Fast Cars

I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but it appears that the AutoSpies rumor of iPhone integration into the new BMW 7-series is a hoax - well the image is anyways.

When OnStar was first introduced customers were apprehensive and did not want this feature and now they will not consider a vehicle without it. The dealership that I work at has a 92% renewal rate after the first year. The second year costs $199, but most customers feel this is a small price to pay for peace of mind.

Some time ago, I went through some brochures from Dunhill. Gerard pointed out the Wheel watch. An interesting construction of ‘hiding’ the crown. The case design is inspired by old motors and it is shaped like the evocative metal ’spinners’ often used to attach wire wheels to period sports cars. The crown is hidden by the engine-turned bezel. This systems cleverly protects the crown from knocks. The monolug system looks good and emphasizes the case’s ’spinners’ design.

Next on the list is probably the slickest "Mac mini in a car" setup I have seen to date. As if one Mac mini feeding two screens in a 2006 Infiniti M45 Sport isn’t enough, the creator is also using a Palm Treo 650 and Salling Clicker to run the setup, as well as Rsync X and an AirPort network to keep the mini’s library in tune with a PowerMac G5 in the house.

There were several options for looking at the data (numerically, visually, in summary form). Since we had used the default parameters, only the speed, RPM, and a few other basic vehicle data were recorded.

This stuff is cool and as I said before, scary. I mean it cost the U.S. Department of Defense about $12 billion to develop GPS technology, create and install the satellites that can monitor your every step, or beam down directions to the computerized voice in your Lexus SUV’s navigation system. The possibilities are big, but tv.ku.edu has to start small, especially when the budget is more like $12, not $12 billion.

Cadillac is now offering KVH’s TracVision satellite system as a dealer-installed option on its Escalade sport utility vehicle, an industry first. GM is considering prewiring its SUVs for satellite TV starting with 2007 models, Watson said.

Both of our dad's birthdays are coming up. Les and I are at a bit of a loss what to get, but knowing BOTH of our dads, it will likely involve golf or automobile accessories... However, neither birthday is coming up before mine. I'm told the present box is on the way from Virginia, and I'm keeping my eye on the mailbox. :)

"The design of the handset is just like that of sports cars in detail, the handset maker said.

The one thing I hate about satellite radio antennas is how much they stick out like a sore thumb. Here you are with your brand new Terk XMicro2 or XM Roady Micro Antenna, and it looks like crap against your beautiful car. Enter Color Match Antenna.

Now, the former Puff Daddy is going into the auto parts business - and it's all about the wheels. Combs is joining forces with a Kansas City manufacturer to produce a new line of custom, precision-forged aluminum rims for sports trucks, luxury SUVs and high-end American- and German-made automobiles.

The 50-50 joint venture between Combs' Bad Boy Worldwide Entertainment Group and Kansas City's Weld Wheel Industries Inc. was announced Thursday at the New York International Auto Show. SJC Wheels LLC will produce and sell "Sean John Wheels," named for the entertainer. They hit stores next month, retailing at between $700 and $3,000 each.

Every time we come up with something we think is *so* cool, our trusty tipsters trump us. Today’s tip: the Vortex hand-crank blender, which some believe is a better product than the Lehman’s one we featured yesterday. We’ll leave that up to you to decide, but here are the Vortex’s vitals: compact add lightweight (it’s base stores in the pitcher for convenience), made of Lexan, two-speed gear system works as an ice crusher or a food processor, and an ergonomic hand-crank. Hee haw. Thanks for the tip Brian B! At $69.95, it’s cheaper, too.

The Sports Car DVD Player. Five inch colour screen, remote, built in amp and speakers, MP3 capable. Man, there’s some seriously weird people out there! »249.99.

A really cool DVD player that will look absolutely fantastic in any desk or bedroom situation. Pop out the front bumper & insert the DVD. Pop up the boot to reveal the screen, press play & watch crystal clear DVD films.It so cool it’’s almost frozen!

Mio Technology Ltd., a leading worldwide vender of GPS Pocket PC’s, today introduced the Mio136 GPS navigation system to North America as part of a worldwide launch. The new device is a straightforward, easy-to-use GPS navigation system combined with an extensive street atlas of the North American continent and Hawaii in a sleek silver palm-sized chassis. Incurring no setup fees or monthly charges and reasonably priced, the Mio136 is a perfect aftermarket option for automobile owners without today’s expensive built-in GPS systems, yet is ideal for those who are on-the-go or on foot as well.

When people talk about race cars, or high-performance sports cars, the topic of turbochargers almost always comes up. Turbochargers use some very cool technology to make an engine more powerful, but the concept is really quite simple. Find out how turbos increase the speed.

General Motors has announced plans to introduce an auxiliary input jack and an auxiliary channel on new radios coming to the Chevy HHR and GM vehicles later this year. The auto maker said that the input jack will simplify connecting Apple iPods and other music players.

The radios with auxiliary input jacks will debut in late spring, and will be standard equipment on the 2006 model year Chevy HHR -- a new SUV/car hybrid design -- as well as the Chevy Impala and Monte Carlo; Saturn Vue and Ion; Pontiac Solstice; Buick Lucerne and Cadillac DTS. GM plans to offer the radios on other new models over the next several years.

