Archive for Automotive

Device disables your ride if you don’t pay up

Posted in Automotive by Conner Flynn on May 8th, 2008

Device disables your ride if you don’t make car payments
I hear ya. The guys that made this device are only about a step above the cockroaches called Repomen. Still, banks have to protect their investment. This device will make it easier. A company called Sekurus has developed a device called the On Time which will force a new car owner to make their scheduled payments or run the risk of the vehicle not starting. The devices cost about $250 and are installed by car dealerships or finance companies, all because of your crappy credit histories.

When a payment on the vehicle is about due, an LED light on the box will blink. On the deadline day it will make an annoying beeping noise too. The idea is to annoy the hell out of you so you pay. It’s kinda like a loan-shark that way. If the owner makes the payment, the lender will give them a six-digit code that will disable the alerts. If they fail to make that payment, the vehicle just won’t start. And if they continue to avoid paying up, they’ll soon get a visit from the repo man.

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Charge your electric car batteries in the house

Posted in Automotive by Conner Flynn on April 25th, 2008

Charge your electric car batteries in the house
The thing that sucks about electric cars is that they need to be plugged in every day. Most people don’t have a plug in their garage or their driveway. That being the case, you are going to have an extension cord mess somewhere.

That won’t be a problem with the MIRA HAV, an electric car that’s designed a little smarter. It allows you to remove the batteries and charge them up in your home. That’s where your outlets are after all, so it makes sense. Obviously moving large batteries to and fro is not ideal either. They have some flaws to work out, but hey, it’s an option that has to work for some people.

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Exhaust Air Jack uses exhaust to lift your car

Posted in Automotive by Conner Flynn on April 21st, 2008

xhaust Air Jack uses exhaust to lift your car
Let’s face it people, these days there are a lot of sissy men out there who are puny and helpless. We just aint producing many John Waynes these days. Then you’ve got your traditional damsels in distress. How do you make it easy for these people to jack up their vehicle and change a tire? We aren’t all muscular either.

Well, here’s a car jack that doesn’t require feats of strength. The Exhaust Car Jack will easily lift your vehicle within half a minute. Just connect this to your exhaust, turn on your engine and you’re good to go. The exhaust will inflate the bag, lifting the vehicle’s frame 17″ off the ground. The bag remains inflated even after the engine is turned off thanks to a one-way valve. It’s been proven to work in mud, snow, and on uneven ground where a regular jack won’t work. It costs $129.95.

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Pioneer launches $1500 in-car amp sure to make the neighbors mad

Posted in Automotive by Shane McGlaun on April 21st, 2008

Pioneer PRS-A900

Car audio is one of those things you love or hate. I’m mostly in the latter category thanks to my neighbor and his booming car stereo he seems incapable of turning down as he pulls up at 2 in the morning. The police in your town may take issue to it as well but if you just have to prove you have the loudest stereo in town, Pioneer has your amp.

Pioneer announced its new Premier PRS-A900 amp today and it is hella expensive at $1500. Pioneer says that it had the goal of ultimate performance despite the price tag and it shows. For $1500 you might expect a bazillion watts of power and you would be wrong.

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Pioneer annouces way cool in-dash navigation units

Posted in Automotive by Nino Marchetti on April 20th, 2008

Pioneer in dash navigation unit

Pioneer over the weekend announced new additions to its line up of AVIC-F advanced in-dash navigators. These new offerings, which join the AVIC-F500BT shown off at CES, are the AVIC-F700BT, AVIC-F900BT and Premier branded AVIC-F90BT. Pricing is set at $850, $1,100 and $1,200, respectively, and all units will be available in June.

Pioneer is describing these in-dash units as going “beyond navigation” by offering “enhanced navigation and entertainment features paired with sophisticated voice control.” While you may read that however you choose there is no doubt Pioneer has packed these units with a ton of features, including “Apple iPod connectivity, Bluetooth, MSN Direct, HD radio, XM and SIRIUS Satellite Radio, single CD, DVD video playback and compressed audio and video playback through USB and SD memory devices.”

For the full details, check out the press release after the jump. These Pioneer units definitely look to be the cause of many wonderful distractions as you cruise down the open roads.

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A moped that runs on fresh air

Posted in Automotive by Conner Flynn on April 16th, 2008

A moped that runs on fresh air
A former sheepherder and current rocket scientist/inventor Jem Stansfield, took a couple of air canisters that are typically used by firefighters for their breathing gear, and strapped them on a moped. The result is an air-powered bike that spits out cleaner exhaust then the air that it initially takes in.

Both compressed air cylinders drive a pair of rotary air engines that propel the bike to a top speed of 18mph. It will only go about 7 miles until more air is required. Lucky for him, he has a local dive shop where he can fill up and he’s good to go. It’s people like this that tick off the oil companies, which I find awesome.

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Alpine ships IVA-W505 advanced car head unit

Posted in Automotive by Nino Marchetti on April 14th, 2008

ivaw505.jpg

Alpine recently said it was set to make available a new advanced audio/video head unit for use in cars. It is called the IVA-W505 and you’ll find it pricing at around $1,100.

The Alpine IVA-W505 offers up an on-screen graphical user interface with touchscreen controls and a seven-inch display. It can offer support and control of satellite radio, HD Radio, MP3/WMA digital audio players, mass storage devices and Bluetooth hands-free calling. It also tags HD Radio music at the touch of a button (and optional tuner) and transmits the tagged information to an attached iPod for later purchase through iTunes.

