Autoblog

The Covertech Automotive Car Cover protects your car from every element, even -- according to its maker -- "malicious intent." When you're ready to take the cover off, apparently all you need to do is stand back and watch. The cover retracts automatically into a "briefcase-sized" enclosure in a trunk or hatchback. There's even one for motorcycles that fits in a "Kleenex-sized" box.

The creator envisions carmakers eventually integrating the automatic car cover into the design of their cars. Sounds neat, but when you want to cover your car up again, you'll need good old manual labor for that. Personally, we can't see needing to cover and uncover your car often enough in one day to make such a device necessary, but perhaps there are folks with the need for easy incognito. But while it's hard to tell from the video, the answer is yes, it probably will make your bumper look big.

Thanks for the tip, Yash!

[Source: The Earth Times]

Not even James Bond has one of these: a watch that performs the functions of a keyless entry fob for your car. Developed by (or for) Chinese car manufacturer BYD, the gadget is made only for the F8 model. Press the top button on the right, and the car is locked, press the bottom button, the car is unlocked.

The watch also has a starter function, but it's not labeled on the bezel like the others. Since it has a manual movement, you don't need to worry about a battery going dead as long as you wear the watch... and move. No word on whether you need to wind it in case you don't wear it. But come on now, it's not like you could stay away from your BYD F8 long enough for the watch to stop, is it? And as the brochure states, it even tells time -- which is not a bad thing for a watch.

[Source: The Tycho]

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 are already lights and sirens to let you know if your door is ajar or the washer fluid is low, but the CSW wheel's best trick is that it will talk to the Navigon 7100 navigation system, should you have one. It's an interesting cross-brand lashup that is pushing the envelope of aftermarket integration.

The screen in the wheel works in conjunction with the larger screen in the navigation unit to display instructions, though the improvement over just the Navigon would likely be sufficient. Both the wheel and the Navi can reportedly poll vehicle sensors, though we're not sure exactly how, so the systems would be more aware of what the driver is doing beyond merely position data. Both companies hope the wheel will reduce driver distraction, though we're not convinced that looking down to the wheel rim is any safer or more convenient than the slight gaze diversion to the customary upper center of the dashboard. We don't know of any manufacturer plans to OEM-issue these units, but the effort could portend a future convergence in the gadget galaxy.

[Source: Navigadget via Kicking Tires; Photo: SoundDomain]

The interior woes of recent Chrysler products have been well documented, and consumers rightly expect better these days. Chrysler has come to realize this fact and is taking appropriate measures to fix the problem and be sure that its future products come better equipped to face the competition. While stylish exterior and interior designs with high quality materials have come to be expected in modern vehicles, technology and gadgets are often what separate one automaker's vehicles from another. Chrysler recognizes this and is working to offer desirable options as standard equipment on some of their popular models.

Now, Chrysler has started a new tactic that is unique among car manufacturers: adding improvements as they become available, as opposed to waiting for the next design refresh. These improvements include a new mileage-saving all-wheel-drive system for their 2009 300C and Dodge Charger as well as swiveling rear entertainment systems, blind-spot monitoring and backup sensors for their '09 minivans. Chrysler hopes that these changes will entice potential buyers to choose its vehicles over less-well-equipped models from another manufacturer.

[Source: The Detroit News]

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 course Porsche Design has done everything from hard drives to multihammers, not to mention shoes, watches, and everything in between, so a kitchen isn't such a big stretch. What better place to store that NeoPresso machine than in the P'7340 kitchen?

The modular design makes extensive use of aluminum, a Porsche Design trademark. The lines are clean and intended to appeal to masculine tastes. Porsche and Poggenpohl are citing a rising interest among men to fiddle around in the kitchen as an impetus for the high tech look, and that's also probably why there's an audio-video system built into the kitchen. There are lots of slick touches to keep the clean lines, such as overengineered latch and handle setups to open the doors and drawers electrically, though you can get conventional handles, too. Think of it as a kitchen with available Tiptronic.

[Source: Gizmag]

According to the makers of the Sprint Booster, in ten minutes you can halve the throttle response time at low revs if your car has drive-by-wire. They don't say exactly how it does it, except to reveal that once you've plugged the gadget in, it monitors the signal from the accelerator and provides the ECM "with a new and altered signal." Mid-range acceleration lag is said to drop to "almost zero."

The device will fit Audi, BMW, Mercedes, and VW, among other cars. Sold in England, it's claimed not to affect your insurance or MOT, but it doesn't say anything about your manufacturer warranty. Although with a 10-minute install time, it shouldn't be the least bit difficult to remove if necessary. If those milliseconds you've been losing at stop lights have really been eating at you, the surge you need will run you $330 plus tax.

[Source: Winding Road]

We're not sure whether to peg this guy as a true nerd or an auto enthusiast-god. It's probably a little of both. This race simulator fan has taken the gauge, tachometer and speedometer out of a real live car, spliced together a bunch of wire and USB cables, and managed to come up with this Frankensteinian contraption that hooks into a computer to provide an even more realistic driving experience. How he did this, we've got no clue, but we're in awe. He no doubt has one of those fancy gaming wheels, complete with paddle shifters and/or a clutch on the floor, so this is quite the addition to an already realistic situation.

The conversation in the You Tube comments lead us to believe that the maker may be going to market with this most marvelous of car/computer hacks, and that other upgrades are in store for it.

Follow the jump to see a video of the gauge package in action.

[Source: Gizmodo]

Great, another retail establishment that can't spell. Here's a tip: "Z" does not equal "S." Using Z to pluralize words will also not make you hip or cool. Rather, it will point out that it's an obvious stab at being cool, without actually attaining coolness. Alphabet abuse aside, the concept of RideMakerz is cool. From the soft, cuddly folks at Build-A-Bear Workshop (and Chip Foose, natch) comes a less fluffy, more greasy idea. Those of us who spent hours inhaling Testor's model glue fumes finally have a mall refuge for our car-freak offspring. Kids can pick the type of vehicle they want to build, trick it out with accessories (pardon us, accessoriez), add decals, and even customize the license plate and add remote control capabilities, depending on Mom and Dad's available credit. The first store opens in Myrtle Beach this week, and the Mall Of America is going to get one soon, too. If they make you kiss the engine, turn around three times and recite some incantation, just watch out for the fan blades.

[Source: RideMakerz via Jalopnik]

If you think that the kid with the most toys wins, you might be interested to know that the Lexus LS 460 has been named the king of high-tech by the Telematics Research Group. TRG says that the LS will have more technology features than any other vehicle offered for sale in the North American market when it rolls off the production line for the 2007 model year. Special gadgets include the vehicle's 30GB hard drive for navigation and music, parking aid cameras, a 19-speaker sound system capable of reading MP3 and other media formats, Bluetooth, voice-activated navigation and other goodies.

[Sources: Telematics Research Group; Lexus]