Ford Sync turns your car into a WiFi hotspot

Posted in Automotive by Conner Flynn on December 21st, 2009

Ford’s next generation of Sync systems will have yet another useful feature. This time around it’s built-in Wi-Fi, turning your car into a rolling hotspot. You’ll be able to share a 3G connection with a driver-defined list of devices.

Of course you’ll need to use your own 3G card, which will plug into the Sync’s USB port. I’m sure other auto makers will offer Wi-Fi soon as well. Then we really will always be connected.

The Batmobile Limo

Posted in Automotive by Conner Flynn on December 15th, 2009

The Batmobile LimoThis stretch limo Batmobile is what Batman and Robin ride around in on their off hours. Maybe Bruce wants to take Robin out for some Ice cream or to the opera. Nothing wrong with a rich dude taking his child ward out on the town in a stretch limo is there? I mean sure, you could take a lady friend, but…We’ll you and boy wonder have an odd relationship.

Maybe they have the Joker in the trunk. Who knows. What I do know is that Bruce Wayne sure knows how to travel in style while giving away his secret identity.

Pandora wants to stream music in your car

Posted in music by Conner Flynn on December 9th, 2009

Pandora wants to stream music in your carPandora has it’s sights set on a variety of options for in-car music streaming. The news comes straight from Pandora’s Chief Technology Officer, who told attendees at the SF Music Tech Summit that the company is working with car manufacturers to more thoroughly integrate Pandora into vehicles.

Apparently the first thing they are concentrating on is an in-dash or hands-free option so you can use a docked device running Pandora. Then, “within a few years,” that could evolve to include Pandora services built right into in-car entertainment systems.

JVC and Kenwood’s MDV-313

Posted in JVC by Conner Flynn on November 30th, 2009

JVC and Kenwood's MDV-313JVC and Kenwood have partnered to release their very first car navigation system, which is dubbed the MDV-313. The device features a built-in DVD player, an integrated 1Seg TV tuner, USB port and virtual 3D maps and more.

The most interesting aspect of the MDV-313 is the high speed response time that will supposedly go a long way toward improving user experience. No word on pricing or availability yet, but it will be hitting Japan first. It looks like they may have a real winner with this one.

ArcherMind unveils Android-based Car Navigation System

Posted in Automotive by Conner Flynn on November 22nd, 2009

ArcherMind unveils Android-based Car Navigation SystemArcherMind has just unveiled the result of their collaboration with Chinese hardware makers, the first in-car navigation system based on Google’s Android operating system. Embedded with an ARM core processor, the system was shown off at the Embedded Technology 2009 event in Japan.

It’s exciting because we’re talking Android, but some other features include an 800 x 480 resolution 7-inch screen, a navigation system that allows you to surf the web, write and receive SMSs and to play audio books. Using 3G Wi-Fi and Bluetooth the system also features a hard disk drive, and an SD card slot for storage.

SoundRacer makes your car sound like a supercar

Posted in Automotive by Conner Flynn on November 8th, 2009

SoundRacer makes your car sound like a supercarSo you drive around in an Gremlin, but what you really want is a Porsche or a Ferrari. Unfortunately you can’t afford one. Which is why you are in your little bucket of rust. Well, the Soundracer can help. It won’t convert your heap into a sportier car, but it will plug into your car’s cigarette lighter port, and use an FM transmitter to play real V8 or V10 engine sound effects to the stereo.

That way you can at least pretend you are driving in luxury. According to SoundRacer’s website, the sounds correspond to the RPMs of your car’s engine. Pretend is fun.

Durable Atom-powered in-car computers from Rave

Posted in PCs by Conner Flynn on October 25th, 2009

Durable Atom-powered in-car computers from RaveRave Computer is offering a rugged in-car computer dubbed the MIL-SPEC-810F, which debuted at the MILCOM 2009 exhibition. It’s a fanless computer powered by an Intel 1.6 GHz Atom N270 processor, which consumes less power, making it suitable for nearly all vehicles and almost all conditions.

The MIL-SPEC-810F is capable of operating normally in temperatures from -30 C to 60 C (-22 F to 140 F) and runs on 6 – 36 VDC. The PC also sports a PCI-104 expansion connector, 2 mini PCI express slots, compact Flash and SIM slots, Gigabyte Ethernet, 802.11b/g/n WiFi, Bluetooth, GPS, and three USB ports.

Lexus does another transparent car

Posted in Automotive by Conner Flynn on October 22nd, 2009

Lexus does another transparent carIf you thought the Lexus LF-A Crystalised Wind looked awesome, check this one out. This is a real car on display at the Tokyo Motor Show.

