The advent of Bluetooth systems in cars became a boon for drivers, enabling hands-free phone calls and wirelessly streaming music from a smartphone. But if your car is more than five years old, it likely does not feature this technology. The Kinivo BTC450 makes for an easy and inexpensive way of adding Bluetooth to an older car.

The Kinivo BTC450 is a Bluetooth adapter. Lacking its own speaker, it is designed to plug into a car stereo's auxiliary input.

And therein lies its biggest limitation.

The majority of cars equipped with an auxiliary input but no Bluetooth system were … Read more

Most cars these days come with Bluetooth, supporting both hands-free calls and audio streaming. For older cars, GoGroove's SmartMini Aux works as a relatively cheap means of adding these wireless features.

However, the car needs an auxiliary input or adapter for running audio to the stereo.

The SmartMini Aux, constructed of black plastic, looks like an ultramodern drawer pull. Its offset T shape includes a flared base fitted with a Velcro pad for mounting in a car. A long wire tipped with a 1/8-inch audio jack leads out of the base.

The business end, a short, curved bar, … Read more

BARCELONA, Spain--Track your heart from your wrist with the Mio Alpha, yet another smartwatch launched by Kickstarter and shown off at MWC 2013. For $199 the Alpha is water resistant and built to reliably read the rate of your ticker.

With clean lines and smoothly rounded curves, the Mio Alpha looks and feels both futuristic and sporty. As well it should since the Alpha is essentially a timepiece and fitness gadget for people looking for serious feedback about their workouts.The watch's soft silicone wrist strap is comfortable, too, and it's clear this gizmo was designed to wear … Read more

Automaker Honda today said it plans to integrate Apple's Siri voice assistant in some of its upcoming Honda and Acura vehicles.

On the list is the 2013 Honda Accord, and two Acura models, the 2013 RDX and ILX.

The feature in question is Siri's "Eyes Free" mode, a way to use Apple's iOS voice assistant without having to rely on visual cues, or interact with on-screen menus. The functionality, which was introduced at last year's WWDC, works over Bluetooth and connects through Honda's HandsFreeLink setup just like other mobile phones.

From Apple's … Read more

LAS VEGAS--Almost every new car comes with a Bluetooth hands-free phone system, but SuperTooth believes there is still room for a Bluetooth speakerphone car kit, as evidenced by its launch of the HD Voice at CES 2013. And with the HD Voice's advanced features, SuperTooth may be right.

A spokesperson for SuperTooth suggested the call quality was so good, the HD Voice would be preferable to use in cars over the native hands-free phone system. A bold claim, but the HD Voice does come with two microphones and two speakers, hardware that will not only enhance call quality, but … Read more

In the past, we told you how to "iPod your car," which meant adding some sort of adapter to play music from an iPod through a car's speakers. With iPhones, you can not only play music, but also make hands-free phone calls and use navigation. In this guide, we will show you how to connect your iPhone to your car for sound, which could be music, turn-by-turn navigation, or a phone call. Of course, these solutions can also apply to iPads and iPods.

And if you use an Android phone, check out Car Tech's guide to using your Android phone in the car. … Read more

I shouldn't really have to sell you on Bluetooth at this point. Bluetooth has already established itself as the de facto wireless connectivity standard for phones, cars, and a plethora of accessories. However, many users view Bluetooth as just the thing that lets you make calls in your car, the blinking blue light that lets you know the guy talking to himself on the sidewalk isn't crazy, yet another thing to distract you, or (for a surprising number of users) something to be completely ignored. So, I've presented below six reasons why Bluetooth in the car merits … Read more

In recent years, BMW and Audi have emerged as technological juggernauts, pushing cutting-edge new cabin electronics in their cars. Today BMW announced a bundle of new features for its cars that trumps Audi in some ways, and plays catch-up in others.

The most obvious change we will see comes next year, with a new iDrive controller that BMW calls iDrive Touch. It uses the familiar dial/joystick hybrid on the console, and adds a touch pad to its top. With this touch pad, drivers can trace letters and numbers to input addresses into the navigation system. iDrive Touch also supports … Read more

Even if you don't plan on buying a new car any time soon to take advantage of Apple's upcoming Eyes Free feature, you may still be able to get Siri in your car. Aftermarket electronics supplier Dice Electronics says that its MediaBridge component already has the capability to integrate Siri with some vehicles' electronics systems.

MediaBridge is a plug-and-play Bluetooth-enabled hardware "black box" that integrates Apple products with the vehicle's existing head unit. The device adds Bluetooth and streaming to the audio system, and in some cars, lets you access Siri with steering wheel controls. … Read more