Top Stories
Time Warner broadband usage caps spreading, consumers revolt!
18 room Hotelicopter hotel would be the largest helicopter ever built (if it wasn't a joke)
Louisiana 'pick-up-anywhere' monorail could do away with buses
Sections
Archive
Car Electronics
This is what you do when you're a geek with wheels. Jonathan Oxer has hacked his Mazda RX-8 so that he can unlock it, turn it on and even open the trunk — using his iPod Touch. All of...
POSTED Wednesday, April 1, 2009
Now you can talk hands-free in your car and know that you're constant gabbing isn't doing anything nasty to the environment except adding your own noise pollution. Pair up this solar Scosche solCHAT with your Bluetooth cell phone, and it...
POSTED Tuesday, March 17, 2009
Ah, E Ink. You're so glamorous, seductive and successful on the shiny new Kindle 2, so spiffy adorning the Sony Reader. You're so full of promise, oh star of press releases and prototypes. But your failures are so spectacular, and...
POSTED Thursday, February 12, 2009
If you're going to pay $2 million for a car, every little detail should be as luxurious as possible, right down to the horn. Certainly, The Dukes of Hazzard's General Lee shouldn't be the only car with a custom horn,...
POSTED Monday, February 9, 2009
Do you have the disgusting habit of using chewing tobacco? And while you're driving, you always miss your spittle cup, covering your car with a horrible, sticky mess of your tobacco saliva? That, my friend, is gross. At least keep...
POSTED Tuesday, January 27, 2009
OEM innovator Bosch is looking to bring 3D to your dashboard for GPS applications, replace your mechanical gauges with a customizable LCD and allow for driver and passenger to simultaneously share a screen for disparate uses. The 3-D effect...
POSTED Sunday, January 11, 2009
MTX has engineered a new king of the hill for biggest production speaker, at 24" the Jackhammer 24 is the largest speaker with a square cone ever produced. It tips the scales at 400lbs, costs $10,000 and thirsts for...
POSTED Sunday, January 11, 2009
Even if you're not too crazy about the Blackberry Storm smartphone, you might like it a bit better with a full-fledged GPS system on board. This one by GPS ace Telenav takes advantage of the Blackberry's connectivity with live...
POSTED Monday, December 29, 2008
Those kids today: yammering on their cellphones all day, and the texting. It's all fun and games until you start doing it while driving. Yeah, that would be a big no-no regardless of your age, though University of Utah...
POSTED Friday, December 12, 2008
Seems like just yesterday we were extolling the virtues of having a screen in a car's front seat, and along comes Splitview Command, an 8-inch screen to be available in Mercedes S-Class cars next summer. It miraculously displays two...
POSTED Thursday, December 11, 2008
The U.S. government is wrapping up its haggling over a bailout of the auto industry, and since We the People are shelling out at least $15 billion to the Big Three auto makers, let's dictate tough terms to them...
POSTED Wednesday, December 10, 2008
Do you have a crippling fear of getting stuck in a car that's, say, sinking or on fire? It sure would be a terrible situation, but it's rare enough that I don't think you should develop a complex about it....
POSTED Wednesday, November 19, 2008
Japan's Fujitsu Labs has unveiled a new development in auto technology that provides a three-dimensional-style wrap around view for drivers. Using four vehicle-based cameras to process what the company calls "3-D virtual projection/point of view conversion technology," the driver is...
POSTED Tuesday, November 18, 2008
Sometimes, it's just easier to communicate using hand gestures. I mean, what good are words when you can just give someone a hearty thumbs up to show your approval? And why waste your breath with someone you aren't pleased with...
POSTED Thursday, October 16, 2008
Man, sometimes I wish I was born a few years later. While I suffered through multi-hour car trips in the backseat of my parents car with nothing to entertain me but my dad's lousy taste in music and guessing games,...
POSTED Wednesday, October 8, 2008
Three Japanese engineering giants, Nissan, NTT Docomo and Sharp, have joined forces to introduce the world's first cellphone with the ability to act as an Intelligent Key for your car. Nissan's Intelligent Key technology already comes standard in most of...
POSTED Thursday, September 25, 2008
Knowing how to time stoplights is a key element to driving. You don't want to stop completely at a stoplight when it's just going to turn green immediately. That's a waste of gas! You want to slow down just enough...
POSTED Monday, September 22, 2008
Living in a crowded urban neighborhood, I often see kids driving around in their mobile sound systems on wheels, setting off every car alarm on the block. That's annoying enough, but at least I know that as painful as...
