Join What Ford was doing at CTIA Fall 2010
As an attendant of CTIA Fall 2010, I couldn’t figure out what Ford Motor company was doing there. As it turns out, they were promoting the MyFord Touch. I got to get behind a tricked-out dashboard, and saw why they wanted to show off.
The set-up for MyFord Touch reminded me of the Earth-friendly dashboard I reported on over a year ago. I had one of their spokespersons show it to me, and I’ll do my best to convey my experience to you.
That screen that you see in the photo is a full touchscreen, and it allows the user/driver full control of Navigation, Climate, Entertainment and Phone. Each of these functions have a different color-code, accessible on the four corners of the screen. MyFord Touch also has two 4.2 inch LCD screens that flank the central speedometer for information to the driver at a glance.
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NYC gets snazzy new taxi toppers
That triangle on the top of a taxi hasn’t changed much in recent years. They’re handy for broadcasting whether or not the Taxi is on duty, but not for much more than that. Instead of having a taxi with the ugly plastic box on top they could have this far more attractive metal box that is packed full of LED lights. It’ll allow for companies to advertise on Taxi cabs, plus this little box makes your iPhone run a whole lot better while you’re in the cab.
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Lanesafe reminds you what side of the road to drive on
I have to admit that I have never driven in a car in a foreign country where the rules of the road are reversed.
If I did, I want want to get the Lanesafe. It is a device made to suction-cup to the windshield, and then project a green arrow or red X to remind the driver of what side of the road he or she should be driving on.
I’m not sure how to calibrate this thing so that the transition to British driving or American driving is clean, but it works both day or night. It is LED solar powered plus 12 volt in car charger, so it will always be up and running.
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Movie Theater Bus
In the late 1960′s, the UK’s Ministry of Technology was commissioned to make seven vans that could be a movie theater.
Apparently, there was very little movie watching done on these things, as these vans sat around in disrepair for years. However, this one has been “painstakingly restored and outfitted with an all new theater system”.
There is a full inventory of what equipment it actually has at my Source link. One of them is an Epson EH-TW3500 LCD projector.
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School uses optical illusion to slow drivers
No one actually likes speed bumps, but they do have their benefits. They at least keep people from driving too quickly in areas that they shouldn’t, but even when you’re at crawling speeds, to drive over one is quite jarring. One Canadian school is trying out a different method to get cars to slow down. Instead of using bumps they’re painting a 3D optical illusion of a girl crossing the street.
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Prius Gets Louder To Protect Pedestrians
It’s hard not to be shocked by how quiet a Prius is once it’s switched over to running on electric at low speeds. There is virtually no sound coming from the car, which should make it no surprise that hybrid vehicles suffered from higher percentages of being involved in a low speed pedestrian accident compared to gas-powered vehicles. When you’re crossing the road or walking along it, you rely just as much on your ears as you do your sight. Having a car on the road that makes no sound can make roads more dangerous, which is why Toyota is offering a speaker system that makes a whirring sound.
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Asus Eee PC 900A connected to this Volvo
This device on this car is probably the future of auto security as we know it.
Someone has gone to the trouble of installing an Eee PC 900A into the dash of this Volvo, and has gone to even more trouble to make the computer part of the automobile’s systems.
Not only does it have two pressure sesnors for boost and vacuum, but the computer displays the RPM, O2, and the exhaust directly. By the way, the user enters in a PIN number in order to start it.
I have included a video of it that you can see after the jump. Granted, the camera movement is shaky, and the narration reminds me of the show Dexter, but I like what he has done here.
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Venturi Buckeye Bullet breaks 300mph Hydrogen speed record
I always like seeing this cars that look more like rockets, designed to do nothing more than just go really, really, really fast.
This is one of the latest of these super-fast vehicles, known as the Venturi Buckeye Bullet. It was built by student engineers, at Ohio State University’s Center for Automotive Research.
It also runs on hydrogen, and it just achieved an average speed of 307.7 mph at a two-run pass at the Bonneville Salt Flats on August 24.
Continue reading » Venturi Buckeye Bullet breaks 300mph Hydrogen speed record
