The electric drivetrain takes center stage, of course, and the cabin tech takes its cues directly from the consumer electronics industry.
Performance trim, could hold 85 kilowatt-hours of electricity, the maximum offered by Tesla and good for 300 miles of range at 55 mph, according to Tesla. (The EPA rates the Model S' range at 265 miles.) Tesla also offers 40- and 60-kilowatt-hour versions, costing less but with less range.
The electric motor takes up very little space compared with an internal combustion engine, and nestles neatly between the rear wheels. This architecture frees up room within the car, such that there's a flat floor in the center both in front and back. A console rising up between the front seats merely serves as an armrest, storage, and a mounting spot for two USB ports. Likewise, drive components do not intrude into the hatchback area, and the hood covers extra cargo space.
Tesla keeps control surfaces in the cabin to a minimum, putting everything from navigation to climate controls on the massive, 17-inch center touch screen. Though other car companies have gotten backlash for hiding climate controls on touch screens, I believe Tesla can get away with it, partly due to good design -- the temperature controls, for example, are always visible -- and partly due to the fact that the Model S' early adopters will no doubt be tech-friendly.
No analog gauges mar the techie nature of the car, and few would be actually needed. An LCD acts as the instrument cluster, showing a central virtual gauge in modern graphical glory courtesy of an Nvidia processor. That virtual gauge indicates power usage and regeneration, while a digital speed readout occupies its center. The two other essential bits of information shown in this gauge are the remaining range and battery charge level.

What it offers: 
The 2012 Tesla Model S sets a new standard for cars of the 21st century by integrating cabin tech equal to anything from the consumer electronics industry and incorporating a long-range, powerful, and efficient electric drivetrain.
The advantage: 
The 2012 Tesla Model S delivers extraordinary range for an electric car, along with excellent power efficiency and tremendous acceleration. A 3G data connection powers Google Maps for navigation and Internet radio. The 17-inch touch screen reacts promptly to input.
The unfavorable: 
The navigation system lacks a favorite destinations list and the maps only show in one orientation (north up). The only driver assistance feature is a backup camera.

The price:
$57,400.00

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The Canon PowerShot SX160 IS

What you should know: 
The Canon PowerShot SX160 IS is not for everyone. It's big and bulky. It doesn't have the best shooting performance or image quality. And it certainly doesn't have all the latest and greatest features found in many of Canon's higher-end PowerShots.
But, here's why I like it. For about $150 ($80 less than its original price), you get a competent point-and-shoot camera that does more than just automatic snapshots. That makes it a nice fit for those who want to learn more about controlling shutter speed and aperture without a big investment. Its 16x zoom lens with image stabilization gives you some good framing flexibility. And although some might prefer a high-power rechargeable battery, the SX160 IS' two AA batteries make it very convenient when traveling or for infrequent photographers.

What it offers: 
The Canon PowerShot SX160 IS has a large selection of shooting options from full manual to full auto; big, easy-to-press controls; and the convenience of AA batteries.
The advantage: 
The Canon PowerShot SX160 IS is a good, inexpensive travel-zoom option for those wanting more control over results or who are just getting into photography and don't want to empty their wallets.
The unfavorable: 
The SX160 IS will eat through alkaline batteries; shooting performance is good, but not fast; and picture quality drops off above ISO 400, so it's not a great choice for handheld low-light shots.
The price:
$139.99 to $261.98

The Nocs NS600 Crush

What you should know: 
The earphones come with the usual assortment of silicon eartips, but kudos to Nocs for throwing in an extra pair of each size. You also get a two-pronged adapter for airplane use, a clip (to attach the cord to your clothing), and a nice carrying case that has a micro-suede finish.
The one feature bonus here is the integrated inline remote and microphone, and you'll notice that the NS400's packaging is stamped with the Made for iPhone, iPod, and iPad icons. That means the remote is designed to work with iOS devices. You can still use the microphone for making calls on other phones, but the remote probably won't fully function.
Nocs, a fairly new Swedish company, has been quickly growing its line of earphones, which now includes more than half a dozen models.

What it offers: 
While they're a little pricey, the Nocs NS600 Crush are comfortably lightweight earbuds that sound very good and offer strong bass performance.
The advantage:
The Nocs NS600 Crush are lightweight, comfortable, and offer very good sound with strong bass. They also have an Apple-friendly inline remote/microphone and ship with a nice carrying case.

The unfavorable: 
These headphones are somewhat expensive; the thin cord is prone to tangling (compared with headphones with a flat-cord design).

