Hasta La Gadget!

Face it: you’re never going to have a flying car. Even if the Moller Skycar were cheap and common enough for everyone to be able to afford, the first time some bleary-eyed morning commuter spilled coffee on their lap and made a spiraling dive into a kindergarten, they’d all be grounded. Permanently. We might get there some day, but the next few generations of tomorrow’s cars are going to stay firmly planted on the ground. I’m okay with that. In fact, I like that. After all, it’s pretty fun to drive on the ground — or a lake, if the ice is thick enough.

If we’re stuck with such pedestrian things as wheels and tires and fenders, what’s the next-generation of cars going to look like? Are hybrids really a hot thing or are they the automotive equivalent of a transition medium? Will tomorrow’s cars continue today’s horsepower wars or are a nation’s dyno graphs on the verge of a beige econo-precipice the likes of which we haven’t seen since the ’70s fuel crisis? Damned if I know, but I do at least have an idea of what I believe the next generation of cars should be, something that could be produced in five years or less and would totally rock my world. Maybe it will rock yours, too.

Continue reading Editorial: I’m ready for my car of the future, and it doesn’t even have to fly

Editorial: I’m ready for my car of the future, and it doesn’t even have to fly originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 03 Jan 2011 12:04:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Smartphone user? Regardless of platform you have no shortage of navigation options, and now Ford has added another way to get where you’re going — if you’re also an owner of a SYNC TDI-compatible car, anyway. Using the new SYNC Destinations app (available today for iOS and Android, with BlackBerry coming soon) you can more efficiently pre-plan your route. The app lets you pick a destination, view real-time traffic updates, even check out congestion predictions based on weather, time of day, and holidays. It’s a feature that would have been pretty handy last week when we were simultaneously dealing with a heck of a blizzard and a whole lot of people trying to flee their in-laws.

The app will even suggest what time you should leave to avoid the most headaches, a potential boon for those desperately seeking any excuse to hit the road a little early. It is, however, just for planning, sending your route to the car and then disabling the phone’s display when you cross the magic 5mph threshold. It’s safer that way, after all. Full details are in the PR below and if you’re on the lucky two supported platforms with a suitably compatible car you can download today for free.

Continue reading Ford launches SYNC Destinations, the free app for people who go places in cars

Ford launches SYNC Destinations, the free app for people who go places in cars originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 30 Dec 2010 00:01:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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