Toyota: Mac Prius

What is already no more news with Audi, Lexus or Infinity now is combined with hybrid technology: Jermey Kusnetz integrated my favourite Apple Mac OS X to a Toyota Prius. The Mac Prius runs Apple's multimedia software Front Row to serve you with your audio and video data of your choice, controlled via the Prius' touch screen.

If you needed one more reason to buy a Prius - here is it.

Related news: Foursprung, Apple, Mac OS, Toyota, hybrids

Source: Gizmodo

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Foursprung: Car running on wood-gas

Looking at the fuel prices in Europe this might become a big idea. An old Yugo in Serbia running on real alternative energy.

Instead of pulling the car along with horses, somebody tapped into a different kind of 125-year-old technology and ended up with a car that’s faster than the original—which is not a tall order when you’re talking about a Yugo. That anachronistic-looking smokestack on the back of the car uses wood gas for fuel. The idea here is that wood doesn’t burn completely, and emits hydrogen and methane is a byproduct.

I'm not sure about the ecological impact, so it might be that this alternative does not really fit to the current emission rules...

Related news: Foursprung

Source: Gizmodo

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Mercedes-Benz: Adaptive cruise control comes to city traffic

What is already known for cruising down the highway comes now to city traffic with the new Mercedes-Benz S-class: adaptive cruise control, called Disctance Plus at Mercedes.
Compared to current other radar-assisted systems Distance Plus can control the vehicle in both highway and city driving conditions.
Hopefully this system works better than earlier electronic gadgets from the brand during press presentations...

Related news: Foursprung, cruise control, Mercedes-Benz

Source: Engadget

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Honda: Bluetooth for Europe

Bluetooth comes to Europe - in Honda models FR-V, CR-V, Accourd, Jazz and Civic.

Three buttons enable the system to answer or transfer call and control the volume.

Related news: Foursprung, Honda, Bluetooth

Source: The Bluetooth Car Weblog

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Foursprung: Remote controlled middle finger

I am not sure if this is a good idea as showing others very clearly the opinion about their driving like this can be really expensive but sometimes I really wish to have invested these $30 for the Remote Controlled Middle Finger.

It is especially useful when used during driving, as we know that anyone who cuts into our lane is an inconsiderate ingrate. Normally a closed hand, activating the remote control will flip the middle finger up. The remote has a range of up to 50 feet, and is effective even in an enclosed area.

Related news: Foursprung

Source: Ubergizmo

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Robot car: San Francisco to L.A.

This car has as much gadgets that it doesn't even need a driver:
After winning the Pentagon's DARPA Grand Challenge autonomous robot car race last year Stanford scientists go to next round: they plan to build another robot car that will drive from San Francisco to Los Angeles next year again without a human driver next year. But a human driver will be on board anyway for safety reasons to intervention if the robot freaks out. But thinking of the Terminator will the robot let the human intervention if it freaks out?
Well gadgets in cars a fine but I prefer a little less grade of automation... And I think the driving robot will not love iPod integration as much as I do...

Related news: Foursprung, robot, automation


Source: The Raw Feed

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Volvo: Detects heartbeats

We know that Volvo's heart beats for people with a requirement of feeling safe. Now they have something new for paranoids: a heartbeat detector.

Perhaps the nicest thing about living in a city with great public transportation is that we've almost forgotten the gripping panic that used to overcome us each time we went out to the car alone at night, terrified that the proverbial "man-with-the-hook" was secreted away in the backseat somewhere. Well it seems that the engineers at Volvo also know our fear, and have incorporated a heartbeat sensor inside the new S80 sedan that alerts your wireless key fob if there's a criminal-type lying in wait for you as you approach. Although this tech would do a bit to alleviate our irrational fear, the logical side of us realizes that if a ne'er-do-well could crack the rest of Volvo's tight security features to break into our ride unnoticed, he could probably disable this heartbeat sensor as well. Like we said, it's probably best that we stick to public transportation.

So next step will be an option for hypochondriacs: automatic measurement of driver's heartbeat frequency and calling the next doctors via telematics if a heart attack comes up...

