Garmin Makes Head-Up Display Navigation Available to the Masses with $130 Device

Head-up display technology is no longer a luxury for expensive cars like the Corvettes or high-end BMWs. That’s because today, satellite navigation expert Garmin revealed a new product called HUD, which is a portable head-up display for smartphone navigation apps. Read more »

Open Source Back To The Future II-Like Hoverboard in the Making for…2015

We’re pretty sure that nobody could argue against the cool factor of ‘hoverboards,’ the magically powered skateboards from the future, which have been blessed with a self-explanatory name, requiring no additional clarification. The idea stems from the 1989 movie “Back to the Future II,” which has main character Marty McFly, played by Michael J. Fox, go back and forth in time, from 2015 to the year 1955.

The former year brings us neatly to a very optimistic project from the realm of crowd-funding, because waiting stacked among the many ideas of varying feasibility on Indiegogo, is a page created for a planned hoverboard project, which incidentally is also due in 2015.

Read more »

New Ford Stamping Tech Called F3T Dramatically Cuts Build Time for Prototype and Custom Parts

The task of creating a new automobile, even one that uses a platform common to more than one car, is still a difficult task, and one of the main reasons why few attempt to start from scratch, and even fewer succeed. It eats up massive amounts of resources of all kinds, as well as time, especially in the later stages of the project, when prototype parts are required. Read more »

Backup Cameras Won't Be Mandatory In the U.S. Until 2015

All important safety features like airbags, antilock brakes, electronic stability program or more recently, autonomous braking, have become or are slowly becoming standard equipment on all cars sold in the US. These will soon have to make room for backup cameras, albeit a little later than expected. Read more »

Anki Drive Brings Artificial Intelligence and Racing Games Into Physical Reality via iPhone

We only know of a few ways one can play with a toy car - by holding it down with one’s hand, and moving it around to resemble realistic motion, making noises and stories along the way. Then we have video games, which use artificial intelligence (AI) to challenge you and the story is already there – however, here your opponents are virtual, and by definition less real. Read more »

The Peugeot GTi of Surfboards to Make a Splash at the Goodwood Festival

If you're wondering what in the world has a surfboard have to do with Peugeot and the Goodwood Festival of Speed, the only logical answer we have to give you is that the French carmaker likely wants to stand out from the other brands and resonate with a younger crowd. Read more »

Tokyoflash Watch Tells You Both the Time and Whether You're Too Drunk To Drive

If you believe a watch is meant to baffle your friends and passers-by on the street, being used more of a conversation starter than an actual time-keeping device, then this latest watch by Tokyoflash will definitely arouse your interest.

Called the Kisai Intoxicated Breathalyzer Watch, it has just been launched, and as its name suggests, it lets you know if you’re too drunk to drive – it also unquestionably allows you to tell the police officer who has just stopped you “sorry, I have my own…” and get away with it, or at least make him/her break a smile.

Read more »

Car Key Now a Posh, Smart Accessory for Display On the Bistro Table – Show Us Yours

It is often considered rude or impolite in some cultures for one or more of several people sitting around a table to have their car keys out on the actual table surface itself, as if to show everybody what nice a choice of vehicle they made.

This makes feel some insecure types feel inadequate, but not all find it offensive, though, and one does get to see a diverse selection of ignition keys, cards (some Renault models) or Emotional Control Units (for newer Aston Martins) in this way.

Read more »

The Volvo of the Future Will Drop You Off and Park All by Itself [w/Video]

We’ve heard a lot about autonomous driving in recent years, but how about autonomous parking? Volvo has given this a thought and is developing the technology that will make autonomous parking a reality in the future.

A Volvo V40 prototype fitted with the technology is able to find and park in a vacant space by itself, without the driver inside. Volvo says the driverless car interacts safely and smoothly with other cars and pedestrians in the car park.

Read more »

Cars Becoming More Reliable, But Owners Still Having Trouble With Design Flaws and Gizmos

You can pretty much get any normal-sized car, and spec it up to a very high level, with all the electronic and connectivity gizmos you could possibly want. You get a touchscreen in so many cars today, and parking sensors, and a backup camera and many buttons and design touches neatly integrated into the general functionality of a cabin.

Cars are getting reliable too, and very few are hideous to look at also, so we wonder is there anything bugging modern car owners?

Read more »

Watch a Ford Transit Drive Itself In the Quest for Better Durability

The main problem with factory test drivers is the fact that they are human, and this brings along several limitations to the amount of work that can be done. For instance, some severe durability courses are so tough that drivers are only allowed to tackle them once per day.

Another problem is consistency, as it is virtually impossible to repeat a task multiple times in exactly the same way – a human driver can only be so accurate.

