With Google officially receiving the first license for a self driving vehicle on May 7, a highly futuristic view of the road may be a lot closer than accepted.

With new legislation passed last summer Nevada became the first state to make the self driving car a legal part of the road. To easily display if you are driving next a fully automated car Nevada’s Department of Motor Vehicles has decided to to issue red license plates to these vehicles.

In order to receive its license Nevada requires that the car log in at least 10,000 miles and rumor has it that Nevada’s DMV analyzed Google’s Prius in environments as diverse as the open highway to crowded Vegas strip.

If more of these self automated vehicles continue to be licensed, red license plates would not be the only visible changes to the road as we know it. Eventually these cars have the ability to make the road a much safer place and will no longer need what we consider necessities such as street lights and stop signs.

To see the car in action…click here

Audi's new eBike

If I were to tell you one of the most innovative technologies Audio would introduce this year has a top end speed at around 30 mph you would think I was crazy, but that’s exactly what Audi has done with their new electric bicycle jam packed with technology.

Apart from its impressive top speed it is also incredibly light for an electric bike with a total weight at just under 10 pounds, tailored for not just cruising around the city but for popping wheelies, performing back flips and pretty much anything else the imagination of a few innovators might come up with.

Audi recently released a clip of the new bike in action where you can see a sneak preview of not only what the bike looks like but how it performs under more than conventional conditions.

With gas prices soaring and a growing urban population it is not hard to see why Audi has taken such a giant leap forward in what is largely regarded as an untapped market.

Much like many other electrical devices coming out as of late Audi’s new bike too works wirelessly with your smartphone and can even keep track of how many tricks you’ve completed and post them onto facebook. 

For a sneak peek of Audi’s new bike in action…click here

After a quite dismal year filled with quite a few set backs last year, HTC is hoping 2012 serves as the year where the company can regain its lofty status on top of the Android market through a family of three new phones.

The phones in question are the One S for T Mobile users the One X for ATT and the Droid Incredible 4g for the Verizon network. The One S and One X have already been released and while the Incredible 4g has no release date yet Verizon has stated it expects to release it sooner rather than later.

The one x comes with a quite large 4.7 inch screen while the one s comes with a much more standard 4.3 inch screen. As for the Droid Incredible, it comes with what I consider a much more comfortable 4.0 inch screen.

What allows HTC’s new line of phones to stand out in the ever expanding Android market already flooded with phones are the built in 8.0 megapixel camera and the enhanced Beats by Dre audio system which the company teamed up with last year.

The camera is somewhat revolutionary due to its improved capabilities, the most impressive of which are it’s zero shutter lag capabilities that allow for a whole lot of pictures to be taken in a short amount of time and the ability to take photos while recording.

All three phones also come with what is considered by many as the best screen in the Android family with the ATT’s One X leading the pack with a 1280 by 720 resolution. 

As the future of the home television continues to evolve from a passive approach to a more interactive one, nobody really knows how much time it will take for people to fully embrace the change.

At this point it is still fairly unknown if that change will ever be completely accepted but one can’t help but wonder if it is, how far can manufacturers push the envelope and make the television as immersive as possible.

NDS is one of the first companies to take on that question head on through their wall sized fully interactive television.

What NDS accomplished with their prototype television is to show how watching a television can become a personal experience with the capability pre-loading settings and personal information.

Screen size for the NDS television is also fully adjustable as well any other streaming data the user might need at the time, from twitter feeds to news headlines and even weather and traffic information.

All these fully adjustable capabilities are made available through a customized Ipad App, which acts as the master control that can even adjust room lighting according to programming.

When not in use the wall sized television acts as an electronic wallpaper that blends in with the rest of the room. While we may be years and even decades away before something even similar to the NDS television is a part of people’s living rooms it is not hard to see how it could easily catch on.

]]> http://www.carelectronicsforum.com/blog1/2012/05/10/the-future-of-television-as-the-wall-sized-centerpiece-of-your-living-room/feed/ 0 http://www.carelectronicsforum.com/blog1/2012/05/08/bad-game-apps/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=bad-game-apps http://www.carelectronicsforum.com/blog1/2012/05/08/bad-game-apps/#comments Tue, 08 May 2012 06:54:43 +0000 RaulMagana http://www.carelectronicsforum.com/blog1/?p=462

Practically anybody with a smartphone has gone through it. The roller-coaster ride of buying what you think is a great gaming app on the App Store or the Play Store.