Related news: Foursprung, Volvo>, wireless

Source: Engadget

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Kia: First car with USB port

Usually Kia is not a brand that inspires me. But my love for cars and gadgets makes me think of them offering the first car with USB port.

The production version, executives said, will feature in the center console a USB PORT for charging gadgets and transferring music and other media for playing on the car's entertainment system. The company showed another concept car today called the "Soul" at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit. The "Soul" concept is further away from production than the Multi-S, but sports "multiple" USB ports, along with Bluetooth and other accoutrements.

Related news: Foursprung, Kia>, USB

Source: The Raw Feed

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Subaru: Agreements with both XM and Sirius satellite radio

Subaru did a curious deal on satellite radio for their 2007 models.

Subaru has decided not to lock itself into just one satellite radio contract for its 2007 vehicles and has signed agreements with both Sirius Satellite Radio and XM Satellite Radio.

For Stern fans, Sirius will be offered as an exclusive port and dealer installation option in its 2007 Subaru Forester and Subaru Impreza. But it will also be a standard option in the 2007 Outback Sport Special Edition.

XM Satellite, on the other hand, will have its service—exclusively—in three of Subaru’s 2007 models, including the Legacy and Outback as well as the B9 Tribeca Special Edition.

Related news: Foursprung, satellite radio, Subaru

Source: Gizmodo

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Foursprung: PC substituting embedded in-car systems

It's not really news that the product lifecycles of vehicles and those of eletronics are not really compliant.
A vehicle has a lifetime of several years but for electronics it takes much less (in fact it is nearly just some days) to be antiquated.
This now came also to industry's mind. A solution for this comes from MP3Car. Their "Enabler" hardware unit allows a PC to completely replace the functionality of a conventional car stereo or nav system, providing all the essential in-car functions lacking in PC hardware, including car-quality audio, FM receiver, satellite radio and hands-free Bluetooth phone integration.
But hardware is only one thing. The important thing for this is the software which is called "Streetdeck" in case of MP3Car.
Streetdeck provides a full set of in-car functionality, including:

- Touch Screen Control
- Navigation & Mapping
- Bluetooth Phone Integration
- Satellite Radio
- Vehicle Diagnostics
- Rear-view Camera Support
- CD player/MP3 Extraction
- MP3 Player
- FM Radio
- DVD/Video Player
- Picture Viewer
- WiFi Sync Support

Sounds not bad but is still one step behind. Foursprung people would not integrate a PC to their car but a Mac.


Related news: Foursprung, PC

Source: Autoblog

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Volvo: Design your new car with your handheld

Do you spend that much time on trips that you don't even have the time for configuring your car on your PC?
It seems like Volvo customers do because configuring your new Volvo is coming to mobility.

Volvo and Mobileplay have teamed up to create a mobile auto configurator that runs on BlackBerries, Treos, Windows Mobile Smartphones and other smart mobile devices. You can customize your Volvo including color, fabrics, wheels and option packages. The configurator displays the buyer's choices and then lets them contact Volvo dealer to place the order. The configurator was designed to promote Volvo's XC70 and XC90 SUVs and will be distributed by Mobileplay. The configurator can be downloaded at www.mobileplay.com.

I think if you are on your way there more important things to do with your handheld device than configuring a car - e.g. reading our latest news...

Related news: Foursprung, Volvo, PDA, smartphone, configurator

Source: Luxist

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GM: Plans to introduce turn-by-turn navigation system

OnStar is a telematics service that you shouldn't mess with.
Now GM plans to introduce the latest version of these services including a “turn-by-turn” navigation system using automated voice prompts.
The system will be available starting mid-year on 2006 Buick Lucerne, Cadillac DTS and Cadillac STS models, with other GM vehicles being phased in over the next two years.

Related news: Foursprung, GPS, GM, OnStar

Source: Jalopnik

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Foursprung: HomeLink – the luxury link between car and home

Johnson Controls presents the latest generation of their HomeLink technology. Open your garage while sitting in the car. Definitely one of the most useful gadgets ever. At least if you will live in such a rainy area like us.