POSTED Sunday, August 31, 2008
If you’re the father of a 15-year-old social butterfly like I am, you’ll understand the brilliant concept behind Dad’s Cab ($18). This realistic taxi meter makes you feel like a New York cabbie, counting up the hours you spend...
POSTED Thursday, August 28, 2008
Solar panels are starting to show up on a few new cars such as the upcoming version of the Prius, but until now there have been no options for upgrading existing cars. Now a company called Sunrise Solar plans...
POSTED Wednesday, August 27, 2008
As if we didn't have enough distractions while driving. Now Maplin, which is sort of the British version of Radio Shack, has introduced a portable microwave oven that runs on 12 Volts DC. Strap one into the passenger seat,...
POSTED Tuesday, August 12, 2008
An error in judgment, simply not paying attention, an act of good ol' stupidity — next thing you know you're in an accident. That is, you would have been, if your car didn't take control of the wheel. Nissan is...
POSTED Wednesday, August 6, 2008
Professor Tomiki Ikeda of Japan's Tokyo Institute of Technology has been working on light-activated motors since 2003, and it looks like his research is yielding some amazing results. The research team has completed a plastic motor, powered only by ultraviolet...
POSTED Wednesday, July 23, 2008
The Car Camera Voyager Pro comes coupled with a GPS logger, and altogether the unit will keep recordings of your driving and track where you went. Depending on what you want to use it for, it could help in...
POSTED Saturday, July 19, 2008
With portable GPS devices selling for peanuts these days, you might wonder why anyone would want an old school compass in their car. If you've even been off road however, you'll know that even the best GPS device has...
POSTED Thursday, July 3, 2008
So you've got an SUV or a truck that's impossible to sell due to the insanely high gas prices. What're you to do? I say you should just accept that you won't be getting rid of that vehicle for a...
POSTED Monday, June 30, 2008
Many cars already have the option to stick a DVD player or video game system in the backseat, so it was only a matter of time before people had the option of adding a WiFi connection to their vehicle...
POSTED Thursday, June 26, 2008
The idea people at Mio have been hard at work on a Knight Rider GPS, and they gave a sneak peek at the unit to DVICE.
POSTED Tuesday, June 24, 2008
Airliners have a black box that leaves a record of what caused an accident, and now there’s Roadscan Drive Recorder, a black box for your car. It continuously records video of whatever happens in front of your vehicle, and...
POSTED Friday, June 20, 2008
As we move into the final days of the internal combustion engine, we might as well revel in all those g-forces and acceleration we’re enjoying before peak oil has long passed and we go all-nuclear. What better way to...
POSTED Thursday, June 5, 2008
We all know about Night View systems that help drivers see in the dark, but here's one with a cool new twist: pedestrian recognition. Similar to face detection in cameras, the system alerts a driver if there's anyone on...
POSTED Friday, May 30, 2008
The Wachowski brothers' mind-blowingly colorful remake of the 1967 anime classic, Speed Racer, is rolling through theaters, bringing Speed's Mach 5 to the silver screen. So what would it take to make the Mach 5 a reality? Is it...
POSTED Saturday, May 10, 2008
The idea of owning an electric car is great until you realize that you'll need to plug it in every day. And who has a plug in their garage or their driveway? Are you going to need to snake an...
POSTED Friday, April 25, 2008
Sure, your car's airbags will help protect you when you get in an accident, but what about that poor family of hobos you ran into while trying to pick that last Dorito up off the passenger side floor? Where are...
POSTED Thursday, April 24, 2008
Does your car stereo still have a cassette deck on board? When was the last time you used it? Never? That's what I thought. But there's no need to let your trusty cassette deck go to waste, even in these...
POSTED Thursday, April 24, 2008
If hybrid vehicles want to challenge the reigning gas guzzlers in a serious way, there are still a few areas where they could be a little more robust: namely, with their heating a cooling. Thermoelectrical concepts could help the vehicles...
POSTED Monday, April 14, 2008
Microsoft has a fancy new toy that could help you avoid getting stuck in any more traffic jams. The new tech, called Clearflow, uses five years of past traffic data from 72 different cities in the USA to predict when...
POSTED Friday, April 11, 2008
This summer, you won’t need to suffer through another stinky car ordeal with this solar air purifier. Sure, there have been previous attempts at this idea, but this time it looks like it’s going to stick. For a mere...
POSTED Wednesday, April 9, 2008
Having a gigantic flashlight powered by D batteries in the truck went out with the Pinto. Nowadays it is all about LEDs and rechargeable technology. With cars now including spare 12V DC outlets, better known as cigarette lighter outlets,...
