smartphones

  • Android Auto split-screen view

    Google's Android Auto now gets a split-screen view, support for different screen sizes and layouts, and the ability to stream content from a phone to a car's screen.

  • New Ford Police Interceptor
    Record the police on an iPhone with "Hey Siri, I'm getting pulled over"

    A Siri shortcut will discreetly record interactions with police simply by telling your phone, "Hey Siri, I'm getting pulled over."

  • Porsche Augmented Reality Visualizer App
    Use augmented reality to design your dream Porsche

    The app lets users design their cars and virtually place them anywhere.

  • Google Assistant Drive Mode
    Driving Mode coming to Google Assistant this summer

    The smartphone will add a long list of driver-assistance functions to help drivers keep their eyes on the road.

  • Land Rover Explore smartphone
    This smartphone is as tough as a Land Rover

    You can now find a smartphone that's as tough as a Land Rover. The Land Rover Explore smartphone has arrived and it's ready for you to get beat up. Land Rover is tapping into the lifestyle side of its brand. It’s been doing this for some time now, most recently with its activity key...

  • Breathometer smartphone breathalyzer
    Now Your Smartphone Can Be A Breathalyzer

    A new device can turn a smartphone into a breathalyzer, but is that a good idea?

  • 2014 BMW i3

    In the new, strange and intriguing world of electric cars, customers have plenty of questions to ask--and BMW is launching a tool to help answer those questions without having to contact your dealer. Called i Genius, it's actually an artificial intelligence service, combining a database of information on BMW's new electric cars with the ability to interpret a user's questions and respond accordingly. The system is capable of interpreting words, the context of those words and the sentiment behind each question, allowing it to build an appropriate response in real time--even turning into a...

  • Hyundai Connectivity Concept
    Hyundai Turning Your Smartphone Into Your Car Keys

    Hyundai is previewing its vision for the future of car connectivity with a new technology demonstrator based on its i30 hatchback sold overseas. Aptly named the Connectivity Concept, the new i30-based technology demonstrator showcases the future of mobile phone and car integration from the Korean...

  • GM working on vehicle-to-vehicle and vehicle-to-X communications systems
    GM Working On Cars That Use Smartphone Signals To Detect Pedestrians

    Several automakers have introduced advanced technology in their cars that can read the road ahead and anticipate whether a vehicle in front is slowing down or a pedestrian or cyclist is nearby. Most of these systems rely on cameras or radar systems monitoring the road ahead, though these can be...

  • Ford's Keyfree Login
    Ford May Have Built The Perfect... Password Manager?

    Near Field Communication (NFC) keys are nothing new to the auto industry, which has embraced the concepts of keyless entry and push-button start on a near-universal basis. Getting into your car and starting it without having to dig for keys adds convenience, but will likely pay big dividends when...

  • All-new 2012 Ford Focus Electric
    Ford Maximizes Electric Car Experience With Smartphone App

    What separates your regular gasoline car from an electric car? The batteries? The motor? Plugging in each night versus going to a gas station in the morning? All of the above, of course, but also the high levels of interactivity now available to electric car users, via their smartphones. Ford is...

  • NPR News App with Ford Sync AppLink  -  2012 CES
    CES 2012: NPR News App Making Debut In Ford Vehicles

    At the 2012 Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas, Ford and NPR are announcing what Ford says is the first dedicated news app for Sync AppLink. Likewise, NPR is the first major news organization to release its own in-car streaming app.

  • Navigon 2.0 update for iOS

    Millions of Americans are planning road trips this holiday week, and many of them will use navigation software to get them where they need to go -- whether that's over the river and through the woods or to the outlet mall. The Navigon MobileNavigator smartphone app recently made things simpler for some of those folks with an update that allows users to download only the maps they need. It's part of Navigon's recent 2.0 update for iOS, and if you're a fan of the app, this will be welcome news. Once upon a time, Navigon (recently purchased by Garmin) required users to download huge country...

