iPod: Integration now with Vespa

iPod car integration is a main topic and anything but new to us. New is the integration of Apple's cash cow to the scooter world with the mobile Stereo System with iPod dock by Scooterworks.

The system is actually a do-it-yourself kit for Vespa Stella and P-series models that includes an amp, two 4-inch Alpine speakers, replacement glovebox door with pre-cut holes, and a cradle/connector for hooking up your 'pod or other DAP. We're pretty sure that you could piece together your own scooter-mounted stereo for less than the $300 that this costs, but if you're really trying to save some loot, the not-recommended-by-us, cruising-around-with-headphones-on method still can't be beat.

Foursprung, Apple, iPod, scooter, Vespa

Source: Engadget

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Multimedia: Mobile all-media device from Mustek

A nice gadget for the after-market integration of kid-calmers comes from Mustek:

Mustek's PL8C70 in-car DVD player is a light and thin player that will fit snugly onto any headrest to keep the young ones entertained during long road trips. It supports all major DVD and CD formats, as well as DivX/MPEG4 playback and a SD/MMC card reader. The 7" TFT screen works brilliantly, and Mustek has generously including a pair of headphone connections in case the driver wants to drive in relative peace and quiet. £152 will net you the unit itself, a carry case, power adapter, rechargeable battery and a remote control.

Not a new idea but the price sounds interesting to me.

Foursprung, DVD, Audio, DivX, TFT

Source: Ubergizmo

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Hybrids: Cheaper insurance

There are discussions about the pros and cons of hybrid cars. But the pro side gets an argument more:

An insurance company will begin giving ten percent discounts to hybrid owners next month, based on early indications that the type of people attracted to hybrid cars are also those who qualify for low-risk car insurance.
The insurance provider, St. Paul Travelers, found that hybrid drivers tend to use their cars mainly to commute between home and work, according to a Reuters story. They also tend to be married, in their 40s or 50s, and drive within the speed limit. All these factors are associated with low-risk drivers, who are eligible for discounted insurance.
Fifteen percent of cars on the road in the next 10 years could be hybrids, according to St. Paul Travelers. The company is the first to offer discounted insurance premiums for hybrids.

Foursprung, hybrids

Source: Treehugger

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Bluetooth: iPod transmitter for VW car radio!

VW is really having some cool news lately with doing podcasts, the VW GX3 and now with a bluetooth transmitter for your iPod and your good old VW radio. Nice!

While we wait for the auto world to bow to the iPod (Jobs plans to have 40% of the new auto market in his grasp by the year’s end, and our tire-kicking brother has news on BMW’s Apple deal), Ratoc has bluetooth iPod transmitters for the Volkswagen and Toyota factory radios.

The Ratoc iPod Digital Wireless Connection Kit includes the clampable RS-Link1P-VW transmitter, a receiver, and an interface module. Still seems like a lot to hook up just to hear our polka mashups in a Jetta, and we’d like a foam iPod holder for the Beetle’s flower cup. But there’s no FM static and no extra set of playback controls.

Wanna buy it? Check it here. Comes for $198.00.



Foursprung, Bluetooth, Apple, iPod

Source: Gizmodo

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Foursprung: Gadgets directly from the automakers

Yes, it's good news! But why is it so late?

Automakers selling cars in North America have stepped up their position when it comes to entertainment and telematics features according to survey of the vehicles on display at the 2006 North American International Auto Show. Of the 264 autos at the 2006 NAIAS, 154 models support MP3 music playback while over 200 models support satellite radio.
"Features like the ability to integrate portable music players (iPods, MP3 players, etc.) are available on many new cars," says Phil Magney, principal analyst at Telematics Research Group. "Rear seat entertainment, Bluetooth communications, and premium audio are also available on many of the new cars. These features were once exclusive to the luxury segment, but have come down market to high-volume vehicles," adds Magney.

"Auto makers are doing a better job of addressing the needs of consumers, particularly in terms of entertainment solutions," says Magney. "Consumers are changing the way the listen to, manage, and discover new music." According to TRG data, most new models being introduced have the ability to play MP3 files and nearly all support digital radio. Slightly more than half of the models available support XM Satellite Radio, while slightly less than half support SIRIUS Satellite.

