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After driving hundreds of cars to evaluate automotive technology, we've settled on our top 5 car technologies. Amongst the many, many features different automakers are making available, these are the ones we've found the most essential for everyday use. Some of these technologies can be found on most new cars today, while others are rarer, only offered by a few automakers. Some of these technologies will keep you and others safer, some will save you money, and some will just keep you happy.
(Credit:
Tag Heuer)
If you like fast cars, you might get revved up by the Meridiist phone from luxury sports watch maker Tag Heuer. The company has teamed with Italian super sports car manufacturer Lamborghini to create the limited-edition phone, which flashes fancy dual LCD displays made from 60.5 carats of scratch-resistant sapphire crystal.
The phone's design references the Lamborghini Murcielago down to its signature on the battery cover--the same one as on the Murcielago LP 640's V12 engine block. The device has a hand-brushed stainless steel case and backlit mechanical stainless steel keypad customized with Automobili Lamborghini's trademark Taurus bull on the steel central button.
The Meridiist measures about 4.5 inches by 1.8 inches by a little more than half an inch, giving it something of a 2002 aesthetic, but it does boast above-average battery life--seven hours of talk time or 28 days of standby power. Otherwise it has standard specs, like a WAP 2.0 Web browser and a 2-megapixel camera.
In tribute to the year Automobili Lamborghini was founded, 1,963 of the quad-band Bluetooth phones will be sold worldwide.
You can reserve a Meridiist in different colors of real leather or alligator skin, but the fact that we're not seeing a price listed anywhere on the Tag Heuer site makes us think we're better off sticking with our Ford Explorer handset.
Garmin's great success with its Nuvi line of portable GPS devices lead the company to try and extend its market into cell phones. And with numerous smartphones encroaching into navigation, it's not surprising that Garmin is trying to fight back. After a couple of years waiting for the Nuvifone to come out, CNET's Bonnie Cha got a hold of one. We expect good performance as a navigation device, but how wil it handle the smartphone side of the equation?
This mobile office concept is probably better appointed than your actual office.
(Credit: Brabus)
Can you believe Brabus stuffed a conference room in here?
(Credit: Brabus)The office pictured above is fairly awesome. What's even more awesome is that it's a mobile office, located in the back of a van. The Brabus "Business Light" Concept for the Mercedes-Benz Viano is, besides a ridiculously long title, "the perfect partner for leisure and business with custom interior options, powerful engine tuning, exclusive exterior design and custom-tailored wheels," according to Brabus' own press release.
Of course, the Business Light features the requisite wheel, suspension, and aero/aesthetic upgrades over the stock Viano. Under the hood breathes a 6.1-liter V-8 engine that outputs 458 pound-feet of torque and 426 horsepower, which thrusts the van to 62 mph in 5.9 seconds and onward to an electronically limited 155 mph. This is Brabus, so we expect that sort of thing.
But any van enthusiast knows that it's what happens in the back that counts, and the Business Light doesn't disappoint in this respect.
The huge cabin features upholstery that's custom-tailored in leather and Alcantara to the individual customer's request. The rear compartment of the Viano can be transformed into a movie theater or concert hall on wheels, complete with state-of-the-art multimedia equipment, but in the case of the Business Light, Brabus has chosen to build a mobile office.
Yo dawg, I heard you like work. So, we put an office in your car, so you can work on your way to, err, work.
(Credit: Brabus)First, Brabus installed four power seats in a conference configuration to turn the van into a mobile conference room and a fully functional office on wheels. Next, two motorized 15-inch LCD screens were integrated into the headliner and a large LCD television was integrated into the wall dividing the driver from the passenger compartment. These displays are connected to a DVD changer and a digital DVBT TV tuner.
The final bit of tech is a docking notebook computer that connects to the Internet via UMTS. In-vehicle Wi-Fi allows for the use of multiple computers on either fold out trays or an optional burled-walnut conference table. Storage areas for file folders and office materials are integrated throughout the rear compartment, as are cup holders and a built-in espresso machine (yum!).