  • Porsche Design P-9981 BlackBerry smartphone
    Porsche Design Unveils The Ultimate BlackBerry Smartphone

    For the sophisticated executive who has everything, or the geekiest of Porsche fans, industrial design group Porsche Design together with Research In Motion (RIM), the maker of the BlackBerry smartphone, has brought out a very stylish piece of tech. That piece of tech is the new Porsche Design...

  • Cobra iRadar for Android
    Cobra Electronics Launches iRadar Connected Community App

    If you consider awareness of radar speed traps and checkpoints to be a vital component of your defensive driving armoury, then you may already have heard of Cobra Electronics Corporation. You'll also know that they're a market leader in radar detection systems, and the company has today announced a...

  • Toyota Touch Life smartphone synchronizing
    Toyota Touch Life: Sync Smartphones With In-Car Displays

    Given how well the display and layout of functions found on modern smartphones works, it's surprising that automakers haven't turned to companies like Apple and Android in an effort to improve the user experience. While they work on that, there's a short term solution, thanks to Toyota. We now...

  • Ford SYNC
    Ford Sync Reads Text Messages Aloud, Starting Today

    We've reviewed a number of smartphone apps that read texts aloud to drivers -- apps like DriveSafe.ly, PhoneGuard, and SafeCell -- but we've seen very few text-to-speech applications from automakers themselves. Ford is a notable exception. Through its popular Sync infotainment system, Ford recently...

  • GM's smartphone-based vehicle communication app
    Smartphone Communication Could Make Roads Safer, Says GM

    Your car might already have an option to synchronize with your smartphone, but General Motors reckons the technology could offer so much more. Apps like Waze and Bump can be handy for avoiding traffic (or chatting if you're already stuck) but vehicle-to-vehicle and vehicle-to-infrastructure systems...

  • Silverlit Ferrari Enzo Bluetooth RC

    A remote controlled Ferrari Enzo car that responds to smartphone.

  • 2011 Audi A8 L
    Audi Launches New Mobile Site And Features In The U.S.

    Any carmaker worth it's salt has at least one mobile customer information point these days whether an iAd, app or mobile site for customers browsing on the move. Audi of America knows this, and has updated m.audiusa.com for mobile users to provide them with a new way of accessing information about...

  • A screen grab from Invictus' Race of Champions game.
    Race Of Champions Game Screeches Onto iPhone, iPad, Android

    As naming norms for sports events go, Race Of Champions is fairly self-explanatory. Take top drivers from the highest reaches of motorsport including Formula 1, NASCAR, the WRC and more, and pit them against each other in front of a stadium audience. The trouble with all this is that it's very much...

  • In-car internet
    Generation Y Prefers Internet, Tech And Gadgets To Cars

    For the average young person back in the 1950s, only two things really mattered: A hot date for the weekend, and a hot car to go to the local drive-in, diner or secluded spot. Okay, so a Grease-like lifestyle wasn't enjoyed by everybody, but it's a sign of the times that for the youth of Generation...

  • Car Accident Sidekick app from the American Lawyer Academy
    Car Accident Sidekick App Claims To Find Nearby Ambulance-Chasers

    Ads from ambulance-chasers make life worth living. Many are so outrageous, so ridiculous, so covered in schmaltz that viewers can't help but smile. But the times they are a-changin': a new app for accident victims could make such cheesy TV spots obsolete. The app is called "Car Accident Sidekick"...

  • Nokia Car Mode, using MirrorLink
    2011 Frankfurt Auto Show: Nokia Merges Cars & Cell Phones

    Last spring, we told you about Terminal Mode, a new protocol being pushed by GM, Honda, Hyundai, Toyota, Volkswagen, and other automakers, as well as handset manufacturer Nokia. Terminal Mode (now known as MirrorLink) promises to make smartphone integration in cars much easier, and during this...

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