Car Tech
Ready for In-Car TV? It'll Cost You, But It's Almost Here
Posted: May. 26, 2009 11:05:19 a.m.
Apparently, we're not distracted enough in our cars. The satellite radio is great for mom and dad up front, and the DVD player hanging down from the ceiling kept the kids quiet for a while, but they're tired of all of their movies and want to watch new SpongeBob episodes in traffic. Well, relax. In a matter of months, you'll be able to give them 22 television channels to choose from.
AT&T is behind it. Their ...
Government Warns GPS Systems Could Fail in 2010
Posted: May. 20, 2009 10:05:48 a.m.
Do you pay attention to where you are driving, or just tune out and do whatever the nav system says? You might want to re-think getting too dependent on the voice in the dashboard, according to a new government report. The network of 24 U.S. government-owned satellites that guide your GPS, it seems, may not last much longer.
Engadget explains, "If the Worst Case Scenario goes down, the nation's GPS system could begin to fail sometime next year ...
Ford Working on Cars with Emotions
Posted: Mar. 11, 2009 10:03:08 a.m.
Ford Motor Company has filed a patent application for something called an Emotive Advisory System, which, according to Autoblog, "simulates emotions when interacting with occupants, and may also use an avatar to express itself."
SWDELaw, a blog that follows intellectual property issues, found the patent application. They quote the following passage from the filing: "For example, the sensors may detect head movements, speech prosody, biometric information, etc. of the occupant that, when processed by the computer, indicate that the occupant ...
BMW Developing Big Brother Navigation System
Posted: Mar. 05, 2009 10:03:06 a.m.
BMW is working on a new in-dash navigation system with training technology to analyze a driver's habits and then predict future movements and destinations.
The new system, called ILENA (Intelligent Learning Navigation), learns a driver's habits, "then correlates its current location with the next likely stop and anticipate where the driver intends to go next," says Motor Authority.
"The way the system works is by recording data on your typical daily commute as far as learning your route ...
Mercedes Benz Makes Plans for Detachable Navigation Systems
Posted: Feb. 19, 2009 11:02:31 a.m.
A sure sign of recession is when even the luxury auto brands begin brainstorming ways to streamline costs and draw in buyers. For example, Harman International and TomTom GPS have announced that they will began supplying Mercedes Benz automobiles with navigation devices that double for both vehicle and personal use.
The new "hybrid" navigation systems should be available for eight Mercedes Benz vehicles beginning the second half of 2010. Comparable with portable devices priced between $250 and $500, these Harman ...
Forget Scraping Your Windshield in Winter -- Just Flip a Switch
Posted: Feb. 10, 2009 10:02:49 a.m.
It's been a rough winter so far at U.S. News' office in D.C. We've spent enough time scraping ice from the car, our hands raw from the freezing cold, or driving cautiously, sharing the road with people who cleared their windshields halfway and are driving virtually blind.
That's why we were heartened to see this piece of news from Scientific American: "a group of researchers has developed technology designed to electronically zap ice off surfaces ...
Garmin Partners with Asus for Nuvifone G60
Posted: Feb. 06, 2009 10:02:10 a.m.
Garmin GPS and tech company Asustek Computer Inc. were already manufacturing bedfellows for the upcoming nuvifone, but this week they cemented their partnership into something more official -- even launching a web site. All this could only mean one thing -- are we getting closer and closer to actually seeing the nuvifone?
As previously reported, and covered heavily in our GPS reviews, Garmin has had a few false starts with the nuvifone. But its recent FCC clearance in Dec. 2008 practically solidified ...
Five Mio Moovs to Debut for 2009
Posted: Feb. 02, 2009 11:02:39 a.m.
Sales on consumer electronics have hit a plateau since the holiday season, but the introduction of some value-priced gadgets could lure you out of your budgeting rut. For example, affordable GPS manufacturer Mio GPS will debut five new portable navigation devices this year with some never-before-seen features for the brand.
PC Magazine reports, "Ranging from an entry level device with a 3.5-inch screen to a model with a 7-inch screen, all of the new Moov GPSs are loaded with ...
Your Next Car May Know Where You're Injured in an Accident
Posted: Jan. 30, 2009 10:01:23 a.m.
"The first minutes after an automobile accident are critical," according to the New York Times. "Not only do emergency medical workers need to be notified promptly, but they must know whether passengers have injured vital organs, broken bones or hurt their necks. Yet, getting this data can be difficult if the passengers are incapable of relaying it. BMW is trying to change that."
It's the next frontier in Vehicle Telematics -- those heavily-advertised systems that alert emergency services when your ...
Chevy Volt, Cadillac Converj Inch Closer to Production
Posted: Jan. 13, 2009 11:01:28 a.m.
Batteries are keeping the next generation of ultra-efficient green cars out of your driveway. The Chevy Volt, the Cadillac Converj, an electric Ford Focus and half a dozen other electric cars are supposedly coming by 2010, or 2011. But they aren't here yet and no one can put a final date on when they will come because of batteries.
The Holy Grail of green car engineering is a battery that can store enough energy to power all of the ...
