In all, Ford says 1 million cars will be produced off the same small car architecture and many parts will be shared.

FORBES: OutFront

Where HP's work bringing webOS to new platforms and architecture could pay off, though, is in licensing webOS. Effective licensing ultimately requires supporting a broad range of hardware configurations, a burden that Nokia, for example, has pledged to help Microsoft with as the phone maker brings Windows Phone 7 to less costly hardware.

ENGADGET: Switched On: webOS wherever

In green design news, a new architecture competition challenged designers to transform the Costa Concordia shipwreck off the coast of Italy into a new seaside park.

ENGADGET: Inhabitat's Week in Green: invisibility cloak, a Hobbit House and a portable washing machine