Like any epic van, custom-tailored rear curtains provide privacy for the occupants.
All that's missing is an "If this van's a-rockin'..." bumper sticker.
A story on NPR covered this British high-school-produced public service announcement on the perils of texting while driving. The video shows the gory aftermath of an accident caused by text-messaging distraction, and makes it clear that people other than the texter suffered the most. According to the NPR story, only 14 of the United States have outlawed texting while driving. And while many people who do text while driving will probably ignore statistics and videos like this one, it at least might get the attention of more state lawmakers.
The problem is partially that we have trained ourselves, like Pavlov's dog, to respond to the buzzing and beepings of our cell phones, and it seems hard to resist the urge to glance at the screen when a text comes in. But it shouldn't take much of an act of will power to wait, and read the text when the car is parked. People who can't handle that wait are most likely just insecure, afraid that their friends will disown them if they don't respond to text messages immediately.
iSuppli correlates tech availabality with the top 10 Cash for Clunkers cars.
(Credit: iSuppli Corporation)A study by iSuppli Corporation shows that the top 10 cars being bought with Cash for Clunkers vouchers offer tech features such as GPS navigation, Bluetooth phone systems, satellite radio, and iPod integration. However, in iSuppli's automotive tech rating system, the average score for these 10 cars, 14.6, falls below the tech average for all cars available, 17.8 according to iSuppli. The Ford Focus tops the list, and sets the tone for the rest, which are all relatively inexpensive and economical vehicles.
The Ford Focus is the best-selling car under Cash for Clunkers.
(Credit: CNET)The iSuppli report notes that none of these cars offer driver assistance technologies, such as adaptive cruise control, blind spot detection, and lane departure warning. Automakers are still reserving those options for higher-end cars. The report also notes that three of the cars in the top 10 offer Bluetooth audio streaming, while only two offer a telematics service.
There seem to be a few discrepancies with iSuppli's numbers, such as the Ford Focus only scoring a 10 for its infotainment rating, while the Chevy Cobalt scores a 14. Neither car offers a navigation option, and the Focus includes a USB interface, lacking in the Cobalt. However, the Cobalt's OnStar system gives it a significant edge in the iSuppli rating.
On a positive note for the environmental impact of Cash for Clunkers, iSuppli quotes U.S. Department of Transportation statistics that show cars bought under the program have an average fuel efficiency of 25.3 mpg, while the clunkers traded in had an average of 15.8 mpg. That's a 60 percent improvement in fuel economy, and probably much more, considering that these older cars probably no longer get their EPA mileage.
The Inrix Traffic app shows traffic flow and incident information.
(Credit: Inrix)Traffic data aggregator Inrix, the company supplying some of the live traffic information used by BMW in its navigation systems, has released a free iPhone app that lets you view traffic information without buying a BMW. The Inrix Traffic app uses a particularly simple interface, a map of your area (located using GPS) that shows traffic flow information and incidents on local roadways. This information is similar to what you would find on an online map or in-car navigation device. Where the Inrix Traffic app differs from these other outlets is its Forecast function, which lets you see what traffic is predicted to look like up to an hour in advance.
Inrix gathers its information from a variety of sources, including local traffic authorities, commercial fleet vehicles that serve as traffic probes, and event schedules, such as sports games. The Inrix Traffic app adds another information source: you. Install and run the app, and it reports its speed and location to Inrix servers, enhancing the quality of the traffic data. Inrix not only uses this information to create a live report, but it also studies the data to understand historical trends, thereby being able to provide its unique traffic forecasting service.
As with most traffic reporting services, coverage is limited to major roads and freeways in specific regions. According to Inrix, it has coverage in 126 cities in the U.S.
Inrix's predictive feature means you can see what traffic might look like in an hour.
(Credit: Inrix)We ran the app and compared its information with the traffic feature on Google Maps. Looking at traffic in the San Francisco Bay Area, Google Maps clearly had more road coverage than Inrix Traffic. For example, where Google showed free flowing traffic on Highway 1 from Daly City to Pacifica, Inrix Traffic offered no information. Looking across the country, coverage by Inrix Traffic looks complete for the New York City area, but we found a few spots where Google had the edge, such as Prospect Expressway in Brooklyn, covered by Google, but not Inrix Traffic.
