Mercedes Benz has announced that in the summer of 2009, a new SPLITVIEW technology will be featured in S-Class models. Developed in collaboration with Bosch, this single Command display allows both the driver and passenger to view two separate programs simultaneously.
Buyers of BMW’s latest second-generation MINI convertible will have yet another unusual offering to tick on the options list, in the shape of the Openometer. A new pod sitting next to the rev counter, it records how much time the car is driven with the top down.
Mercedes Benz have announced their latest myCOMAND “Internet-Based Infortainment System” at the LA Motor Show, and while the name might be a bit tacky the system itself is anything but. Controlled by a multifunction dial and joystick, the system makes the most of a large, high-resolution LCD display to offer VoIP, a web browser, GPS with satellite imagery and a hard-drive based media server.
Video demonstration of myCOMAND after the cut
Stealth.Com have announced a new small-form-factor PC intended for embedded, in-car or industrial applications. The Stealth LPC-450M Little PC is based on an Intel Core 2 Duo with, as standard, a shock-mounted 2.5-inch hard-drive and PSU capable of running on 10-16V DC power such as supplied from a car battery. SSD storage is an option, as is upgrading the standard DVD/CD-RW to a DVD burner.
If you’ve been a passenger in a luxury car that uses run-flat tires recently, and you suffer from a bad back, you might know just how uncomfortable the puncture-resistent wheels can be. Move instead to a battlefield, however, and the idea of tires that can resist gunshots, impromptu stingers and other debris becomes far more attractive; that’s the concept behind Resilient Technologies’ non-pneumatic tire (NPT) system, a honeycomb of unspecified polymers that, even with 30-percent of the material missing, can still be safely driven on.
UK car audio specialists VIBE have launched their speaker and amplifier ranges in the US, beginning with the SPACE 3D component speakers and BlackBox Bass amplifiers. The VIBE SPACE 3D speaker range consists of either a two or three component setup, based around a 45mm midrange and a 38mm super tweeter, with the choice of either a 5- or 6-inch main driver. VIBE used the 3D system as part of their demo Audio R8, which was the 2008 Mobile Electronics News “Demo Car of the Year”.
Wow. This thing is fancy. But fancy isn’t necessarily the be all and end all of technology. Take this latest creation from Ego Lifestyle. It sure is fancy, but it lacks the guts to be a real competitor. Not that it’s trying to compete in the standard laptop market or anything.
A hacker named Dali has created something seriously cool. It’s a car-puter of sorts that combines the dashboard of a car with an Eee PC 701G. And the results are downright impressive.
Wow, this thing looks like it belongs in the future! Okay, so 2010 is the future, but you know what I mean. These SmartGauge instrument panels are set to be included in two Ford hybrid models in the year 2010, and if I had any plans of getting a Ford in the next couple of years, I’d be excited.
The chances of finding this GPS unit in your local ICE dealership are pretty low, but that looks to be our loss: HS Networks’ NAVIst III is a double-DIN touchscreen GPS system with optical drive, room for a 2.5-inch SATA hard-drive in a removable caddy, and an SD/SDHC slot. It’s controlled by a 6.95-inch, 800 x 400 touch display, which slides down to reveal the drives.
Video demo of the NAVIst III after the cut
SlashGear Japan