POSTED Wednesday, April 2, 2008
I love classic cars and even own a couple of them, however, there are a few car gizmos that we tend to take for granted these days that simply weren't invented a few decades back. Becker Autoradio has been...
POSTED Saturday, March 29, 2008
Self-conscious about that mini-car you’re driving? Make fun of yourself with this Windup Key, available in either a stationary or moving version as you see here. Hey, this oughta go well with that wind-up lamp, giving you the illusion...
POSTED Friday, March 28, 2008
One year after XM and Sirius proposed a merger, the Department of Justice has finally given its blessing. The companies are heading down the aisle. Last year, I argued that a merger was in everybody’s best interest. After reading...
POSTED Thursday, March 27, 2008
Here's something that I never thought of but am shocked that it's taken this long to appear: a 4-port USB car charger. Since most gadgets and cell phones can be charged via USB, it only makes sense that this would...
POSTED Tuesday, March 25, 2008
The Mio Moov won't blow your mind or anything. What it will do is act as your trusty guide, and for a price that'll still leave you enough for gas. Mio's redesigned its interface for the unit, and it looks...
POSTED Tuesday, March 25, 2008
When you drain your car battery by pulling a bonehead move like leaving your headlights on overnight, its always a huge pain to get it going again. You need to get jumper cables, find someone else willing to give you...
POSTED Friday, March 21, 2008
We wrote about this flying car last week, and some of you wanted more information. Fortunately, we were lucky enough to run into Chris Milner, the younger half of the father-son team that runs Milner Motors, yesterday at the...
POSTED Thursday, March 20, 2008
We visited the New York International Auto show today at the Javits Center in Manhattan. The show opens to the public on Friday, in the meantime we got to roam the floors ahead of the crowd, which was pretty...
POSTED Wednesday, March 19, 2008
Are you one of the lucky 6.7 million Americans who got a GPS personal navigation device at the end of last year? A whopping 47% of those units were made by Garmin, the U.S. market leader (TomTom is in...
POSTED Tuesday, March 18, 2008
It’s really easy to hook up with members of the opposite sex on the highway, isn’t it? Just use the handy suction cups to stick your CallMe Prism-I to the inside of your car window, displaying your phone number...
POSTED Monday, March 17, 2008
We’ve tested all kinds of GPS devices, but this Eclipse AVN2210p comes closest to the perfect navigator and car radio. Besides being a full-featured car stereo with its iPod integration (with remote control), hands-free Bluetooth phone calling, and mp3...
POSTED Thursday, March 13, 2008
Hey, automobile industry, we need to talk. You've been making a lot of promises lately and, well, we're not really sure if we believe you anymore. How can you even ask why? Remember that whole "flying car" thing? Yeah, It's...
POSTED Wednesday, February 27, 2008
The UberTracker is an accessible way for just about anybody to add a GPS tracking system to whatever they want. It'll send GPS tracking updates to an email address or web server by way of a cellular antenna. You'll need...
POSTED Wednesday, February 27, 2008
Now here's an awesome idea: a windshield that doesn't need wipers due to a thin nanotech coating that gets rid of water for you. It's a major element of a new car dubbed the Hidra, designed by Italian designer...
POSTED Tuesday, February 26, 2008
Cars these days may be filled to the brim with GPS, touchscreens, voice commands, remotes, buttons everywhere, CD, AM/FM, HD Radio, satellite radio and more, but what happened to the olden days when all a car needed was a...
POSTED Friday, February 15, 2008
I don't think there's a safer or more logical idea out there than preparing a hot meal while you drive. I mean, sure, it's been proven that talking on your phone, texting, or fumbling with CDs is a good way...
POSTED Friday, February 15, 2008
What would it take to get you to sacrifice your car stereo? How about a full computer that fits snugly into the vacant indash spot left by your stereo? The Navisurfer is just that, and it has an attractive 7-inch...
POSTED Friday, February 8, 2008
For those of us not casually sitting on new car money, unable to partake of some of the new refinements offered in today’s autos, there are always options for the enterprising geek. The GP-PD107 allows you to affordably fit...
POSTED Tuesday, January 29, 2008
You know that big honking flashlight you keep in the trunk? Yeah, that one that is a pain in the ass because the D batteries that always seem to be dead? It's time to toss those flashlights to the...
POSTED Thursday, January 24, 2008
Students at the University of South Australia have spent several years developing an environmentally friendly car that they call Trev: it's meant to be the ideal commuter vehicle. Trev is fully electric vehicle that uses 1/5 the energy of...
