I have been seeing more and more Internet radios on the market these days, and I suppose that it was only a matter of time before someone invented one for the car. At CES, miRoamer, a popular Internet radio site, and Blaupunkt, a leader in automotive multimedia, introduced the world’s first Internet radio for the car.

I know that I have said this before, but I always get suspicious when I hear the words “world’s first” applied to any technological product. Usually, those words mean that “someone else actually did it first, but we are the first to really market it”. However, most of the other Internet radio makers at CES seemed genuinely surprised at the release of miRoamer and Blaupunket’s product, and they all asked the same question: How is an automotive web-connection achieved?

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For years, I have been wondering why I can do almost anything with my mobile phone, but when it comes to my television or garage door, I have to resort to another remote control entirely. Why can’t I control everything with a mobile like my BlackBerry? This is the question that Unify4Life is answering with two new devices: the AV|Shadow and the Garage|Shadow.

The AV|Shadow allows for switching channels, selecting chapters for a DVD, and even allows for adjusting the volume on the user’s audio receiver. It uses Bluetooth Technology, so the user doesn’t have to point at the screen or any other video device.

The user can customize their own settings, and the interface is set up in a circular pattern, perfect for the BlackBerry Trackball. The AV|Shadow is set up for TV, Satellite, Cable, Apple TV, TiVo, DVD, DVR/PVR, VCR, Blu-Ray, iPod, Mircosoft Media Center, even gaming consoles like the PS3.

The AV|Shadow is enough inspiration for any company, but Unify4Life also has another useful application called the Garage|Shadow. This device turns a BlackBerry into a garage door opener. It is easy to install and use, and now the user doesn’t have to worry about losing their RF remotes any more.

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We already discussed the Emperor super-power chair from NovelQuest, but in the booth next to it at CES was SimCraft’s racing simulator. That’s real Indy 500 race car driver Sarah Fisher in the photo, by the way.

I got a chance to try it, and I tell you, it felt like I was really auto racing. The frame was made of the same materials found in actual race cars, and it moved when I turned the wheel. I quickly learned that first lesson of racing: an inch is a mile.

In other words, you barely need to turn the wheel when you are going at 150 miles an hour on the track. You also have to stay on the outside of ring of the track, because once you go inside, your suspension gets all messed up and you go into the wall. Could a console game have taught me that? Not even with a steering wheel control.

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About six months ago, we reported that Toyota was planning on putting solar panels on the Prius to power the air-conditioner. It has been recently been released that the famed Japanese motor company plans to release a car that is completely solar-powered.

As you can see on the photo, the solar panels are on the roof like solar panels of a house. This is only one way the car gets its power, as the company wants to supplement power by somehow attaching the car to the solar panels on the roofs of homes. This way, a car can be powered in a garage or parked outside.

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Right now, it is the dead of winter where I live. The snow level keeps rising, and it is getting colder and colder. As a result, my windshield is filled with frost that must be scraped off every time I want to go out for a ride. It is enough to make me want to move a place that always has a warmer climate.

I saw this gadget and thought that it was perfect for me. It is the Cordless Heated Car Screen Ice Scraper, and the name alone sold me.

This Ice Scraper is designed to charge in the cigarette lighter socket, and works for about 20 minutes. With the rugged teeth and heated pad, it just what you need to break up the big chucks of ice that are blocking your view. The Scraper also comes with an LED light so you can use it at night.

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Clearly, we are at the point where there are too many electronic devices in our cars. With all the highly advanced car stereos, GPS devices, and cellular phones that are out right now, it is about time someone just up and put a PC in the automobile.

I suppose that is what Dashboard Devices was thinking when they created the “Carputer”. This Entertainment and Navigation for Vehicles (ENV) device is actually a two-part system. The first part is the ENV-XC, with an Intel Core Duo processor, 1 Gbyte of RAM, 160 Gbyte hard drive, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, dual FM radios, optional satellite radio receiver, DVD-RW burner, plus GPS radio.

As for the second part, the user has a choice of the ENV-100, the ENV-50, or the ENV-50c. The ENV-100 is a double-DIN system, while ENV-50 and ENV-50c are single DIN. The difference between the 50 and the 50c is that the 50 has a motorized screen and the 50c has a detached screen.

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Teenagers – most of them get the euphoric feeling of being independent from their parents the moment they pass their driving exams, and receive the keys to dad’s car. Regardless of whether you’re from a well-to-do family or will inherit a vehicle that’s as old as you, there is nothing quite like being in a jalopy with you at the wheel. No longer will you have to endure dad’s over-careful driving style, and neither do you have to subject yourself to elder sister’s maniacal forays down the highway. You are in charge of your destiny, be it a shiny new Ferrari or an old Ford pickup truck that requires 10 minutes of warm-up before it can get going. Unfortunately for parents, instead of worrying about their kid’s newfound freedom on the road, they also have to think about cell phone usage habits. Good thing somebody came up with this new automobile ignition key that prevents teenagers from talking on cell phones or sending text messages while driving. That ought to go a long way in helping reduce the amount of accidents, eh?

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No one likes dealing with speed bumps.  Even if you drop down to crawling speeds, some are so severe that they jar your car around like crazy anyway.  With some cars they even make them scrape the ground, like the 90s Mustangs.  Well now someone has decided to create a speed bump that makes things easier for a lot of drivers.  If you like to fly over speed bumps then these won’t help you out at all.  However, if you are one of the ones that slows down for them then it will make it a much smoother ride.

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