Hasta La Gadget!

Starting today, Ford will be rolling out the Ford Developer Program which will let developers anywhere specialize their apps for use with Ford’s Sync functionality using Ford AppLink. And it’s all license and royalty free. More »

While we’ve got all sorts of cool little gadgets to check out here at CES, a number of car manufacturers are also showing off whats new with their vehicles. One of these car manufacturers is Ford, which today announced that Rhapsody will soon be available in Ford and Lincoln vehicles equipped with SYNC AppLink. This is the first time Rhapsody has been fully integrated with vehicles, so this is certainly pretty big for the popular music streaming service.

SYNC AppLink has a number of benefits for the Rhapsody user who wants to use the streaming service in the car. While it was definitely possible to use Rhapsody in your car before this integration with Ford and Lincoln vehicles, AppLink will let you sync the app to your car, thus allowing you to control the app using the SYNC touch controls or the radio buttons on your steering wheel. This, in turns, lets you keep your eyes on the road, which means that you get the best of both worlds – you get to listen to Rhapsody while at the same time keeping the chances of a potentially nasty crash low.

Setup seems pretty easy too, with Rhapsody’s mobile app connecting to AppLink via Bluetooth as soon as its started up. This partnership will probably be a big win for Rhapsody, as the company recently polled its users to find out what they did for entertainment while driving in the car. 40% of them said they stream Rhapsody while only 13% listen to the radio, so if Rhapsody can make the streaming process easier for Ford and Lincoln owners, we might see that number rise.

In addition, Rhapsody has found that the number of users accessing the service through mobile devices is growing year after year, so this new team up with Ford could help that percentage grow as well. Given the fact that SYNC AppLink is available on 1 million different for vehicles (including the 2013 Fiesta, Mustang, Expedition, and F-150, among others), there should be a fair number of Ford users who can take advantage of this new functionality. Be sure to check out our CES portal for more from the show here in Las Vegas!

Rhapsody comes to Ford and Lincoln vehicles through SYNC AppLink is written by Eric Abent & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

The Environmental Protection Agency has given the Fiat 500e the highest highway MPGe rating ever earned by an electric vehicle in the US – 108 MPGe. In addition, this snazzy little car is also estimated to get a range of 87 miles when completely charged, trumping all other electric vehicles in the US. The 500e will be arriving in California at FIAT Studios in Q2 of this year.

Because of its estimated range when fully charged, the Fiat 500e is now the best in its class according to the EPA. The estimated cost to “fuel” the car annually is a mere $500, with the vehicle using 29kWh over the course of 100 miles. This price is achieved by estimating the cost of electricity over the course of 15,000 miles of travel distance, using both a mixture of highway and city ratings.

Of course, the 500e is zero-emissions, and in addition, it received a 10 out of 10 score on two different EPA metrics that look at tailpipe emissions. The car is battery powered, and can be charged in under 4 hours with 240 volt. The powertrain is 111 horsepower/83kW. The body has been decked out with eight “exterior enhancements” that give it a 13-percent boost in the aerodynamics department.

FIAT North America’s head Tim Kuniskis offered this statement. “The FIAT brand is about unique Italian style, fuel efficiency and great value. Now we have taken a page from our own playbook to change the expectations of what an electric vehicle can be. Our environmentally sexy Fiat 500e offers a design proposition like no other, while delivering unsurpassed MPGe and class-leading range making our 500e a serious contender in the market.”

2013 Fiat 500e earns 108 MPGe rating from the EPA is written by Brittany Hillen & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

Mercedes-Benz has officially announced its restyled 2014 E-Class Coupe and Cabriolet cars. Mercedes says that not only does the new E-Class have updated styling; the vehicle is also equipped with new assistance systems that are part of the Mercedes intelligence drive. These systems help prevent accidents with other vehicles and pedestrians and offer an enhanced version of Active Lane Keeping Assist.

The 2014 E-Class Coupe and Cabriolet are set to go on sale in the United States in the summer of 2013. The 2014 model year cars are fitted with partial LED lighting in the headlights as standard equipment and full LED headlight technology is available as an option. The vehicle is rear-wheel drive and the styling is intended to make the car look muscular and sporty according to Mercedes.

The Cabriolet version has an acoustic soft top featuring high-grade insulation promising the lowest noise levels of any Cabriolet in its class. The special acoustic material used in the soft top helps to prevent wind noise from entering the cabin when the vehicle is at speed. The Cabriolet features an interesting AIRSCARF neck-level heating system.

This heating system is designed to help keep the driver and passenger warm from the neck up to help extend the convertible driving season. The vehicle safety systems include a steering assistance system to help the driver keep vehicle centered in their lane and a brake assist system to boost braking power applied by the driver when needed to prevent an accident. The E-Class vehicles have a standard start/stop system and can be had with a 302 HP V-6 engine or a 402 HP V-8 with twin turbos depending on the model. The vehicles use seven-speed automatic transmissions. Pricing information is unknown.

Mercedes unveils more details on 2014 E-Class Coupe and Cabriolet is written by Shane McGlaun & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

Car maker Subaru has found itself in the unenviable position of having to recall more than half a million vehicles today. The company is recalling 633,842 vehicles in total, and the models it wants back span quite a large range of years, so there are a significant number of Subaru owners affected here. Apparently, there’s a problem with a fuse in an accessory light that could potentially lead to a fire, so Subaru is recalling these vehicles to check the lights and make sure they’re good to go.

The good news is that there haven’t been any fires reported, though there has been one reported instance of smoke. More good news: it seems that not every car recalled even has this accessory light, with Subaru saying that it believes only 54,000 vehicles are truly at risk. Still, risk of fire is enough to worry Subaru, so it wants check all of these vehicles out just the same.

Here’s the problem: moisture containing salt could potentially work its way into the light’s housing, and if it comes into contact with the circuit board, a fire might not be far off. Thankfully, there haven’t been any reported injuries, so Subaru is getting to this problem before it causes any real damage. The cars affected by this fault includes Forester models released between 2009 to 2012, Outback and Legacy models from 2010 to 2012, and Tribeca models from 2006 to 2012.

If you own one of those cars, you should get in touch with your dealer. If you have one of the faulty lights, your dealer will install a harness on the lamp, which helps cut out the risk of fire. We’ll keep you posted on any new developments with the recall, so stay here at SlashGear for more.

[via NBC News]

Subaru recalls 600,000 vehicles for fear of accessory lamp fires is written by Eric Abent & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.