Autoblog

Westinghouse Digital had its PumpTop TV on display at CES. As described by the title, it's a flatscreen monitor that sits on top of a fuel pump. It gives the consumer something to do besides staring at passing vehicles while waiting around for the tank to fill. The unit is already in use at many gas stations throughout the United States. While the idea of being bombarded by even more advertising when out driving is not a pleasant thought, the TV network might be helpful in exposing folks to urgent news alerts such as bridge collapses, dust storms, or forest fires. In Southern California some pump televisions also display real-time traffic data in addition to weather, news and (of course) advertisements. While that can be useful info when trying to plan a route through clogged freeways, the downside of the PumpTop set is its poor screen visibility in extreme sunlight, which might explain why many stations equipped with the devices simply leave them turned off.

[Source: Engadget]

Prior to his keynote speech at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas yesterday, GM Chairman Rick Wagoner held a discussion with a group of us flacks to answer all of our questions clearly and completely without equivocation. OK just kidding, he did hedge on a number of questions as would be expected of any major executive, especially one heading up the largest automaker in the world (for now). A range of issues were discussed, including alternative fuels, hybrids and the fate of the Zeta platform beyond the Pontiac G8 and the Camaro.

Wagoner reiterated that nothing had changed on the status of the Volt and that it was still on track. He expressed appreciation that the EPA had denied the California waiver request for its greenhouse gas rules so that carmakers could focus on meeting one national set of CAFE standards. Also related to fuel economy, he declined to comment on the status of some vehicles planned off of the Zeta platform, aside from the fact that they were still considering options including models with smaller engines. You can listen to the whole discussion here as an mp3.

Well, sorta. The not-at-all unattractive Indy Car driver is at CES with one of her sponsors, GoDaddy. We figured Indy Cars are fully within our beat and raced over to get a couple of shots of Ms. Patrick.

And, whatdya know? Once she saw the Autoblog press badge she went nuts, grabbed a t-shirt and a Sharpie and went to town. We were able to stop her before covering the t-shirt in loving missives expressing her adoration of Autoblog, and refused to give her our autographs, too. We just can't go handing those out to everyone ya know.

OK, truth. She grudgingly signed our shirt after about a gazillion others and then even more grudgingly did the Autoblog thing. But the not-at-all unattractive bit is true.

In addition to announcing that General Motors plans to have invest heavily on research of driverless vehicle technology in the coming decade, GM CEO Rick Wagoner will also debut a concept vehicle tomorrow at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas called the Cadillac Provoq. While very few details were released, GM says that the Provoq will be "free from petroleum fuel and emissions." That means the Provoq could be either an all-electric vehicle or possibly another variant of the automaker's E-flex platform that has spawned the Chevy Volt and Opel Flextreme. Those two concepts are both series hybrids with a gas engine and diesel range extender, respectively. While GM did show off the E-flex platform with a hydrogen fuel-cell range extender at last year's Shanghai Motor Show, we've yet to see it paired with a body. Perhaps then the Provoq will be the hydrogen fuel-cell series hybrid concept that we've been waiting to see. There's one more day to go before Wagoner takes the podium in Vegas and reveals all.

[Source: GM]

General Motors' CEO Rick Wagoner won't be making his keynote address at the 2008 Consumer Electronics Show until Tuesday, but word is that a big talking point in his speech will be driverless cars. According to CNN Money/Autos, Wagoner is expected to reveal that GM will be testing driverless cars by 2015 and have cars on the road by 2018. What is meant by "on the road" remains to be seen, as buying a real production Tahoe with this technology within ten years seems like a stretch. Still, the success of the DARPA Grand Challenge these past three years in which driverless vehicles pilot themselves through a miles-long course shows that we do have the technology to take our hands off the wheel. GM played its own part in sponsoring the Carnegie Mellon team that has done well in each competition, including the most recent one in which the university's driverless Tahoe called the "Boss" won the whole thing. We've confirmed that CMU's Boss will be on stage with Wagoner as he gives his speech on Tuesday. Thanks to its association with Carnegie Mellon and the DARPA Grand Challenge competitions, GM is definitely on the forefront of developing driverless tech, but promising hands-free driving in ten years is a bold move. We'll just have to wait and see what the Ricker says when he takes the stage on Tuesday.

[Source: CNN Money/Autos]

click above for more high-res preshow pics of CES 2008

CES doesn't officially open until Monday morning, but we were able to get a really quick, escorted tour of the Las Vegas Convention Center's north hall where all of the automotive booths are concentrated.

Many of the photos are badly focused, almost all are badly lit, but you can get an early glimpse of what CES has to offer automotive enthusiasts before anyone else does.

GPS navigation is big again this year, as is MP3 connectivity. The bigger thing, though is rolling both of them together with voice control and Bluetooth. And for those who haven't already bedecked every inch of their cars with LCD screens (inside and out), we saw plenty in our quick walk through.

