I’ve never been the type to use emoticons in my IM messages or emails, but I know some people who cannot stop using them.

So why not use them while you are driving? This is the reason the Drivemocion was invented.

The Drivemocion affixes to the inside of the rear car window via power suction cup. It is operated by a remote control for the front of the car that attaches to the front windscreen. All you need to do is press a button to send simple emoticon messages to motorists.

The Drivemocion comes in several models, which have several options for message displays. For example, the original model has a smiley face, winking face, an “Ooooo” face, plus two words of “sorry” and “thanks”.

That is one of the nicer models. Some of you might be relieved or agitated to know that there is a Drivemocion that allows the middle finger to be displayed. For the sake of the more easily offended readers, such as myself, I have chosen not to show the electronic bird.

The Drivemocion uses 4 AA batteries for power, and last for about 4 months. You should be able to get it for about £24.99 on the Au-my website.

Source

It’s a mirror. It’s an MP3 player. It’s a video player. And it shows you where you’re at and where you’ve been so you can’t get lost. That is some rearview mirror.

Read the rest of this entry »

Remember the scene in INDEPENDENCE DAY when Jeff Goldblum places a satellite like dish on the roof of his dad’s car and triangulates the signal of his wife’s cellphone to determine where she was in the White House? His dad asks him how he can do that and he replies “all cable repair men know how to do this, pop.” Well, the Hi-Gain USB Wireless-300N Dish Adapter from Hawking Technologies won’t triangulate a signal in the White House, but it will boost weak WiFi signals in areas where a signal isn’t very strong to begin with.

Read the rest of this entry »

When you get a flat tire you have a couple of options… you can tackle it like a man and just jack up the car like you should, or you can be a wimp and call recovery to do it for you. For those of you who hate getting on your knees, putting the jack in place and flexing your muscles there is now an alternative option named the Exhaust air jack.

Read the rest of this entry »

When I was in high school, I read this dark science fiction novel by Piers Anthony entitled The Ring. In this work, the author (who is most famous for his fantasy) presents us with a world full of gyrocars, one-passenger vehicles that somehow rode on just one wheel.

I don’t know if Tilmann Schootz, German designer of the Audi Snook, has ever read The Ring, but it certainly looks like his inspiration for his auto-stabilized monowheel concept car. Maybe the bright idea light bulb went off above his head, and he designed his car in the shape of it. Whatever the case, Schootz has won a Michelin Challenge Design Award at the 2008 Detroit Auto Show for his vision.

You may look at the Snook and think “that’s impossible” or “there’s no way that could stand” or “I’m not driving that”. However, I believe we were all thinking the same things when the Segway was revealed. The Snook achieves its one-wheel balance with “agility through instability, controlled by artificial intelligence”.

Read the rest of this entry »

Perhaps after all this while grappling with Blue Screens of Death while using Microsoft products, the company’s conscience has finally been pricked as they decide to help you save time instead of waste it with the aforementioned problem by launching a software technology known as “Clearflow”. Not only does this software helps drivers with directions, it can also be used to avoid traffic jams so that you will be able to arrive home in time for dinner with the missus. The technology involved has been in the works for the better part of the last half decade, thanks to the efforts of AI researchers from Microsoft’s Research lab. Clearflow aims to alleviate traffic congestion by applying machine-learning techniques. When launched, Clearflow will support 72 cities in the US and is available via Microsoft’s maps.live.com service.

Source: Techtree

Have you ever seen that Element that some people have been driving? I always thought those rectangular cars were odd, like giant shoeboxes. It appears that Toyota has rolled out an environmentally friendly box-shaped car.

The Toyota Hi-Ct concept car was first shown at the Bangkok International Motor Show, but not at the more famous New York Auto Show. This hybrid vehicle can charge from an external electric source, such as a AC100V accessory socket.

Read the rest of this entry »

Mio Technology has forged ahead with its new Moov product line consisting of four new personal navigation devices which boasts a marriage of dependable hardware as well as a fresh user interface. This will be the first set of Mio Technology products that incorporate internally developed software after making full use of the company’s recent acquisition of Navman. The four models in question are the Mio Moov 200, 210, 300 and 310,, where any of these four will be able to offer straightforward navigation minus the hassles and headaches, while providing bang for your buck.

Read the rest of this entry »