This wasn't a definitive test, as there are many other areas of the country to compare. We also didn't compare the accuracy of the traffic reporting, although in certain areas, Inrix Traffic showed different traffic flow information than Google Maps.
SAN FRANCISCO--We're driving through the heart of the city, cruising along at a nice clip, but just in case we hit a patch of rough traffic, I know which alternate route I can take to go faster.
That's because I've got an iPhone with Waze, a new app released Thursday that's designed to give drivers a wide range of crowdsourced road information including traffic flow, road reports, and even warnings about where the latest speed traps have been set up.
Waze gives users many different views of the road, including this one, in which users' avatars turn into a Pac-Man-type creature when going down previously undiscovered roads.
(Credit: Daniel Terdiman/CNET)Waze, which has been out for some time on the Android platform, is new to the iPhone, and its developers clearly think that Apple's hit phone, complete with GPS and accelerometer, is a natural device for giving drivers a way both to inform each other about what's happening on the road in real time, and to learn from others about what's ahead.
The app begins as a standard turn-by-turn directions tool and then offers a slew of other features, many of which give drivers something fun to look out for as they make their way to wherever they're going.
"At the end of the day," said Di-Ann Eisnor, Waze's community geographer, Waze is "about a community of drivers helping to build this map."
And, to be sure, the map is the heart and soul of the Waze app. In the car I was in, there were three different iPhones running the application, and because of that, I was often able to see three different views of what Waze can do.
One of the most fun parts of it--and in some ways the most social--is that the app allows you to see the location of anyone else nearby who is also running Waze. And while there is no way to communicate directly with such drivers, or find out anything about them, it still feels gratifying to see them pop up on the map.
Nearly real-time
Eisnor explained to me that Waze is designed to offer drivers real-time information about the roads they commute on, generally with no more than a 30-second delay. And that's because most of the information that's available is being relayed from other Waze users.
To be sure, the app will require a critical mass of users to have real utility, and it certainly isn't there yet: In about 30 minutes of driving around, we saw no more than four or five other Waze users pop up. But Eisnor argues that it won't be long before that critical mass comes. In Israel, she pointed out, more than 20 percent of smartphone users have Waze on their devices, despite the service only being available since January.
One of the features that has the most potential is one that shows you the speed of traffic on roads near where you are. That's possible because the Waze service is constantly measuring your progress, thanks to GPS, and is reporting back about your movements.
Fear not about your privacy, Eisnor said. She explained that while there are some elements of the service that may eventually be able to tell users something about others, for now, Waze is making sure that everyone has complete anonymity.
And that's probably good, since many drivers probably don't want anyone to know that they're sending out warnings about the whereabouts of police or the location of speed traps and speed cams.
But other users will no doubt be eager for such alerts, just as they might well want to get photographs showing traffic conditions just ahead of where they are.
Ultimately, the point of the application is to offer users "actionable" information. In other words, information that they can use to change a route, avoid an accident, or stay away from a potential speeding ticket.
Eisnor explained that Waze's maps come from the U.S. government and have large amounts of incomplete information. Many roads, for example, are displayed as "unconfirmed" and are depicted by lines of small, gray dots. But instead of treating that as a problem, Waze instead presents it as an opportunity for users to be the first to drive unconfirmed roads and earn points for being the first to confirm them.
Similarly, you can be the first to create a new road, one that isn't shown at all, an action that is rewarded with a nice, solid red line on the map as you drive.
Data about drivers' actions is fed back to Waze, but it's a series of local area managers--sort of like Wikipedia administrators--who do much of the local map administration. Users can get new access to the maps, and the ability to serve as local area managers by building up a large number of the points that they collect by being the first to confirm roads.
For now, Eisnor said, that's the extent of what Waze plans to do with points, but she hinted there would be something more interesting in the not-too-distant future.