We saw a Tesla being charged in anticipation of the big show, a bright orange SUV with ridiculously large wheels being navigated through the displays and a Cadillac limo possibly being assembled from scratch on the show floor. We caught BMW prepping its huge F1 display including a life-size clear plastic Formula One car.

We're interested to see how all of the booths look completed when the doors officially open in a few hours and hope to bring you numerous photos of the Cars of CES 2008.

Thanks to World War II vets returning in huge numbers way back in the 50s, America's drivers are getting older, their glasses are getting thicker, and gadget manufacturers are paying attention.

Take Cobra, for example. Their new Nav One 5000 portable GPS unit features oversized icons and text on its 5-inch touch screen so that even those of us with bifocals can see just what we're clicking on. Cobra says the display's icons are 50% larger than their competition and the LCD's backlighting is enhanced for improved visibility. Cobra also decided to make the screen more vertical than some GPS units, which they say provides 20% more of the road ahead of you instead of to the sides.

The 5000 features red-light and speed camera warnings, as well as all the usual GPS features like Bluetooth integration, text-to-speech, real-time traffic updates and maps upgradeable via your computer's USB port.

Cobra also brags about the 5000's My Favorite Brands feature. Choose your favorite stores and restaurants from a list of 600 well-known brands, and with just a touch of the screen, your preferred names show up on the map.

Cobra's Nav One 5000 is on sale now for MSRP of $510 with an additional $160 for a 15-month traffic subscription.

Read Cobra's full press release after the jump.

[Source: Cobra]

One of the big problems with aftermarket, in-car Bluetooth devices is sound. Most of them plug up in your car's auxiliary power plug (that's a cigarette lighter to those of use born before 1990), and unless you drive a Miata, that's not where your ears are.

Iqua says their Bluetooth Snake fixes the problem by moving the sound closer to your head. The Snake fits onto your car's headrest and sits right at your right cheek to better pick up your voice as well as put the sound where it's needed.

It still gets its power from where you once lit your smokes, so theres some cableage to run. And despite the photo above, the Iqua's CES rep assures us the Snake doesn't obstruct your vision or distract your attention from the road ahead.

More hi-res photos of the Iquas Bluetooth Snake in our gallery.

Though GM's Rick Wagoner nabbed the honor of giving this year's keynote address at next week's 2008 CES Show in Las Vegas, Ford may grab the headlines with a suite of new in-car entertainment, navigation and communication technologies that it plans to implement across its brands in the near future. First up will be the second version of its popular SYNC interface, details of which are scant. Considering that the SYNC system's capabilities are already robust, we're not sure what else they can add to it and are eager to find out.

Ford will also be showing off its new SIRIUS Travel Link nav system, which gets updated in real time with all sorts of info from the SIRIUS satellites. Drivers can call up instant traffic data, weather, sports scores and movie showings, as well as plot a course to the gas station with cheapest fuel prices.

Finally, Ford will have its new navigation system sourced from Xanavi on display with what we believe is a ginormous 7.5-inch touchscreen and an in-dash hard drive that can store up to 2,400 songs. Hopefully it will also have the capacity to pause and rewind live radio like Cadillac's system in the CTS. We've already seen the Xanavi system's new, larger screen in images of the upcoming 2009 Lincoln MKS sedan, a car that's slated to be fitted with the gamut of Ford's new in-car technologies when it goes on sale this summer.

Keep your eyes on Autoblog early next week for when we start our coverage of the 2008 CES Show from Las Vegas. We'll have more details on what Ford and the rest of the auto industry has to offer in the way of electronics for the coming year.

[Source: Ford]

It's the biggest collection of gadget geeks in the world, with 1.7 million square feet of display space and one entire hall full of automotive accessories. It's the International Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, and Autoblog has it covered.

The big draw for gearheads this year, of course, is the keynote address given by General Motors CEO Rick Wagoner next Tuesday. It's the first time a GM CEO has spoken at CES and we're still wondering what he plans to say.

But we're also looking forward to seeing what Alpine's far out tuner car will be this year. In 2007, it was the, uh, interesting, Mercedes RLS, but we're told that this year will be different. Our only hint is that Alpine's products don't require wheels.

And, of course, we'll have full coverage of all manner of custom cars, eardrum-ripping sound systems and in-car LCD screens, just like last year. And although Engadget has already spilled the beans on Garmin's new nav systems, we'll do our best to get one-on-one time with them ourselves.

We also expect to meet with Audiovox, Pioneer, Dolby, Delphi, THX, JBL and Clarion to hear what they have planned for your vehicle in 2008. BMW's F1 Sauber race team will be there, too, entertaining the CES crowds.

The coverage begins soon after we land in Vegastown, so stay tuned.