Gadgets

  • GM's OnStar system

    Last fall General Motors began its rollout of the OnStar Stolen Vehicle Slowdown feature that allows law enforcement to remotely bring a stolen car's speed down to a crawl, so that the car can then be shut down in a safe manner and recovered. Today, the OnStar stolen vehicle services list adds Remote Ignition Block to keep thieves from re-starting the vehicle once it has been shut off. That will keep the stolen car from being an effective getaway vehicle and help police recover the car as well, says OnStar president Chet Huber. "Remote Ignition Block is a prime example of the rapid pace of...

  • 3D GPS map
    Report: GPS screens going 3D - no glasses necessary

    Anyone who's played a modern video game knows there's 3D and then there's 3D. Many GPS systems already provide for virtual 3D displays of buildings and surface features, but now technology is getting ready to push in-car navigation systems to true 3D. The display technology uses a dual-image LCD to...

  • Toyota Brain Machine Interface (BMI)
    Toyota demonstrates electric wheelchair controlled by the mind

    While it may not be strictly car news, we just couldn't resist writing this story up about Toyota’s new 'Brain Machine Interface' technology. While it may sound like something out of the Terminator movies at first, the technology is an amazing step forward and could have huge implications for...

  • Tag Heuer Steve McQueen Monaco LS watch
    40th anniversary Tag Heuer Monaco LS celebrates Le Mans

    To celebrate the 40th anniversary of the Monaco watch, Tag Heuer last month released a slightly updated version of the original watch worn, and personally endorsed, by Steve McQueen who made it famous in the movie ‘Le Mans’. In March, the watchmaker revealed a concept watch to celebrate...

  • Audemars Piguet Millenary MC12 Tourbillon Chronograph
    Limited-edition $315K Audemars Piguet watch styled after Maserati MC12

    Complete with matching colors and the Maserati Trident, the Audemars Piguet Millenary MC12 Tourbillon Chronograph is a fine Swiss watch modeled after the Italian Maserati MC12 Corse. Like most car-themed watches, it's not readily apparent exactly what the two have to do with each other aside from...

  • Mercedes Benz ESF 2009 S400 Hybrid
    Mercedes-Benz reveals full details on ESF 2009 safety prototype vehicle

    Airbag brakes, inflatable metal and seats that push the passengers around? It sounds like a car straight out of a transformers movie, but Mercedes-Benz has let loose the full details of its ESF 2009 S400 Hybrid experimental Safety Vehicle that has all that and more - even though it won't be...

  • Apple iPhone

    Automotive technology and consumer electronics are becoming closer and closer in their functions thanks to gadgets such as GPS navigation systems and Bluetooth handsfree devices. Now, one of the hottest selling consumer electronics devices, the Apple iPhone, will be getting a number of new applications that will bridge the gap between automotive technology and consumer electronics even further. Perhaps one of the biggest new apps set to arrive for the iPhone this summer is a GPS navigation program from TomTom. The software will give users turn-by-turn directions and will even come with a...

  • bmw voice command 2009 010
    BMW putting new full-phrase voice control into all models by late 2009

    Space movies, futuristic cars and even cartoons have all touted the glories of voice command systems, but those that have dealt with the majority of present-day technology understand its limiting and often frustrating nature. But BMW hopes to have overcome those hurdles with its latest system...

  • Codemasters' FUEL screen shot
    Codemasters' FUEL will feature over 5,500 square miles of virtual terrain

    Driving simulators such as Gran Turismo 5 (GT5) and Need for Speed: SHIFT (NFS) are set to be released soon, and while much of the focus will remain on these two realism-focused games, a dark horse in the form of Codemasters' new FUEL title may upset the two heavyweights. This is because of some...

  • Mercedes Benz bicycle
    Mercedes Benz launches high-end bicycle range

    Before the invention of the automobile, cycling was a popular way to get around and even today many developing countries feature far greater numbers of cyclists then motorists. That at least goes some way into explaining this new range of bicycles from Mercedes Benz, which the automaker claims...

  • Burmester Porsche Panamera audio system
    Burmester unveils 16-speaker audio system for new Porsche Panamera

    For many, the most enjoyable part of driving a high-end sports car can be that rumble coming from the exhaust pipes as you wind the engine up to its shrieking-point - but there are also times when you'd like to just sit in the car and listen to your favorite album on your way to your destination...

