Hasta La Gadget!

This week at the 2013 New York International Auto Show we’ve had the opportunity to have a hands-on experience with the next-generation Buick Intellilink infotainment system. This system has been revealed as coming with the 2014 LaCrosse as well as the 2014 Regal, both vehicles working with nearly identical implementations of infotainment and media playback throughout. It all begins on an 8-inch touchscreen display that sits front and center of the vehicle, able to be accessed by the driver or the copilot with ease.

Buick’s next-generation IntelliLink infotainment system works with wireless connectivity for your mobile devices, customizable options galore, and an easy-to-use user interface from start to finish. And it’s all builds on a hearty connection of both safety and security with OnStar. If you’re an OnStar user, you’ll be able to access city-by-city weather reports and ultra-simple embedded navigation using their “traditional Blue button” – rather handy.

You’ll be working with connectivity to a selection of apps for music, starting with Pandora. With Pandora you’ll have a collection of custom-built radio stations with new music coming in by the day – you’ll also be working with a set of 60 “favorites”, starting with radio stations outside of Pandora. These stations can be AM, FM, or XM, and you’ll have plenty of space left over to store “favorites” in contacts, destinations, and music from media aside from radio.

You’ll be able to connect with your media and your apps for control of the many various things IntelliLink works with using your touchscreen or by controlling your system with your voice. IntelliLink employs natural language voice recognition allowing you to control most anything you’d be able to control with your finger. You can enter destinations, browse media, safely place calls, play music, and control a variety of other functions as well.

If you’re a fan of using your touchscreen interface, you’ll find the controls to be rather familiar. You can do what Buick calls a “fling” through your lists, swipe up and down, and drag all around – basic control cues you’ll have learned well by now due to your everyday use of your smartphone or tablet devices. You can also control your music, set destinations, and more with IntelliLink’s connection to your smartphone – this done with a USB cord or Bluetooth wirelessly.

Of course the audio experience you’re going to have with the output this IntelliLink system is controlling depends entirely on the vehicle you’re driving. With the 2014 Buick Regal you’ll be working with a new nine-speaker Bose sound system including “strategically placed” tweeters and a fabulous subwoofer – you’ve got an acoustically optimized interior as well. With the 2014 Buick LaCrosse you’ve got seven standard speakers including the, again, “strategically placed” tweeters as well as a subwoofer all coming together to complement a quiet, acoustically optimized interior – with optional 11-speaker Bose Centerpoint Surround Sound being available as well!

Have a peek at our Buick tag portal for more information on the IntelliLink system as it appears in more vehicles through the future, and don’t forget to check the rest of our Car Hub for auto action from here until forever!

Buick’s next-generation IntelliLink Infotainment system hands-on is written by Chris Burns & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

Logitec is releasing 2 LAN adapter models “LAN-TXU2H3A” and “LAN-GTJU3H3″ usable by laptops without a LAN port such as Ultrabook, Tablet PC, MacBook Air, and MacBook Retina, to access wired high-speed internet.
Both models are compatible with USB2.0, and “LAN-GTJU3H3″ is also a USB3.0 compliant model and is more compact. Attaching these new LAN adapter to your LAN port-less device enables you to use not only wired internet but also 3 other USB devices at the …

If you’re the sort of person who has a need to be connected to a computer at all times but you don’t want to have to sit in front of it constantly, you might be interested in the Sonic-connect 2. This device is a portable USB gadget that plugs into your computer and can alert you of incoming messages from a variety of sources. The Sonic-connect 2 is able to keep an eye on different types of messages.

For instance, when you’re away from the computer it can monitor incoming messages from Skype, Instant Messenger, Outlook, and other locations. The device has customizable alert options and bright white LED lights. It also features a loud ringer and vibration alert to get your attention when you aren’t at your desk. Software included with the device allows you to set up VIP contacts and preferred alert settings.

That means only the most important contacts will interrupt you outside of normal hours. The device also features red “waiting” lights that glow to indicate when you have a pending message if you missed the device’s initial alert. All of the messages that come in are viewable in the Sonic Alert Messaging Window allowing you to keep all communications in one place.

The Sonic-connect 2 is plug-and-play capability and is small and compact enough to take with you on the go. The device gets power and connectivity to the computer from a USB port. Multiple Windows operating systems are supported including XP, Vista, and 7. However, the device is not compatible with Mac computers. The Sonic-connect 2 is available now for $49.95.

[via Sonic Alert]

Sonic-connect 2 lets you step away from the desk and stay informed is written by Shane McGlaun & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

If you’re ever in Las Vegas, New York, Beverly Hills, or Yountville, California you must stop by Bouchon Bakery and buy a batch of their French Macarons. They’re the tastiest damned thing you’ll ever eat. So when I saw that they were making flash drives that looked like these delectable pastries, I started drooling.

Yes, I know that I cannot eat a flash drive, but it doesn’t make these brightly-colored pucks look any less appetizing. PQI’s Macaron USB Flash Drives look just like my favorite tasty treat, so I’m not sure that I could resist trying to take a byte out of my flash memory. While you definitely won’t want to dip these in your afternoon tea, they are water-resistant, dust-resistant and shock-resistant, so they might hold up to my stomach acids for at least 10 seconds before disintegrating.

No word on where you can buy these yet, but I suppose that’s a good thing, as I wouldn’t want to end up in the ER getting my stomach pumped anyhow.

[via Far East Gizmos]

While winter’s dry air here in Chicago is finally nearing its end, I’m sure there are many of you who live in dry climates where humidification is a must year-round. If your need to moisturize your nasal passages and are into photography, have I got something for you!

One of the latest wacky gadgets to find its way from Hong Kong via Brando, the USB Camera Lens Humidifier is exactly what it sounds like. This gadget looks just like a Canon SLR camera lens, but is actually a compact desktop humidifier. Just load it with water, plug it into a USB port, and you’ll be fogging up your eyeglasses in no time flat.

The USB Camera Lens Humidifier is available for just $25(USD) over at Brando. Just don’t try and mount it to your fancy DSLR and expect to shoot steamy photos with it.