Hasta La Gadget!

Sure, we may not see flying cars in our lifetime, but a mainstream digital dash is a definite possibility. The all-glass vehicle dashboard has been conceptualized by other manufacturers in the past, but this year it’s Panasonic’s turn to try its hand at building a multi-display system. The electronics maker brought its Cockpit prototype to the CEATEC floor, causing quite a stir among passersby. The dash itself was little more than a semi-functional mockup, presenting recorded rendered video on the main 20-inch LCD and dual 10.4-inch secondary displays. The main display’s current objective appears to be improving safety, using a series of cameras to eliminate blind spots and alert drivers to other road hazards. Real-time driving stats are displayed atop a video feed, either from the rear camera (when in reverse), or one up front.

We spent a few minutes behind the wheel of Panasonic’s mockup, which consisted only of a pair of (rather comfortable) leather seats, along with a trio of LCDs, which the company claims are currently based on panels used in other Panasonic products, but may eventually utilize custom displays. This wasn’t an actual vehicle prototype — only the “cockpit” was on hand. The main display will (hopefully) focus the driver’s attention away from distractions on those two smaller screens — the one in the center can be used to control standard vehicle settings like climate and entertainment, while a second display positioned directly in front of the passenger seat can play movies and other content.

Are we there yet? No, so you better get comfortable for the long drive ahead. Overall the setup looked like it could have potential, though Panasonic warned us not to expect anything final until the end of the decade (2018 at the earliest). Jump past the break for a Cockpit drive-by.

Continue reading Panasonic Cockpit digital dash prototype hands-on (video)

Panasonic Cockpit digital dash prototype hands-on (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 05 Oct 2011 09:52:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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If you’re a parent with an iPad, there’s a good chance your tablet already disappears for long stretches, only to come back covered in tiny fingerprints. Today’s Appmates announcement from Disney will likely have plenty of parents seriously considering the purchase of a second tablet for the home. The Cars toys are meant to be driven across the top of an iPad, interacting with a downloadable Cars 2 Appmates app, which lets kids drive around courses, race and complete missions. The app will be offered up as a free download through iTunes, and the cars will run $20 for a two-pack — the different toys unlock different features, according to Disney. The toys will be made available in October through Apple and Disney Stores and various retailers. Press info and a video after the break.

Continue reading Disney Appmates ‘Cars’ toys mean parents may never see their iPads again (video)

Disney Appmates ‘Cars’ toys mean parents may never see their iPads again (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 27 Sep 2011 10:10:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Prius fans, that long road to a promised plug-in hybrid’s coming to an end. Toyota rolled out its production model PHV at the Green Drive Expo, announcing a March 2012 availability for the car, and a $32,000 price tag for the base model. The partial EV will be offered in two trim versions with a touchscreen audio / navigation display and Toyota’s Entune in-car entertainment system to come standard, with the Heads Up display reserved for the advanced models. Expect to get about 87 MPGe with the auto in combined drive mode, and 49MPG when it switches to hybrid. As for that old NiMH battery, the new 4.4kWh Li-ion replacement gains a full charge after about three hours on a 120v source, and can re-up the juice in less than two hours on a 240v connection. You can dive into the PR for all the details after the break, and look forward to our in-depth hands-on in a few.

Continue reading Toyota officially unveils production Prius plug-in hybrid, available March 2012 for $32,000

Toyota officially unveils production Prius plug-in hybrid, available March 2012 for $32,000 originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 16 Sep 2011 14:15:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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It’s only been two months since Spotify made its stateside debut, and it’s already getting in bed with an American staple. No, it hasn’t struck a deal with Beyonce or Britney, but the fine folks at Autoblog are reporting that the streaming music service will make its way into vehicles sporting the Ford SYNC AppLink system “in the near future.” Details are otherwise vague, but we’d be interested to hear how the outfit’s “exclusive automotive advertising partner” feels about the deal.

Update: Turns out this partnership isn’t of the official kind. The folks at Spotify were actually on hand at the TechCrunch Disrupt Hack-a-Thon to show off “how easy it is for developers to create voice-enabled smartphone apps using the SYNC API.” Looks like Chevy’s got nothing to be jealous about after all.

Spotify to lay down beats for Ford (update: it’s a hack) originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 10 Sep 2011 16:32:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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BMW is working on a new type of headlight that will replace its latest LED headlights with lasers. The laser beam headlights will be twice as efficient as LEDs, and can be up to 1,000 times stronger. Not only will the laser headlights help save energy, which will in turn save on gas; they’ll also […]