Looks like Lexus is working on invisibility, which insurance companies will be thrilled about. The Lexus LF-A Crystallised Wind was made of acrylic glass back in April at Milan’s Museo della Permanente art gallery. Your days of driving nude are officially over.

Start your car with your iPhone

Posted in Automotive by Conner Flynn on October 13th, 2009

Start your car with your iPhoneCar keys are so last century. They’re only good for scratching other people’s cars out of revenge or scratching instant lottery tickets. We have the iPhone, who needs keys? More cars are starting with just the push of a button these days anyway. More will follow. Viper is creating a keyless future with their new iPhone app that unlocks and starts your car for you.

The app is free and connects to a Viper SmartStart hardware module inside of your car, letting you start your car, get the heat going, unlock doors or turn the alarm on or off. Also, you don’t need to be physically near your car to do those things since it works using cell networks.

Car Cam Voyager is a Black Box for your car

Posted in Automotive by Conner Flynn on October 4th, 2009

Car Cam Voyager is a Black Box for your carIt would be pretty handy to have a black box for your car, just like airplanes have. That way if you got into an accident, saw a crime being committed or got beaten up by a cop for no good reason, you would have a record of the event.

That’s basically what the Car Cam Voyager does. It acts like a black box. It’s the first video camera for the car that allows you to record what is happening in real time while you’re driving. The device can display captured video on the 2-inch 320×240 screen and can record up to 48 hours of video on the road to a 32GB microSD card.

Lexus LF-Ch concept sports headrest-mounted iPhone docks

Posted in Automotive by Conner Flynn on September 14th, 2009

Lexus LF-Ch concept sports headrest-mounted iPhone docksThe Lexus name is all about luxury, so why not incorporate some iphone docks? That’s just what they’ve done with the hybrid Lexus LF-Ch Concept. They’ve added rear seat headrest-mounted iPhone docks. That should help keep your little hellions quiet on your next roadtrip.

Assuming you or your kids own an iPhone of course. But hey if you are driving a Lexus, I’m sure you can afford one or two iPhones. The LF-Ch also has storage in the rear seat armrests for small items like iPods, PDAs and cell phones.

APSI 100 GPS with removable PMP

Posted in GPS by Conner Flynn on September 10th, 2009

APSI 100 GPS with removable PMPThe most interesting aspect of the APSI C100 is that it features a large touchscreen display that can be removed from the dock and used as a portable media player. This gives you two gadgets in one and some bragging rights when your buddies are in the car.

The device can also be used as a remote to control your media system when connected to the dock in your car. Gini 3D software features all South Korea maps including accurate 3D renders of buildings and other structures. No info on pricing or if it will ever show up in this part of the world.

Parrot intros iPhone-ready car stereo

Posted in iPhone Accessories by Conner Flynn on September 1st, 2009

Parrot intros iPhone-ready car stereoParrot’s RKi8400 in-dash car stereo was made for the iPhone, so you can take a nice drive and have all of your tunes hassle-free. When you get a call it goes into hands-free mode using Stereo Bluetooth connectivity and A2DP support.

The stereo is compatible with all iPhones and second generation iPod touch models just as long as they are running firmware 3.0 and up. It also features an SDHC memory card slot so you can store music without using the included USB port.

Dension unveils new wireless mobile entertainment device

Posted in Mobile Accessories by Shane McGlaun on August 31st, 2009

dension-sbOne of the last realms for users to get always on Internet connections that can be shared is in their cars. We can already get Internet in cars with mobile phones or 3G dongles, but it can be hard to share. A company called Dension has announced a new USB dongle that provides wireless connectivity to users in the car.

The device is called the Wi Drive and is a USB dongle designed to plug into the USB port of a car. USB ports are still relatively rare on cars in the U.S. so the company also offers a gateway that adds a USB port to the vehicle.

Motorola bluetooth box has three days of talk time

Posted in Motorola by Conner Flynn on July 19th, 2009

Motorola bluetooth box has three days of talk timeAre you a talker? I mean a serious talker? Well feel free to talk away with the Motorola T215 Bluetooth car speakerphone, which boasts three days of talktime and was specially designed to work with other hands-free car kits.

It includes a 2W speaker with noise cancellation functionality. That should give you something to talk about. It’s a nice piece of tech, it’s just a shame that the design is so boring. Who knows, maybe the 1990′s styling will be hip again one day soon, but we doubt it.