Today’s luxury vehicle owners expect a stylish ambience and superior comfort not only in their car but also their own four walls. To ensure that driving into one’s own garage also meets these high expectations, Johnson Controls, one of the world’s leading suppliers of automotive interior systems, electronics and batteries, has now closed the comfort gap between home and car. The company designs and produces the HomeLink integrated, remote-controlled garage door opener for all Porsche models. This means drivers no longer have to step out of their car in the pouring rain to open their garage door – they can do so automatically at the touch of a button from the comfort of their car. Already available in the Cayenne, HomeLink is now offered as an optional extra for the 911 Carrera (S) and Boxster (S) as well.

Apart from conveniently opening garage doors, HomeLink offers plenty of other benefits. Since it recognizes the frequencies of almost any radio-controlled handset device, the system can control up to three functions – such as garage doors and property gates or lighting and home alarm systems – all at the touch of a button and from the comfort of the car. The transmitter can be programmed in a few simple steps and is just as easy to operate.

The comfortable aspect of this system is that the remote control is built into the overhead console of the vehicle – styled to coordinate perfectly with the Porsche interior design: inconspicuous and yet ergonomically geared for maximum driver comfort. This eliminates the inconvenience of having to replace handset batteries, since the power supply comes from the onboard electronics. And there’s no more hunting around for a handheld remote either.

The new Porsche models have the added advantage of being fitted with the second generation of this garage door opener. This latest version of HomeLink is compatible with almost all garage door openers – even those that work on the interference-free 868 MHz frequency.

HomeLink also is the first universal remote control that can recognize the frequencies of a wide range of handheld transmitters from various manufacturers – and operate them all using a single system.

Related news: Foursprung, HomeLink

Source: Johnson Controls

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Safety: Automobiles girding for accidents in advance with pre-crash safety systems

Maybe you have advanced or at least basic knowledge how your car is working. But what about pre-crash safety systems? Do you know them? If not, go here and get some insight knowledge. Maybe you can impress your mechanic next time.

The Knowledge section of the U.K.’s The Times provided a short explanation and some examples of anticipatory safety systems found in vehicles.

These devices, known as pre-crash safety systems, are technologies that detect imminent dangers (i.e., crashes), priming the vehicle’s safety equipment to prepare for impact. An example of this would be pyrotechnic seat-belt pre-tensioners, which cinch a car's three-point harnesses before impact.

Each automaker has a different approach with their technology. Mercedes' S-class “Pre-Safe” system automatically closes an open sunroof and moves front and rear passenger seats to their safest positions. The Lexus GS Pre-Collision Safety (PCS) System uses radar to keep track of obstacles and if it determines a collision is unavoidable, tightens all driver and passenger seat belts while maximizing braking power.

Finally, Honda Motor Co.’s Accord uses a camera that sends a signal to the car’s power steering if it senses the car drifting from its lane.

Related news: Foursprung, Safety

Source: Autoblog

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GPS: Solution integrated to motorcycle directly from factory

TomTom supplies one and the idea of a GPS for motorcycles is also not new to Garmin.
The new thing is that Garmin will cooperate with Buell Motorcycles for a new navigation system that will be directly integrated into the 2006 Ulysses XB12X motorcycles.

It is just a run-of-the-mill GPS system that has automatic routing and voice prompting. It also has a high-resolution LCD screen that would be easy to read for the motorcyclist. It comes preloaded with 13MB of American maps out of the 115MB total internal memory.

Related news: Foursprung, Buell, Garmin, GPS, motorcycles

Source: Gizmodo

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Fuel: Diesel boom predicted for U.S. as cleaner fuel comes to pumps

Diesel fuel seems to will have a boom soon as cleaner fuel comes to pumps. And which manufacturer is better prepared than Audi and Volkswagen with their long diesel history? Audi is going to prove their knowledge with the participance of the world's first diesel-powered car at LeMans, the Audi R10.