Some technologies may be still ahead of their time for mainstream automotive application. USB ports, hard disk drives (HDD), and flash memory card interfaces are examples of technologies that are currently very limited. "Auxiliary input, and iPod direct connections are still the safe bet for music device integration, but USB will eventually become a contender. Bluetooth will also be used for audio, but this is still in the planning phase," says Magney.

Traditional telematics that provide emergency call and automotive collision notification, while prevalent on most new GM vehicles, is available on less than half of the new vehicles on the market. Most luxury brands offer telematics and some have begun to deploy their own technologies using satellites and an embedded phone. TRG says that telematics for safety and remote diagnostics will eventually become standard on most production cars.

Foursprung

Source: gizmag

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Child safety: Delphi's intelligent child restraint and crib monitor

If you don't have built-in child seats like in the VW Passat, this solution from Delphi is really great!

Delphi is also working on sensors for the child safety zone—an area of much interest to the child-bearing Gizmodo editors. The intelligent child restraint is a device to help ensure that you install your car seat correctly. Child seats are mis-installed 80% of the time, a stat that will come as little surprise to anyone who has spent an hour trying to figure out how to strap one of these suckers in. Press the “test” button on this monitor and it senses whether the belts are tight and that the seat is correctly positioned. If you do something wrong, a red light signals one of four zones that needs work. The trouble, of course, is that it can’t tell you how to get the straps correctly positioned, only that you are doing something wrong. But at least it narrows down your search. This sensor has to be manufactured into the seat, but Delphi will only say that they are working with “several” partners to bring this to market.

The other child-safety product on display was a crib with an ultrasonic sound wave emitter on the top. It senses motion and breathing rates, and if something is amiss it will send a signal to your baby monitor.

Foursprung, Child safety

Source: Gizmodo

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Fuel cell: Step forward in technology

French car's are known for - hmmm... let's say interesting - design. I never expected a big step forward in alternative energies from PSA. It seems that I was wrong:

Clean, safe energy sources for large-scale hydrogen production is also an issues up for debate. PSA Peugeot Citroen, the French automaker, this week released its new fuel cell design, the GENEPAC, with hopes that it will pave the way for affordable, compact, fuel cells suitable for everyday driving.

The GENEPAC is a modular fuel cell stack that can incorporate up to four modules, providing up to 80 kw. It is being called the smallest automotive fuel cell to date. In keeping with hydrogen’s controversial and hotly debated relationship with the nuclear power industry, Peugeot jointly developed and unveiled this new fuel cell technology with the French Atomic Energy Commission, presumably implying that the car company is putting its bets on nuclear power as the main energy source for the hydrogen economy. The automaker also simultaneously announced the opening of a branch of its Research Lab specifically dedicated to fuel cell development and the accompanying technology, including energy sources, such as nuclear, as well as lifecycle studies of fuel cells in circulation. Peugeot hopes to implement the GENEPAC in urban delivery fleets, but it could also bring concept vehicles like the Quark to life.

Foursprung, PSA, alternative energies, fuel cell

Source: Treehugger

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USB: Kenwood adds USB-equipped auto systems

One of the best gadgets for your car are USB-powered audio systems, so you can get rid of your cd changers and just put your favorite playlist on a USB stick. Now, Kenwood is offering exactly that.

We know Kenwood isn't the first company to introduce USB-equipped auto CD players, but the units they're showing off at CES, including the DPX-501 and DPX-701, are welcome additions nonetheless. The units can play MP3, WMA and AAC files stored on any USB drive or portable audio player that supports mass-storage mode, and a promised firmware upgrade will support Windows Media DRM, opening the door for direct support for files downloaded from subscription services such as Rhapsody and Napster. The new models also include MP3/WMA-compatible CD players, and are HD Radio and Sirius ready.

