Apps
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At a time when most major manufacturers are scaling back and focusing on core products, Toyota has added a brand -- and along with it, a new toy to keep kids occupied on road trips. The brand in question is ToyToyota, and its first product is an app called Backseat Driver. Backseat Driver is different from other driving games because it uses the handset's GPS and accelerometer to match in-game play with the direction and speed of the real-world car that the player is sitting in. In a nutshell, the player's car follows along behind the "Papa Car" (i.e. the real-world car), picking up goodies...
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Planning A European Road Trip? Google Maps Has Traffic InfoFor many of us, the thought of motoring through the backroads and byways of Europe sounds like a dream vacation, but such trips come with their share of challenges -- namely, unfamiliar roads, signs in foreign languages, and, like anywhere, rush hour traffic. (Hey, someone's gotta keep punching the...
Richard Read -
Pandora Internet Radio Expands Relationship With Ford, ScionPandora Internet radio is rapidly expanding their presence in the automotive segment, where nearly fifty-percent of radio "consumption" happens. Pandora solutions are now available from automakers and the aftermarket alike.
Kurt Ernst -
Roadside America App Ensures Weirdness At Your FingertipsThe Roadside America app for iPhone will guide you to the obscure and bizarre along your travels. It's the perfect app for summer road trip season.
Kurt Ernst -
GMC Brings Its Showroom To The SmartphoneAccording to Nielsen, Americans are finally shifting to smartphones: 38% of mobile users already have one, and the majority of those shopping for new handsets are planning to purchase one in the near future. General Motors is hoping to cash in on that development with its new GMC Showroom App. Like...
Richard Read -
Mercedes To Answer BMW With Own Apps Store?Mercedes-Benz could be planning a system of apps, and a store to distribute them, much like rival German luxury marque BMW.
Nelson Ireson -
Privacy has long been a serious issue on the web. Now, a new bill authored by Senator Al Franken wants to address some of those concerns -- and from where we sit, it's arrived just in the nick of time. In the early days of Web 1.0, long before the rise of social networking, privacy concerns centered mostly around online chats, cyber stalkers, and online predators. The idea that you might be talking to someone who wasn't who s/he claimed to be was frightening -- and still is. The problems ramped up dramatically when the web went social. Facebook alone has over half a billion users, many of...
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Unloaded: Apple Bans DUI Sobriety Checkpoint AppsDrunk drivers who think they can evade the law by looking to certain smartphone apps might suddenly find a roadblock after all. Apple has followed up its big iCloud news earlier this week with some revised guidelines for its App Store—and one of the most noteworthy changes is a crackdown on...
Bengt Halvorson -
Volvo Launches Beefed-Up 'Volvo On Call' App For iPhone, Android In EuropeVolvo was one of several auto brands cast off from its parent company during the recent recession. The majority of those marques were shuttered (e.g. HUMMER, Pontiac, Saturn), and one -- Saab -- is struggling to keep the doors open. Volvo, however, has managed to stay the course, and a new app...
Richard Read -
iOnRoad App Brings Collision-Avoidance To Your Smartphone: VideoIf you're in the market for a new vehicle, you might be tempted to go for something with high-tech safety features, like a collision-avoidance system. At the moment, though, most of that technology is tied to luxury rides or comes as pricey add-ons. But if you've got an Android smartphone, a new...
Richard Read -
Memorial Day: 6 Apps For Your 3-Day WeekendIf you're one of our U.S. readers, you're probably (well, hopefully) preparing for a three-day weekend. And although gas prices are sky high, chances are good that many of you are planning road trips over the Memorial Day holiday. If you're in that number, we'd like to suggest a few apps that'll...
Richard Read -
2012 Mercedes-Benz CLS Accessorizes With Apple iPad AppAutomotive apps are all the rage, but it's a special kind of car that gets an app all to itself. The luxury 2012 Mercedes-Benz CLS-Class four-door coupe is just such a car, and a free app available through the Apple App Store allows owners and potential owners to access information about the car...
