Gadgets
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Have you ever wondered how cool it would be to have a breathalyzer integrated in your iPod’s FM transmitter? Neither have we, but David Steele, creator of the iBreath (what else did you expect it to be called?) claims it’ll be one of the hottest selling products of this holiday season. To use the BAC, you simply fold out the straw and exhale into it for a full 5 seconds. Five seconds later you know whether it’s safe to drive home or you need to call a cab. The FM transmitter allows you to manually adjust the frequency being broadcast, and this is displayed on the LCD...
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Look ma, no driver!The booming Chinese car market is now the 2nd largest in the world and 'First Auto Works', a major Chinese auto manufacturer, chose its hometown of Changchun to unveil its latest creation – an unmanned car. The vehicle is a Hongqi HQ3, and the driverless vehicle has been tested upto 37mph...
Viknesh Vijayenthiran -
BMW adds real time traffic information to its 2007 navigation systems
BMW today announced the availability of Real Time Traffic Information (RTTI) for the first time on any production vehicle sold in the United States. RTTI allows for dynamic rerouting on navigation systems in select 2007 BMW models, ie. the X5, M5, M6, and the 3, 5, and 6 Series models and is...
Viknesh Vijayenthiran -
Fiat upgrades Blue&Me with SMS and installs new ”Start & ESC” buttons
Fiat and Microsoft’s venture into in-car computing has been with us for less than year, but already we have news of an update to the system. The latest feature in Fiat's Blue&Me is the addition of an SMS reader. Current users of the system can download the latest application and install it...
James Martinez -
iLane hands-free internet coming to a car near you
A new hands-free, voice activated system will allow drivers to send and receive emails and gather online information via a handheld device or Smartphone. The company that created iLane, Intelligent Mechatronic Systems Inc. (IMS), will launch the product at this years IFA consumer electronics trade...
Viknesh Vijayenthiran -
New parallel parking guidance system in Mercedes CL
Mercedes is jumping on the parking assistance bandwagon by introducing a system that will help drivers to parallel park. The system uses side-mounted sonar sensors to detect whether there’s sufficient space to park on the side. If a driver indicates and is travelling less than 16km/h the...
Viknesh Vijayenthiran -
After-market satellite navigation devices are the new favourite of smash-and-grab thieves in the UK, who can easily net over £300 (US$550) from the sale of just one unit. This new trend has prompted police to set traps in cars where trackers are installed to try and locate where the GPS devices are going. Police in Staffordshire are the first to trial this new technique after they received over 600 reports of theft. The rise of theft for these units is a worrying trend for owners as they attract attention to otherwise safe cars. One tip we can offer is to remove any attachments or cables...
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A headset that can save your life at the wheel
Falling asleep behind the wheel is still an all too common occurrence. We’ve all been near the edge - cruising along an empty stretch of highway in the middle of the night when all of a sudden your head starts to feel heavy. Now there is a small device you can wear that gives off a loud beep...
Viknesh Vijayenthiran -
DriftBox - the ultimate tool for the PlayStation generation
A new GPS based data logger has been released and promisess to bring big-budget statistics tracking to your average drifting enthusiast. The device is equipped with a multitude of sensors that give feedback on important drift vitals such as slip angle, velocity and grip levels all measured in g...
Kenneth Hall -
New Grande Punto with latest Blue&Me update
Motorists are now able to try an updated version of Fiat and Microsoft’s combined efforts in the world of automotive technology in the new Grande Punto. Don’t worry. This doesn’t mean you’ll have to send an error report every time your car breaks down. The system known as...
Ralph Hanson -
Cars that can read your mind
We will soon be able to drive cars that will know if we’ve had a rough day or a car that can tell if we’re about to fall asleep behind the wheel. That’s the premise of a new technology being developed by scientist Peter Robinson at the University of Cambridge. Though the idea...
Alex Kaufmann -
Virtual Reality drag racing
What we have here is a virtual reality based system that allows you to drag race your mates down the quarter mile, whilst driving your own vehicle without any fears of crashing or losing your license. Isn’t that risk half the fun of drag racing? There’s no need for helmets, roll cages...
Alex Kaufmann -
Do you feel cheated paying top dollar for some parking garages when you know there’s probably a dozen other garages in the area charging less, but you don’t know where? Thanks to the spread of ubiquitous computing and a new web company called SpotScout, you can now find the nearest, cheapest, and highest-rated parking spots while on the go. The service even allows you to reserve private parking spots beforehand, so you can arrive at the garage knowing there’s a spot waiting or you. One interesting feature that the company may implement is the ability for anyone to offer...
