compass

2009 Jeep Compass disappoints at every turn

The 2009 Jeep Compass is available with a cabin tech package that we've come to love: Chrysler's UConnect system. With hard drive-based navigation and media storage, there's a lot to like about the UConnect suite.

Unfortunately, our Compass was equipped with none of this tech and without that UConnect package, there's not much to like about the Compass. Power delivery was pathetic as the Jeep's 2.4-liter engine struggled to keep up with the vehicle's heft. Handling was also disappointing, despite the fact that our Compass was an all-wheel drive model.

Suffice it to … Read more

GPS camera now comes with compass

If the question "Where am I?" is a recurring issue for you, Ricoh has added a feature to its GPS-ready digital camera that you may want to check out.

The Ricoh 500SE GPS camera now includes something called an SE-3 GPS module, a three-axis compass developed by Honeywell that nails down the position and direction (azimuth), then displays it on the camera's LCD.

The data, in the form of point coordinates, is embedded into an image as it is captured.

This gives the user a 3D "cones-of-view" perspective, indicating the direction the camera was facing. … Read more

Nike missiles, Golden Gate Bridge accidents, and Road Trip gadgets

MARIN HEADLANDS, Calif.--This is very surreal.

I'm sitting on a bench on top of a cliff here, overlooking the Pacific Ocean and looking straight at the Golden Gate Bridge.

For the last 15 minutes, there has been a steady stream of sirens from emergency vehicles, and I can see that all traffic on the bridge is completely stopped. I Twittered what I was seeing, and almost immediately, one of my followers replied with details of what seems to be a multiple-vehicle accident blocking most of the lanes on the bridge.

Before this happened, I was planning on starting … Read more

Wi-Fi remote plays music, browses Web

It's been well documented in this space that people have become increasingly addicted to their remotes, but the problem is reaching pandemic proportions. Not only do they want to take it with them all at times and under any weather conditions, but apparently they also want it to take over every digital function in their lives.

Nothing exemplifies this trend more than tvCompass, which has developed a Wi-Fi remote that can browse the Web on its 2.2-inch cell-phone-style LCD, according to Dvice. In addition to controlling up to 24 devices, the SR 1500 Digital Media Remote even has &… Read more