CES - Car tech

LAS VEGAS--Earlier we reported on the launch of Toyota's Entune telematics service, and today we had our first hands-on experience with the new system. Toyota had a demonstration head unit set up, sans car, at CES.

Toyota provided an Android phone with the Entune app, and showed us an iPhone with its version of the Entune app. We paired the Android phone with the head unit via Bluetooth. When we hit the Info button on the head unit's bezel, a screen came up giving us options for traffic and weather provided by XM satellite radio, and an apps … Read more

LAS VEGAS--Parrot is best known for its Bluetooth hands-free products. But if the AR.Drone is any indicator, this isn't a company that's afraid to come out of left field with a seemingly random product. Enter the Parrot Asteroid, a car audio receiver powered by Android OS. Yep, you read that correctly.

The Asteroid is a single-DIN receiver with a two-part faceplate that is split between a physical control panel that is detachable for security and a large, fixed 3.2-inch LCD. The unit features three USB ports it can use to connect to digital audio sources or … Read more

LAS VEGAS--There was once a time when a 4.3-inch screen on a GPS device was considered huge, but now that's just the entry level. These days it takes a retina-searing 5-inch display or larger to stand out among a sea of navigators and GPS-enabled smartphones. Along those lines, Garmin has just pulled the wraps off of its new, supersized Nuvi 2400 series of GPS navigators.

Snarky comments about the ever-enlarging portable navigation device form factor aside, the 2400 series' 5-inch screen can aid in visibility and reduce the amount of time spent scrutinizing a tiny digital map.

More … Read more

LAS VEGAS--When Contour announced its ContourGPS location-aware HD sports camera last year, it held back a bit of information: there's a Bluetooth chip inside the device that has been sitting unused. However, a pair of new smartphone apps for Android and iPhone devices aims to put that wireless connection to good use.

After downloading a software patch (not yet available) and updating the ContourGPS' firmware to unlock the Bluetooth connection, users will be able to grab the Contour Mobile app from the Android Market or the iTunes App Store, and connect their smartphone to the camera. Users will then … Read more

Burnishing its upscale image, Hyundai announced a new telematics service for its cars called Blue Link. The service offers emergency assistance along with a number of convenience features, including vehicle location sharing to select family and friends, and through Facebook.

Although Hyundai's announcement does not provide complete operational details, Blue Link appears to have an associated smartphone app, an in-car hardware component, a call center, and integration with the car's navigation system.

Similar to OnStar, Blue Link detects airbag deployment and sends the car's location to a call center. An operator then attempts to contact the car'… Read more

LAS VEGAS--TomTom has just expanded its flagship Go series of portable navigation devices with the addition of the new Go 2505 M Live, which adds TomTom's Live connectivity suite and is the first unit in TomTom's lineup to feature the HD Traffic service.

As a Go series device, the Go 2505 M Live features the same hardware as the previously reviewed (and quite similarly named) Go 2505 TM, including a 5-inch, glass, capacitive touch screen with multitouch capabilities, Bluetooth connectivity for hands-free calling, and a metal-backed chassis that attaches to its windshield mount with magnets. The unit also … Read more

LAS VEGAS--TomTom has just pulled the wraps off of its new midtier portable navigation form factor, the TomTom Via series. This line of devices will at first coexist with--but should eventually replace--the manufacturer's current XL and XXL series of GPS navigators.

The most obvious difference between the incoming and incumbent GPS models is the Via series' extra-thin form factor. The new svelte chassis combined with the integrated low-profile EasyPort mount should make the Via quite pocketable and portable. The Via series features two touch-screen sizes split between four model numbers: 4.3 inches for the Via 1405 and 1435 … Read more

LAS VEGAS--Today OnStar announced it would make its services available in non-GM cars through an aftermarket rearview mirror replacement. The mirror frame features the blue OnStar button, along with buttons for emergency response and hands-free phone calling, similar to its appearance in GM vehicles.

The bulky replacement mirror combines a GPS chip, accelerometer, Bluetooth hardware, and a cellular chip to connect with OnStar services and operators. OnStar uses Verizon for its voice and data connections.

The mirror uses its accelerometer to determine if a crash has occurred, which triggers OnStar's emergency collision response. An OnStar operator will attempt to … Read more

Although technically one of the first GPS manufacturers to market a mapping app for portables with its Garmin Mobile 10 software for PDAs and Palm, Garmin has been notably absent from the smartphone navigation app marketplace as of late (discounting the aging and ridiculously overpriced Garmin Mobile for Blackberry). Today, Garmin jumps back into the fray, challenging apps from TomTom, Magellan, and Navigon with not one, but four of its own GPS-centric apps, including the new StreetPilot navigation app for iPhone and three new GPS apps for Android devices.

The StreetPilot name hearkens back to the original Garmin StreetPilot GPS … Read more