Productopia

Back in April at the New York Auto Show, Honda showed off a dog-friendly Element concept vehicle. It was fairly obvious at the time that the so-called "concept" was merely a preview of accessories that Honda planned to introduce at a later date. Well, that later date is here, and Honda has made it official: you'll be able to order the 2010 Honda Element with a pooch-friendly suite of factory add-ons.

You've probably used Google Street View at some point to scope out a neighborhood or business before you actually go there (or to see what your boss's house looks like), but how exactly is Google getting those 360-degree images? Sure, it's a camera on a car, which works great for city streets. Now Google Street View is expanding to places no VW Beetle has gone before: theme parks, zoos, sports arenas, college campuses and historic sites. How? Behold the new Google Street View Trike.

Lightweight and low priced, the netbook phenomenon shows few signs of ending anytime soon. Most netbooks can't really compete performance-wise with full-sized laptops -- even cheap laptops. But if you need an easy-to-tote companion for checking email, browsing the web or low-demand computing tasks like basic word processing, a netbook can deliver the goods.

When it comes to a leisurely breakfast, waffles are a family favorite. Crisp and light, with deep pockets for rich butter, sweet syrup or fresh fruit, waffles are a treat to eat and to make.

As we discuss in our updated report on waffle makers, there are two types of waffles: American-style and Belgian-style. Belgian waffles, which are generally round, are fluffier and taller than American-style waffles (which are generally square), and they have deeper wells.

Round waffle irons of either type tend to be small and yield a single waffle, while square irons turn out perforated waffles that can be torn or cut into four individual waffles. The process of cooking a waffle in any of these irons is pretty simple: Wait until the it reaches the proper temperature (most irons have an indicator light that lets you know when the iron is hot enough), add the batter and wait until the waffle releases easily from the grids. A few waffle makers require you to turn the iron over during cooking, which is said to distribute the batter more evenly, and some units have controls that allow you to set the level of browning.

When it comes to a leisurely breakfast, waffles are a family favorite. Crisp and light, with deep pockets for rich butter, sweet syrup or fresh fruit, waffles are a treat to eat and to make.

As we discuss in our updated report on waffle makers, there are two types of waffles: American-style and Belgian-style. Belgian waffles, which are generally round, are fluffier and taller than American-style waffles (which are generally square), and they have deeper wells.

Round waffle irons of either type tend to be small and yield a single waffle, while square irons turn out perforated waffles that can be torn or cut into four individual waffles. The process of cooking a waffle in any of these irons is pretty simple: Wait until the it reaches the proper temperature (most irons have an indicator light that lets you know when the iron is hot enough), add the batter and wait until the waffle releases easily from the grids. A few waffle makers require you to turn the iron over during cooking, which is said to distribute the batter more evenly, and some units have controls that allow you to set the level of browning. Read more