The price:
$149.95

The Huawei Ascend D1 Quad XL

What you should know: 
The Quad XL's design elements, like its red accents and soft-touch back plate, its aesthetic is nothing new.
On the left is a Micro-USB port, up top are a 3.5mm headphone jack and power/sleep button, and on the right is a volume rocker. It measures 5.11 inches tall and 2.56 inches wide. Unfortunately, at 0.45 inch thick and 5.11 ounces heavy, the device is hefty. It feels dense and sturdy in the hand, and you definitely feel the weight if you pin it between your face and shoulder during a conversation. It won't fit entirely into small front jeans pockets, and when it's in, expect a bulky fit.
The back plate is textured with a small diamond pattern and its matte coating fends off oily fingerprints. In the middle is an 8-megapixel camera with LED flash; on the bottom left is a small slit for the audio speaker. Using a small indent on the bottom left corner, you can pry the plate off to expose the 2,600mAh battery, microSD card slot, and SIM card slot.
On the front is a 4.5-inch HD IPS plus display, with a 1,280x720-pixel resolution and 330 ppi. Icons and text look crisp, and the touch screen is responsive.

What it offers: 
While its processor may sound impressive, the Huawei Ascend D1 Quad XL is a mediocre phone in a sea of excellent quad-core alternatives.

The advantage: 
The Huawei Ascend D1 Quad XL's camera is packed with editing features, and its user interface has several customization options.

The unfavorable: 
The Ascend D1 Quad XL's screen is dim, its photo quality is poor, and it has a hefty build.

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The 2013 Ford Fusion

What you should know: 
The engine uses direct injection and a turbocharger to achieve 240 horsepower and 270 pound-feet of torque, excellent numbers for a 2-liter four-cylinder. At the same time, EPA fuel economy comes in at 22 mpg city and 31 mpg highway, the all-wheel-drive option bringing it down a little over the front-wheel-drive version.
Lesser-trim Fusions come with Ford's 1.6-liter EcoBoost engine and a port-injected 2.5-liter four-cylinder. As an example of the 2-liter EcoBoost engine's efficiency, the 2.5-liter only produces 175 horsepower while getting similar fuel economy. Ford also offers a hybrid version of the Fusion, which achieves 47 mpg in both city and highway testing.
The Platinum-trim car only comes with a six-speed automatic transmission, supplementing its P, R, N, and D with an S, or sport, mode. Paddles on the steering wheel allow manual gear selection.
The electric power-steering system made it very easy to turn the wheel at low speeds, but firmed up the turning resistance as the speedometer needle climbed.
The power steering enables a lane-keeping feature that stands out as one of the more unusual technologies in the Fusion. The system was off by default, requiring me to push a button on the turn signal stalk to activate it. A forward-looking camera identifies lane lines while an icon in the instrument cluster shows virtual lane lines. These lines are lit up in green when the car can see the lines on the road.

What it offers: 
Among midsize sedans, none is as technology-rich as the 2013 Ford Fusion, which mixes efficiency, driver assistance, and infotainment features in one attractive package.
The advantage: 
The 2013 Ford Fusion is available with automatic parallel parking, lane-keeping assist, blind-spot monitoring, and adaptive cruise control. Its 2-liter EcoBoost engine delivers 240 horsepower and decent fuel economy. Over 10 apps are integrated with the infotainment system, and the voice command system is the best in the industry.

The unfavorable:
The touch screen needs to be more responsive, and the navigation system's maps load slowly.
The price:
$30,200.00

The 2013 Jaguar XJ AWD

What about the new Jaguar XJ AWD..

• The AWD is rear-biased and operates as full rear-wheel drive in good weather, but when the road conditions turn slick, the system can split engine power 50:50 between front and rear axles using a center transfer case.
• On separate tracks normally used for motorcycle and rally car racing, Jaguar let us test out the XJ AWD and XF AWD for accelerating, braking and cornering on snow- and ice-covered asphalt and dirt tracks. Both of these circuits demonstrated the two different attitudes these cars can exhibit. With Winter mode on, the system does a great job of nannying the driver making sure the car keeps its footing and remains on the road, but staying true to Jag's motorsports heritage, the system can also be set to Dynamic to improve the performance of the car in bad weather giving the driver fewer safety nets to rely on. The complex also had courses set up for snowy slaloms and an icy, drift-friendly skidpad.
• Rather than being a part of an expensive option package, each AWD version of the XJ and XF will be an individual model. This means that getting the added benefit of all-wheel traction doesn't require buyers to opt for other unrelated packages (such as a cold-weather or technology package, for example) that some automakers force on buyers. On the XJ, AWD is offered on both regular and long-wheelbase XJL models.
• Neither the XJ nor the XF architectures were originally designed to accept all-wheel-drive, so Jaguar made extensive changes to parts of the car most people will never see, including the suspension, front floorboard and even some of the engine components. For example, to keep the engine low in the engine bay for optimal balance, the front driveshaft is actually built into the oil pan. All of the changes and added AWD parts increase the XJ's curb by less than 300 pounds.
• As the new base engine in the XJ, Instinctive AWD can only be had on cars equipped with the new 3.0-liter supercharged V6 engine. While this engine lacks the throaty exhaust note of the 5.0-liter V8, at virtually no point can its performance be faulted especially when factoring in the car's curb weight of just over two tons.
• The XJ AWD comes standard with Continental all-season tires, but Jaguar equipped our test cars with Pirelli M+S winter tires. While this certainly helped the cars handle better in the snow, Jaguar representatives noted this was done so to abide by Quebec law – and besides, these tires are available as an option.

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