Hasta La Gadget!

Shenzhen-based Innotrends has been pushing infotainment systems for a while now, and though standalone solutions like the Ca-Fi seem rather clunky when you can buy a Focus with Sync baked in, not everyone can count a flashy new “connected” model as their set of wheels. Today the company announced the latest version of its Android-powered infotainment system. The new Ca-Fi 621000 Universal runs Android Gingerbread and packs a 1GHz CPU with 512MB of RAM. It also sports a capacitive touchscreen rather than the resistive display of versions past, and there’s an OBD2-USB cable, plus the pre-loaded Torque app for keeping tabs on your vehicle’s health. If sprucing up your sedan is more in line with your budget than the 2013 BMW 7 Series with iDrive Touch and 3D maps, you can nab the Ca-Fi 621000 for $999 starting at the end of August — just make sure your car has the requisite double-DIN slot first.

Continue reading Ca-Fi 621000 brings infotainment to cars with double DIN / without Connect or Sync

Filed under: Transportation

Ca-Fi 621000 brings infotainment to cars with double DIN / without Connect or Sync originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 17 Jul 2012 04:17:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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3D printing may still be in its infancy, but at least one Airbus designer sees things progressing quite a bit over the next 40 years or so. As Forbes reports, the company’s Bastian Schafer has been working on a new concept plane for the last two years with other Airbus designers — one that would largely be “printed” using a hangar-sized 3D printer. “It would have to be about 80 by 80 meters,” he told Forbes, adding that such a thing “could be feasible.” According to Schafer, 3D printing could not only lead to some significant cost savings, but also allow for parts that are 65 percent lighter than those made with traditional manufacturing methods. Naturally, the concept plane itself is also a showpiece for a raft of other new technologies, including a transparent wall membrane, a 100 percent recyclable cabin, and “morphing” seats that could harvest body heat from passengers. You can get a peek at what the plane might look like in the video after the break.

Continue reading Airbus designer hopes to see planes roll out of hangar-sized 3D printers by 2050

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Airbus designer hopes to see planes roll out of hangar-sized 3D printers by 2050 originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 16 Jul 2012 04:04:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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BAE Systems’ ASTRAEA isn’t a new concept — the company’s been playing up its unmanned potential for quite some time now — but it’s all seeming entirely less pie-in-the-sky now that the Farnborough Airshow has kicked off. Typically, UAVs are thought to be smaller, drone-type apparatuses; these things are typically used in military exercises where remote gunfire or reconnaissance is required. Clearly, it’s about time someone asked the obvious: “Why?” Lambert Dopping-Hepenstal, Engineering Director Systems and Strategy, Military Air and Information at BAE and ASTRAEA Program Director recently spoke at the aforesaid event, noting that this particular aircraft could “open up a new market.” He continued: “Current search and rescue aircraft are limited by human endurance, however with a UAV there’s no reason why they can’t stay up for weeks.” Sadly, he also affirmed that there aren’t any plans to ship actual humans up in the air without a pilot onboard, but if you’re rich and mettlesome enough to pull it off yourself… well, be sure to send us the video. Also, Godspeed.

Filed under: Transportation

BAE Systems speaks about unmanned ASTRAEA: no reason it can’t stay in air ‘for weeks’ originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 14 Jul 2012 01:14:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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That homemade bug-zapping lightsaber not quite floating your boat? Then how about building your own electric vehicle? That’s the opportunity that MODI Corporation in Japan hopes to sell when its “Pius” kit car — not to be confused with the Toyota Prius — becomes available next spring. Specs from the official site for the “micro compact car” reveal a vehicle that’s 885mm tall, 1,230mm wide and 2,500mm long. Range on a full charge is 25 kilometers or a little over 15 miles. Top speed is 35km/h, which sadly disqualifies it from the list of vehicles Doc Brown can use for time travel. The company expects to sell the one-seater to colleges and mechanic schools for use as a learning tool on how EVs work. MODI Corporation hasn’t provided pricing for the vehicle but announced that it will be available in six colors, including white, red and blue. Yes, it isn’t quite up to snuff with Drayson Racing’s 850-horsepower B12/69EV. Then again, we don’t think they have do-it-yourself kits for that one.

Filed under: Transportation

Japanese company releasing do-it-yourself Pius electric vehicle, name sounds vaguely familiar originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 12 Jul 2012 09:19:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Hot on the heels of the news it’ll be the first auto company to sport Nuance’s Dragon Drive! on some of its fancy rides, BMW’s now announced a handful of improvements and additions to its elegant ConnectedDrive infotainment system. For starters, the German outfit’s bringing an all-new feature dubbed iDrive Touch (available in China this month, elsewhere at some point next year), giving drivers the ability to use a multitouch pad for easier overall navigating throughout the console, do some numbers / text inputting and use pinch-to-zoom capabilities while using the maps application. Speaking of which, BMW is also introducing “3D City Models,” this will essentially give folks behind the wheel a “realistic depiction” of streets and buildings around their location area — however, it’s worth mentioning these tidbits will only be useful in “select locations.” What’s more, BMW’s said the new enhancements are getting a speed boost thanks to LTE integration, but that’ll have to wait until November of this year. If you’re interested in learning more, feel free to give the PR below a quick read.

Continue reading BMW brings iDrive Touch, 3D maps to ConnectedDrive, LTE integration coming soon

Filed under: Transportation, Software

BMW brings iDrive Touch, 3D maps to ConnectedDrive, LTE integration coming soon originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 11 Jul 2012 23:22:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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