Dptips :. Digital Photography Tips, Tricks, and Techniques

Pretty, but flawed. Somehow the recent the software has nixed the camera alerts and made a decent GPS less so.

The most affordable BMW model, the 1-Series, finally gets its own M-badged sports version with 250kW and 450Nm of tyre-frying rage under the bonnet.

Piloting a car around a race track is a hair-raising experience, requiring a good deal of skill on the driver’s part. Taking away one’s vision increases the complexity of the task several times over.

After the taping of the first episode of ABC1’s new sports panel show The Trophy Room, we caught up with newly crowned V8 Supercars champ James Courtney.

Most of us aren’t born with the ball-thwacking ability of Tiger Woods, the wheel twirling skills of Michael Schumacher or the heading ability of Tim Cahill.

Due in Australia in the second half of 2011, the new A6 can be had with a raft of equipment, including LED headlights, active cruise control and a 1300W Bang & Olufsen sound system.

For this year’s top GPS devices, we’ve picked three dedicated navigators, two popular smartphones and one smartphone that emphasises navigation as much as telephony.

Budget GPS units no longer require you to enter feature-free electronic ghetto. We pick the best options for a bit of budget navigating.

Loaded with tonnes of well thought of tech gear and a fashioned beautiful interior, the A8 is a technically brilliant luxury sedan. With all the tangible elements taken care of, the only thing holding it back from greater success is brand snobbery.

Audi MMI is one of the best integrated entertainment, nav and car control systems out there. Yes, it trades a bit of simplicity for the sheer range of options available, but it’s well worth it.

From its beautifully crafted interior to all its high gadgets and gizmos, the A8 is a veritable automotive theme park.

Simple, cheap and capable of getting you from A to B, the Start 10 does what it sets out to do. The inclusion of junction view and lane guidance improves things quite considerably.

An entrant into Volkswagen’s Fun Theory competition has added a new twist to the traditional speed camera, by not only punishing speeding motorists, but also rewarding those who keep to the limit.

The Go 1000’s story is one of potential unfulfilled. It may be a winner after a patch or two and when the PC software’s been made to work as it should, but until then it’s hard to recommend.

Due for sale during Q1 2011, the FJ Cruiser harks back to the iconic FJ40-series LandCruiser. Although that car never had iPod compatibility, a five-speed auto or other modern fripperies.

For those of us without an Android phone, here’s a look at Google Maps with Navigation that’s now available for Aussie and Kiwi users.

Not all iPod FM transmitters are created equal - some have dodgy cradles that fling your iPod around the cabin, others roll over at the first sign of interference. We pick three of the best, so you can have your tunes everywhere you drive.

A sharper looking front-end, a splash of chrome, new alloys, price cuts and Bluetooth mark out the freshened Kluger. KX-R and KX-S models also gain an iPod-compatible USB port.

It’s illegal to hold a mobile phone and drive; we pick the best Bluetooth hands-free car kits, so you can inform friends that you’ll be late or chat about what so-and-so is doing with you-know-who and not be nabbed by the boys and gals in blue.

All brand name GPS units will get you safely from A to B, but some do it better than others. We nominate a clutch of navigators we’d junk our Gregory’s or Melway for.