Foursprung, USB, Kenwood

Source: Engadget

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Diesel: cleanest in the world with BLUETEC

I wonder how long the BLUETEC Mercedes will be the cleanest diesel in the world. Mercedes Benz maybe the brands with the longest tradition in diesel technology but Audi still is much more progressive in engineering diesel engines (e.g. TDI technology) . So read it as long as it is valid:

With the launch of the E 320 BLUETEC in the USA later this year, Mercedes-Benz will be offering the first series production car with BLUETEC diesel technology. The automotive manufacturer with the world's longest diesel tradition has modified specific aspects of the economical, powerful and robust 320 CDI engine, adding state-of-the-art emission-control technology to make it the cleanest diesel in the world. Mercedes-Benz has thus transformed the diesel engine into a clean and future-compatible system. The six-cylinder diesel engine combines V8 power with four-cylinder consumption: 155 kW/211 hp maximum output and 540 Nm maximum torque despite average fuel consumption of just 6.7 l/100 km or 35 mpg. BLUETEC technology is capable of producing the cleanest diesel vehicles in the world, and is more than capable of meeting the most stringent emissions regulations.

Foursprung, Mercedes Benz, diesel

Source: gizmag

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Sound: Toyota using NXT speakers for special sound system

NXT, a provider of unique sound solutions, best known for its flat panel loudspeaker technology, confirms that the new FJ Cruiser Sports Utility Vehicle (SUV) from Toyota will feature an NXT-equipped roof liner speaker system when it goes on sale in North America from March 2006.

Toyota is going over-the-top with its 2007 FJ Cruiser SUV, that will be using NXT SurfaceSound flat panel speaker technology in the roof liner speaker system. Announced by NXT at CES, the SUV is powered by a 4.0L V6 24-valve engine and comes with a choice of six-speed manual or five-speed automatic transmission. The NXT system is built into the roofliner, but also complements the vehicles conventional speakers, hopefully giving you a broad, omni-directional dispersion of sound. The system comes with an AM/FM/CD system with six speakers fitted as standard (including NXT-based roof liner)or other options that include an eight speaker system with six-disc CD changer and a nine speaker system, complete with subwoofer.

Foursprung, NXT, Sound, Toyota

Source: Gizmodo

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Alternative Fuel: Volkswagen comes out in support of bioethanol initiatives

As you know we are not only a car gadgets blog, we also provide you with the latest news on alternative fuel, biodiesel and hybrid cars. Think of it as an environmental car gadget and you know why we are talking about it.

Volkswagen now came out with a note that they are supporting the use of bioethanol as a gasoline additive to conserve petroleum and to reduce C02 emissions.

The EU is moving toward a requirement for E10 gasoline (10 percent bioethanol by volume), as part of its biofuel initiative to replace 5.75 percent of gasoline and diesel fuel energy with biofuels by 2010. (In the U.S., both GM and Ford have come out in favor of E85-capable "flex-fuel vehicles.")

In its statement today, the company came out in favor of a blended fuel strategy (biofuels in combination with gas or diesel), as opposed to pure biofuels, saying that it was a more practical solution, compatible with existing infrastructure.

Volkswagen's "SunFuel" initiative is the company's focal point for research into a variety of synthetic fuels.

Foursprung, Alternative Fuel, Volkswagen

Source: Autoblog

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Audi, VW: Preferred brands of iTunes users!

Our sibling blog "The German Car Blog" is reporting that iTunes users prefer cars mady by VW and Audi.
Good choice, guys!

Nielsen//NetRatings, a global leader in Internet media and market research, today announced that traffic to Apple’s iTunes Web site and use of the iTunes application has skyrocketed 241 percent over the past year, from 6.1 million unique visitors in December 2004 to 20.7 million in December 2005, reaching nearly 14 percent of the active Internet population.

Teens are disproportionately represented among iTunes users; 12 to 17 year olds are nearly twice as likely to visit the iTunes Web site and use the application as the average Internet user. iTunes users are also more likely to be male; the site’s traffic is 54 percent male and 46 percent female.

“The rapid growth of iTunes is an important phenomenon in the online media marketplace,” said Jon Gibs, director of media analytics, Nielsen//NetRatings. “Consumers have clearly indicated that they are eager to control their own music libraries, one song at a time,” he continued.

Nielsen//NetRatings also revealed today that iTunes users form a distinct target audience with identifiable brand preferences (see Table 1). Their favorite car make is Volkswagen, which they are 2.2 times more likely to own than the average Internet user. Other popular car makers among the group include Audi and Subaru.

