Whenever I imagine a flying car, which is quite often for some reason, it usually looks like something out of The Jetsons or Back to the Future. Sadly, today’s flying cars look more like lackluster Transformers.
Not that the …
cars
Wait, Mercedes Made a Car Invisible Without David Copperfield?
He strolled through the Great Wall of China, levitated over the Grand Canyon and vanished the Status of Liberty, but illusionist David Copperfield never pulled off a trick quite like this: a hydrogen-powered Mercedes car rendered …
Nevada First State to Approve Regulations for Self-Driving Cars
Robotic cars are no longer mere sci-fi fodder — they could also begin appearing on Nevada highways. After ongoing lobbying from Google, which began testing self-driving vehicles in 2010, Nevada passed legislation last June that …
I Can Die Now: ‘Dash’ Converts Your Phone into a Complete Car Stereo
Since the advent of portable electronics, man has been trying to jury-rig portable electronics into automobiles to replace the lowly car stereo. Those days may soon be coming to an end.
I spent most of my early- to …
Ford Fusion 2013 Trounces Competition, Adds 100 MPGe Plug-in Hybrid
Ford just took the wraps off three streamlined new 2013 Fusions, including a head-turning plug-in hybrid it claims can do 100 MPGe, or “miles per gallon gasoline equivalent,” a way of quantifying performance when measuring …
Can Silicon Valley and Detroit Reinvent the Car Business?
TechnologizerApps & Software
OnStar’s Privacy Dust-Up: It’s Over, and Didn’t Apply to OnStar FMV
My latest Technologizer column on TIME.com is about OnStar FMV, the first version of the car safety-and-information service available as an aftermarket add-in for most cars, cleverly built into a rear-view mirror. When I shared the story on Twitter, Facebook and Google+, I heard from some folks who said FMV sounded neat. But a few said …
Diabetic? Cloud-Connected Ford Could Someday Save Your Life
Ford’s Microsoft-powered Sync system offers voice-activated control of music and navigation services, but the technology will be expanding to include health and wellness services in the not-too-distant future. On a rainy October day outside MIT’s Media Lab, I hopped in a cloud-connected Ford Explorer for a demonstration by Ford’s …
TechnologizerAccessories & Peripherals
Needed: Consistent User Interfaces for High-Tech Cars
Until last week, I’d never driven an Audi in my life. But when I got to try the new Audi A7 for my latest Technologizer column over on TIME.com, I didn’t have to learn anything new to drive it–everything from the gear shifter to the brakes to the turn signals were similar or identical to the ones in dozens of other cars I’ve driven. The …
It’s Not You, It’s It: Voice Recognition Doesn’t Recognize Women
Here’s something that could either relieve a lot of tension, or increase paranoia about whether or not the world is ignoring you: If you’re a woman, there’s a strong possibility that your voice-activated car really isn’t listening to you.
Thankfully, the problem is all the car’s. According to AOL Autos, carmakers “acknowledge that …
So Would You Friend Your Car on a Social Network?
A lot of people love their cars. But would you friend yours?
Most of today’s cars are as much computer-on-wheels as they are transportation. Toyota and Salesforce.com have decided that if cars are going to be smart, they should be smart enough to talk to us.
Wait, though: not like KITT in Knight Rider. Not that sort of …
Planning Sounds for Future Cars
What sound do cars make?
BRRRRRRM. Right?
Wrong. Not all of them do, not anymore. The latest electric cars are near-as-dammit silent when they’re doing under 20 miles per hour. Above that, and you might – might – hear a soft vvvvmmmmmmm.
This is more of a problem than you might think. As pedestrians, millions of us have ears …