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Filed under: Aftermarket , Gadgets , Euro , Tech var digg_url = 'http://digg.com/design/When_you_re_bored_with_one_color_car_use_tape'; When a BMW 335i owner in Munich became bored with his black coupe, he hired a team to wrap it in white tape. Two days later, he drove home in his refreshed "Alpine White" coupe (with an M3-appearing black roof). No, it's not normal tape. It's a special 3M wrap, and the process is known as "foiling." Apparently, the German military has been using the process (with an olive drab tape) for some time now. Likewise, the process is popular with race teams and taxi companies. Available in countless colors, the tape itself is thick enough to protect the paint from minor chips and nicks, and it can be left adhered to the surface for 3-4 years without damage (!). Adhesion isn't a problem either, as the tape can even withstand an automatic car wash without peeling off. Thanks for the tip Frank. Gallery: Foil Tape Paint Job ...
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Filed under: Aftermarket , Gadgets The team at Njection have updated their Speedtrap site with new features and more detailed speed trap information. After introducing the ability to upload speed trap information to Garmin GPS units in March, Njection has now added color-coded maps on its website. Locations of user-reported police radar, or other speed enforcement devices, are displayed as colored dots based on the threat level. Low level threats are yellow, while medium threats are orange. The highest level threats are displayed in red. In addition to the map upgrades, a new "speed trap heat map" visually charts the day and time of the week when the threats are the highest. As before, all database information for the free service is provided by registered users on the site who report on their local enforcement tactics. Check out the press release after the jump for a special incentive for new registered users that may or may not be of any value to you. [Source: Njection ] Continue...
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Filed under: Aftermarket , Gadgets , Time Warp , I.C.E. , Videos Click above to view the video posted after the jump. Okay, Mio's Knight Rider GPS unit is now officially "hella" cool. Engadget snagged some video of the startup sequence, and we're overcome by nostalgia for 1984. We're not excited to the point where we've gone digging for vintage Le Tigre polos or pulled that zombie leather jacket (the Thriller replica, natch) out of deep closet storage, but seeing that sweeping light bar and watching the flanking LEDs twinkle to the dulcet tones of William Daniels brings back sunny memories for those of us that lived it the first time around. Even cooler is that there's a bank of 300 names to choose from, so odds are good that KITT will greet you personally - that closes the sale right there, we officially want one. [Source: Engadget ] Continue reading VIDEO: Engadget gets to play with Mio Knight Rider GPS, Autoblog jealous Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments
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Filed under: Aftermarket , Gadgets , Time Warp , I.C.E. Click above to view more shots of the Mio Knight Rider GPS "Michael, you're going the wrong way, you ninny." For all you Knight Rider fans no longer moved by finding a perfect 45 rpm single of "A Knight Rider Christmas," Mio has a brand new toy that's capable of Knight Industries Two Thousand level antics. The Knight Rider-themed GPS unit has voice prompts recorded by the one-and-only William Daniels (thankfully not Val Kilmer ), the original voice of KITT, and asks cordially "Hello Michael, where do you want to go today?" when powered up. The LCD display is also flanked by a series of red LEDs reminiscent of KITT's nose-mounted lights. Once the unit is available for sale, about $270 is all it'll take to get KITT in your KARR. Thanks for the tip, Dan! Gallery: Mio Knight Rider GPS [Source: Next Autos ] Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments
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Filed under: Aftermarket , Gadgets , I.C.E. While Ford's giving the Fusion an LCD large enough to watch feature films, Magna has joined up with Swiss firm u-blox and Germany's Paragon to develop a navigation system that puts the map display in your rearview mirror. The system is called MirrorPilot, and it does look like a slick way to add factory navigation with a minimum of effort on the automaker's part. It's also far nicer than suction-cupping some aftermarket unit to the windshield and dealing with its tangle of cables. It's not just a mirror with a display; the MirrorPilot incorporates a GPS receiver and antenna, as well as a speaker. The mirror itself self-dims electrochromically, and the display automatically zooms at intersections and also comes with a remote control. The screen may be small, but the cost is large; this unit will be priced above $1,000 when it goes on sale in Germany, Austria, and Switzerland. While it's a nice idea, it's not $1,000 worth...