POSTED Tuesday, January 22, 2008
This in-car Wi-Fi router brings the Internet to the car by offering the first wireless broadband network for passengers (note the emphasis) to check e-mail, chat, surf the Web, game or communicate via any Wi-Fi-enabled device — from media...
POSTED Friday, January 11, 2008
Seriously, wouldn’t you say that some of OnStar’s features make you think twice about what your next car might be? How cool would it be to get some of those same features and benefits on any manufacturer’s car, with...
POSTED Thursday, January 10, 2008
Clarion showed their newest mobile navigation unit, the MiND — Mobile Internet Navigation Device. A beautiful MiND, indeed, it'll be available in September for around $800. With onboard Internet connectivity, the MiND has a 1GHz CPU that makes it...
POSTED Monday, January 7, 2008
Visteon, a company that supplies fancy automotive interiors, has hooked up with 3M to create a demo vehicle that is filled with 50 "innovative technologies." The car has "Capacitive Parking Aid," wireless charging for your gadgets, a fancy entertainment...
POSTED Monday, January 7, 2008
Have you ever been driving with your head craned to your shoulder, balancing your cellphone while trying to type something on your in-dash GPS? If you have, then you're a very dangerous individual, and you really need to get...
POSTED Sunday, January 6, 2008
The Zoombak GPS locator is now officially available, giving you an easy way to immediately locate kids, family, car, or dogs with the help of a palm-sized GPS transmitter. Attach it to your dog's collar, hide it in your...
POSTED Thursday, December 20, 2007
Have you always wanted to be able to travel through time? Do you just love the Back to the Future movies? I mean, who doesn't? Well, I don't have a time machine to offer you, unfortunately (maybe next Christmas). But...
POSTED Friday, December 7, 2007
As if shredding your throat during road rage episodes wasn't enough work, now you can yell at your own car via the Hands Free Talking Mirror. Essentially, the Talking Mirror lets you talk on the phone while driving, allowing...
POSTED Friday, December 7, 2007
Having a hybrid is nice and all, but what about the kiddos? Without a drivers license, there is no way to show the world just how important the environment is. With a miniature solar-powered car, the kiddos can finally...
POSTED Saturday, December 1, 2007
The 2006 film Who Killed the Electric Car? was about a GM conspiracy that led to the removal of the first mass-marketed electric car, the EV1, from the market. GM even went so far as to take cars from...
POSTED Thursday, November 29, 2007
Alpine Electronics' eX-10 is a Bluetooth-ready, dashboard-mounted control unit for your iPod that will let you easily switch through your tunes without having to glance down at every red light (or every time you switch lanes, you rebel you)....
POSTED Tuesday, November 13, 2007
Bored with your car's current paint job? Well, if Nissan has its way, instead of having to go get an expensive new paint job to solve your problem, you'll be able to simply flick a switch and change the...
POSTED Monday, November 12, 2007
There's no better way to tell the world that you have no taste and are proud of that fact than tricking out your car. And the best place to add the tackiest crap seem to be rims, which must...
POSTED Friday, November 2, 2007
"Hey baby, how 'bout you and me jump in my time machine and head back to 1985?" For some reason that line never works when trying to pick up the ladies, but now with this authentic Flux Capacitor sitting...
POSTED Wednesday, October 31, 2007
If the above photo of a "stretch Prius" looks Photoshopped to you, you're not alone. The image elicited hundreds of deriding comments on the PriusChat message board before the car's creator came forth and described how he "pimped" his...
POSTED Tuesday, October 30, 2007
As much as it pains me to see it (come on, there are better options), people continue to purchase and burn CDs for music on the road. The danger that accompanies fumbling through a CD album while driving will...
POSTED Friday, October 26, 2007
We've seen quite the variety of GPS devices around these parts, and the all have one common element — a triple-digit price tag. And why dump a few hundred into a GPS unit when traditional maps are practically free?...
POSTED Wednesday, October 24, 2007
Our vehicles are about to get one step closer to the Blade Runner fantasy now that Toshiba Matsushita Display Technology has announced a new round-screen liquid crystal display for cars. The LCD screen is 2.4 inches in diameter so...
POSTED Friday, October 19, 2007
The latest uber-gizmo to come out of this week's Tokyo Motor Show is Nissan's Around View Monitor. Sure to be a hit with parallel parking challenged drivers, the Around View Monitor lives up to its name by giving you...
POSTED Friday, October 12, 2007
Busybody parents can now go far beyond just planting a GPS device in their teenagers' cars; now they can mount a security camera on a car's windshield just behind the rearview mirror, watching their kids' every move. It's part...
