Hasta La Gadget!

Chevy is getting into the pre-Super Bowl action by previewing a small handful of its upcoming ads over on its Facebook page. Most interesting of the bunch is the above one, called “Status,” which highlights the Chevy Cruze’s ability to send and read status updates from the social network via voice.

It’s a cute little 30 second spot–not Star Wars/Volkswagen cute, but let’s face it, that’s a pretty high bar. Video after the jump. 

Shouting “what are you, blind??” to bad drivers on the road may soon be an thing of the past. There’s new technology that allows blind people to get behind the wheel and safely navigate where they’re going.

Mark Riccobono, who has been blind since the age of five, will drive a specially equipped Ford Escape hybrid tomorrow at the Daytona International Speedway’s Rolex 24 event. It’s the result of a challenge issued by the National Federation of the Blind several years ago. A team at Virginia Tech was the one to rise to the occasion, introducing a driving mechanism that works with current cars and lets drivers pilot the car with “nonvisual technology.”

Riccobono is not part of the high-speed race. He’s just going to demonstrate the technology as part of the Rolex 24’s pre-race festivities. But who knows what the future will bring?

Via Press Release

Look on the center stack of your new Mazda3, in front of the cupholders, in the console, in the glovebox: There’s no iPod adapter. Mazda hasn’t forgotten you. You’ve got to have the iPods adapter installed by the dealer. Unfortunately, with the Mazda3 (see review), a feature that adds just a few dollars in costs when integrated into every new car at the factory will likely set you back more than $500. A local dealer quoted me $565 — $325 for the adapter and $240 (two hours of shop time) for installation.