Technology


Ford goes open source, gets students to develop phone apps for Sync

Before we get into the nitty and/or gritty of what Ford is up to with their pending Sync app store, we should share with you a few facts FoMoCo shared with us. In 2010 fully 28 percent of the driving population will be between the ages of 16 and 31. These folks, known as Millenials (though us altecachers still prefer "Generation Y") love their smart phones and social networks the way the Baby Boomers loved the Beatles and Generation X loved moping around and bad tribal tattoos. As such, the number one access point to the internet is no ... Read more →

SYNC FTW: Ford adding mobile internet compatibility to USB ports John Neff

The SYNC system offered by Ford in most of its models just got a lot more interesting. In addition to giving vehicle owners super simple connectivity with virtually any phone or music player and the ...

REPORT: Revised Sync from Ford coming to CES Jonathon Ramsey

Ford's victory with Sync isn't contestable – the connectivity system has a 70-percent uptake rate, and 32 percent of people list it as one of the reasons they bought a Ford. Over one million ...

Unintended Consequence of Technology: New LED traffic lights can't melt snow Michael Harley

Traffic lights using state-of-the-art LED illumination use 90 percent less electricity, offer a much longer service life and are more durable than their incandescent counterparts. Taking advantage of ...

2011 Audi A8: The first production vehicle equipped with Google Earth Damon Lavrinc

Among the myriad of technological features coming to the 2011 Audi A8, its revised Multi Media Interface system, complete with the new "MMI touch" feature, will also include the first application ...

REPORT: Twin-turbo 5.5-liter V8 to replace Mercedes-Benz' 6.2-liter V8 7 days ago on Autoblog

While Audi and BMW have embraced turbocharging, Mercedes has -- by and large -- stuck with large displacement, naturally aspirated engines. However, If a recent report is to be believed, that's set to change late next year. Insideline quotes Daimler AG Group Research & Mercedes-Benz Cars ...

RoboVault protects your car from hurricanes, floods, Apocalypse 7 days ago on Autoblog

RoboVault says its mission is "To protect your most valuable possessions from... Everything!" Run more like an automated shipping port than your typical storage unit, the Ft. Lauderdale, Florida-based company seems to have the kit to live up to its motto. First you pull your car onto the ...

REPORT: Ex-execs from Chrysler join startup green company 7 days ago on Autoblog

Ex-Chrysler CEO and co-president Tom LaSorda (above) and ex-VP of North American sales Steven Landry have joined a small Detroit startup called ALTe. Focused on the fleet industry, ALTe aims to retrofit light trucks and vans, limos and taxis, and police cars with its flexible and proprietary ...

Caption Contest: Giving the gift of green against our better judgement 9 days ago on Autoblog

The move to electric-powered vehicles is still in its fledgling stages, but there are plenty of signs that the next few years will finally start ushering in battery-powered transportation for the masses. But there's one class of vehicle that has almost always been powered by batteries: R/C cars. ...

Ford offers desktop app to download phone address books to SYNC 9 days ago on Autoblog

SYNC, Ford's voice-operated in-vehicle phone and media player interface, has become hugely popular feature. Since its introduction a couple years back, Ford has added new features and functionality to the system, including the ability to call up turn-by-turn directions, even on cars without ...

REPORT: Vauxhall team creates mathematical formula for perfect parking 10 days ago on Autoblog

Parallel parking isn't difficult, but we have generally found ways to make it so. Between cars that almost kinda park for you to those with video game displays that turn parking into a Microsoft Flight Simulator landing attempt to the automated cars that park themselves (a frickin' robot! To ...

Volkswagen iPhone app lets you follow Dakar progress 10 days ago on Autoblog

There are thousands of iPhone apps for all "that" and too much more, but few that we think have the potential to be this cool. VW will contest the Dakar Rally from January 2-17 -- Race Touareg 2 drivers Giniel de Villiers and Dirk von Zitzewitz Mark Miller finished 1-2 last year -- and you can ...

Eyes on the Road: Recon Instruments show off heads-up goggles 11 days ago on Autoblog

Keeping your eyes on the road is of the utmost importance no matter what kind of vehicle you are piloting. To that end, automakers all over the world have experimented with heads-up displays that show such vital information as your speed and navigation directions right on the windshield in front ...