POSTED Thursday, October 11, 2007
Perhaps fed up with transformers that don't transform, three Chinese friends spent $8,000 and countless hours turning a yellow Citroen C2 into a surprisingly lifelike Transformer that they call the Autobot X2. It looks like Bumblebee and weighs over...
POSTED Thursday, October 11, 2007
OnStar, the service that lets you report an accident, get directions, or have you car unlocked remotely when you lock your keys inside, is about to add a new service to help deter auto thefts. The new feature will allow...
POSTED Wednesday, October 10, 2007
Here's a design concept that's long overdue: a digital valve cap that gives you an instant readout of your tire pressure with a simple push. Created by designer John Wrightson specifically for mountain bikers, the caps will let riders...
POSTED Monday, October 1, 2007
The award for today's most redundant and scarily named gadget goes to Chun-Yen Tsao, creator of the Psychro-Ray. It's an automatic climate-control system for your car that scans the cabin, switching on the A/C if it's too hot. But...
POSTED Wednesday, September 26, 2007
Volkswagens are just asking to be made more environmentally friendly: we've already seen an electric Microbus that uses solar power, and even this high schooler was able to make his 1971 Beetle electric. We were pleased when the head...
POSTED Tuesday, September 25, 2007
The last thing you need to be doing when you're driving on a busy highway is rummaging around in your glove compartment for a CD. That's why the Blaupunkt Melbourne SD27 makes sense. It's the first of many car...
POSTED Thursday, September 20, 2007
While we're on the subject of Bose, whose Framingham lair we visited yesterday, we can't help but mention the Bose automobile suspension system. The fact that Bose has been working on a different sort of suspension system for cars...
POSTED Wednesday, September 19, 2007
Remote car starters are so not in anymore. Sure, they were impressive a few years ago when the notion of being able to warm up your car before you got in it was novel, but it's old hat now....
POSTED Tuesday, September 11, 2007
Fingerprint scanners are already becoming almost commonplace in laptops, and fingerprint-scanning doorknobs are just as easy to come by. It was only a matter of time before the fad moved on to automobiles, another item that's just begging for...
POSTED Monday, August 27, 2007
I hate to be that go-green hippie of the day, but if you have to drive, why not do it efficiently? Having good tire pressure boosts gas efficiency, but getting out and manually checking your tires is just a...
POSTED Tuesday, August 21, 2007
In a world full of bad ideas, the steering wheel desk stands out to me as a particularly horrible one. It's a flat surface that straps onto your steering wheel, providing a place to put your laptop or notepad....
POSTED Wednesday, August 8, 2007
Car accidents can be intense, and cutting down on how much you have to worry about when you're in one is what the Clarion DriveEye sets out to do. Installed inside the upper portion of your windshield, DriveEye lies...
POSTED Monday, July 30, 2007
Is there anything worse than a warm beer on a summer day? I don't think so. However, there are few things better than a really cold beer on a summer day. It's the difference that's tricky. If you're driving somewhere...
POSTED Wednesday, July 11, 2007
Don't you hate it when you miss refeeding the parking meter by mere minutes only to discover a parking ticket stuck to your windshield? You can't always make it back exactly on time, but does that mean you should get...
POSTED Wednesday, June 27, 2007
Yes, we know that you're a black belt in karate, ex-Green Beret, with no concern about personal safety. You park your Hummer in the toughest neighborhoods without a second thought about someone entering your car with malicious intent. But...
POSTED Monday, June 4, 2007
No teenager wants to be on the business end of StreetEagle GPS Tracker, but beware — this technology is here and it's becoming more mainstream. Once the StreetEagle tracker is installed in your vehicle, it can easily be set...
POSTED Wednesday, May 30, 2007
DirecTV is now shipping its Sat-Go system, the first portable satellite-TV system. The combined LCD screen and satellite receiver is housed in a geeky briefcase and weighs a hard-to-schlep 27 pounds. But the setup is simple and requires no...
POSTED Wednesday, May 23, 2007
GoPass Technology has suddenly become the worst enemy of car-borrowing teenagers across the world. First they were being tracked by their jackets, then their shoes and now even in the car — with audio! The AVL-900 tracker has two...
POSTED Tuesday, May 22, 2007
Lots of cars now have ways to get your iPod hooked up to send tunes right to the car stereo, but just because your setup has a cable running out of it or you have an FM transmitter doesn't...
POSTED Tuesday, May 8, 2007
Besides being the most radical-looking shift knob on the planet, the Gaslock Indy Cater has an energy-saving function. It tells you the exact point to shift to save gas, and if you follow its timely shifting tips, you can...