After decades of disinterest from American consumers, diesel manufacturers are eagerly predicting a boom with new cleaner fuels arriving at pumps this fall and a host of new products coming to market in the next few years.

"We think diesel is part of the solution" to energy shortages, said John Moulton, president of the powertrain division of Robert Bosch Corporation. Bosch hosted an event at Irwindale Speedway on Tuesday which showcased a number of diesel vehicles currently available here and abroad. Among the companies also represented were Audi, BMW, DaimlerChrysler, General Motors, Honda, Honeywell and Mercedes.

Currently, only 3 percent of the vehicles on U.S. roads are diesel. Moulton predicted that will grow to 15 percent over the next 10 years. In Europe roughly 50 percent of all vehicles are diesel-powered.

Growth of diesel transportation in the U.S. has been limited by strict air quality regulations and because American refineries produce a different formula of diesel fuel. But on October 15 of this year, ultralow sulfur diesel fuel will be introduced nationwide. Bosch engineers called the new fuel "one piece of the puzzle" that will allow introduction of new diesel vehicles, many currently available in Europe.

Legislators are still debating enforcement of key elements of the diesel emissions laws that will be phased in between 2007 and 2010. As a result, consumers are unlikely to see new diesel vehicles on the market until the 2008 model year.

A number of diesel vehicles were at the event held at the Irwindale Speedway and Bosch spokespeople portrayed them as lively, fun-to-drive cars — probably to counter the former concept of diesels as slow and noisy. Because of technological advancements, diesels now offer 30-percent better fuel economy, have 50-percent better torque, yet provide a 15-to-20-percent decrease in carbon-dioxide emissions over gasoline engines.

Related news: Foursprung, Fuel, Diesel, Audi, Audi Q7, Audi R10

Source: Inside Line

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Mini: From the car to the desk

Do you like your Mini that much that you don't want to leave it? Or you want to have one but don't have a driving license or parking space?
So now you can have a mini for your office:

With $4,400, you could put a down payment on a new car. Or buy a decent shape used car.

Buy a desk made from what looks like an old Mini. Whether a reproduction (of the Mini), or the real thing, it’s not clear. You’re invited to direct your inquiries to ministatements@btinternet.com.

Related news: Foursprung, Mini

Source: OhGizmo

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Hummer: CD player enhancing branded gadget line

After the Hummer branded laptop computer the family of Hummer gadgets grows bigger:
the mobile CD player in Hummer design can also play MP3, weighs 1.15 lbs and can enhance your collection for $45.

Related news: Foursprung, Hummer, car audio, CD player

Source: Oh Gizmo

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NASCAR: Tune in

You are live at the races but want still want to get a little close to action at NASCAR high-speed stock racing? Now you can now keep track of the action in ways never before possible, thanks to a handheld audio-video-data scanner from Sprint:

The NASCAR NEXTEL FanView has a host of exciting features, including the following:
- the race telecast;
- the race radio broadcast;
- up to seven in-car camera channels;
- direct audio feeds from pit and driver;
- audio replay;
- and a live feed from the official timing and scoring system.

The result is a fan's dream come true: being in the thick of the action without ever leaving the stands. It all occurs in a handheld device that receives data over the 2.5 GHz wireless spectrum. In effect, you've brought your PC with you to the track.

"NASCAR NEXTEL FanView offers an authentic and unprecedented next level of access that has never before been made available at a sporting event," said Dick Glover, vice president of broadcasting and new media for NASCAR Digital Entertainment.

FanView will be available for rent during the events of the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series. Prices will be US$50 a day or US$70 a weekend. The nearly yearlong series starts at Daytona on February 19.

Related news: Foursprung, stock car, racing, wireless, NASCAR

Source: Mobile Mag

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GM: Patents in-car mutli media network

Multi media in your car is what we care for. And so seems to do GM. They now patented a multimedia infrastructure for cars.

In its Rube Goldbergian patent application drawing above, the car company places a microprocessor and hard drive at the heart of this multimedia system, and has even taken into account digital rights management (DRM), figuring out a way to tie content to your vehicle identification number. There’s also a video back-up camera plugged into the system, as well as an output to other vehicle systems.