Lotus: Omnivore engine is 10% more efficient with more to come 12 days ago on Autoblog

Last March at the Geneva Motor Show, Lotus announced its new Omnivore research engine. The Omnivore is a two-stroke direct-injected engine designed to take advantage of the latest in electronic engine management and run on just about any liquid fuel (hence the name). In the time since the initial ...

Acer and Ferrari edge closer to the netbook game 12 days ago on Autoblog

Lying somewhere in the thin-and-light category between the well-defined netbook and the traditional full-featured notebook is the new Acer Ferrari One. The latest installation of the successful partnership between the famous Italian supercar manufacturer and Acer America, there isn't really anything ...

Ruf creates Porsche Cayenne based eRuf Stormster 13 days ago on Autoblog

A little more than a year ago, the Porsche tuning specialist at Ruf unveiled their first electric car, the 911-based eRuf. That first iteration was definitely not ready for production, but the crew at Ruf are not known for taking half measures. A few months after the eRuf was shown to the world, ...

Ward's announces 10 Best Engines for 2010 13 days ago on Autoblog

Just about every publication has an award to give away this time of year, and Wards Automotive is no different. But instead of picking the best car, truck or SUV, the industry wiz kids at Wards go right for the power supply to rank the Ten Best Engines for 2010. Over the years the list has ...

VIDEO: Thermahelm motorcycle helmet is swell. Err... not swell 13 days ago on Autoblog

We're sure this comes as a shock to nobody, but here we go anyway: brain swelling is bad. Very bad. That thick, hard skull surrounding your brain is great at providing a good deal of protection, but when things go awry in a big way, there isn't much room in there to let your brain expand. ...

New features from Ford: Remote start and heated steering wheel 14 days ago on Autoblog

Good news, Ford fans: The Blue Oval will be adding remote start and heated steering wheels to its line of cars and trucks. The remote start option will make its first appearance on the 2011 F-Series Super Duty pickup truck while the heated tiller will initially be fitted to the 2011 Lincoln MKX. ...

Gran Turismo 5 demo coming to PSN on Dec 17, GT Academy returns [w/VIDEO] 15 days ago on Autoblog

Just when we thought we were going to wait until the end of March to get our hands on Gran Turismo 5, our friends at Joystiq tell us that Polyphony Digital will release a demo version of hotly anticipated racing game on December 17. The demo will be available on the Playstation Network for ...

J.D. Power releases sat-nav study findings, crowns Ford tops 15 days ago on Autoblog

Not only does Ford rank number one on J.D. Power and Associate's 2009 navigation system survey, it ranks number two as well. The top ranking system, according to Power's study, is the one found in the Lincoln MKS, followed by a nearly identical system (if not 100% identical) in the Ford Flex. And ...

NewScientist investigates emerging road-heating technologies 15 days ago on Autoblog

Those not blessed with endless sun have to put up with road salt each and every winter, and it does a number on cars and roadways alike. There must be a better option, right? Enter Christiana Chang and her colleagues at the University of Houston in Texas. The researchers are developing ...

LA 2009: Toyota debuts its plug-in Prius for North America 18 days ago on Autoblog

Toyota rather unceremoniously parked their plug-in Prius hybrid prototype at its North American market debut during the LA Auto Show, while their new Sienna minivan got a royal welcome at its coming out party. At a show that saw the production-ish Chevrolet Volt appearing in public for the ...

REPORT: Audi twists e-tron concept's 3319 lb-ft torque rating 19 days ago on Autoblog

When introduced at the Frankfurt Motor Show in September, Audi boasted its all-electric e-tron was fitted with four electric motors producing "230 kW (313 horsepower) and 4,500 Nm (3,319.03 pound-feet) of torque." While the e-tron's styling may have raised a few eyebrows, we were notably moved by ...

LA 2009: Hands-on with Hughes and Mercedes-Benz's new telematics apps 19 days ago on Autoblog

Hughes Telematics recently announced its partnership with Mercedes-Benz on the automaker's new line of "mbrace" mobile telematics solutions. The system, which connects mbrace-equipped vehicles with an app installed on the user's Apple iPhone or RIM Blackberry, allows people to lock and unlock ...