POSTED Friday, April 27, 2007
Nissan is working on a new system that'll allow your car to warn you before you drunkenly plow over a gaggle of pedestrians trying to cross the street. By using phones equipped with GPS, the system would be able...
POSTED Wednesday, April 18, 2007
Cars are becoming more like little mobile living rooms, what with computers, TVs, and video games coming built into more and more of them. The one thing a living room has that your car doesn't, however, is a surplus...
POSTED Tuesday, April 17, 2007
There have already been a couple of different devices developed to keep people awake while they're driving, but one more can't hurt, right? This new sleep-detecting car seat from Japan is a step up from previous devices in that it...
POSTED Monday, March 5, 2007
If it hasn't happened to you yet, it will: You wake up to a dead car battery. Should've made sure those headlights were really off, smart guy. The Sunsei SolarCharger 135 by ICP Solar can prevent this tragic turn...
POSTED Monday, March 5, 2007
If you've longed to have some type of fighter-jet technology in your car you'll be happy to know GlobalTop Technology is showing off the GPS HUD Speed Meter at a trade show this week. What's cool about this gadget...
POSTED Wednesday, February 21, 2007
If you ever thought car security wasn't dramatic enough, this Tesla-coil automobile protector should satisfy your desire for spectacle. Attaching a 4-inch coil to a boom on the roof of his car, Australian Peter Terren created what is no...
POSTED Tuesday, February 20, 2007
If you like inciting road rage and getting punched in the face by infuriated drivers, I've got something special for you. Horntones hooks into your car's horn system and allows you to play 8 different audio files of your...
POSTED Friday, February 16, 2007
Not often do we come across a piece of gear that makes us wish we'd thought of it. But when we saw this in-dash iPod dock (more of a slot, really) adapted from a car cassette deck, we dusted...
POSTED Tuesday, February 13, 2007
The Intellinav One portable GPS navigation unit costs just $350 but packs in features that might give even top-rated GPS devices from Garmin a run for their money. In this price range, it's unusual to see text-to-speech capabilities, where...
POSTED Thursday, February 8, 2007
Stuck in gridlock again? May as well catch up on Lost while you wait for that tour bus in front of you to start moving, and the Sun Visor Theater can help you out with that. What looks like...
POSTED Monday, February 5, 2007
Does the idea of having a full-blown PC in your car — letting you watch ripped movies as you zoom down the freeway — excite you? Short of sticking a PC tower in your trunk, options are somewhat limited....
POSTED Wednesday, January 31, 2007
GPS devices are easily a dime a dozen (or two or three dozen for that matter) these days. So it's no surprise to see audio-equipment maker Harman Kardon throw its hat into the ring with the $500 Guide + Play...
POSTED Wednesday, January 24, 2007
Admit it: when was the last time you actually listened to a CD in your car? Like most of us, you probably listen to either FM, satellite radio, or most likely, your portable MP3 player. A few manufacturers are...
POSTED Wednesday, January 10, 2007
HD Radio is a great way to upgrade your car's radio, since you get better-quality FM broadcasts and your favorite AM talk show sounds likes it's on the FM band. The only catch is that you need a head...
POSTED Wednesday, January 10, 2007
So, you're driving down the road one fine morning in February 2009 when suddenly the FCC officially pulls the plug on analog TV, and just as suddenly, your little tykes are freaking out in the back seat as SpongeBob...
POSTED Sunday, January 7, 2007
Controlling your iPod while driving can be dangerous, what with you trying to divide your attention between the road and the little screen in your hand. The man won't let you hold your cell phone while you drive, but your...
POSTED Friday, January 5, 2007
Drunk drivers beware: your car will soon be smart enough to tell that you've been hitting the Zima and won't let you endanger yourself or others in the near future. Toyota is working on an elaborate system to gauge whether...
POSTED Thursday, January 4, 2007
In an online tease, BMW ushered in the New Year by giving us a sneak peek at a gadget that will include such goodies as an MP3 player, a USB port, a DVD player, a 65,000-color LCD screen, and...
POSTED Tuesday, January 2, 2007
Buddy, was that you I saw on the weekend talking on you cell phone while behind the wheel of your car? Shame. If you must gab while you drive, you should get yourself a hands-free Bluetooth receiver like the...
POSTED Friday, December 29, 2006
Anyone who's ever been in a car accident knows that the moment of impact is often pretty tough to remember. It's all a blur, your life flashes before your eyes, and you just can't remember if the homeless guy jumped...