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MonoTracer is the jet of bikes

Posted in Automotive by Conner Flynn on April 14th, 2008

MonoTracer is the jet of bikes
Why go with a traditional motorcycle, when you can ride into the future on this $82,350 glass/kevlar/carbon/steel MonoTracer bike? It features a fully enclosed cabin which reduces drag and helps keep pebbles and bugs out of your face. The MonoTracer’s 130hp BMW engine goes 0-60 in 5.6 seconds and hits speeds up to 155mph.

So the question is, if you are fully enclosed inside of this speed machine, what do you do at stop lights if you cant put your feet down? Apparently it has little wheels that pop out for parking. Admittedly, it could be faster. And it could have an airbag or two, but the future isn’t about wimpy safety. It’s about coolness and a Utopian look that ain’t cheap.

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Smart brake lights designed by students

Posted in Automotive by Conner Flynn on March 27th, 2008

Smart brake lights
The students at Virginia Tech are a pretty intelligent bunch. They’ve come up with a new system for automobile braking lights that will indicate whether you are stopping, or just slowing down, based on how quickly you put your foot down on the brake. The solution for a better brake, as it turns out is really pretty simple.

The concept uses an array of horizontal LED lights. When you start to slow down, the center lights will glow orange and after a pre-programmed time, the side lights will turn red. If you slam on the emergency brake, then all the lights turn red instantly. If we could just get it to flash the finger for those people who stay way too close behind you, I’d be happy. They think these will be easier to add as additional indicators on commercial vehicles at first, but who knows, one day soon all cars may sport these.

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Sony debuts new in-car CD tuner

Posted in Automotive, CD Player by Nino Marchetti on March 26th, 2008

Sony MEX-BT3600USony Europe is setting its sights on a new in-car CD tuner which offers multiple ways to listen to digital music. It is known as the Sony MEX-BT3600U - no pricing has been announced as of yet.

The Sony MEX-BT3600U in-car CD tuner can let you listen to digital music through it via USB or wireless. For USB one can connect a USB flash drive to its front panel USB port and browse music files via a LCD interface. The wireless option comes via Bluetooth and support for the A2DP (Advanced Audio Distribution Profile) standard.

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Porta Jump will jump start your car

Posted in Automotive by Conner Flynn on March 22nd, 2008

Porta Jump will jump start your car
Let’s say you drive around in an old heap and your battery dies. You need a jump, but you don’t have jumper cables and no one wants to help. With the Porta Jump, you won’t need any help at all. It doesn’t require jumper cables or helpful strangers.

Just plug it in your cigarette lighter and wait for the green light to turn on. It’s that easy. Done. You are back in the business of driving around in a heap. As an added bonus, it will recharge while you are driving. This is a good $20 spent. Ideal for damsels in distress as it’s much safer then asking a stranger for help and possibly running into a nutjob.

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Callme Prism swaps phone numbers on the go

Posted in Automotive by Conner Flynn on March 15th, 2008

Callme Prism swaps phone numbers on the go
One rule I always follow is that I never ever buy any object that has a suction cup on it. Even if it is going to get me the phone numbers of hot girls who drive by me in my car. That is exactly what the Callme Prism is made for. You know, it’s for those times when you’re at a red light, and you see an attractive girl pull up beside you.

Do they really think that girls are that into strangers with a suction cup mounted screen on their window? This device is not going to help you get laid. It’s not like said hot babe is going to drop everything, call you, and have sex five minutes after seeing your girl-bait in the window. C’mon this device isn’t Myspace. If you are still not convinced, it retails for about $26.

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Pyramid power: awesome electric car

Posted in Automotive by Conner Flynn on February 19th, 2008

Pyramid power
Looking eerily like something out of old low budget Sci-Fi movies, this pyramid electric car weighs 8,000-pounds and is powered by 80-batteries, with four engines. It can supposedly reach speeds of up to 45mph. I love how the canopy pops open like a Colonial Viper from Battlestar Galactica. It was built by a Father and his two sons. Check out a video after the jump.

The “Dream Car” is solar powered, on four wheels. The vehicle can run for 80 miles on a single charge, taking about four hours to charge the battery. It’s got some extras too. An in-car heating system for one, electric brakes, gel-filled tires and cool neon lights. This was obviously a labor of love as it cost the Zanises $60,000 in supplies, and a ton of hours to build. They’re now looking for financial backers, because they need $40,000 to build a Mark 2 prototype. They would like to get the range up to 500 miles.

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Eight-wheeling H2 Hummer limousine

Posted in Automotive by Reuben Drake on February 14th, 2008

H2 Hummer Limousine with three rear axles and eight wheelsThe Ferrari Limo is probably better suited for speed to get you to the club on time, but this H2 Hummer limousine with its triple axle setup gives you your own club on wheels.

This super-duty stretched version of the already-huge Hummer rolls on eight 22’s and hauls around 2 VIP lounges, disco floors and ceilings, some custom gull-wing doors in back and a level-5 sounds system. Take a look at a photo of the interior after the jump, which appears to be as roomy as they get. No details are given about how many people it can hold, but we’re guessing it’s enough.

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Navisurfer II: a PC in your car’s dashboard

Posted in Automotive by Conner Flynn on February 7th, 2008

Navisurfer II
Many people hate to be away from their computer, even while in the car. Despite the fact that driving requires all of your attention, you still crave that screen, that contact, you don’t want to miss out on anything damnit! There’s no need to suffer withdrawal symptoms while in your vehicle any longer thanks to the Navisurfer II.

It’s a complete PC that can be installed in your car and it only takes up a single DIN slot in your car’s dashboard, which is the same size as a typical car stereo. It even features a flip-out touchscreen 7-inch color display, with 800 x 480 resolution. It will run either Windows XP or Linux as the OS. The Navisurfer II also has all of the software applications that you would want in your car, like media player, GPS navigator, rear view camera, plus an application for displaying vehicle diagnostic information.

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