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The Tests>We placed the transmitters and receivers in separate rooms, with a phalanx of interference-causing devices between them (see diagram above).BoseSonosSoundcastThe only system to fail this test completely—interference ruined the signal.At first, the signal was completely blocked. But we switched channels and got clear, rich sound.What interference?Winner: Soundcast>How far can the wireless signal travel through a fixture-filled home? We walked the receivers down a concrete-filled apartment building to see.BoseSonosSoundcastThe speaker got almost three stories from the transmitter before breaking into static....

Media Platforms Design TeamOn-Sale Date: NowPrice: $19,295–$30,945Competitors: Honda CR-V, Toyota RAV4, Ford Escape, Chevy EquinoxPowertrains: 2.0-liter I4, 151 hp, 141 lb.-ft; 2.4-liter I4, 172 hp, 165 lb-ft; CVT, front- or all-wheel driveEPA Fuel Economy (city/highway): 20–22/23–28 mpg.What’s New: If Jeep’s lineup of SUVs were footwear, most of the models would be hiking boots. Yet the Jeep Compass has always been more like a pair of flip-flops—you could wear them on a trail, but in doing so you’d probably slip in the mud and stub your toe....

Media Platforms Design TeamI’m lying on a strange bed, staring at the ceiling. My breath, echoing in the hollow parts of a full head mask, is not quite steady. There’s someone out there who wants to hurt me. And he’s armed with a Glock.But so am I. It’s in the nightstand, loaded. I hear noises: A loud crash, a strange voice, and the scuffle of feet that sounds like someone running down the hallway toward my bedroom....

Media Platforms Design TeamThe U.S. Supreme Court has just chosen the cases it will hear for the remainder of its term, and one of them could shape the future of streaming TV: ABC, Inc. v. Aereo, Inc.The dispute in brief: Aereo works by using a litany of antennas to gather the over-the-air TV broadcasts for a given city (yes, it still goes out over the air), then charging users $8 a month to stream this network television from one of those antennas to the user’s TV or devices, and record it to a DVR....

Media Platforms Design TeamCHICAGO — With its long-awaited return here, the Dodge Challenger was the undisputed king of the 2008 Chicago Auto Show. But it was the trucks that made up the bulk of important reveals, with automakers presenting an awesome combination of machinery—from fuel-sipping, load-hauling hybrid pickups to an over-the-top, over-the-road tractor. And that stands in stark contrast to the heavy fuel-economy buzz that’s dominated the the last few shows—green was practically all you could see from Frankfurt to Los Angeles and Detroit....

Media Platforms Design TeamTucked into the woods near the top of Rattlesnake Hill, in eastern Pennsylvania, is a 19th-century iron-ore mine. Heavy steel slats bar the mine’s gaping black mouth. Beyond a hinged gate, down a rubble slope, where the entry tunnel opens into a dark chamber, Pennsylvania Game Commission biologist Greg Turner aims the beam of his headlamp upward, illuminating hundreds of bats clinging to the ceiling. Moisture beading on their brown fur glistens as Turner inspects each one, searching for signs of a killer....

China’s new intermediate range ballistic missile (IRBM) inadvertently broke cover last weekend during rehearsals for a military parade commemorating the 70th anniversary of Japan’s surrender in China in WWII, coming up on Wednesday. The menacing looks of the Dong Feng (or “east wind”) DF-26 IRBM are matched by its nuclear delivery capability and 3,000-4,000-km range (1,800 to 2,500 miles), enough to strike U.S. bases on Guam. The combination has led defense media to nickname it the “Guam Killer....

Media Platforms Design TeamThere will be a lot at stake at the end of November when world leaders gather for a pivotal NATO meeting in Lisbon. The meeting is meant to hash out a new Strategic Concept, an all-encompassing document issued every decade that guides the alliance’s actions and priorities. The last Concept was drafted before 9/11, before the subsequent invasions of Iraq and Afghanistan and before Russia’s resurgence as a regional power (and a worldwide power player)....

AUSTIN, TEXAS—Ahead of the premier of “Cosmos” on Sunday, March 9 on Fox TV and National Geographic, Neil deGrasse Tyson spoke at a keynote at SXSW this afternoon. The celebrated astrophysicist and science communicator spoke about needing public investment in a space program, asteroid mining, the most frustratingly misunderstood scientific facts, and the cosmic perspective. Here were a few choice quotes from his live interview.“There’s so much to actually be impressed with in the universe, I don’t want you to be distracted by things that are not....

Exactly one year after Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 disappeared off radar screens, the Malaysian government just released a massive report revealing that the battery on one of the underwater locator beacons had been expired for at least a year. But it’s not clear whether this lapse had any impact on the subsequent search for the missing jetliner, a quest that has so far failed to come anywhere close to solving the biggest mystery in aviation history: how a 330-ton commercial jetliner could simply vanish without a trace....

