2 Elantra variants priced under $20,000

The Elantra sedan is Hyundai's second highest-volume nameplate, with U.S. sales of 80,114 through May, or about 27 percent of Hyundai division sales.

The Elantra Coupe and Elantra GT hatchback arrive at Hyundai dealerships this month.

Prices for the coupe, which will compete directly with the Honda Civic coupe, start at $18,220, including shipping. The base Elantra Coupe GS comes equipped with the same 148-hp 1.8-liter four-cylinder engine that's in the Elantra sedan, teamed with a six-speed manual transmission. A six-speed automatic transmission costs an extra $1,000.

Standard features include 16-inch alloy wheels, four-wheel disc brakes, air conditioning, a six-speaker audio system with satellite radio, USB and Bluetooth connectivity, heated front seats and power windows, locks and mirrors.

The SE model adds a sport-tuned suspension, 17-inch wheels, rear spoiler, power sunroof and leather seats and other items. The Elantra Coupe SE starts at $20,520, including shipping.

The Elantra GT five-door hatchback, which replaces the aging Elantra Touring wagon, starts at $19,170, including shipping. The hatchback is essentially a rebadged version of the Hyundai i30 sold in Europe, powered by the same 1.8-liter four-cylinder used in the U.S. market Elantra sedan. A six-speed automatic transmission adds $1,000 to the GT's base price.

How to keep young drivers' hands on the wheel

My completely unscientific and entirely anecdotal observations have led me to conclude that an inverse relationship exists between a driver's age and the propensity to drive with a cell phone held to the ear. The younger the driver, the more likely he or she is to be talking on the phone.

So I'd like to offer up to the auto industry a potential low-cost tech solution -- gratis -- in the hopes of dissuading the least experienced drivers from willfully endangering their fellow motorists.

Here it is: Let's install pressure sensors on the steering wheel, between 2 and 5 o'clock on the right and 7 and 10 o'clock on the left. The sensors would tie into the vehicle's audio system.

When activated by the vehicle's owner, the vehicle's audio system would work only when both pressure sensors are engaged by both hands on the wheel while the vehicle is in motion. Three seconds after one of the pressure sensors disengages -- one or both of the driver's hands leave the wheel -- the audio system goes mute.

Three seconds is enough time to shift in a vehicle with a manual transmission or to sip a beverage and return it to a cupholder.

If the sensor is not re-engaged within another three seconds, the audio system begins emitting a corrective tone that increases in volume with each passing second until the second hand returns to the wheel. Ultimately, such a tone would make it impossible to talk on a cellular phone. Ten seconds after the reset to normal, the audio system would begin functioning normally again.

Sensor placement is important because if the whole steering wheel is sensored, adaptive teens could use a knee in place of a hand to defeat the system.

To be marketed as a safety feature, the system would have to have the ability to be switched on and off by the vehicle owner, perhaps by entering a numeric code into the audio system. Ford's MyKey system already allows parents to control certain vehicle functions through a keyed reprogramming system. This would go a little farther.

I offer this idea up with a selfish motivation: My two kids are now preteens, and they'll be climbing behind the wheel soon enough. While I'm committed to training them to drive with both hands on the wheel when the time comes, I'd like a little help to make sure they do so.

Let me know what you think in the comments below. Or just steal this idea and bring it to market. Either way, the clock is ticking.

Cisco shows intelligence

Cisco is demonstrating key aspects of its ‘intelligent networks’ at GITEX Technology Week.

The company has live demos of its portfolio including data centres, virtualisation, borderless network and collaboration to show how intelligent networks can transform business.

Cisco, in collaboration with its sponsor partners Emircom (data centre and Virtualisation partner) and B-Smart, will showcase its various solutions under the theme ‘Intelligent Networks Transform Your Business’, across eight demo areas. It will examine how organisations can harness the power of intelligent networks to simplify and speed up the deployment of current and future technologies to drive business transformation.

The eight areas are: networked healthcare; networked classroom; networked banking and retail; collaboration in a box including Cisco’s web conferencing solutions; defense, contact centre; Cisco Capital, and Home Networking Business Unit (HNBU). Rabih Dabboussi, general manager, Cisco UAE, says: “Technology events in the region provide us with great platforms to come together, showcase our new capabilities and most importantly meet and network with our potential customers.”

Microsoft to demo Windows 8, cloud at GITEX

Microsoft Gulf today announced it will be demonstrating its latest cloud architecture solutions and the new Windows 8 platform at GITEX Technology Week 2012.

The Microsoft stand will feature a Windows 8 showcase, where the new OS will be on display to a public audience in the UAE for the first time.

Also on the stand will be over 20 Microsoft Partners in the UAE, showing their individual offerings developed on Microsoft platforms such as Lync, Dynamics and Office 365.

Also at Gitex, Microsoft will invite visitors to explore the "Windows 8 Journey to Innovation," a  visitor experience where Microsoft and its hardware partners at GITEX, including Intel, Nokia, HP, Dell and Samsung highlight the Windows 8 platform on various form factors.

Additionally, Microsoft will announce a suite of Windows 8 applications to launch in the Windows Store that were developed in the UAE. These include applications for Dubai International Airport, Sharaf DG, Shop and Ship, Jumeirah Restaurants, Aramex, Gulf News, Dubai Cinemas, DEWA and Time Out Dubai. 

Mozilla FireFox 16.0.1 Final

Mozilla Firefox - faster, more secure, easier to use and sporting a new look, this latest Firefox release sets a new standard for web browser innovation. Mozilla Firefox project (formerly Firebird, which was formerly Phoenix) is a redesign of Mozilla's browser component, written using the XUL user interface language and designed to be cross-platform. It is small, fast and easy to use, and offers many advantages over other web browsers, such as the tabbed browsing and the ability to block pop-up windows. Firefox has the most ways to customize your online experience specifically for the way you use the web. There are more than 6,000 Add-ons (little extras that augment Firefox to meet your unique needs) just waiting out there to help you do more, have more fun and be more creative online. Firefox keeps your personal info personal and your online interests away from the bad guys . Simply put, your security is our top priority

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