Antony Ingram -
Mercedes-Benz is the latest in a growing list of luxury automakers releasing new apps for the Apple iPad, a connected executive’s latest must-have and something that’s increasingly becoming an intriguing accessory for cars, especially in marketing them. This isn’t the first time that Mercedes-Benz has dabbled with the iPad crowd--the automaker has previously shown innovative ways of attaching the handy device in the car--but it’s the first time that it has launched its own iPad app. Dubbed the Mercedes-Benz MY '12 CLS-Class iPad App, the latest software application...
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Better Driver Chat App Than Ever: BUMP.com Acquires BumpChatFor those who can't get enough of chatting to strangers in traffic, the experience can now be enjoyed more widely than ever with BUMP.com's acquisition of BumpChat. The 'social network for your car' allows you to contact other drivers and chat to your heart's content, all the while fine-tuning the...
Antony Ingram -
Ford Sync Could Soon Monitor Your Blood Pressure, TooFord's popular Sync telematics system offers an array of great features, like entertainment, navigation, and diagnostics. Now, the automaker's tech team are wondering if they might extend diagnostics to evaluate the health of drivers themselves. Developers at Ford have begun working with WellDoc, a...
Richard Read -
Road Ahead App May Be The Road Tripper's Best FriendIf you’re like us, you have a passion for road trips and a serious preference for certain brands of food, gasoline and coffee. If you own an iPhone, iPad or iPod Touch, a new application may be just the thing to turn road trip frustration into road trip bliss. Called RoadAhead, the app will...
Kurt Ernst -
The eBay Motors App Arrives At Last, But Can It Save The Day?We expected the eBay Motors app to arrive in March, but it missed that deadline by a couple of months. Now that it's finally arrived, can the app redeem itself by preserving eBay's standing as a worthwhile shopping destination? There's no denying that eBay has lost luster over the past few years...
Richard Read -
Senators Push Apple, Google To Nix DUI Apps -- But Does It Matter?In March, we told you that four U.S. Senators had pushed Apple, Google, and Research In Motion (creators of the Blackberry) to remove apps that revealed the location of DUI checkpoints. At the time, RIM was the only provider that agreed to do so, but now Apple and Google have indicated that they...
Richard Read -
Just a few weeks ago Infiniti launched a new roadside assistance app for users of the Apple iPhone, and before that we saw MINI launch its own version, while Mercedes-Benz has had its mbrace assistance feature for what seems like forever. Now Audi is joining the fray with its own free roadside assistance app for the Apple iPhone and iPad, as well as BlackBerry and Android smartphone users. The new app, dubbed the Audi Roadside App, works by accessing an Audi vehicle's basic information, which is stored as part of the broader roadside assistance service. It delivers some emergency and...
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Audi Goes Mobile With New Roadside Assistance AppAudi's newest product offering comes to owners of the Apple iPhone, as well as BlackBerry and Android devices, in the form of the Audi Roadside Assistance app. The free app delivers some emergency and concierge services to users' phones--everything from locating dealers to connecting with the...
Martin Padgett -
Homer Simpson Squeezes Into TomTom's App For iPhone, iPad, iPod TouchGiven the vast number of free navigation apps available for Apple, Android, Blackberry, and Windows handsets, we've been more than a little skeptical about the future of satnav makers like Garmin and TomTom. After all, why should consumers shell out for a fairly limited piece of hardware when they...
Richard Read -
Tired Of eBay, Craigslist? Sell Your Car With Copart AppOnline 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...
Antony Ingram -
Uh-Oh: State Farm Is Watching (And Rating) Your Driving, TooRemember Progressive's Snapshot program? Sign up, and the agency sends you a device that plugs into your car's onboard diagnostic port and lets Progressive know how safely you're driving. Score well, and your auto insurance rate could plummet. Score poorly, and your rate might go up. Now State Farm...
Richard Read -
Planning A Road Trip? Make It 'Appen With These Mobile AppsIn the good old days all you needed for a road trip was a car, some buddies, and a sense of adventure. Even a map was optional. These days you can have it so much easier with the latest downloadable apps at your fingertips telling you everything from where to sleep to providing your tunes. Here is...
Antony Ingram