PopMech editors welcome any opportunity to drink for the sake of science. So, after a slew of phone-attachable alcohol monitors hit the market, we decided to find out how two of the top sellers measure up to a police-grade device. Our test drink was 1.5 ounces of 84.8-proof Michter’s Straight Rye Whiskey. Since ignorance of the law is no excuse, we must inform you that a blood alcohol content (BAC) of ....

Ball bearings are in your car, your bike, your skateboard, all sorts of machines with moving parts. These genius little devices have been around for centuries, using the magic of physics to reduce friction. In that time, their design has remained mostly unchanged. But a clever new design could make them spin better and last longer, all without grease. Bearings work to help one surface slide along another by minimizing the points of friction between the two....

With a core made of liquid metal, this new antenna coming out of North Carolina State University can adjust itself to pick up a certain wavelength. It looks a little like a thermometer for radio waves: It can inch up and down, making the millimeter-scale changes in spectra needed to capture just the right signal.The how-it-works is a bit technically complex, but here’s why it matters: We’re clogging up the radio spectrum with device after device....

Media Platforms Design Team© 2013 U.S. Postal ServiceOn the fence about the United States Postal Service’s new line of muscle car stamps? Well, hopefully The King can convince you. This weekend, ahead of the Daytona 500, Richard Petty, his son Kyle, and Postmaster General Patrick Donahoe will dedicate a run of limited-edition stamps featuring iconic muscle cars of the 1960s and ’70s.The honoree list is a who’s who’s of classic American muscle: ‘69 Dodge Charger Daytona, ‘66 Pontiac GTO, ‘70 Chevelle SS, ‘70 Hemi Cuda, and the ‘67 Shelby GT-500....

Media Platforms Design TeamThe traditional role of the X Prize foundation has been to identify areas of innovation that are important to humanity where there has been a market failure, and neither government nor private industry has provided the incentive for a technology to advance. Why and how has the market failed when it comes to ocean sensors?Most of the work to observe the oceans has fallen to a few national governments with some international coordination, and theres been almost no private sector investment in that space....

LOS ANGELES — Although Microsoft has announced the imminent cross-platform compatibility of the Xbox 360 and Windows Vista, as well as various accessories, including a Wireless Racing Wheel and a wireless USB receiver that allows PCs to use Xbox 360 controllers, the bulk of Xbox 360 news at E3 consists of new, playable demos of upcoming games. Here’s what we liked, what we didn’t, and what we’re not quite ready to pass judgement on....

To non-comics people, Ant-Man sounds like a dopey parody of Spider-Man. But to those who know the lore, Dr. Hank Pym is a bedrock figure in the Marvel Universe. Pym, and the “Pym Particles” that reduced him and his girlfriend Janet Van Dyne (aka The Wasp) down to insect size, have been around just as long as Peter Parker, and was a founding member of the Avengers.This film adaptation is breezy and fun, and very much an odd duck in the Marvel Cinematic UniverseStill, there’s just something unshakably goofy about powers that make you super tiny, especially when you can control an army of ants....

On-Sale Date: NowPrice: $110,895Competitors: Mercedes-Benz S550, Mercedes-Benz S63 AMG, BMW 750iPowertrains: 4.0-liter twin-turbo V-6; 520 hp, 481 lb-ftEPA Fuel Economy (city/hwy): 15/26 What’s New: Since its debut in 2001, the Audi S8 has always been the stealthy, understated supersedan. The brash Mercedes-Benz AMG cars and BMW M machines have always been quicker and more popular, but all that might change with this new, third-generation S8. For starters, the S8 finally joins the exclusive 500-hp club....

Media Platforms Design TeamOn-Sale Date: NowPrice: $7499 Competitors: Suzuki V-Strom 650 ABS, Honda XR650L, Kawasaki KLR650Powertrain: 652-cc single-cylinder, 58 hp; 6-speed manual, RWDEPA Fuel Economy (city/hwy): 55 mpg (combined)What’s New: Husqvarna’s TR650 is an all-new global motorcycle that capitalizes on the booming dual-purpose segment. Available in two variants—the off-road $6999 Terra and the street-biased $7499 Strada—these minimalist rides are built around a 652-cc engine sourced from the BMW G650GS and modified for punchier performance....

Media Platforms Design TeamScrews Are Better Than NailsIn my house, nails got little respect. My dad grew up in Panama as part of the community that built and operated the Panama Canal (my grandfather was in charge of maintaining some of the complex machinery that operated the locks). It was a world of highly skilled people-machinists, engineers and mechanics-and they shared what my dad calls a “culture of competence.” By the age of 18 my father was a fully licensed machinist, repairing the huge dredges used to keep the canal open and machining new parts for crippled ships....