electronics


REPORT: High-tech muffler speakers make diesel engine sound sporty, cut noise levels by 20 dB

An exhaust-system and heating-solution supplier has reportedly engineered an electronic way to modify the sound coming from a vehicle's tailpipe. The company, Eberspächer, claims the innovation can make diesel-powered vehicles sound sportier and add an audible sound track to near-silent electric vehicles. While mechanical devices – including flaps, dampers, or acoustic materials – have become commonplace in modern exhaust systems, this unique technology utilizes a dedicated electronic control unit (ECU) to emit sound ... Read more →

Pioneer using WiMax to send content to your car Jonathon Ramsey

With so many infotainment devices being created, we're beginning to wonder what people are actually doing in their cars -- or rather, if they ever get out of their cars. Pioneer has thrown ...

REPORT: Honda to invest in Pioneer electronics Jonathon Ramsey

In spite of Honda's $2.91 billion Q1 loss, the Japanese marque knows the investment show must go on, and it's reported to be finalizing a stake in Pioneer. The Japanese electronics maker is shutting ...

Don't tell ME how to drive! - Next-gen Ford navigation system could have "emotions" Dan Roth

In the near future, Ford vehicles may fire back a retort if you get cheesed off enough to yell at the car. According to the details of a patent filing, Ford is working on an Emotive Advisory System ...

Mitsubishi unveils in-dash Blu Ray player Jonathon Ramsey

Mitsubishi Electric Corporation (MEC) wants to be able to offer a 1 DIN Blu-ray DVD player in the 2009 fiscal year. The unit, 1/3 the size of an at-home Blue-ray player, will not only fit in a ...

California's Fastrack toll system can't be trusted? 1 year ago on Autoblog

FasTrak is an "electronic toll collection system" used in California. Once you set up an account, you get a transponder that simply debits your account balance whenever you pass through a toll booth. The system uses RFID technology to broadcast your account information to the toll booth receivers. ...

Audi introduces the next MMI 1 year ago on Autoblog

If you're buying an A8 this year, prepare to spend a lot of time getting to know your new MMI system. We have consistently thought that Audi's buttons-and-knob interface is the best, and it looks like they've put an entire NASA team on the job of making it better. A seven-inch TFT screen with ...

Drivers may surf .car websites while driving 1 year ago on Autoblog

We already know that in-car web browsing is on its way. Both BMW and Chrysler have already revealed that the feature is forthcoming in their vehicles, and more automakers are sure to follow. But telematics provider ATX Group is sticking its nose in to ensure that the web we're one day browsing in ...

Smart, but flawed: Steering wheel navigation screen 1 year ago on Autoblog

The latest gizmo from Japan's Takata will tell you where to go, but not like those verbally abusive digital keychains from the '90s. The Takata CSW steering wheel is designed to interface with sensors in your vehicle and display different messages on an LCD screen in the 12 o'clock position. There ...

The Porsche of kitchens 2 years ago on Autoblog

Drama in the kitchen is typically the result of some male/female dynamic, but Porsche Design has teamed up with Poggenpohl for a solution that might actually cost less in the long run when you get done factoring in the cost of chiropractor visits to fix your back after nights on the couch. Of ...

Mr. T comes to TomTom 2 years ago on Autoblog

If your thing is paying to be verbally upbraided by a celebrity, Navtones has you covered. Novelty of novelties, you can now get celebrity voices for your TomTom satnav. I like the way the celebs will bust your chops if you miss a turn, or give you a verbal dope-slap to pay attention, but it might ...

Average cars have $2,000 worth of software and it's increasing fast 2 years ago on Autoblog

Not so long ago cars and trucks were rather straightforward. Pretty much everything was mechanical, ignition systems had distributors, fuel systems had carburetors and suspensions had springs and dampers. The speedometer and odometer were driven by a cable that was twisted by a gear in the ...

Porsche Design rescues the day with an emergency radio 2 years ago on Autoblog

There's a hurricane bearing down on your city and you want an an all-in-one system to listen to emergency services. You also want it to look good. As usual, Porsche design has come to your rescue with the Eton P9110. In addition to its AM/FM/Shortwave radio, it has a flashlight, cell phone charger, ...

Honk? How 'bout "Move it, Sucka!"? 2 years ago on Autoblog

It'll cost you about the same as an iPod, but it's so much cooler. Or obnoxious. Mike Kosco dreamed up a way to make his Hummer growl, as well as sing whatever nuggets that could be crammed into 256 megabytes, too. If you're driving around a Hummer with the Incredible Hulk on the hood, you should ...