Foursprung, Apple, iTunes

Source: The German Car Blog

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VW: Are you a sustainability-oriented driver?

VW has a great game where you can find out if you are a sustainability-oriented driver.
You will make a virtual journey in a 1-litre car from Wolfsburg to Hamburg and try to find it out.
It's getting more and more important to watch your gas consumption, due to higher gas prices, but also environmental reasons.
This game is a great way to give you a first clue about yourself. Let's see if you can answer the questions!

You can find "The Volkswagen Consumption Game" on the right hand side if you scroll down a bit.
Have fun!


Foursprung, VW

Source: VW

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GPS: Garmin nuvi

The colleagues from Ubergizmo had the chance to take hands on Garmin's nuvi, one of the best looking and the smallest GPS in its category.

It has a huge database of point of interest (POI). Restaurants, to parking places to gas stations… you name it. But the new thing is that it gives you the average cost for a meal and for select restaurants or stores, the Nuvi even offers coupons (Savers Guide, optional). The Savers Guide membership card and database cost $49.99 and is updated it every year (new memory card).
The Language Guide (optional) allows you to translate your basic food orders and can even speak them if you think that your accent is bad, very useful, trust me…
Nuvi 350 Launched at CES for the US - price $969.22

Foursprung, GPS

Source: Ubergizmo

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Foursprung: Play a game against driving fears

An interesting way to come over your fears of driving after an accident:

Trauma psychiatrists at St. Stephen’s Hospital in Ireland have begun using video games to help accident victims overcome their "accident phobia." Before you go calling your insurance company to see if they'll cover a new 360 and PGR3 for that fender bender last year, the doctors insist it's not all fun and... well, uh games:

"It’s a structured programme – patients don’t just play video games. It’s cognitive behavioural therapy and it involves gradually exposing people to different types of frightening scenes, starting off in a very easy way and working up gradually.”

If they're working up gradually, I bet Burnout is the last step. Start with Mario Kart, a little 18 Wheeler in there somewhere, and finish with an 8 hour Burnout marathon... crash mode only. If you can run that gamut, you can drive anything.

Foursprung

Source: Joystiq

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MP3: Offering MP3 compatibility for all non-iPod'ers

Looks like Mercedes is putting a PCMCIA slot into the 2007 S-Class for all people who don't have or want an iPod. Yes, these people are still out there.

If the mere though of an iPod gives you the anti-Apple-fanboy heebie-jeebies, then you might be interested in the new PCMCIA slot going into the 2007 S-Class from Mercedes Benz. The slot sits right below the CD changer and allows you to bring whatever storage media strikes your fancy -- via an adapter of course -- so you can get some audio files in your car on the cheap and Apple free.

Foursprung, MP3

Source: Engadget

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iPod: This is true integration

I really love Apple, I really love Macs and I really love the Macworld. And I love it even better since also trends in automotive gadgets are shown there:

You’ve seen products like Ten Technology’s FlexibleDock, and Belkin’s TuneBase FM, or even Harman Kardon’s Drive + Play Kit, but you’ve never seen true, or at least easy streamlined iPod car integration until you’ve seen 2point5’s spec.dock. The thing that’s different about the spec.dock is that it’s the only iPod solution that actually blends in with your car. It’s makes it look as though your car was built with this thing. And because the spec.dock benefits off of your car’s cigarette lighter, you have two options — you can either blow off your tunes, or rock out till you need a hearing aid. What more could you ask for?

Foursprung, Apple, iPod

Source: Gizmodo

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Hybrid: Why do people buy?

There is an interesting interview on people's motivation for buying a hybrid car at hybridcars.com:

Researchers from the University of California at Davis are speaking directly with hybrid owners to better understand hybrid car purchase decisions. Ken Kurani, Tom Turrentine, and Rusty Heffner of UC Davis's Institute of Transportation Studies eschew traditional marketing techniques like focus groups, or surveys in which thousands of consumers tick a series of boxes and number-crunchers tally the results.

Instead, the UC researchers sit down over the kitchen table with the entire consumer household—commonly the car purchase is a family decision—for two hours or more, and let the stories come out. In this way, they believe they develop a deeper understanding of what's motivating hybrid owners. They've interviewed more than 30 households who bought Priuses, Civics, and Insights—and now they are moving on to the latest wave of hybrids.