It always starts out the same, the rush and excitement of finding a big name game with a popular tittle that you think is going to change your life forever, or at least your downtime at school or work.

Then you ultimately decide to buy the game for two reasons, the first is you figure this game is great in other formats so how bad can it really be on a smartphone. Second, even if the game is terrible, at worst your only looking at a $5 dollar loss so its probably worth the risk.

Once you’ve downloaded the game however, you realize that everything that you probably already knew about the gameplay has been confirmed. The graphics are spotty and the on screen game controls are both frustrating and unpredictable at best. Saying a game like Fifa 12 on the Iphone is a shadow of its console counterpart would be compliment.

As we head into a new era of gaming where play is taking place more and more on a phone or tablet one can only wonder when the gaming industry will revert from the less is more approach and head into making custom made games with complex game play and perfected controls.

Safesight's RVMZH4300

Now that back up camera systems are becoming ever more popular there are more than a few options to browse through as far as camera and monitors are concerned.

As for monitors, for the cleanest looking interior the two best options to go with are an having an in dash monitor or having a replacement rear view mirror.

The problem with an aftermarket in dash monitor for a back up camera system is that they can be very expensive and often times people who are comfortable with their in dash systems are unwilling to make the change to an aftermarket system.

Even people who already have a factory installed in dash monitor in their vehicle, need to purchase an expensive video interface in order to equip their system with a standard RCA input which can run anywhere from $300 and above.

A replacement rear view mirror monitor is great for a clean look and is located at an ideal location. Most come with designated 4.3 inch monitor that blends in with the rest of the mirror and doubles a standard mirror when not in use.

However, although most of these monitors have reflective surfaces few come with a bright display and have a rather dark tint look.One of the rear view mirror monitors that does come with an extremely high reflective surface and a considerably bright display would be Safesight’s RVMZH4300.

The RVMZH4300 is one of the best rear view mirrors on the market as it not only has one of the brightest displays but unlike a lot of other systems, its LCD monitor is undetectable when not in use.

The RVMZH4300 also comes with two standard RCA inputs for multiple camera use or any external video source such as a DVD player and is topped off with a reverse trigger wire which can be placed to a reverse lead so the monitor turns on as soon as the vehicle is in reverse.

To purchase the RVMZH4300…click here

Vizualogic Quantum 1100

For anyone with a higher end vehicle, Vizualogic has released top of the line flip down monitors that blend in with your interior and look like they belong.

Vizualogic has dubbed these monitors the quantum series and come with a 8.5 inch , 10.2 inch and 11inch size option. The 8.5in version comes with one standard RCA input to connect any other external video source such as an in dash DVD, as well as a 2.0 USB port to play multimedia stored on a USB drive.

Both the 10.2 and 11 inch versions also come equipped with a full sized SD card slot that will play multimedia stored on any SD card. Both monitors also come with a screen that swivels almost a complete 180 degrees.

All three monitors come in either gray or tan and include a built in DVD player, built in infared headphone transmitter for wireless headphone use and come with the option of adding two foldable wireless headphones.

Most importantly all three monitors come with a slim design that set it apart from standard flip down monitors. All three monitors also come with last position memory which easily allow the viewer to pick up right where they left off in their movie even after both the car and monitor have been turned off.

All three monitors are able to play a wide range of media formats including DVD, DVD-R, DVD-RW, DVD+R, DVD+RW, CD, CD-R, CD-RW, VCD, SVCD, MP3, JPEG, MPEG4 and DivX formats.

To purchase the Quantum series…click here

The SC9002

If your in the market for a commercial grade camera system, one with an amazing quality build that will last, then the SC9002 is the backup camera system for you.

The SC9002 is a great system for anyone that works with heavy machinery daily and can benefit from a backup camera system. The system comes with an enduring steel fortified surface mount camera that can be mounted virtually anywhere with just a couple screws.

The camera dubbed the SC0104 also comes with a substantial amount of infared LED lighting for a black and white picture during nighttime use. The SC0104 is a CCD camera so it has excellent lighting contrast capabilities that produce a high quality picture and has a 120 degree viewing angle.