Related news: Foursprung, GM, multi mediaXXX

Source: Gizmodo

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Biodiesel: Dodge OKs running biodiesel in some 2007 diesel Rams

Grab it by the horns or fuel it with biodiesel, maybe this will be the new slogan of Dodge after it brought some Dodge OK's with biodiesel in 2007.

DaimlerChrysler will be allowing commercial, government, and military users of diesel 2007 Dodge Rams to use up to 20% biodiesel (B20) in that vehicle's Cummins engine, if the fuel meets applicable military specifications. If you're a private owner of a Cummins Ram and want to run biodiesel without running into warranty problems, you're still out of luck for the time being - the company is still working on a national spec for B20 that would allow it to be run in all diesel Rams.

Related news: Foursprung, Dodge, Biodiesel

Source: Autoblog

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Mac mini: Forms a killer stereo for car together with iTrip

Wanna know how you can turn your Mac mini into a killer car stereo with the help of iTrip in only 3 days?
Then go and check this picture gallery.

Related news: Foursprung, Mac+mini, Apple

Source: Flickr via Lifehacker

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Foursprung: Audio solution for bikers

There are several ways for telecommunication in your car. But how about your bike? Using a bluetooth headset is not really suitable under the helmet and there are no helmet with such an integration.
But now Autocom America has several solutions for bikers for any purpose.

Check out their product site for details and different configurations

Related news: Foursprung, bikes

Source: Autocom America

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Mercedes-Benz: Night view assist in 2007 S-Class

It seems that a step ahead in safety comes from Mercedes-Benz this time.

It’s not too often that we hit up advances in car technology over here but this is just a bit too tasty to pass up. Now in addition to a PCMCIA slot, Mercedes-Benz is premiering their “Night view assist” system on their new, 2007 S-Class series which is said to increase nighttime visibility by up to 125 percent -- without blinding on-coming motorists. It uses infrared light to cast a broad beam ahead of the vehicle and then displays the 8-inch grayscale image on the dashboard LCD.

Hopefully this works better than other announced and presented systems in the past from the brand with the star. And hopefully the quality is better than the quality of their current car series...

Related news: Foursprung, Mercedes-Benz, night view

Source: Engadget

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Rear-view cameras: Blindspot no more?

Rear-view cameras are increasing in popularity.

The Center for Disease Control estimates that, between 2001 through 2003, over 7,000 children were treated for non-lethal injuries after being hit by drivers who didn’t see them behind the vehicle. Child safety organization KidsandCars.org estimates 97 were killed in 2005 alone.

Backup cameras are available to assist preventing such tragedies. While many integrate with any installed NAV system, kits can also be bought and installed separately. The driver can see the waist and his feet of a person three feet behind the vehicle. Installing the camera higher on SUVs or vans also provides a more panoramic view. More sophisticated systems use radar to give distance information.

Backup cameras are also useful for drivers who have medical conditions that prevent (or make it difficult) to see behind them. Ford, General Motors, and Chrysler will reimburse a portion of the cost for backup cameras and devices for people with such conditions.

Related news: Foursprung, Rear-view cameras, Blindspot

Source: Autoblog

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Microsoft: Patents Smart Car Radio

Microsoft tries more and more to be a player in the automotive business. After the deal with Fiat they now have been granted a U.S. patent for what it calls a "Smart Car Radio".

The radio is a kind of TiVo for audio that automatically removes ads, playing only recorded music and news, etc. The device is similar to some satellite radio devices, which feature removable pocketsize controllers that can be then plugged into a home unit. The device would also function as a mobile PDA.

Usually Microsoft is not very good in being "smart" so let's see what they make out of this patent. I wonder if this is really innovative. The "innovations" in their operating systems usually seem to be "strongly inspired" by another computer company from Cupertino, so where do the innovations in other areas come from?

Related news: Foursprung, radio, Microsoft

Source: The Raw Feed

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