Now that it seems that drivers have mastered talking on the phone while driving (you can laugh here,) Microsoft is testing a new technology that will bring VoIP calls and internet to cars. Microsoft, in cooperation with the University of Massachusetts and the University of Washington, has developed a new technology called Vi-Fi (Vehicle Wi-Fi). The system aims to provide users with on-the-go internet access more cheaply than existing cellular broadband systems.
The biggest hurdle so far is that in Wi-Fi networks, as you travel overland, each signal station (base station) broadcasts a short distance. So you have to hop between stations. During these transitions, known as "hard handoffs", the signal strength typically drops. This makes hard to continuously get acceptable service, but Microsoft believes they have solved the problem.
This is not the first time in-car internet has been seen. Chrysler currently offers technology to make a car its own broadband base station by using cell phone signals.
Just about every car these days has a key fob. People who pay a premium price for a DBS should have the option of getting something a little more enticing. Aston Martin agrees, and so its official watchmaker Jaeger-LeCoultre has developed the ultimate accessory for the DBS supercar: a transponder watch. The AMVOX2 DBS Transponder will have the ability to lock and unlock the car. The wearer need only push the face to activate the remote entry. Push between 8 and 9 o’clock to unlock the car and 3 and 4 o’clock to close it.
Dr Ulrich Bez, Aston Martin CEO, said, “I’m delighted that we have been able to premiere this technology in such an elegant solution. It is the first time horology and automotive engineering have been combined in this way.”
The AMVOX2 DBS will be showcased for the first time at the Paris Motor Show. It is crafted exclusively for the DBS. Aston Martin says that the transponder module weighs “just a few grams” and is half the size of the identical system in the DBS’s key. They are offering the £22,000 ($41,000) device as an option on any new DBS, as well as a retro-fit for existing customers.
After Carlsson unveiled its latest wheels for Mercedes Benz, Hamann the well-known tuning company specialized in high-end cars unveiled its latest creation: HM Evo Forged wheels. Weighing 11 kilograms and measuring 8.5 x 20 inches, the new wheels are available, according to the manufacturer, to the current BMW fleet, combining the modern design with the highest technical requirements.
The wheels design features five elongated and vaulted triple spokes and are available in dark hard coal finishing. For those folks who eant to buy these type of wheels they have to know that there are available in the dimensions 8.5 x 20 to 11 x 20 as well as 9.0 x 21 to 10.5 x 21 inches for all current BMW cars with prices beginning at 1,500 euros or $2,200.
Carlsson, the well known tuner specialized in Mercedes-Benz cars, unveiled today its new set of -spoke monobloc wheel 1/11 Ultra Light, available exclusively in 21 inch. The new wheels not only look good but also improve the road-handling properties of your vehicle, due to the fact that there are one of the world’s lightest wheels available on the Mercedes tuning sector.
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Ever get drunk and accidentally buy something online? I’m not talking about purchasing white alligator shoes after three beers. I’m talking a shut down the bar, then start doing tequila shooters with your “new” friends, and waking up on your kitchen counter with your credit card, laptop and nothing else. Three days later 100 copies of the 2rd season of ’The Office’ shows up on your doorstep, and you only vaguely remember saying something like “best show ever” right before eating the worm.
If latter describes you then DO NOT look at www.gmperformanceparts.com. At General Motor’s newest website you can now order complete high-performance crate engines right to your doorstep. Also available is everything else in the GM Performance catalogue including blocks, heads, cams, intake manifolds, accessory drives and dress-up parts. So while dropping a small-block V-8 into you Cavalier may seem like a good idea the night before, please wait for the light of day to make the final decision.
For the rest of us this is just a quick way to get some more speed out of our GM cars.
Both General Motors and BMW plan to test devices next year that will convert an engines excess heat into electricity. Research into thermoelectrics, the science of using temperature differences to create electricity, couldn’t come at a better time as high gas prices accelerate efforts to make vehicles as efficient as possible.
GM researcher Jihui Yang said a metal-plated device that surrounds an exhaust pipe could increase fuel economy in a Chevrolet Suburban by about 5 percent, a 1-mile-per-gallon improvement that would be even greater in a smaller vehicle. According to GM only about a quarter of the total energy from gasoline is used to actually turn the wheels, while 40 percent is lost in exhaust heat and 30 percent is lost through cooling the engine. That means about 70 percent of the available energy is wasted. Reaching the goal of a 10 percent improvement would save more than 100 million gallons of fuel per year in GM vehicles in the U.S. alone.
Steve Saleen is usually known for his work with Ford products, but now he’s turned his performance eye to Dodge’s new Challenger. His new company, SMS, has unveiled the SMS 296 Supercharger, the first in a promised series of ultra-high performance technical parts. Now Mopar owners of 2005 to 2009 5.7-liter and 6.1-liter Hemi engines can boost horsepower by up to 45% with this dual-screw supercharger. As an added touch, the supercharger can be colored to match the car.
The SMS 296 Supercharger will be standard equipment on two cars from SMS: the SMS 570 Challenger and SMS 570X Challenger. The cars are reported to make 500 to over 700 horsepower respectively.
Press release after the jump.
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Hyundai announced that the Genesis Coupe will feature high performance disc brakes from Brembo. For the Genesis Coupe’s front 18-inch wheels, Brembo engineers developed 13.4-inch x 1.1-inch rotors (340mm x 28mm) and four-pot fixed calipers (42mm+42mm), while the rear setup features 13.0-inch x 0.78-inch rotors (330mm x 20mm) gripped by four-pot fixed calipers (32mm+28mm).
The Genesis Coupe is available with either a four or six cylinder engine. The 3.8-liter Lambda DOHC V6 engine delivers an estimated 306 hp and 263 lb.-ft. of torque. This engine will launch the Genesis Coupe from 0 to 60 miles per hour in under 6 seconds. The turbocharged, intercooled 2.0-liter DOHC inline four-cylinder benefits from CVVT on both the intake and exhaust camshafts. The 2.0-liter turbo generates an estimated 212 hp and 217 lb.-ft. of torque. It also features a cast-aluminum cylinder block and cylinder head. Both engines feature a free flowing dual cat-back exhaust and an available limited slip differential to put the power to the ground.
If you own a Ferrari F430 Scuderia you will be pleased to know there is even a special helmet designed for your car (you know for those days when you are on a race track and want to go wild!). The special helmet was designed by German helmet maker Schuberth Helme for Ferrari.
The helmet is made of carbon fiber and weighs one kilogram. It features an efficient venting system to keep the wearer cool and a special visor which which protects the user against the sun and other elements. The Ferrari Scuderia helmet features the same stripes down the middle as the car and features the Ferrari emblem at the front and back of the helmet.
Having a catalytic converter stolen is a theft on the rise in the U.S. and the U.K. Why you may ask? Well, the inside of the catalyst tends to contain the precious metal platinum. With the current market price at about $1700 an ounce the average thief will make $200, with very little effort. In fact SUVs make a particularly easy target because their high ground clearance gives thieves easier instant access to the catalytic converter.
Ford’s UK branch has teamed up with Retainagroup, a car security marking and registration systems specialist, to offer people a inexpensive option to deter catalytic converter theft. For the price of £11.87 ($23.00) owners can have a unique 7-digit code and a 24-hour telephone number added to the converter. Once the mark has been applied, the unique code is recorded with vehicle and owner details on the register and can be verified immediately at any time, day or night, 365 days per year. Ford will also offer ’fleet packs’ containing material for 30 automobiles, costing £136.85 ($271.00).
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