Join Automotive Gadgets
SnoBootz help drivers sttay on the road in harsh winter conditions.
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They’re called SnoBootz. Think of them as snow shoes for your car. Not as gangly as snow chains, to be sure, but they’re quick to install and fit like a glove on your tires. In this harsh winter weather, every car needs an edge to keep it on the road, and SnoBootz may act better than the traditional chains that most people use in the northern part of the country where snow is part of the local flora and fauna.
Automotive Gadgets, Eco Gadgets
Ford Unveils Earth-friendly Dashboard
I believe it was Al Gore in his book Earth in the Balance who said that an ordinary car is one of the greatest threats to the environment. Clearly, all automotive companies need to be thinking about Mother Earth the next time they roll their next model off the assembly line.
I suppose this is why Ford has come up with a new dashboard that literally shows you how earth-safe your driving is. Part of it has to do with measuring your fuel efficiency, which is not gauged by a meter or a number, but a picture of a vine.
Apparently, if your driving is fuel-efficient, the vine will start budding and blooming until it is healthy. However, if you are wasting gas, you will be forced to watch that vine shrivel up and die. Yes, it is odd to have a visual cue instead of an exact scientific reading, but I guess we consumers have been trained to react to pictures instead of raw data.
Audio/Video Gadgets, Automotive Gadgets, Digital Cameras, Photography
Nikkai In-Car Journey Recorder for taping the Road Ahead
When I was on the road to Vegas for CES, I wished I had some sort of video recorder so I could just speak my mind and write about it later. It would have definitely saved me some time and would have made the trip a lot less boring. On a somewhat related note, Nikkai has created the In Car Journey Recorder, which is the inverse of my idea.
Yes, the In-Car Journey Recorder is designed to affix to the windshield to record the road ahead, not the driver. It uses a 1.3M CMOS image sensor, which can record video footage for your insurance or lawyer in case of an accident. Now you have proof that it really wasn’t your fault in a collision case, when it’s your word against someone else.
The In-Car Journey Recorder records to an SD card for up to 2GB capacity, which is good for up to 18 hours worth of video footage. It can capture intervals between 2-3 seconds and 3 minutes.
Audio/Video Gadgets, Automotive Gadgets, CES 2009
Blaupunkt and miRoamer create World’s First Internet Car Radio
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?
Automotive Gadgets, Bluetooth, CES 2009, Home Automation, Home Theater
Unify4Life uses BlackBerry to control home theaters and garage doors
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.
Automotive Gadgets, CES 2009, Gaming Gadgets
SimCraft Took me for a ride at CES
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.
Automotive Gadgets, Conceptual Gadgets, Eco Gadgets, Solar Powered Gear
Toyota’s Solar-powered Car
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.
Automotive Gadgets, Electronic Gadgets, Miscellaneous Gadgets
Cordless Heated Car Screen Ice Scraper
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.