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Filed under: Aftermarket , Gadgets , Trends The team over at SEMA, you know them as the group that supplies the automotive industry with aftermarket performance and cosmetic accessories, have asked more than 1,000 automotive enthusiasts how they intend to spend their federal tax rebate checks. Of course, we know what SEMA wants the answer to be... Interestingly enough, most surveyed (21%) said they would use the money to pay down credit cards. Another large chunk (20%) said they'd bank the cash for now. Of those who said they'd spend the money on specialty automotive equipment, most intend to buy wheels, exhaust kits, cold air intakes, and engine performance accessories. From survey results, SEMA was able to determine most enthusiasts have altered, and delayed, buying specialty equipment due to the high cost of fuel. In fact, some of the hottest aftermarket performance parts right now are specifically designed to enhance fuel economy. We think you just found an excuse for that new...
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Filed under: Aftermarket , Gadgets , Etc. , Safety This is nearly a perfect device. If only you could record your own message - something situationally appropriate, perhaps. As it is, Our Lady of the Trunk is the perfect companion when you're preparing to worship at the feet of Our Blessed Mother of Acceleration. Most of us will have to back out of our driveways or parking spots before summoning full ahead from the propulsion plant, so offertory to these spiritual matriarchs could be considered part of the religion of driving. Really what this little doohickey amounts to is a reversing alarm, but it's apparently got a voice sample in its electronics, along with the standard klaxon. You couldn't pay a loudmouth to hang out on your bumper and announce with the authority of a 100dB sound pressure level that the vehicle is backing up, so how can you go wrong for less than ten bucks? The voice is only in English (sorry, rest of the world), but in the box are the requisite transducer...
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Filed under: Aftermarket , Audio , Gadgets , Green , Tech , Toys , Motorcycles Though it's usually the adventure touring crowd that excels at turning their motorcycles into rolling technology test-beds, we've recently run across a Yamaha Vino scooter that has been fully farkled . Featuring an on-board computer based around a VIA mini ITX form factor motherboard that's cleverly been hidden under the stock Vino's seat, this rolling geek-mobile packs in WiFi, Bluetooth, USB, GPS, FM radio, a TV tuner and a front-mounted camera in its diminutive frame. With the full-spec computer, pretty much anything should be possible right from the road using this scooter. While this is certainly a cool project, we have a few questions regarding its durability. How long will the acrylic plate that makes the structure for the computer hold up? Perhaps most importantly, how long will the scooter's battery be able to power all this technology? In the name of science, of course, we graciously...
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Filed under: Aftermarket , Gadgets , Etc. , Tech The Covertech Automotive Car Cover protects your car from every element, even -- according to its maker -- "malicious intent." When you're ready to take the cover off, apparently all you need to do is stand back and watch. The cover retracts automatically into a "briefcase-sized" enclosure in a trunk or hatchback. There's even one for motorcycles that fits in a "Kleenex-sized" box. The creator envisions carmakers eventually integrating the automatic car cover into the design of their cars. Sounds neat, but when you want to cover your car up again, you'll need good old manual labor for that. Personally, we can't see needing to cover and uncover your car often enough in one day to make such a device necessary, but perhaps there are folks with the need for easy incognito. But while it's hard to tell from the video, the answer is yes, it probably will make your bumper look big. Thanks for the...
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Filed under: Aftermarket , Gadgets , CES , Tech The latest gizmo from Japan's Takata will tell you where to go, but not like those verbally abusive digital keychains from the '90s. The Takata CSW steering wheel is designed to interface with sensors in your vehicle and display different messages on an LCD screen in the 12 o'clock position. There are already lights and sirens to let you know if your door is ajar or the washer fluid is low, but the CSW wheel's best trick is that it will talk to the Navigon 7100 navigation system, should you have one. It's an interesting cross-brand lashup that is pushing the envelope of aftermarket integration. The screen in the wheel works in conjunction with the larger screen in the navigation unit to display instructions, though the improvement over just the Navigon would likely be sufficient. Both the wheel and the Navi can reportedly poll vehicle sensors, though we're not sure exactly how, so the systems would be more aware of...