Whats intriguing about the SC9002 backup camera system is that it comes with a four pronged connection that allows the camera to attain power through the monitor and simultaneously allows the camera to send a video signal to the monitor with one single 60ft cable, that’s included.

Another interesting feature of the SC9002 is that the camera comes with a built in microphone to pick up audio which is also transferred to the monitor through the  60ft cable and emitted through the system’s monitor built in speakers.

The monitor included with the SC9002 is a 7 inch LCD monitor dubbed the SC7103. The SC7103 comes with two video inputs for multiple camera use if needed and image flipping capabilities that allows for a reverse image camera to be used for front and side views.

The SC9002′s commercial grade build makes it one of the most durable, if not the most durable backup camera systems on the market. It is great for trailers, tractors, forklifts, RV’s, towing companies, dump trucks and any other commercial vehicle. 

For more pictures or to buy the SC9002…click here

The DV-170

When shopping for a car DVD player there are a couple features that stand out.

 To some, having a built in USB port is one of the most important features. This allows for pictures and movies stored on a flash drive to be easily played through the player with no need for discs. For others, last position memory is a key to purchasing the right unit. Last position memory allows a movie to restart right where you left off, even if you turn off your vehicle, without tediously having to flip through chapters or fast forwarding.

What’s great about Valor’s DV-170 DVD player is that it is a fully equipped multimedia player with both a USB port and last position memory capability.

The DV-170 also has an additional full size SD port for yet another way to play your favorite movie or scroll through pictures. Of coarse, apart from the USB and SD ports the DV-170 also plays traditional DVDs as well as CD, CD-R, CD-RW, VCD and MP3 formats.

The DV-170 is also attractive because it can be mounted virtually anywhere, both horizontally and vertically and comes with electronic shock protection which is an anti-vibration mechanism that keeps the disc from skipping during less than ideal road conditions.

The DV-170 is great for limo and buss companies looking to provide entertainment in a compact 7 inch by 2 inch 12 volt device as well as anybody looking to add a DVD player to any entertainment system with an existing monitor.

For more information or to purchase the DV-170…click here

]]> http://www.carelectronicsforum.com/blog1/2012/04/26/the-dv-170-single-din-dvd-player/feed/ 0 http://www.carelectronicsforum.com/blog1/2012/04/24/playstation2-flip-down-dvd-monitor/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=playstation2-flip-down-dvd-monitor http://www.carelectronicsforum.com/blog1/2012/04/24/playstation2-flip-down-dvd-monitor/#comments Tue, 24 Apr 2012 05:02:59 +0000 RaulMagana http://www.carelectronicsforum.com/blog1/?p=420

ADV10PS2

A flip down DVD monitor is one of the best investments you could add to your vehicle’s entertainment system, especially if you have kids.

It can turn a long family trip from almost unbearable to remarkably smooth and provides one less thing to worry about on the road for your kids, entertainment.

For families with smaller children it is relatively easy to keep your kids entertained with the same copy of “Finding Nemo” or “Team Umizoomi” they’ve watched for what seems like over a hundred times over the last couple years.

For families with children who are a bit older, who are quite a bit harder to keep interested in one thing for long periods of time a great alternative to a standard flip down DVD monitor is Audiovox’s ADV10PS2.

What sets the 10PS2 apart from other flip downs is that is is the only one with a built in Sony Playstation2. The flip down monitor also comes with two wireless Playstation2 controllers and two sets of infared wireless headphones as well as an alternate gray and beige cover shroud apart from the black cover the system initially comes outfitted with.

The 10PS2 comes retrofitted with a good size 10.2 inch monitor and built in DVD. To start, the system will also include two free Playstation2 video games, a sports game in “Hot Shots Golf 3″ as well as an action game in “Ratchet Clank Going Commando”.

The 10PS2 also comes equipped with a built in FM transmitter which makes it easy to wirelessly produce the monitor’s audio over the car speakers.

Apart from all its built in entertainment capabilities the flip down monitor also includes standard RCA inputs so you can even connect an Ipod, Iphone or Ipad through the use of a IS76 video cable.

For more information or to purchase the ADV10PS2…click here