Autoblog

Here's another iPhone application that demonstrates that soon there is nothing you won't be able to know if you have just one device. DevToaster has created an app called Rev that reads information straight from the OBD-II port on your car and displays it on your iPhone. When it's fully operational, Rev can display things like vehicle speed, RPM, fuel consumption, calculated engine load, and a host of other parameters. You'll even be able to check and reset engine and error codes.

The only hitch is that you need an OBD-II/WLAN interface that can beam the information from the port to the phone. DevToaster is working on that now; in the meantime, you can download Rev Lite at their site and we have a feeling California's going to work on more phone-centric activities to ban.

[Source: DevToaster via WRX Fanatics]

Click above for more screen shots of Bus Driver

When I was in Kindergarten, I rode Bus 11. It was an oil-burning 32-passenger GMC that was ready for retirement by 1982. It was driven by Sarge. I'm not sure why she was called Sarge, but her demeanor definitely lived up to the moniker. Frequent exhortations to"SIT DOWN AND SHUT UP" kept us all in line. Nobody ever laughed when she ground the 2-3 upshift. Think you'd enjoy ruling passengers with an iron fist? You could go get the endorsement on your license and then hit the job market, or if that takes too much effort, just buy Bus Driver, the video game.

Hey, at least it's still a driving game, but it's the staid, responsible version of gaming. Rather than speed around a track or create mayhem, your mission is to follow routes in your school bus, city bus or tour bus while picking up and dropping off fares. What fun, the replays must be enthralling. It could be worse, though – it's still a wheeled conveyance you're controlling rather than some Wiimote-powered silliness. We do wish that Meridian4, the game's publisher, had included the DeLorean bus that never got off the ground.


[Source: Winding Road]

A Ferrari PDA. Joy of joys. People still use these things? If you must have one more thing strapped to your belt or stuffed in your pocket, might as well get the one with the Prancing Horse. That way, when everyone else pulls out their toys and starts twiddling as a way to avoid human interaction, you'll have something red, black and flashy.

The Acer 500 is the fruition of an ongoing relationship between the computer maker and the Italian exotic car firm. Launching soon in Europe, the PDA will be equipped with Bluetooth, GPS and an SD card reader. Of less note are the USB 1.1 port and behind-the-curve OS, Windows Mobile 5. We doubt there's been any cranking up of bus speeds inside the unit, but at least this one won't be as costly to fix when you crack it up.

[Source: Caradisiac]

click above image for high-res version

We're filing this under "Wish I'd thought of that."

Renault, in its redesigned Twingo (appropriately named New Twingo), is offering an option it calls "Grass-mat" dashboard trim. Essentially, it's a toothbrush turned bristles-up that holds all those gadgets we love so dear in our cars. The rubber fingers sit in a divot in front of the steering wheel, looking much like an abnormally blue sea anemone ready to coddle your Nemo-like iPod in motionless safety. No more digging under the seat for the phone that went flying in turn three, no unsightly Velcro on dash and phone, no more mining the seats for change at the toll booth. Genius.

Click on the above photo (or here) for an up-close, high-res look at the Renault's rubber grass, and click here to see what a New Twingo looks like.

Thanks for the tip, James!

[Source: T3]

We're not sure why strains of "Little Green Bag" are going through our head. Perhaps because it's about as funky as this little white purse. Saab teamed up with fashion designer Osman Yousefzada to create "The Little White Purse." The impetus behind the lash-up is to reduce the approximately one day per year the average woman spends digging around for her keys. This from the car company that mounts the ignition lock on the floor. It costs about $150, and is constructed of Italian leather and a nice, heavy silver plated chain. The compact purse (isn't it always the case, the more you spend, the less you get when you're buying designer goods?) can fit inside another purse, be worn as a necklace, or used as a torture device. Like any good exclusive Euro accessory, the Little White Purse isn't available in the US, but you can order it through the Saab UK website. We have two more pictures of the purse in action on the arm of a young woman after the jump.

[Source: gizmag]

Forget fleeces, backpacks and skiwear -- Fiat wants its name on the ultimate fashion accessory, the moblie phone. Starting this month, Fiat will offer a number of different cell phone models, including some that are MP3 compatible and take digital photos and video.  Some of the phones are even 'waterproof' -- perfect for those who can't bear to catch a wave or two without phone access. The aluminum and blue finish boasts a high-tech look, while still drawing upon the ages-old Fiat logo, and the packaging draws upon the automaker's heritage as well -- the phone's sales packaging is a plastic tube designed to mimic the look of an an engine piston.

[Source: Italiaspeed]

Thanks to Noah for the tip.