Gadgets

Touchscreen displays have revolutionized our gadgets, both in and away from our automotive lives. Now, they're set to get even better to use. From iPhones to satellite navigation systems, many of our electronic gadgets use the technology, and that's only going to increase as makers strive for ever...

Electronics giant Pioneer has revealed the latest in the world of automotive satellite navigation technology, with its new AVIC-VH09CS double din unit showcasing the first production example of an in-car ‘augmented reality’ system. Using a wireless windshield-mounted camera, the system...

GPS navigation systems and internet-based route planners allow you to pick the quickest or shortest route to your destination. However, until now there hasn't been the option to pick the greenest route, allowing you to use the least fuel and reducing your journey's emissions. Researchers at the...

If you spend a lot of time driving you won't have failed to notice the distinctive shape of high intensity LED daytime running lights on some modern vehicles. As for LED tail-lights, those are even more common. Only a small selection of vehicles features entirely LED-based headlights though...

Online car sales sites have transformed the way we buy and sell cars. Whether you're selling to the highest bidder on an online auction site or setting your price and waiting for the calls on sites like Autotrader, you can not only add far more photos and details than ever before but reach a...

Rolls-Royce is the latest automaker to launch a downloadable app for Apple’s range of mobile devices, offering it for users of the iPad, iPhone and iPod touch. The app allows clients and Rolls-Royce enthusiasts to create highly bespoke virtual Phantom models, including the ability to apply...

Cheeky styling and endless personalization options already mark out the MINI as a fun and sociable vehicle, but now a new App from MINI called MINI Connected will give drivers, in MINI's words, "an even more intense experience of limitless driving fun". Normally for this sort of experience you'd be...

The moment when you buy a new car is always something to be savored. Only a handful of digits on the odometer, that 'new car smell', and of course a smooth, glassy finish to the paintwork. Sadly it rarely lasts, and all but the most fastidiously-maintained vehicles will soon pick up scratches and...

Fed up with bumper stickers and window stickers that nobody else can see at night? Want to show off your allegiance to a particular sports team or college even in the darkest of nights? What you need is the Powerdecal. This 4" sticker can be affixed on the inside of any window and uses three AA...

Last fall, we told you about Toyota's "Ideas for Good" competition. If you read about it or saw the TV commercials (including the controversial one that was censored by the NFL), you know that the contest encouraged folks to envision new applications for five Toyota technologies, like the company's...

Following on from the success of its previous ‘Explore’ app released for the Apple iPhone back in December, Aston Martin has now launched a new and updated version dubbed ‘Experience’ that comes with a few new touches. Unlike the Explore app, which was offered for free, the...

There are thousands of tech developers out there, trying to make driving more fun, more efficient, and less frustrating. Apps like DriveSafe.ly, Parking In Motion, and Waze are the fruits of their labor. But there are just as many folks with great ideas for improving the roadways who don't have the...

Using bits of the environment for creative ad campaigns is nothing new, but it is certainly entertaining--or can be. Case in point: this ad for Hot Wheels from Bogota, Colombia, which to onlookers like a vertical loop has been placed in the freeway. A sign next to the loop, though not the first...

Some things in the motoring world are inexorably linked. Classic car enthusiasts often have an interest in other classic transport - boats, aircraft, motorcycles. The glitz and glamour of Formula 1 racing goes hand-in-hand with champagne. Many motorsports though have a timepiece connection. In...

Automakers have been working closely with electronic component suppliers over the past couple of years in order to develop a new generation of low cost navigation and infotainment systems designed for both vehicle and personal use. Harman International previously confirmed plans to supply a...

There are lots of gizmos on the market -- gizmos designed to meet the needs of nearly every consumer. And yet, a handful of consumers are never satisfied. They take matters into their own hands, poking, prodding, and modding until they get what they want, just as they've done for millennia. Now...

They say that the simple things in life can bring the most pleasure. Though not everything simple automatically brings happiness to your life, there's certainly a joy to be had from machines and gadgets that operate with economy of movement. A recent survey by Accenture has revealed that more than...

Last month, we told you that GM cars would soon feature built-in charging devices from Powermat and that the Chevy Volt was first in line for the goods. Now, Powermat has announced that it'll soon offer a version of its wireless charger for cell phones and other mobile devices that will fit any...

Car-themed IT gadgets are no rare occurrence these days, and a multitude of gadgets with luxury car themes have hit the market in recent years. The latest is from Asus, which has just launched a new Lamborghini-branded external hard drive. Like the actual Lamborghini cars, the focus on the Asus...

Let's assume you're a safe driver. You keep your eyes on the road, your hands and 10 and 2, and Big Gulps in the oversized cupholder. You enjoy listening to tunes on your iPod and/or iPhone, but you'd never look down to fiddle with the controls. Still, you wish there were a way to safely...