Ready, Set, Go! Clever stoplight concept counts down to green 19 days ago on Autoblog

We've got the stoplights in our neighborhood timed pretty well, but it's pretty painful when you're at a foreign intersection and have absolutely no idea when the light will turn green. We shift our vehicle into Neutral and give our left foot a break at a stoplight that we know is long, but at ...

LA 2009: Lexus LFA wireframe cutaway wows us 19 days ago on Autoblog

Wow. Lexus brought their new LFA supercar to the LA Auto Show this year. That might not seem particularly wow-worthy, but it definitely becomes more surprising when you hear that they actually brought an LFA and a half. While a white LFA was happily humming along, spinning slowly on a rotating ...

GM confirms Chevrolet Volt to be introduced in California before nationwide rollout 20 days ago on Autoblog

If environmentally-friendly transportation is your thing, there's no place like California. Not only is the state home base to Tesla – the first company to genuinely demonstrate that hugging a tree and hugging the road needn't be mutually exclusive – it was also chosen by General ...

Review: Google Maps turn-by-turn navigation on Android 2.0 21 days ago on Autoblog

It's no secret that we've been openly critical of the prices charged by automakers for built-in GPS navigation systems. Frankly, paying $2,000 or more for an in-dash system when you can buy stand-alone navigation units for as little as $100 is ridiculous. Even the newer, larger seven-inch screen ...

Autoline on Autoblog with John McElroy 22 days ago on Autoblog

A RADICALLY NEW TYPE OF ENGINE When oil prices shot over $100 a barrel a year ago, I was inundated with press releases from inventors claiming they had an engine that would solve the energy crisis. In most cases, I simply deleted each release and went on with my work. You see, I've seen this all ...

Nav for All: Nissan offering inexpensive nav system on popular cars 22 days ago on Autoblog

When navigation systems started showing up in the center stacks of luxury vehicles, the new (at the time) tech typically would set owners back a couple grand or more (and still does). As we gear up for 2010, mapping tech is everywhere from the most expensive luxury sleds to economical hatchbacks, ...

LA Preview: 2011 Ford Mustang V6 makes 305 HP, gets 30 MPG 23 days ago on Autoblog

It would be reasonable to expect that Ford might pass over the Mustang and instead devote more attention to its other models since it's fresh off a comprehensive revamp for the 2010 model year. However, that's not what is shaping up in the House That Henry Built. For 2011, the Blue Oval is ...

Which iPhone navigation app should you buy? This'll help 25 days ago on Autoblog

The season of hitting the roads to places you don't really want to go, so that you can give gifts you didn't really want to buy and eat food you don't really like has begun. Naturally, a lot more people on the road means a lot more folks getting lost. Fear not, you invincible iPhone-equipped ...

Nissan's self-healing Scratch Shield paint to be applied to mobile phones 25 days ago on Autoblog

A while back, Nissan scientists helped to develop a paint clearcoat called Scratch Shield that can self-repair light scratches overnight or over the course of a week. Now the Japanese automaker is spreading the love, licensing the technology to Japan's largest wireless company, NTT DoCoMo. ...

VIDEO: Chevrolet Volt tests driver-controlled audio warning system with the blind 27 days ago on Autoblog

As the popularity of hybrids has grown over the last few years, advocates for the blind have been raising a red flag about noise, or -- more to the point -- the lack of it. Because electric-drive vehicles emit much lower levels of sound on the street, blind pedestrians who've relied on the noise ...

New Hyundai 2.4-liter GDI four-cylinder makes 200 hp in 2011 Sonata 29 days ago on Autoblog

When Hyundai's all new Sonata goes on sale early in 2010, it will arrive in U.S. showrooms with only one available engine, a thoroughly revamped version of the 2.4-liter Theta-II four cylinder. The new engine is Hyundai's first production powerplant with gasoline direct injection, but John ...

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Autoblog Podcast #157: 'Twas a couple nights before Christmas...

Chris, Editor Paukert, and Dan send the Podcast off for the Christmas holiday in proper fashion

 
 

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