  • Ford SYNC TDI
    Ford launches new SYNC TDI with enhanced navigation features

    Ford is enhancing the capabilities of its vehicles by introducing exclusive new SYNC features that add traffic, directions and information (TDI) in a simple download found on the company’s www.syncmyride.com website. The latest application ties together the advantages of navigation and...

  • Mercedes Benz's Pre-safe collision avoidance system

    The future of the automobile is a tricky subject, but looking to the nearer term, high-tech driver-assistance systems are definitely on the way. Getting there is the problem, and that's where luxury carmaker bankrolls and high-tech corporations come into play. A group of suppliers including Bosch, Continental and Infineon have joined forces with BMW and Daimler to help forge new ground in making radar systems affordable. The end goal of the project is to make it affordable to put radar into a car in every segment, basing every driver assistance system possible off of it, reports the EE Times...

  • BMW GPS weather
    New GPS system from BMW steers drivers away from bad weather

    We've already heard of GPS systems that can help us dodge traffic jams and get home quicker, but what about a GPS system that can get you home drier? BMW is introducing just such a system, and for those choosing to use it the special GPS unit will help navigate them away from rain and hail and...

  • Honda Safety Navi
    Honda releases driving simulator kit to teach safe, green driving

    Driving simulators can vary from arcade-like video games to serious training aids for racing drivers, but so far few if any have put the emphasis on safe, green driving. Honda is hoping to change that with its latest release, however - a simulator dubbed 'Honda Safety Navi'. The system comes with...

  • Garmin and Volkswagen portable GPS
    Volkswagen teams up with Garmin for portable GPS navigation system

    Carmakers are working closely with electronic component suppliers to develop a new generation of low cost navigation and infotainment systems designed for both vehicle and personal use. Renault recently launched such a system in its facelifted Clio hatch called the Carminat TomTom GPS and soon...

  • GM OnStar
    GM's OnStar will automatically give 911 services your location in emergency situation

    General Motors' OnStar in-car information service can already automatically slow down a stolen vehicle, as well as monitor traffic situations in real time. Now, GM has upgraded the functionality of OnStar to electronically transmit a vehicle’s precise longitude and latitude co-ordinates...

  • heat2power thermal energy recovery system
    French company claims 35% efficiency improvement with thermal energy recovery system

    Despite decades of modern advancements, it’s common knowledge that internal combustion engines are far from efficient when it comes to transmitting the energy stored in the fuel they burn into real motion. In the recent past we’ve seen regenerative braking, engine stop-start and direct...

  • bmw amulet traffic safety system 003

    Marrying high-tech with road safety has been one of the primary goals of the automotive industry for the past several decades, often with very good results. The latest step forward by BMW promises to take the idea to a new level, equipping pedestrians and others with transponders that alert passing cars to their presence - even if they can't be seen by the human eye. The technology is called AMULETT - the German acronym for “Active mobile accident avoidance and mitigation of accident effects through cooperative data acquisition and tracking technology”. While the name might be...

  • Neo View Kolon OLED display
    Transparent ‘organic LEDs’ to revolutionize car displays

    A South Korean company by the name of NeoView Kolon has just unveiled its latest development in the field of OLED technology. Similar to LED technology, the OLED title refers to 'organic light-emitting diodes', but rather than being used in light clusters as LEDs are being used at the front and...

  • Meccaniche Veloci Quattro Valvole CCM
    Brembo teams with Italian watchmaker for carbon-ceramic special edition

    Watches and cars have shared a long history together. Something about the kindred spirit of precision, style and function of both endeavors finds an overlapping fanbase. Few watches exhibit that cross-pollination better than the Meccaniche Veloci Quattro Valvole CCM - a carbon-ceramic watch built...

  • Lotus' Safe & Sound Hybrid system
    Lotus and Harman partner for sound system that makes quieter V8s, noisier hybrids

    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...

  • GM and Segway Project P.U.M.A.
    GM teams up with Segway for new personal mobility vehicle

    Just days out from the New York Auto Show, General Motors, together with Segway, has unveiled a new type of vehicle that could change the way we move around in cities. Labeled Project P.U.M.A. (Personal Urban Mobility and Accessibility), the vehicle is an electrically powered, two-seat pod that has...

  • Tag Heuer Monaco Twenty Four Concept Chronograph watch
    Tag Heuer celebrates 24 Hours of Le Mans with special edition Monaco chronograph

    The 24 Hours of Le Mans is one of the most arduous car races in the world, which is why it’s also one of the most heralded and talked about automotive events in history. Hosted every second week of June, the 86-year-old race is now being celebrated by Tag Heuer with the release of a new...

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