Bradley Berman, editor of HybridCars.com, spoke with Kurani and Heffner on Dec. 21, 2005.

Bradley Berman: What is the primary goal of your research?

Rusty Heffner: We're trying to understand what motivates people to buy a new kind of vehicle. As Americans, when you are buying a car, you have so many choices. You have over 300 combinations of make and model. Why does somebody consider a new technology like a hybrid?

Ken Kurani: We learned from our first sets of interviews to throw out our assumptions, to start from scratch rather than, in effect, go into an interview with a checklist of things to look for. To go into interviews with a wide-open mind, and let the stories tell us what was important about what people were doing. And then Rusty developed an analytical approach to deal with cars as symbols of identities.

BB: What do you mean by "symbols of identities?"

KK: In an increasingly market-based society, the things we buy are more and more a part of representations of who we are. And cars are incredibly important symbols of who we are, in large part, because cars are so mobile and so many people see them everyday.

Also, I think our identities are constructed as narratives. And we're always looking for new elements for those narratives. We're comparing the stories we have about ourselves today to older stories and to ideal stories. In those comparisons, we're looking for either new ways to either advance the storyline we like, or change the one we don't like. The idea of what a car means can be one of those important story elements.

BB: Journalists commonly criticize hybrid cars for not providing a return on investment for their owners. Based on your research, what's your opinion of that criticism?

RH: I think the question journalists are asking is, 'Do hybrids save money?" It's the wrong question. A more basic question to ask is, "Do people who are buying hybrid cars really care about saving money?" The truth is that everybody likes to save money in the abstract. But we found in our research that saving money is not the primary motivator for buying a hybrid vehicle. Some people might think about hybrids as ways to save money. Those are not the types of people who are buying these types of vehicles.

KK: In the interviews, we heard that people who bought a hybrid compared it to nothing else. Once they heard about a Prius, for example, and heard about its capabilities, that became the car they needed next to advance a certain story line. At that point, keeping their old car was no longer desirable.

Here's where we get into a difference between our approach and a rational analytical approach. The rational analyst might compare their old car to a Prius in terms of cost and performance and those sorts of things, and look to the answers as to why they bought a Prius in the attributes of those vehicles. We're looking at it, and saying no, we think it's driven by the person trying to extend their identity into a new direction or further along in a direction they were already heading. That's the important comparison. What does this care say about who these people are? This explains why they didn't look at any other car, because no other car does what the hybrid does. And it explains why keeping their old car isn't an option.

BB: What meanings are the hybrid owners attaching to their hybrids?

RH: There are common meanings that run through our interviews. And there are often some individual meanings as well. Preserving the natural environment is the obvious meaning of the hybrid, but it's a lot deeper than that. What we hear from people is that when they buy a hybrid vehicle, it expresses their vision of a better world, and their desire for a society and a world where people work together for common goals. One of our subjects just had her first grandchild. That was why she felt the world needed to be a better place.

We talked to a young woman, still in college. She went to buy a new car, and really wanted a hybrid Civic. For her, the hybrid showed an awareness of bigger issues outside herself that most of her fellow college students couldn't really grasp yet.

She went to the dealership with her dad. She was a college student, and clearly had serious budget constraints. She worked all summer, and saved her money. She and her father were talking with the sales person at the dealership. It became pretty clear that her budget was not going to let her get into a hybrid Civic. Of course, the salesman wanted to make his sale, so he started talking to her about a regular gasoline Civic LX, with similar features. The car looks identical. The only difference is there's no hybrid drivetrain. And she got really upset, and was ready to walk out of the dealership because as far as she's concerned, he proposed a vehicle that's a complete step down from what she wants.

The press is fond of comparing a Corolla and a Prius, or a Civic Hybrid to its regular gasoline counterpart. Those comparisons are fine. They seem logical, but I think, in the mind of most consumers, that's a comparison that never gets made. The college student's emotional reaction demonstrates that there' something else at work for people that buy hybrids. The hybrid and conventional version of the same vehicle are viewed as very different. In the end, the college student worked out a lease arrangement so she could have the hybrid.

