Porsche is going to build a hybrid. How about that? Yup, the Porsche 918 Spyder, which to date was only a concept car, got the go-ahead from the board at Porsche. They already have over 1000 people on a buyer’s list.
This is a 500hp 3.4-liter V-8 car that gets 78 mpg, has a 198 mph top end and can go 0-60 in 3.2 secs. Not bad.
The GPS Angel V4 is a red light camera and speed camera warning system that you place on your car’s dashboard. It uses GPS to figure out where your car is and maps that against the built-in database of over 6000 known red light camera and speed camera locations, and warns you when you’re approaching one.
There are no monthly fees to keep the database up-to-date. Just plug it into your PC via a USB cable. You can also search the list online at www.gpsangel.com.
One other nice feature is the ability to program the V4 to warn you when you are in school zones, parks, etc.
Buy now!
Price: $117.99
(Please note prices are subject to change and the listed price is correct to the best of our knowledge at the time of posting)
Head-up Displays (HUDs) are not exactly a cutting-edge technology any more. However, they still demand a great deal of space. A new HUD based on holographic projection could be squeezed into a space as small as a car’s side mirror.
Just imagine being able to see additional data, graphics or other warnings overlaid on what’s actually in your side mirror or perhaps your rearview mirror. What may be better or at least additional is a HUD display on the windscreen itself.
Well your AT&T coverage and reliability may not be very good, but hey at least your iPhone is one amazing little smartphone. Automotive gadget maker Viper has taken advantage of that fact to create an iPhone app called Smart Start that pairs with one of their Remote Start products to let you start/stop/lock/unlock your car from your iPhone from virtually anywhere.
Before there were iPhones, Viper was making remote automobile starter systems that are installed in your car, and that you could then use the accompanying remote control to start your car from varying distances (some products are just local up to 2000 ft while others could go up to a mile). …
Viper Smart Start iPhone app – Remotely Start Your CarRead More »
The mercury has already started to drop across most of the North American continent and you may be dreading another winter of getting into your cold car every morning to go to work.
If you opted to save $10,000 or more for a cheaper car that doesn’t have heated seats, then you might consider just $50 for this gem – a heated seat cushion that by itself might be worth the price alone. But this product from Wagan is also a massaging cushion with 5 motors and a remote control too.
It works via either AC or DC adapters and can of course be used in the home as well. This magnetic seat cushion may be the answers to your prayers if you drive a fair amount.
Buy now!
Price: $49.99
(Please note prices are subject to change and the listed price is correct to the best of our knowledge at the time of posting)
According to some leaked images and specs, the Lexus LF-A could become a reality next year in time for a 2011 model.
Specs: “The LF-A is powered by a 4.8 liter V10, capable of delivering 560
horsepower at 8,700 RPM. 0-60 time has been clocked at 3.7 seconds and
its top speed is a staggering 201.94 mph. Price is estimated at
$400,000.”
In much the same way that certain diseases have been eradicated and we as a society have shed them from our collective consciousness, so one day we may forget that drunk driving was ever the scourge it is today. More than a few companies are working on solutions that will aid in this quest. Toyota is one of these companies.
They are developing anti-drunk driving equipment that would lock the ignition of a vehicle if high levels of alcohol are detected in the driver. The technology uses both a breathalyzer and photo recognition software. In the case of vehicles that are company/fleet cars, it will also alert the home office. Nissan is also working on similar tech. Kudos Toyota & Nissan.
The BlueAnt Supertooth 3 handsfree speakerphone takes car speakerphones to another cool level. The most interesting feature is that the S3 announces the name or ID of the caller when you get a call and you just have to say ‘OK’ to accept the call. Totally hands-free.
The Supertooth 3 connects to your cell phone via Bluetooth 2.0 and is a full-duplex speakerphone with DSP noise and echo cancellation, as well as automatic sound-leveling. You can upload the contacts from your mobile and it uses text-to-speech to do the announcing of the caller.
Gives up to 15 hours of talk time, and up to 800 hours of standby, and comes with a clip to attach to your car’s sun visor.
Buy now!
Price: $73.99
(Please note prices are subject to change and the listed price is correct to the best of our knowledge at the time of posting)
This is one of our pricey gadgets, but boy is it a nice one. Lexus has just launched a brand new hybrid model, the HS 250h. You’ll probably have seen TV ads already, and will notice ads showing up in print and on billboards soon. The ad campaign’s slogan is “Hello Someday” as in someday your car can have all of these various advanced technologies and someday is today. Well at least in the HS, and sure enough, the HS is really chock full of gee-whiz features.
Here are just some of those features:
In addition to the features, the HS touts eco-friendly feature such as recycled materials, ecological plastics and reduced emissions. That is just a sampling of features. Lexus has put together a nice website that shows off these features nicely with videos and more.
The HS 250h starts at approx $35k.
Upstart and upscale electric car maker, Tesla Motors, made a profit of $1M in July based on sales of $20 million. Solid and good news that the electric car industry could actually make a go of it. Granted, these are not GM or Toyota sized sales figures, and Tesla is making a pricey product, it’s still promising.
