Jim Bray, CFP Automotive Editor
Jim publishes TechnoFile Magazine. Jim is an affiliate with the Automobile Journalists Association of Canada and his careers have included journalist, technology retailer, video store pioneer, and syndicated columnist; he does a biweekly column on CBC Radio One's The Business Network.
Jim can be reached at: bray@technofile.com Older articles by Jim Bray
Most Recent Articles by Jim Bray, CFP Automotive Editor:
Bottom line with these Arizer products? Any of them will do the job for you extremely well; just choose based on need, coolness factor, or budget.
The 3 goes head-to-head with such cars as the Toyota Corolla, Honda Civic, VW Jetta, etc. I'd choose it over any of them, possibly excepting the "hot hatch" versions such as the VW GTI or Honda Civic Type R
Still, Gatsby looks like a pretty neat way to find cheap and/or free ways to watch a wide variety of programming
Toyota Grand Highlander is indeed a Grand Highlander
March 29, 2024
Pricing for the 2024 Toyota Grand Highlander starts at $54,116.19 for the XLE AWD model. The base hybrid lists on Toyota's Canadian website for $57,456.19, and it goes right up to the Hybrid MAX AWD's list of $69,106.19
Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom is a very flawed superhero movie that could have been a lot better than it was
It was a very interesting and enjoyable demonstration of what appears to be an excellent new competitor in the winter tire market
But you might like some of it – and there's usually something new that appeals to me as well. Which means the service just gets better and better!
Beware Governments’ help in regulating cars and traffic
February 4, 2024
Maybe I live in a fantasy world, but I believe if we had better drivers, we'd have fewer problems, fewer collisions, fewer deaths and injuries—and would need fewer regulations. And we might even have fewer traffic jams as drivers are free to drive as
iFly’s flying leaps a real soar spot for wannabe sky divers
January 22, 2024
It isn't cheap, but it surely is a blast and I recommend it highly. Now if I can only convince my family members to join me next time!
Once again, Film Masters has done a nice job here
Slim LG Gram laptop is light and capable
December 16, 2023
LG's Gram is a very nice laptop PC. I love the flexibility of the 2-in-1 structure (even though I probably wouldn't use it myself) and the tiny size and light weight, coupled with a generous footprint, makes it a very compelling unit
Titanic earned its place in the hearts of moviegoers and it still works just as well today. Couple that with the spectacular new 4K treatment and you have a long but rewarding movie experience in your home theatre
Roll Ranger is only $12.99 USD and, to sweeten the deal, for Black Friday and Cyber Monday it's available (On Amazon.com and at the Roll Ranger store) for only 10 greenbacks
If you only have time for one of these movies – or even if you do have time – don't waste it on Blue Beetle. Instead, why not strap yourself in for a much more rewarding ride in the home theatre by taking a look at Gran Turismo
Mission Impossible delivers predictable thrills in 4K
November 5, 2023
Overall, this is another fun entry into the Mission: Impossible universe and it delivers everything one might expect from the franchise. It also does a good job of whetting the appetite for Part 2 and I look forward to seeing how they wrap things up
Are Canadians really ready for Electric Vehicles?
October 21, 2023
In the meantime, there's no reason for people to be stampeded into a new technology that's not only unproven, but proven (so far) to be less practical than what we have already
Despite their comparatively low price, these Winter Edge II's seem more than up to the job and I'm confident they'll keep my son and his precious family safe when winter arrives
Talk about a couple of monster hits!
Lexus downsizes its RX 350’s power and upsides its annoyances
September 2, 2023
The 2023 Lexus RX starts at $58,650 for the Premium trim level. From there, there's a nearly dizzying number of model choices. The sample Executive trim level starts at $75,650 and the top line RX 500h F SPORT Performance 3 starts at $85,600
Top Hughes and Wyler films make their way onto 4K disc
August 17, 2023
Both it, and Ferris Bueller's Day Off are well worth seeing, and if you're a collector who doesn't own either or both of these films, these are definitely the best versions to get
Ford Raptor R – R stands for Reality-challenging!
August 10, 2023
Ford says the F-150 Raptor R will be available in eight colour options, including new Avalanche and Azure Gray Tri-Coat exterior paint offered on the Raptor lineup for the first time
Bottom line here is that if you're a fan of either film, you'll want these 4K versions because they offer the best way to enjoy the films. As long as you don't expect a bunch of extras
Terrific new Mazda CX-90—Big Time Zoom-Zoom
For one thing, everything you need to find under the hood won't be under that plastic top, so stay away from it; that path leads to darkness for the unwashed
And you can pretty well say the same about the 4K disc presentation: it ain't the best if you're into reference quality audio and video, but it's a fine representation of the movie anyway, with very good HDR picture and reasonable lossless sound
That's a pretty fine run for a pretty fine car that started life as basically a slightly larger Civic and since then has evolved into a world class family sedan
Honda Ridgeline Black a nifty small pickup truck
June 8, 2023
It'll be interesting to see how Honda responds to the new competition
This won't be a big deal to those who want the 4K experience, but those who want to buy now to enjoy the 4K once they upgrade their hardware will be out of luck if they don't have the Blu-rays already