Autoblog Podcast #74 2 years ago on Autoblog

We've managed to get some sense of a normal schedule back for the podcasts, and here's number 74. Within, we discuss Ford Sync's newly announced price tag, whether it's worth it and what type of "Easter egg" features may be lurking. In other news, JD Power recently announced that Buick had tied ...

V2V communication as a safety feature 2 years ago on Autoblog

Vauxhall's latest safety idea turns the highways and byways into a life-sized feedback loop by allowing vehicles to communicate with each other. We're not talking about the type of communication we humans do in our cars – behavior like pointing out the state bird – think more like WiFi. ...

Only the beginning: hard drives in cars 2 years ago on Autoblog

There's already been a silent technology explosion in automobiles over the last ten years. Command and control has become largely a computerized affair. With high and low speed data buses throughout the automobile, your car is basically a network. It used to be that you'd press the power window ...

The mobile audio equivalent of a Howitzer: Subwoofer Truck 2 years ago on Autoblog

The naming is appropriate for a low-frequency addicted BAMF - Sub Mofo. If you're looking to jiggle the teacups in Aunt Millie's breakfast nook over in the next county, this is the vehicle for you! It appears to be some sort of promotional vehicle for mobile audio manufacturer Power Acoustik. In ...

Mercedes developing video-based safety features 2 years ago on Autoblog

Mercedes-Benz has a long history of making cars safer, and the brand continues to spearhead a push to increase everyone's chances of survival. Mercedes currently has the Pre-Safe system that acts like an adrenal gland for the car, tightening up the muscles before an impact. Future plans for safety ...

Good riddance: The demise of the in-dash CD player is nigh 2 years ago on Autoblog

A few short years ago, getting a CD player or better yet, a multidisc changer in your car was an upgrade. Now, the little silver disc has taken up residence with cassettes as cast-off technology. Even with the cheap digital to analog converters that are in car stereos, CDs have a sound advantage ...

In-dash nav systems do damage to resale value 2 years ago on Autoblog

How's this - you pay a nearly ten percent premium to get a factory navigation system in your new whatever, and when it's replacement time, that very same nav system will cost you again, whacking 1% off the car's resale price. It makes perfect sense if you try to use some of the integrated nav ...

VIDEO: Lightweight Prius 2 years ago on Autoblog

The engineers over at Automotive DesignLine have performed some modifications to a Prius, adding lightness. Actually, it's more of a dissection, but it's interesting to see the stripping-down of the Hybrid's Hybrid. This disassembly wasn't just for kicks; the car was taken apart ahead of its ...

Behold the cam-less future 2 years ago on Autoblog

Mechanically actuated valves may soon be a thing of the past. We've made over a century's worth of improvement on the same basic combination of a camshaft, followers (or lifters), a poppet valve and a spring. We've gone from using pushrods and rocker arms to actuate the valvetrain to direct-acting ...

Die, Die, Die! - Things that should be euthanized in 2007 2 years ago on Autoblog

(Ed. - The views expressed in this post are those of Dan Roth and not Autoblog in general. Dan asked if he could channel the grumpy old man inside of him, and for better or worse, we took off his leash.) Our morning commute often gives us time to contemplate our navels, as the traffic engineers ...

Car-to-car communication of the future 2 years ago on Autoblog

We've all seen a friend driving in the next lane and wanted to just shoot the breeze. We can do that with our cellphones, a sometimes clunky solution and often not entirely wise. Norweigan Designer Lieke Ypma has an idea that aims to streamline the communication process and make it safer, Carhood. ...

SAE Convergence: Improving automotive microcontroller performance 3 years ago on Autoblog

Without a doubt, modern expectations for automotive performance, safety, and comfort are pushing "intelligence" throughout the vehicle, with microcontrollers showing up in a variety of devices that draw together chassis control, driver assistance, and risk management. At the SAE Convergence ...

Forget the car - crooks want what's inside 3 years ago on Autoblog

As the interiors of our cars start to resemble the sales floor at Circuit City, and as auto manufacturers get increasingly better at discouraging at least casual thieves (the pros will just roll your ride onto a flatbed), what's inside your vehicle may now be more attractive than the ...

PSA: Beware of cosmic rays 3 years ago on Autoblog

As if rollovers, suicidal deer, and thieves who break in with laptop computers weren't enough to worry about, now there's a new menace on the roadways - high-energy neutrons from cosmic rays. Let's back up a moment. The increasing complexities and decreased time-to-market demands for ...






Autoblog Podcast #151: With Car and Driver's Eddie Alterman

Eddie Alterman wades in with Sam, Chris, Dan, and Jonny to talk about SEMA and other recent events.

 
 

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