POSTED Wednesday, December 27, 2006
There are plenty of iPod transmitters out there, but they all make you find a place to stick your iPod while you're driving. Yeah, it's sending your music to the radio, but it's annoying trying to keep it from...
POSTED Tuesday, December 26, 2006
Apparently the next big thing in high-tech auto design are systems that compensate for your dangerous ineptitude behind the wheel. To be fair, auto accidents are far too frequent, and anything that will keep you from rear-ending that minivan...
POSTED Friday, December 8, 2006
Nothing is more irritating when you're driving at night than getting some jackasses brights shone in your face from your rearview mirror. Well, I guess there are lots of other, probably more irritating things that could happen to you...
POSTED Wednesday, December 6, 2006
DaimlerChrysler has developed an ingenious system for warning drivers about hazardous road conditions, taking notice of the popularity of peer-to-peer file sharing and bringing it over into the automotive world. Called "WILLWARN," the system monitors how a car is...
POSTED Wednesday, December 6, 2006
Is it not enough for you people to have DVD players and elaborate, GPS-based games in your vehicles during long car trips? Where are you driving that you need so much entertainment? Is this what the world has come...
POSTED Thursday, November 30, 2006
If you're into cars and gaming-gear mods — or just like to look gape-mouthed at the excesses of either — you'll appreciate this concept Xbox car by Suzuki. Called the SXbox (I guess "SuXbox" would have produced some too-creative...
POSTED Wednesday, November 29, 2006
Mercedes-Benz wants to make sure that less of their fancy, expensive cars get wrecked due to groggy drivers, so they're working on a new system to detect and prevent microsleep. That's the whole almost-nodding-off thing you do when you're...
POSTED Wednesday, November 29, 2006
Kids these days, they've got it easy. When I was a boy, a car trip didn't mean it was time to watch DVDs on a seat-mounted LCD screen — it meant fighting with my brother in the backseat and...
POSTED Wednesday, November 29, 2006
It's been said that the journey is as important as the actual destination, and this is very true… except when you're lost, running late, or far from home. Sure, you could go and ask for directions, but that seems...
POSTED Tuesday, November 21, 2006
Road trip! MSN has teamed up with KVH Industries to keep you connected on the road. As a photographer, my philosophy has always been: why work at the office or at home when you can work out of a...
POSTED Tuesday, November 14, 2006
GPS navigation devices are all well and good, but unless you shelled out some extra cash to get Mr. T's voice on yours they're distinctly without personality. But why get your directions from a disembodied voice when you can get...
POSTED Tuesday, October 24, 2006
And so it begins. Well, not really begins — Monster is hardly the first manufacturer to announce it'll be making accessories for Micorsoft's Zune player. But Monster's official announcement today of its half-dozen or so Zune add-ons sure makes...
POSTED Wednesday, October 18, 2006
If you're an easily distracted driver, always chatting on your cell phone, fiddling with the stereo, or putting on your makeup in the rearview, you could probably use a little help paying attention to, you know, driving. Well, Siemens...
POSTED Monday, October 16, 2006
Don't people ever worry about getting distracted while driving? If you happened to install one of Pioneer's new car entertainment systems, you'd have a hard time keeping your eyes on the road. Featuring a built-in 30-GB hard drive, a...
POSTED Tuesday, October 3, 2006
Heard of backup cameras for cars? Think of Mobileye's AWS system as the same thing for the front. Except you use it while driving. And instead of helping you avoid accidents while in your driveway, it helps you keep...
POSTED Sunday, October 1, 2006
First Sharp came out with two-way LCD screens that showed different images depending on what angle you viewed it, and now they've upped the ante by releasing a triple directional viewing LCD. Yes, now you can see different things...
POSTED Wednesday, September 27, 2006
While installing a Bluetooth setup in your car is all well and good, it's an expensive process that stays put in that car once it's in there. The Blue Ant Supertooth II is a great solution for those folks...
POSTED Thursday, August 10, 2006
As iPods become the way we listen to music everywhere, from the kitchen to the bathroom, auto manufacturers are getting with the program. Those FM transmitters that offer a quick-and-dirty stream from your iPod to your car stereo make...
POSTED Thursday, August 3, 2006
Here's an innovative solution for people who want to add Bluetooth capabilities to their car, but don't want to have to install a new stereo: the Shining Elite VM-5602 Rear-View Mirror Wireless Player. A replacement for your current, featureless...
POSTED Tuesday, August 1, 2006
Remote starters are a great way to get your car warmed up, but if you're parked way down the street your remote probably won't work. Having to walk outside in the snow to use your remote starter kind of...