Licensing the road data
The Waze app is free, and so I wondered what the company's business model is. Eisnor said that the goal is to get the app in enough people's hands that there is a steady flow of new road data to add to the Waze database. Then, she said, the company plans to license that raw data to other companies to do with as they please and, in the process, grab as much of what it thinks is a $4 billion market as it can. But to users, such goals may well be unimportant, so long as they can continue to get the very latest information about what's ahead of them as they drive.
One flaw in the plan is that, since Waze is dependent on AT&T's network to provide access to the Internet, the service is also heavily dependent on connectivity over that network. And during my half-hour tour around San Francisco--a notorious bad AT&T city--we constantly lost the signal.
For me, losing the signal might end up being incredibly frustrating. And for that, or for any other reason a driver might become upset or angry, Waze offers the ability to change your avatar's mood. Then, anyone in your vicinity can see the new mood when they see your avatar as it drives nearby, whether you're angry, happy, sad, or something else.
Much of that is window dressing, however. The main point of the app is to give users the important, indispensable information they need when trying to commute from point A to point B, be it map data, road information, traffic updates, or the location of the police.
"When using it every day," Eisnor said, "you're providing value to other drivers and other drivers are providing value to you.
To my mind, Waze is an app that has a lot of potential and could well become a truly crucial application. But until there is a critical mass of users, it's only a fun toy.
That said, there's no doubt that Waze is a lot of fun, especially because you get to be part of what could well end up being a wide network of users, each of whom is willing to showcase their location at any time.
For the moment, however, seeing the occasional angry face or noticing that there are several other Waze users in your vicinity may have to suffice. But if critical mass becomes a reality, look out.
According to some studies, about a quarter of U.S. motorists send text messages while driving. So why not make it safer?
That's the idea behind an upcoming service from telematics service provider ATX Group. ATX plans to introduce hands-free text messaging by voice.
According to ATX, of Dallas, its system, which uses existing speech-recognition technology, will allow people to dictate customized messages with minimal driver distraction.
Other in-vehicle communications systems read text messages aloud to drivers. And some, such as Ford's Sync, allow drivers to send texts--though only from a menu of scripted messages.
Don't look for telematics leader OnStar to jump on the bandwagon. "Our focus remains firmly on safety and security and in-vehicle communications, " says spokesman Jim Kobus.
ATX provides technology for Toyota, Lexus, BMW, Peugeot, Mercedes-Benz, Maybach, and Rolls-Royce.
(Source: Automotive News)
It isn't exactly breaking news that texting while driving is a bad idea. But a study released Monday night reveals just how dangerous it really can be.
After examining the behavior of truck drivers covering more than 6 million miles of road, the Virginia Tech Transportation Institute concluded that people who send text messages while driving are 23 times more likely to be in a crash (or what they call a near-crash event) than nondistracted drivers.
To conduct the study, researchers mounted cameras inside drivers' vehicles. They studied where drivers' eyes were looking as they did various things, such as texting, dialing a cell phone, talking on a phone, and reaching for an object. Not surprisingly, the numbers (PDF) showed that the tasks that took people's eyes off the road caused the greatest amount of danger.
In crashes or near-crashes, texting took a driver's focus away from the road for an average of 4.6 seconds--enough time, the report point out, to travel the length of a football field at 55 mph.
By contrast, talking on a cell phone, which allows drivers to keep their eyes on the road, represented an increased risk of only 1.3 times that of a nondistracted driver.
The study's authors called into question past research that indicated driving while talking on a cell phone is as dangerous as driving drunk. While those results may have been found in lab tests and driving simulations, they say, the same was not true in real-world situations. They also noted that, contrary to popular belief, talking on a cell phone with a wireless headset is not substantially safer than talking on a regular handset. This is because the most significant factor as far as safety is concerned is to keep one's eyes on the road, the report said.
The institute says any task that takes a driver's eyes off the road should be avoided and suggests that all cell phone activity should be banned for newly licensed teenagers because they're more prone to using their phones.
(Note: For more details, The New York Times has a breakdown of the study's methodology.)
