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Renault integrates tablet in car, app developers wanted

In recent years, auto manufacturers have been scrambling to integrate mobile applications with their vehicle's infotainment platform. Renault decided to cut to the chase and integrate a tablet in the vehicle.

R-Link is a voice-activated telematics platform that controls vehicle functionality and integrates native and smartphone-based social media, entertainment, navigation, and community applications on its 7-inch touch-screen display. When the new system debuts on the Renault ZOE and Clio in 2012, it will already contain 50 applications, and will integrate approved smartphone apps.

Drivers will be able to download new apps directly to the vehicle's tablet from the … Read more

D-Link DIR-645 router review: Almost great

D-Link's latest Amplifi Whole Home Router 1000 (model DIR-645) almost makes an excellent router.

For one, living up to the Whole Home notion, the router offers great Wi-Fi range, possibly the longest I've seen in a long time. Secondly, it provides a great set of features, including Gigabit Ethernet (great for a fast wired network), guest networking, parental control, QoS, support for IPv6, and a very easy-to-use yet comprehensive Web interface. And finally it won't break your bank, either, with a street price of just around $90.

Unfortunately, it also comes with one major shortcoming, according to my trials.… Read more

Why tech needs more IPOs like Zynga's $1B offering

Zynga has finally put numbers to what it wants to raise in an IPO: anywhere from $.85 billion to $1.15 billion. That's 100 million shares at a range of $8.50 to $10 a share.

Before you conclude that this is just another manipulative march of the high tech financiers, take another look. In a number of ways, Zynga is breaking with startup-looking-to-go-public business as usual. The likely reason is the number of newly-public tech companies that have already seen their stock prices drop below IPO levels. Maybe it signals a new direction for tech IPOs, and that … Read more

The 404 957: Where the world's gone sour (podcast)

Leaked from 404 Podcast 957:

A researcher shows how to "friend" anyone on Facebook within 24 hours. Online casino gaming might come to Facebook users in the U.K. Siri on the Apple iPhone 4S tells you where to dump a dead body and where to score condoms, but has no clue about women's health clinics. Capcom seriously announces a Sour Patch Kids game with Method Man. GamePro magazine will quit publishing.… Read more

Facebook's most-shared articles of 2011 shows babies, banks, and brats

As the year draws to an end, Facebook is revealing the news articles that grabbed the most attention on the social network in 2011. Unsurprisingly, the wrap-up spans a range of subjects from celebrity deaths to weather disasters, and even a few viral videos that you may have forgotten.

The most shared article on Facebook this year came from The New York Times, which published exclusive satellite photos of the Japanese tsunami disaster back in March, along with the subsequent nuclear fallout in the months following.

A different story from Yahoo's Lookout Blog also made it into the top 10, but equally memorable footage shows a shivering dog refusing to leave another injured canine stuck in the rubble; a follow-up article on CNN documents the same dog's rescue from the shores of the Miyagi prefecture.… Read more

Slacker Radio app gets in Sync

Fans of Slacker Radio can now listen to the music-streaming service on Sync-enabled Ford vehicles.

A new AppLink app allows drivers to play, skip, and ban songs or artists without taking their hands off the wheel. AppLink is a Ford application that enables Sync users to control their apps on their smartphone via voice.

"Customers now have so many options for accessing music and information. Ford Sync AppLink allows us to not only keep pace with what they are listening to, but how they are listening to it," Doug VanDagens, director of Ford Connected Services, said in a … Read more

Networking products to look for on Black Friday

It's that time of year again.

If you're in the market for networking devices to upgrade your home's media-streaming capabilities, Black Friday is a great opportunity to fulfill that desire. As with everything else, not all networking devices are created equal. In fact when it comes to wireless routers, it's actually a better deal to pay the full price for one that works than getting a lemon for cheap.

But we're talking about getting the one that works for cheap here. And while I can't advise you on how great of a deal you'… Read more

How to open links in the background in Safari on iOS 5

We are still finding hidden features in iOS 5. … Read more

Why Boxee Box's TV tuner needs DVR support

Boxee co-founder Avner Ronen took to the official Boxee blog this morning to announce the Boxee Live TV tuner.

It's a $50 TV tuner dongle coming in January that connects to one of the Boxee Box's USB ports and works with either free over-the-air TV signals (which typically include the major networks, plus PBS) or unencrypted Clear QAM cable channels. (There's a useful overview on Boxee's site.)

The pitch is that the Live TV tuner makes the Boxee Box an exceptional cable-cutting device, letting you still watch major TV events like local sports and award shows, while catching up on other TV and movie content via streaming video services like Netflix and Vudu. (But not Hulu Plus, which still hasn't been added to Boxee, despite the announcement over a year ago.)

The catch? That all sounds great, until you remember that every modern HDTV already has a built-in ATSC tuner that allows you to watch live TV.… Read more