The only problem with Nyko's decision to release an iPod accessory called the Universal Car Mount ($29.99) is the natural disbelief it inspires: it can't really be universal, right? It probably doesn't work with some iPod, or with some car? Thankfully, we were pleasantly surprised with the answers to both questions: it's a highly compatible and well-built iPod mounting accessory.

Car navigation and routing solutions have reached maturity, and are becoming increasingly common in the premium car segment. Owners of exclusive high-end cars are more and more frequently installing GPS-aided security solutions that enable tracking of stolen vehicles.

However, safety related services such as automatic emergency calls, have failed to attract customers, which has resulted in some car manufacturers reducing or withdrawing previous service offerings. And while remote diagnostics and maintenance services are being introduced slowly, they have a way to go before they enable continuous remote monitoring of vehicles.

According to Telematics Research Group, 17 automotive manufacturers will offer Bluetooth-based communications options in their 2005 production vehicles. Last year only 7 auto manufacturers supported Bluetooth. The immediate opportunity may be with backseat entertainment and in-vehicle navigation solutions where TRG found the majority of the automotive manufacturers (28 out of 37) are offering these features as standard or optional equipment. Nearly 10% of vehicles sold last year had backseat entertainment systems, growing to 25% by the end of the decade.

The system features Bluetooth technology, which will allow subscribers to access the SIM card of a mobile phone in one of three ways: via an external alphanumerical keyboard, steering wheel controls or voice dial. When users get out of the car, they can deactivate the system's receiving mode by pressing a button on the phone, causing the phone to log back on to the mobile network, Nokia said.

The system is compatible with several handsets, including models from other manufacturers, Nokia said. Customers also have the option of getting a phone holder for the car that doubles as a charger.

"For the first time, an automaker is offering a communication solution using the Bluetooth SIM Access Profile that is factory-fitted in the vehicle," Marcus Stahl, general manager at Nokia Automotive, said in a statement.

Photo radar cameras often utilize a strong flash to photograph the license plate on your car as it speeds by. PhotoBlocker works to reflect the flash back to the camera. Result is an overexposed and unreadable picture, often preventing a costly ticket.

Checked out some seats today and had these recomended to me. They are made by a Japanese company that makes suspension and other accessories. They look pretty good and will take the harness system that I would like to have in the car.

This company seems to be a new entry into the seat market. It will be interesting to see how they do since the big names seem to be Recaro, Sparco and Bride in the high end seats.

To know how fast your teen is driving, buy Davis Instruments "CarChip." It can be purchased from discount retailers and websites (like www.sears.com) for about $100. The CarChip can be plugged into most cars built after 1996 using no tools. The only cars it won't work on are a handful of 2003 models that use the CAN computer protocol. These vehicles include certain Ford pickups, GM Saturns, Mazdas, and Saabs. Go to www.davisnet.com to learn more about the CarChip, and to verify that it will work with your car(s). Just don't buy the CarChip at the Davis website, as you can buy it for less elsewhere.

Once installed, the CarChip collects all kinds of data on, 'how the car is being driven. This data can be retrieved by unplugging the chip from the car and downloading it into a home computer, just as you would download photographs from a digital camera. Once downloaded, your teen's exact driving habits will be revealed to you: how fast, how many miles per trip, when each trip began and ended, and the number of jackrabbit starts and stops.

Here's a cool car accessory for your fast car.

At CES, this year Motorola introduced it's NLNC Bluetooth Car Kit Portfolio, which allows aftermarket installation of the features found in many OEM Bluetooth car kits, including the Acura HandsFreeLink. Aftermarket kits are a great choice for older model cars, or brands shipping without Bluetooth compatibility.

The Moto kits claim compatibility with most Motorola bluetooth enabled phones, as well as "other manufacturers" but of course, your mileage may vary there.

A good choice if you know you want to stick with Motorola phones, or your corporate plan dictates so.

If you can't afford the fast car you want, go buy a Sony Ericsson phone with this fast car accessory!

Sony Ericsson today announced two new unique accessories for their mobile phones. The Gameboard EGB-10 is an attachable game controller which is intended to give a true console-style feeling to playing mobile games. The Bluetooth CAR-100 is a small race-car that can be controlled with a Sony Ericsson mobile phone, which is certainly a unique surprise as far as phone accessories go. Gamers will recognise the form and features of the Gameboard EGB-10, featuring an 8-way control on the left side and four action-buttons on the right, for full two-handed game operation. Different features, such as ‘shoot’, ‘jump’, ‘brake’, etc can be assigned to the action buttons.

Performance chips can make fast cars even faster. Here's some info on chip modification.

So they other day I went to get a performance chip for my car from a place called Evolution Motorsports (EVO for short) in Tempe. The chip I was purchasing was to add about 10 horse power to the car in addition to some other goodies. We ran in to some issues with my car along the way, but most of them have been resolved and we finally got the chip in my car. The difference isn't so drastic that you feel like you have a whole new car, but the subtle differences makes the modification well worth the cost. The guys over at EVO were also having a BBQ this weekend where there were sure to be some hot cars. The also were having a dyno competition which was a cool idea.