POSTED Friday, July 28, 2006
GPS navigation company TomTom wants you to get directions from a voice you'll recognize — specifically, Mr. T, Burt Reynolds, and Dennis Hopper. That's right, soon TomTom will be offering celebrity voices for their GPS navigations systems for a...
POSTED Tuesday, June 27, 2006
Finally, a device that can warm or cool your beverage that doesn't require a USB connection. Chrysler has announced that it will include cup holders that can warm or cool off drinks in the 2007 Sebring, keeping your coffee hot...
POSTED Friday, June 23, 2006
Usually there are no ways of letting other drivers know what you think of them other than the one-fingered salute or slamming on the brakes, but the brilliantly named Driv-e-mocion aims to allow you to be a bit more...
POSTED Thursday, June 22, 2006
Getting fresh air in your car is as easy as rolling down the window. But what if it's super hot out and you don't want to lose all that air-conditioning goodness? The IAP-806 car air purifier can help. Killing any...
POSTED Monday, June 12, 2006
Transport for London, a British government organization responsible for, fittingly, transportation in London, is currently investigating a technology that would force drivers to follow local speed limits. Using GPS to tell cars what the speed limit is in the area...
POSTED Wednesday, May 24, 2006
Sharp has begun showing off its two-way LCD screen, which shows different images depending on what angle you view it from. The company plans to use the technology in things like car navigation systems, allowing the driver to see...
POSTED Wednesday, May 17, 2006
Here's a merger we can get behind: the Pioneer DEH-P810, a car stereo with Bluetooth capabilities. Allowing you to transfer music via your Bluetooth-enabled phone or MP3 player, the stereo gives you a whole new realm of expandability for...
POSTED Tuesday, May 9, 2006
Riddle me this: Why would a rear-view mirror ever need Bluetooth wireless technology? Answer: To show the phone numbers of incoming calls from your cell phone, so you don't ever have to look down to answer your phone while...
POSTED Monday, May 8, 2006
The whole process of jumping a car's dead battery is a pain: finding the cables, popping the hood, finding someone willing to do the same. Not to mention the chance that you'll be groggy and distracted and might accidentally electrocute...
POSTED Thursday, April 27, 2006
If you're looking to pimp your ride without the annoying hassle of impressing women, you might try making a Knight Rider replica car. Check out Knight Replicas for all the info you need on creating a clone of Kitt...
POSTED Wednesday, April 12, 2006
If you still think your spinners are the way to roll, think again. PimpStar is offering up wheels with built-in full-color LEDs. A wireless modem lets you use a Wi-Fi-equipped computer to customize your rims on the fly — dressing...
POSTED Monday, March 27, 2006
Whether ripping wheelies on a Ninja or rolling with the Hell's Angels, returning Grandma's call can be a complicated proposition on a motorcycle. BMW's WCS-1 System 5 helmet ($910) should help. A built-in mike and Bluetooth wireless tech offer...
POSTED Thursday, March 23, 2006
With today's SUVs and minivans growing ever larger, the view of what's behind us as we back up can be dangerously limited. There's always a chance small children will be well below our field of vision, not to mention Fido...
POSTED Tuesday, March 21, 2006
The Drive Alert Master's goal is to keep weary motorists from falling asleep at the wheel. You set the wake-up angle (options are 15° or 30°) and wear it behind your ear. Then, should you begin to doze off, a...
POSTED Monday, March 6, 2006
My triceps certainly could use some more work, but not with an ice scraper at 8:00 a.m. So, the Electric Windshield Scraper could be a welcome addition to my winter arsenal. Plugging into your cigarette lighter, the $18.99 scraper "melts...
POSTED Wednesday, February 15, 2006
Not since Ghostbusters have I had such affection for a slime-based companion. Mini Smart Spair is dubbed "the most compact flat-tire repair and inflation system in the world" by its creator, Slime, which specializes in products for repairing flat tires....
POSTED Monday, February 13, 2006
In-car navigation systems do a great job of mapping your route, but if you had an onscreen 3-D picture of your destination's skyline instead of a line drawing, picking out the right building would be a lot easier. Volkswagen...
POSTED Monday, February 6, 2006
The Consumer Electronics Show (CES) may be a rapidly receding memory, but it usually pays to go back and take a second look after all the dust clears. After all, given the sheer enormity of the show, there's no...
POSTED Wednesday, January 25, 2006
What is Dvice?
Editor: Peter Pachal
editor@dvice.com
editor@dvice.com
Newsletter
Get the top stories from DVICE every week!
