Available next month, GM’s AutoNet will let you literally install a WiFi hotspot in your car. The unit plus installation will cost $500 and there will be a monthly charge of $30 for a 1GB cap. There is also a 5GB cap offered but no price is known as of now.
The range will last up to a radius of 150 feet away from you car and would be great for camping, tailgating, and beyond. You could even have traveling video game competitions in your SUV while you drive from Inglewood to Compton. Anybody like this product?
For those of you who live and die with your iPhone, now there’s a way for you to actually start your car with your smart phone of choice. Viper has just announced their new iPhone app and vehicle module appropriately titled the Viper Smart Start. From your iPhone you can start your car, turn on the heat, unlock doors and the trunk, and manage the alarm. The app itself is not limited by any certain distance parameters as long as it receives a signal. Sounds crazy right?
So while the App itself is free, the device that needs to be installed into your car is not. Costing somewhere between $300-$500 depending on the make and model of your car, there’s also a annual fee of $30. Available now at BestBuy.
It’s probably fair to say that in the last 25 years a ton of tech has gone into vehicles to mitigate the risk of passengers. But what about child safety seats? The Safety 1st Complete Air car seat is a revolutionary car seat that utilizes Air Protect technology to greatly reduce child fatality in the event of a side impact crash. Not to be mistaken with an air bag, the Air Protect pad uses a combination of air and padding to extend the ‘ride down’, the amount of time it takes to slow a child’s movement in a crash. As a result, the amount of motion, especially in the neck and head area is greatly reduced as is fatality and injury. The Safety 1st Complete Air car seat is convertible for children 5 – 50lbs and will be available in two color finishes on July 1st at Babies”R”Us stores and online at Babiesrus.com and Babiesrus.ca.
Take a dash of Delorean, a little bit of the AutoMoto and some Bat Mobile and what do you get? The XR3 3-wheeled hybrid vehicle. Currently sold as a kit car, the diesel/electric engined vehicle is heading to production. The driver has the choice of which propulsion system to engage by simply flipping a switch and can achieve over 125mpg on diesel or up to a 40 mile range on just battery power. Combined, the hybrid system can produce more than 200mpg. Top speed of the car maxes out at 80mph and if you’re looking for a bit of customization, or perhaps trying to take advantage of the summer weather the canopy can be switched out for an open air roadster setup. No word on price or a release date, but you can order kit plans for as little as $99.50.
If you travel in your car, you probably take an MP3 digital music player (such as an iPod), a personal digital assistant (PDA), and a mobile phone (such as an iPhone) wherever you go. The biggest problem with relying on so many devices is that they often run out of power at the worst possible time. While you could carry each device’s charger with you so you can plug into a convenient electrical wall outlet, you may not always have access to such a power outlet. As an alternative, you can turn your car into a power source with USB Fever’s car charger.
This device plugs directly into your car’s cigarette lighter socket, but unlike similar devices, it actually includes a cigarette lighter socket so you no longer have to choose between having an accessible lighter socket or plugging in a charging device. …Continue reading: Car Charger with 4 USB Ports and 1 Cigarette Socket Review
October 10th, 2008 12:12 PM | by Christen da Costa
Ok, so there are like a million iPod accessories, but it looks like DLO got it right. The Transdock is an iPod charger with a built-in AUX output and is void of any FM transmitter gimmicks. It plugs directly into your car’s lighter socket and features a goose neck for multi angle adjustment – there’s nothing else to setup or install. Included in the package is a detachable 12V power socket for the feverish smoker riding shotgun.
Excuse me while I go change my pants! If you don’t get that joke, than excuse yourself from reading the Internet. Apparently and finally someone’s got a real deal iPod dock for the car, and they’ve managed to squeeze it into a car head unit. Much like a cassette deck you just slip the iPod (i.e. cassette) into the Fusion CA-IP500 and whamo, you’ve got iTunes displayed on an OLED screen and your iPod is hidden from peering eyes. Works with the iPod Classic, Nano and Touch, but no iPhone (probably due to the interference).