New software designed for mobile phones and PDAs will allow motorists in the U.S. to warn fellow drivers of police speed traps and red-light cameras by sounding off an alarm when approaching a known threat. The system works by users submitting information about known threats to a central database, which then warns other drivers by […]
GM has upgraded its OnStar monitoring and tracking system with two new navigational services for all 2009 models equipped with the subscription-based service. Working in conjunction with the existing Turn-by-Turn feature, OnStar now comes with a new ‘Destination Download’ service that allows users to have the address of their destination sent directly to their navigation […]
Current hybrid technology uses electrical energy stored in a battery to power an electric motor connected to an internal combustion to drive a car’s wheels, but there are other ways of harnessing electrical energy to help save fuel. Engineers are now developing a new system where electrical energy can be used to drive a supercharger […]
The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) approved the merger of satellite radio providers Sirius and XM. The merger has been in the works since last February, and now that the government’s antitrust division has given the all-clear, the final hurdle is the FCC.
Initial rumors about the deal popped up in mid-2006, with both companies’ CEOs […]
There’s usually nothing worth mentioning about a Bluetooth headset but here’s one that will get the attention of most performance enthusiasts. The device is the ‘Tonino Lamborghini Bello’ and apart from Lamborghini’s shield emblem on the outer casing there’s not much that the headset has in common with the Italian supercar brand.
The headset is sold […]
In the pursuit of improved safety, a number of carmakers are developing face recognition systems that scan a driver’s face and determine whether he or she is about to fall asleep behind the wheel. BMW is also looking at the technology but sees face recognition as a way to identify the person behind the wheel […]
For many the daily commute is one of the last refuges of peace and solitude, one of the last places where we control our environment almost absolutely. We choose the music (or roar of the engine), we choose the temperature, we choose the view outside our windows by choosing our route. But Microsoft envisions a […]
Ferrari and David Wiener Ventures license has created the ultimate gift for the Ferrari fan that has everything. Developed by the partnership is a new tower speaker designed and engineered by Ferrari called the Art.Engine. The single contained unit features a number of vertically stacked speakers utilizing lightweight carbon-fiber cones and louvered cooling ducts that […]
Carmakers are always looking at ways of lowering costs and one of the easiest ways is to replace complicated systems with simpler ones. An Italian design company has now come up with an innovative wiperless windshield, which it plans to showcase on a new concept car at next month’s Geneva Motor Show. The new concept […]
No longer will road-warrior salespeople have to hunt down a WiFi hotspot or finagle a laptop connection into their car for on-the-go Internet access. BMW has come to the rescue with an evolution of its ConnectedDrive technology that allows unrestricted Internet use via the car’s in-dash display.
Billing the system as the combination of sheer driving […]
Tired of your suction-cup mounted GPS ending up on the floor of your car? Maybe you would just prefer to have your navigation system more in your line of sight? Whatever the reason, MirrorPilot has an answer. The GPS navigation device integrates into a rear-view mirror to give full navigation function while keeping […]
Anyone who’s restored a classic car knows how hard it is to find a stereo with all the modern features we’ve become accustomed to but retains the original look of audio devices from past generations. RetroSound helps solve the problem with its new ‘Model One’ media player, essentially a device with modern technology hidden behind […]
Although the relative silence of hybrid vehicles has made them the choice of TV gangsters for drive-by shootings, the rest of the world is less than enamored with the difficulty involved in hearing one coming - especially when trying to cross the street. Lotus’ response to the problem: engineer a system that re-creates the sound […]
Nokia has been trialling a new traffic monitoring system that relies on internet-connected mobile phones fitted with GPS receivers in vehicles, which can send information about traffic flow patterns in real-time and calculate alternative routes. The project is called ‘Mobile Century’, and it involved the California Transportation Department and about 150 students from the […]
Most in-car PCs are generally too complicated for the average person to master and have for long been regarded as a gadget for tech-heads to boast about. Usually designed to run Linux or Windows, in-car computers, or ‘carputers’ for short, can be used as a replacement for a car’s stereo, GPS, DVD player, rear-view camera […]