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Filed under: Aftermarket , Gadgets , Tech Njection is a website for guys like us. In addition to their forums and picture resources, they have compiled a database of more than 50,000 speed traps worldwide -- areas with high radar use and speed cameras -- that works with Microsoft Live Maps. Njection is teaming up with Garmin, a leading manufacturer of GPS, to allow drivers to download and display their speed trap database information on portable navigation units. The Speed Trap-enhanced Garmin portable GPS units will be a great companion on a road trip, long commute, or while traveling in unfamilar areas. However, as sophisticated as the technology is getting, GPS still won't find your lost keys. [Source: PRNewswire via Winding Road ] Permalink | Email this | Comments
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Filed under: Aftermarket , Gadgets , CES Pioneer says its newest GPS unit, the memorably-named AVIC-F500BT (fondly called the AVIC LINC by its creators), "changes the face of navigation." Foremost, it's an in-dash GPS device bringing everything you expect from a high-end direction-finder. In addition to those standard features, the AVIC-F500BT brags of 1.2 million points of interest, has an SD slot for updating your system's navigational information and uses MSN traffic, weather and gas price information. LINC is an acronym for Lifestyle Innovation Network Console, and it's what makes the F500BT more interesting than most GPS boxes. Using Pioneer's "VoiceBox Conversational Voice Search Platform," basically an advanced voice recognition system, you can totally control your iPod or other MP3 players as well as your Bluetooth-connected phone. Much like Ford's SYNC, Pioneer's LINC lets you ask your system for a song or your phone to dial a number...
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Filed under: Aftermarket , Gadgets , CES One of the big problems with aftermarket, in-car Bluetooth devices is sound. Most of them plug up in your car's auxiliary power plug (that's a cigarette lighter to those of use born before 1990), and unless you drive a Miata, that's not where your ears are. Iqua says their Bluetooth Snake fixes the problem by moving the sound closer to your head. The Snake fits onto your car's headrest and sits right at your right cheek to better pick up your voice as well as put the sound where it's needed. It still gets its power from where you once lit your smokes, so theres some cableage to run. And despite the photo above, the Iqua's CES rep assures us the Snake doesn't obstruct your vision or distract your attention from the road ahead. More hi-res photos of the Iquas Bluetooth Snake in our gallery . Gallery: CES 2008: Iqua Bluetooth Snake Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments
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Filed under: Aftermarket , Gadgets , Etc. , Tech , Porsche click above image for more pics Automotive-branded computers are nothing new, but this takes it to new levels. Computer manufacturer SLI recently unveiled this PC encased in the Porsche rim. The computer hardware is housed in a chromed 18-inch wheel from the Porsche Cayenne sport-utility, wrapped in Bridgestone rubber with twin exhaust-silencers housing the liquid cooling iron. The custom set-up was commissioned by Nvidia to showcase its SLI video performance platform, and really sticks it to all those fancy branded laptops from Ferrari , Lamborghini , Koenigsegg , Maybach and (soon) BMW . [Source: Gizmo Watch via German Car Scene ] Gallery: Porsche Cayenne wheel PC mod Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments
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Filed under: Aftermarket , Gadgets , SEMA , Safety Vehicular lighting is a crapshoot. Some vehicles offer a great swath of even coverage from their headlamps, while others make you feel like you're squinting through welding goggles at night. I went through the trouble to retrofit one of my cars with Cibié lamps running overwattage H4 bulbs. That effort required a couple hundred dollars of parts, a good amount of labor to wire up relays and triggers, and not everyone is willing to expend such time and money, even if it means you won't overdrive your lights so easily. Sweden's Visualeyes has trotted out the Rayzer, an auxiliary lighting system that mounts from the inside and projects a beam through the windshield. We're taking the product's SEMA appearance as an indication of legality in the US. From the amount of end-user modifications we see on a daily basis, nobody's enforcing the rules on lights, anyway. The system has been patented and was developed by...
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