In-car entertainment

Many of the vehicles that roll through the CNET garage are packed to the gills with gadgets, gizmos, and cool and thoughtful tech features. However, for our car stereo and accessory reviews, we turn to our Car Tech rolling test lab, a vehicle chosen because it is a black canvas with no amenities and hardly any features worth mentioning.

The stark contrast observed hopping back and forth between the two classes of vehicles has taught me a very important lesson about myself: I don't like being without car tech. Yes, dear readers, I've been spoiled by high-tech gadgets.… Read more

Audi's new Q5 sports navigation graphics empowered by chip-maker Nvidia, along with a radically updated dashboard interface, which Audi calls the Multimedia Interface, or MMI. Integrated into the new navigation system is an automotive-grade Nvidia graphics processing chip, which allows the Q5 to display 3D renderings of urban centers on its navigation system. Along with outlined buildings, some landmark buildings in major urban areas will be rendered with textures, making them easier for drivers to recognize from screen to real world. Audi is also including 3D topographics maps, so you can get an idea of what the terrain ahead … Read more

The GoPro Hero Motorsports Wide is a vehicle-mounted camera system that lets enthusiasts' quickly record video and take still photographs of a vehicle in motion.

We got our first look at the GoPro system at SEMA 2008. The system consists of a camera, a waterproof and shockproof housing, and an assortment of mounting hardware, including a large suction cup.

The GoPro Hero immediately won me over with its simplicity and value. I had an absolute blast finding interesting mounting locations for testing on various vehicles. I even took it on a cross-country road trip where, sadly, the only thing I … Read more

So you think minivans are only for mommies? Try this one...

It's the Renault Espace F1, a concept vehicle cum hot lap publicity machine created in 1994 by Renault, Matra, and the Williams Formula One team, which put the 3.5-liter Renault F1 engine featured in the Espace F1 to good use by winning the F1 World Championship in 1993, with Alain Prost driving. Prost drives the Espace F1 in the video, too.

Where the standard Espace had a small engine positioned transversely in front, driving the front wheels, the F1 was a little different. Out that went, replaced … Read more

Alpine announced partnerships with GM, BMW, and Mercedes-Benz. The maker of car audio equipment will be supplying technology to the three OEMs in three very different ways.

Starting with the most robust system, Alpine Electronics of America announced it is supplying head units to a global Mercedes-Benz program. Alpine head units are now available as standard, midlevel and premium equipment on the Mercedes-Benz SLK, SL, E-Class, CLS, A-Class, B-Class, M-Class, R-Class, GL, and G-Class vehicles in North America, Europe, Japan, China, Russia, Southeast Asia, Middle East, South Africa, Australia, and New Zealand.

The premium system, on display at the 2009 … Read more

Adding the right external amplifier to your car audio solution not only results in higher volume levels, but also fuller, cleaner sound at moderate volume levels as a strong amplifier can operate more efficiently than the receiver alone. But adding an amp creates the small problem of find a place to mount it and then wiring it. Alpine has a solution for owners of its car audio receivers (2005 or newer), the KTP-445 Head Unit Power Pack. I had an opportunity to check the KTP-445 out at CES 2009.

The KTP-445 is a small-form-factor (6 inches by 2 inches by … Read more

Our heads are still spinning a bit from the onslaught that was the in-car electronics hall of CES 2009. From every direction, there were speakers the size of extralarge pizzas and flashy video displays vying for your attention. Amidst the cacophony, our (ahem) skilled Car Tech editors were able to spot a few gems and a few diamonds in the rough.

As evidenced by our Car Tech category Best of CES finalists, we predict that the next big thing in in-car entertainment is connectivity. Our winner, Gracenote CarStars, puts a star's avatar in your reasonably priced car by pairing … Read more

Kenwood dropped by the CNET Car Tech booth at CES 2009 with its DNX-8120 navigation receiver. Kenwood says that it can't keep this popular model on the shelves. With navigation by Garmin, Bluetooth by Parrot, full iPod integration with video, and two 12v accessory switches, we can completely understand why.

Alpine combines its two-way encoder and a large touchscreen interface to create the iXA-W404, Alpine's first touchscreen mech-less receiver. We take a sneak peak at the new control scheme, which involves tapping and flicking in a manner similar to Apple's CoverFlow, on the floor at CES 2009.