BB: Car marketers might respond to what you are saying, and think, "Can we just sell them anything? If the car says, 'we care about the world,' then we can sell them an inferior product at a high price because it says something desirable." I would think there would be serious limits to success with that approach.

KK: You know, you'd think so, but I look at SUVs. We heard back in the late 90s, that the profit margins on these things were 30 to 40 percent—and they're basically just cheap pickup trucks with different sheet metal. But the car companies were selling them for a lot of money. They were getting very high profits. Yet most Americans don't drive off-road. Most Americans don't tow. Most Americans don't need something that large in any functional way. They claim that they do.

I look at the SUV phenomenon as another example in which the symbolic meaning of a vehicle has to be added to the list of reasons why people bought them, and to explain the explosion in their growth.

Foursprung, Hybrid

Source: Hybrid Cars

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Satellite radio: XM advanced services concept

XM satellite radio showed their advanced services concept at CES. Read how it works!

Amidst the din of shock jocks Opie & Anthony (pictured above), XM Satellite Radio introduced its Advanced Services Concept, housed in this Lexus LX 470. It features the following "XmXtras":

Combines traditional XM Satellite radio with GPS, real-time traffic, sports, weather, stocks, satellite video and parking.

"Using much of XM's existing architecture, the provider has figured out a way to jam eight channels worth of live audio/video feeds into the mix. That means eight TV channels without a cumbersome large roof-resident dish as with the huge RaySat setup (albeit far fewer channels). Also has on-demand programming.

Foursprung, Satellite Radio, XM

Source: Autoblog

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Foursprung: Blind spot monitor

Unlike GM's vehicle to vehicle communication solution this mirror is showing you directly if something is in your blind spot area. Great! In my opinion a must have.

Delphi, best known as a car audio brand in the US, is getting sensitive. The company is working on a bunch of interesting stuff with sensor technology that they had on display here at CES. The first is a blind spot detector for motorcycles (and cars, eventually). The sensor beams out 10 feet to the side and 26 feet in back of the bike and measure the temperature of the highway. It then compares the two signals 8 times every second to determine whether someone is in your blind spot. Then it sends a flashing signal to your sideview mirror for whichever side the other vehicle is on.

Foursprung, Blind Spot Monitor

Source: Gizmodo

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MP3: Player with the Black Stallion

Consumer electronics branded by automakers (especially super sports car brands) are not new. Until now there were notebook computers, monitors and mobile phones.
Now there is the first mobile music player: Oregon Scientific's new Ferrari FMP160 features MP3 and PlaysForSure support, USB 2.0, and 1GB of space.
Come on, do you really think that only the black stallion can beat the usability and the design of the iPod?

Foursprung, Ferrari, MP3

Source: Engadget

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Mac mini: The Mac mini car!

This Mac mini car comes straight from the Macworld, and can you believe: it's a Volkswagen!
Looks great, definitely a must have!

For someone who sits in front of his or her computer nearly 12 hours a day and can’t get enough of it, the Mac Mini-equipped car is a dream come true. Even when you’re out and about on that once-in-a-lifetime grandaddy mission to snag the first Xbox 360 to hit the shelves, you can have your trusty Mac right there by your side. Imagine being able to open iTunes where your nav. system would typically pop up, and then select any song from your library that would then play through your car’s stereo system. Or better yet, how’d you like to check your e-mail and surf the net while you’re at some truck stop 200 miles from civilization or in the middle of the Mohave Desert?

All of this and more is made possible by 2point5’s Mac Mini installation. It’s a custom thing and you’re going to drop a cool $5K to do it (plus the cost of the Mac mini itself), but c’mon, are Macs really even designed to be installed in cars? Hell yeah, they are.

Foursprung, Apple, Mac mini, VW

Source: Gizmodo

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Computer Cars: When computers and cars collide

If you really like cars and can't get enough of them, even when you sit in front of your computer, this is the ultimate gadget for you!

That's right! Your computer can now look like a car. Compucar has developed the world's FIRST and ONLY desktop computer that looks like a car. Each Compucar is manufactured with only the BEST computer components. Compucar uses the same name brand components you will find in computers manufactured by companies such as: Dell, HP, Compaq, Sony, and Toshiba. We have spared no expe