Read more »

Porsche Brings the Kid Out of Us with $900 Pedal Go-Kart, BMW Targets Race Fans with Tent

Lacking a driving license shouldn’t be a reason not to drive a Porsche, right? This is what the German carmaker thought when it launched the newest item from the Porsche Driver’s Selection, a pedal go-kart that can be driven by children from the age of five. Read more »

DriveClub Online Racing Game Gets New Trailers at E3 [w/Videos]

With so many promising driving and racing games just around the corner, each offering its own specific blend of qualities/features, you’d think newcomers to the genre would be frightened to even try.

However, UK-based Evolution Studios, known for the off-road series MotorStorm, is now moving into on-road racing with what they are calling a mix of social networking and driving/racing, which will try to really create a community around it on which it will feed and grow. It’s called DriveClub.

Read more »

Nissan Debuts Intelligent Self-Cleaning Rear View Camera on New Note [w/Video]

The all-new Nissan Note features an intelligent self-cleaning rear view camera that ensures systems like Lane Departure Warning, Blind Spot Warning and Moving Object Detection are fully optimized.

In order to make these premium tech features accessible to the B-segment, Nissan has developed all the functions of the Safety Shield to rely on only the rear view camera. However, with so many functions depending on on the perfect operation of the wide angle rear view camera, Nissan’s engineers realized the lens would need to be clear of dust and dirt at all times.

Read more »

"Points" Could Be The Street Sign of The Future Eliminating the Need to Ask for Directions

This is Points, by Breakfast Productions, the innovative new futuristic-looking street sign that could make asking for directions an obsolete inconvenience - for some, at least. It is about the same height as any other street sign you’ve seen, but aside from its general look which hints at what it is, everything about it is new and innovative.

For instance, it is constantly connected to the internet, and can display a wide array of interest points, events and is even social networking-enabled, meaning it can display tweets, as well as RSS feeds.

Read more »

Watchdogs Open World Game Promises a Lot – E3 Trailer Shows Drive, Action and Stealth Scenes

This year’s edition of E3 has been peppered with nice little promos, teaser and gameplay videos for various upcoming racing/driving games. Some are more focused on the actual driving part, like Need for Speed: Rivals, while others have a more Hollywood-style approach and lots of action, as is the case with The Crew.

However, my personal favorite and most eagerly-anticipated game is Ubisoft’s Watchdogs. At first, you may dismiss it as a mere Grand Theft Auto (GTA) clone, which in some ways it is. That is a very broad way of putting it, though, and this new game is far more serious in its character than any of the more light-hearted GTA games.

Read more »

Need for Speed: Rivals Debuts at E3 with Trailer and Gameplay Video

The "Need for Speed: Rivals" racing game is the spiritual successor for the 1999 smash-hit "Need for Speed: High Stakes" (a classic of the racing genre), or at least that's what EA says regarding the twentieth installment in the long-running series – yes, there have been twenty of them, thus far.

Having gone through a street-racing phase with several of the older games, NFS is back to its core, featuring the never-ending battle between cops and the ones they chase.

Read more »

New Videos of Sony's Gran Turismo 6 From E3 2013

Gran Turismo 6 is arguably a highly-anticipated game for current PS3 and future PS4 owners who love/loved the fifth game, and indeed the entire series. Any car person could get into playing it, as the level of driving realism (i.e. the difficulty) can be adjusted for all tastes and skill levels.

Now, despite the fact that some have said that this new iteration of the series is more of a 5.5 than a fully-fledged 6, but since 5 was just such a large and complete package, we think people won’t mind it…

Read more »

Apple Announces Car-Compatible Version of iOS 7

Having the ability to plug your phone into your swanky new car, whether it is to play music off it, or simply charge it (something you do a lot with modern smartphones and their ridiculously short battery life) has become a requirement, and it is one feature that buyers are now inquiring about before making the final purchase.

However, things don’t end here anymore, because Apple has something in store for us “by 2014”. According to a recent video, which was taken at the 2013 Apple Worldwide Developer’s Conference, Honda, Mercedes-Benz, Ferrari, Chevrolet, Infiniti, Kia, Volvo and more will begin to offer full iOS 7 compatibility in their cars as of next year.

Read more »

Look at What the Japanese Came Up With to Solve Their Bicycle Parking Problems

It's no secret that space is limited in Japan, which is why architects and engineers strive to come up with novel solutions and ideas to make the best of what they have to work with.

As you can see in these pictures on Michael Flux's website, another thing we know about Japan and its people, is their love for bicycles. Combine the two and you have a problem, especially when it comes to parking in crowded cities.

Read more »