Hasta La Gadget!

We always get a kick out of Art.Lebedev products around here, and this latest one is no exception. The Russian designer has unveiled Navigarius, a GPS device concept that uses a round screen in place of the traditional rectangular one.

Navigarius also features includes touch screen controls, a USB port, a microSD card reader, and a power adapter for a car’s cigarette lighter, as Coolest Gadgets reports. In addition, there’s a tiny curved mount that’s smaller and much nicer looking than the gargantuan ones often bundled with these things (and that still fall off the windshield anyway, despite their over-engineering).

There’s no word yet on whether this thing will even make it into production, much less a release date or price. But I can think of a number of car interiors (think Audi TT or Mini Cooper) that this would fit right into in terms of design–which I’m sure is the point. One more pic with the mount attached after the break.

Ford trucks now keep a running tally of what construction tools are back on board and which may have been left on the job site. It’s part of Tool Link, a $1,120 RFID tag option for Ford trucks. That sounds like a lot until you leave a $1,000 sliding compound miter saw on the job site overnight and it’s not there in the morning. Ford developed Tool Link with DeWalt. You get a 50 ID tags (in DeWalt yellow, of course) that you apply to tools, an RFID scanner and software for creating a database, and two RFID antennas that go in the truck bed and monitor what’s onboard and what’s missing. You monitor the tool status via the Ford In-Dash Computer. One button press brings up a screen that shows what’s missing that you had on board earlier in the day.

While it’s meant for construction tools, there’s no reason it couldn’t be used, say photo or video equipment. A carbon fiber tripod can cost $500-$1,000, a pro’s digital camera or HD camcorder many times that. You don’t think anyone could be so stupid as to leave a digital camera on the work site, when you bring two or three, those things can happen.

XM satellite radio, Bluetooth, and iPod/USB adapters are standard across the line with 2010 Acura models. Many have Bluetooth audio as well. By building them in, it reduces cost (compared to buying the options a la carte), avoids model complexity, and likely increases safety. While there’s ongoing discussion about the hazards of distracted driving from using a cellphone or tuning a music player while driving, most people – if not every researcher – believes  there has to be some benefit from not holding a cellphone in one hand and driving with the other, even if there is distraction from absorbing the information in the call, hands-free or not. With satellite radio, odds are more people will keep the subscription going beyond the first three months free when it’s in every vehicle. This is a win for customers and for Acura.

ATX, a major but rarely heard-of telematics supplier, has become the first to offer full handsfree text messaging. While the Ford Sync already allows the sending of pre-canned missives by voice command, this new system transcribes your messages and is fully voice-operated, freeing both hands for driving. Given the forthcoming ban on regular old button mashing, you could probably do worse than grabbing one of these and continuing your bad habits. It won’t be easy though, as ATX doesn’t offer retrofits and market leader OnStar has said it won’t be offering a competing product, leaving you to choose from among the upcoming models by Toyota, Lexus, BMW, Peugeot, Mercedes, Maybach and Rolls-Royce. Maybe we’re just jaded, but we’d rather engage in the lost art of talking to people on our good old Gordon Gekko-styled carphone.

[Via Dallas Observer]

Filed under: Transportation

ATX In-Vehicle Text-by-Voice reduces the subtleties of your chatter to cold, hard SMS originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 03 Aug 2009 12:48:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

The Hyundai Genesis got the best new car introduction this year, says J.D. Power & Associates. The automotive consultancy has yet another measure of car quality or desirability, this time the first Vehicle Launch Index, which reports how well new (what automakers call all-new) and redesigned models fare in their first eight months after launch. It’s more for dealers than buyers and measures “turn rate, vehicle revenue, dealer gross profit, incentive spend, credit quality … residual value” and how well the car fares on other Power quality and desirability surveys.

The top five are the Hyundai Genesis, Ford F-150, Volkswagen Tiguan, Nissan Maxima, and Subaru Forester. The weakest launches belonged to the Toyota Matrix, Dodge Ram pickup, Pontiac Vibe, and Dodge Journey. Our reigning Digital Drive Car of the Year, the Acura TL, was one spot out of the bottom five. But then that’s a measure of inherent technical goodness, which buyers care about. The index after the jump.