smartphones

  • 2011 Kia Optima Turbo

    The last few years have seen a step-up in in-car telematics, with more connected systems than ever now available to drivers and their passengers. Kia is currently developing its next generation of telematics, to expand on the first-gen UVO system found in its current 2012 range of cars. The new system will also be rolled out globally - the current UVO is limited to North America. The next generation will take a leaf out of the iPhone's book and allow users to choose from a series of icons for different functions, and change screens by swiping a fingertip. Also in common with the current wave...

  • SignalGuru
    SignalGuru Uses Crowdsourcing To Time Stop Lights & Save Gas

    Stopping is inefficient. When a vehicle comes to a complete stop, it wastes energy, frittering away gas while idling, and consuming even more to get moving again. This is in part why we're seeing stop-start technology become commonplace in today's greener vehicles. But what if drivers didn't have...

  • Chadwick Martin Bailey study on smartphone & tablet usage habits, May 2011
    Taps For TomTom: The Standalone GPS Unit Is Dead

    The lightbulb killed the gas lamp. The DVD killed the VHS tape. And now, the world is preparing for the death of another invention past its prime: the standalone GPS device. We've been expecting this funeral for some time. Google Maps' debut on smartphones was a bad omen, and each new travel app...

  • 2012 Nissan Altima QR code
    Nissan First Carmaker To Use QR Codes On Window Stickers

    You can't fail to have noticed the abundance of Quick Response (QR) codes on products and services these days. They appear on everything from soda cans to billboards, websites and TV adverts. The curious little pixellated codes have become a great way for companies to offer information to anybody...

  • Nissan Carwings App for Android OS
    2011 Nissan Leaf Electric Car Finally Gets Android App

    2011 Nissan Leaf owners are right on the cutting edge of car technology, but so far only Apple iPhone users have been able to enjoy the full experience of controlling the car's climate control and charging timer functions from a mobile device. No longer. Android smartphone users are now privy to...

  • Google Maps with traffic data for Munich and Madrid
    Planning A European Road Trip? Google Maps Has Traffic Info

    For 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...

  • A Porsche Instant Intelligence mobile tag.

    Porsche new Instant Intelligence program allows shoppers to quickly download model-specific data, videos, reviews and audio clips to their smartphones.

  • GMC Showroom Mobile App for iPhone
    GMC Brings Its Showroom To The Smartphone

    According 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...

  • Field sobriety test
    Unloaded: Apple Bans DUI Sobriety Checkpoint Apps

    Drunk 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...

  • Touchscreen steering wheel. Photo: Discovery News
    Pinch, Trace And Touch... The Steering Wheel Of The Future

    If you love a steering wheel festooned with handy buttons, and even if you don't, this might be the steering wheel for you. Engineers at the University of Stuttgart in Germany have been hard at work on a new prototype steering wheel that takes interaction with your car to a new level. You may think...

  • Volvo On Call app for iPhone
    Volvo Launches Beefed-Up 'Volvo On Call' App For iPhone, Android In Europe

    Volvo 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...

  • iOnRoad app
    iOnRoad App Brings Collision-Avoidance To Your Smartphone: Video

    If 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...

  • Gas Buddy

    If 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 make your mini-vacation more enjoyable. Of course, there are the obvious choices -- the ones we've covered before like Pandora (for music), Aha (for news and more), Waze (for traffic), and Roadside America (for those wacky side-trips). There's also the Road Ahead app, which keeps tabs on nearby...

  • BumpChat driver connection app
    Better Driver Chat App Than Ever: BUMP.com Acquires BumpChat

    For 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...

  • eBay Motors app infographic
    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...

  • Pulled over by the police
    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...

  • Audi logo
    Audi Launches Roadside Assistance App For Smartphone Users

    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...

  • Green GPS (Image: University of Illinois)
    Green GPS Picks Fuel-Saving, Lowest Emissions Routes

    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...

  • Marty Padgett investigates the Mercedes-Benz MBrace system

    Back in 2009 Mercedes-Benz launched a new telematics feature called mbrace that at the time was said to offer everything from a vehicle locator for crowded car parks, somebody to direct you if you get lost or even the ability to order online--all whilst sitting in the driver’s seat. Designed to work in conjunction with a smartphone, mbrace is offered on most Mercedes-Benz models either as an option or standard, and in this latest video we see it explained using an E-Class sedan at the recent 2011 New York Auto Show. Our man Marty Padgett talks to a representative from Hughes Telematics...

  • 2010 Jaguar XJ75 Platinum Concept
    Jaguar Land Rover, BlackBerry Join In Smartphone Integration

    Integrating smartphones with in-car vehicle technology is nothing new. Bluetooth connection for making calls, and playing music and plugging in via USB has been around for years. Full integration of smartphones into a car's systems hasn't really been seen yet beyond the concept stage. One of the...

  • Verizon Wireless 4G Tech
    Tested: Verizon Wireless 4G

    A few weeks ago we received an e-mail from our Verizon Wireless representative asking if we'd have a situation where we could test out the new 4G network. Of course our team readying to go cover the New York Auto Show (NYAS), we couldn't see a better opportunity to take her up on the offer. Verizon...

  • Li Chao, Executive Deputy General Manager of Shanghai OnStar Telematics
    OnStar Is China's First Automotive App

    General Motors has made huge inroads in China, and now, those inroads have grown a bit wider: yesterday at the 2011 Shanghai Auto Show, GM launched its smartphone app for China's OnStar subscribers. The OnStar app for Chinese drivers is nearly identical to the one that subscribers in North America...

  • IntelliLink wireless vehicle connectivity
    Buick And GMC Brands Get New IntelliLink Vehicle Connectivity Feature

    GM is introducing a new connectivity feature dubbed IntelliLink in its Buick and GMC line of cars for 2012, which is essentially designed to connect to a driver’s smartphone or other portable device and then control it using the vehicle’s touchscreen display or in some cases through...

  • Aston Martin Experience iPhone app
    Aston Martin Launches New ‘Experience’ App For iPhone

    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...

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