Android App Locks Down Your Cell Phone When You’re Driving

Oh, if only all those futurists from the 1930s could have predicted a device as wondrous as the Smart Phone. It’s the communicator from Star Trek, a world atlas, the world’s largest department store and a personal assistant / concierge all rolled into one. You could organise a wedding or run a global empire from one of these things, and many people do.

Unfortunately, like seemingly everything humanity invents, it has its downsides as well. For some of us it can be addictive and overuse of these distracting devices can result in devastating consequences for one’s self and others, especially when use in conjunction with another wonder of the last century: the automobile.

Read more »

The Upgradeable Car: A Software Influenced Future for the Auto Industry

As an automotive blogger that also works in the IT industry, I feel I have a somewhat unique perspective on in-car technology. Whereas a new car may have a three to five year buffer between upgrades and replacement models, for electronic devices such as mobile phones and computers it's more like six to eighteen months.

This brings up an interesting conundrum: what to do when the sat nav or Bluetooth devices in your car age more quickly than the car itself? Few people this side of Dhiaa Al-Essa can afford to replace their car every six months, so the answer - to automakers at least - is to do the same as software companies: roll out upgrades.

It could be something as simple as the dealership checking your oil and tire pressure remotely to recalibrating the transmission or updating the car's sat nav system. San Francisco based Cisco Systems has even constructed an experimental dashboard out of LCD panels that acts as a giant touch screen: driver's can drag and drop instruments, personalize the look and feel of said instruments and add new functions such as g-force meters.

GM Introduces Cell Phone Charging Mats at CES, Production Begins in 2012

Thanks to induction technology, mobile electronic devices, such as phones, can be wirelessly charged, just by placing them on special pads. At the 2011 CES in Las Vegas, General Motors announced plans to introduce the wireless charging technology in many future Chevrolet, Buick, GMC and Cadillac products, beginning from the second half of 2012.

Read more »

2011 CES: OnStar Coming as Aftermarket Product for Non-GM Vehicles

If you're fond of GM's OnStar in-car wireless communication system but don't plan on owning a vehicle from the Detroit automaker, we have some good news for you. At the 2011 Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas, General Motors announced that it will begin selling the safety, security and connectivity service for non-GM and older GM vehicles already on the road.

Read more »

Ford Releases List with the Top 10 Ways Our Cars Changed Over the Past Decade

The first decade of the new millennia brought an unprecedented amount of change to the automotive industry. While ten years ago having cupholders in the cabin was a big thing, today fast mobile communications, fuel efficient engines and complicated active safety features are just some of the technologies that have made their way into cars.

“Cars have become more like brains on wheels”, said Sheryl Connelly, Ford’s global trends manager. “Consumers today want to stay connected and they want the drive to be an experience, especially since the amount of time Americans spend in the car has nearly doubled in the last 10 years”.

Check out Ford's list with the Top 10 ways the automotive industry changed since 2000 right after the break.

Read more »

Is the Pikes Peak Rally Course Making a Comeback to Gran Turismo 5?

A post on the official Red Bull blog has set the GTPlanet forum on fire, as it features a discussion with rally driver and drifting star, Rhys Millen, about the best way to take on the Pikes Peak rally course in the recently released Playstation 3 exclusive, Gran Turismo 5. While that doesn’t sound like a capital sin, the only problem is that Pikes Peak is not on GT5’s track list and hasn’t been in a GT game since the days of Gran Turismo 2.

Consequently, this is either an error on Red Bull’s part or the famous climb will make a comeback to GT5 at some point in the future.

Read more »

Nissan's Leaf has Game-like Infotainment Screen so you can Beat your Friends at Saving the Environment

Nissan wants drivers of its new Leaf - which didn't seem to take as much time or PR mumbo-jumbo to reach the pavement as Chevy's Volt - to know everything there is to know about their cars and the trips being made in them.

In Nissan's case, trip transparency is provided by a handy-dandy system called CARWING. The program gives drivers a bucket o'information ranging from travel time to electricity consumption and "average energy economy" on daily, weekly, monthly or annual scales.

You can also compete with other owners for best efficiency levels (Bronze, Silver, Gold, and Platinum) thanks to some in-car "gaming". Thanks to MyNissanLeaf member gudy, we've got some screen shots of what the program looks like and some of the info available.

Read more »

Gran Turismo 5 Competition Offers European Gamers the Chance to win a Real-Life Mercedes SLS AMG

On Monday, December 27, the Signature Edition Challenge for Playstation 3 went live, offering European gamers the chance to win a brand-new, real-life Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG worth €180,000. In order to participate, owners of the Signature Edition game pack will need to redeem their voucher code via the Playstation Store and register their details on gran-turismo.com.

The challenge takes place in the game’s B-spec mode, where players take the role of a team director with AI drivers doing the racing over a series of five, five-lap races held on different circuits. On January 31, 2011, at 23:59 GMT, 15 regional winners from 22 countries will advance to the next stage, the Mercedes-Benz Driving Event, based on the fastest total times recorded for each region.

Read more »

Aston Martin Launches New Apple App, Includes Virtual Accelerometer and More

It seems like every automaker is jumping on the Apple App-wagon these days and Aston Martin is no exception. The British firm today announced the availability of its new iPhone and iPod Touch app, the Aston Martin Explore, which comes with a variety of goodies including an acoustically accurate accelerometer and real life content, such as sounds from the entire current model line-up being driven to extreme on the track. Read more »