AT&T CruiseCastSM Debuts Even More Satellite ICE at SEMA

By colin November 3rd, 2008

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Delivering exactly what distracted American drivers need more of, AT&T CruiseCastSM and RaySat Broadcasting Corp. will unveil AT&T CruiseCastSM, "the Total In-Car Entertainment service that will enable families, commuters, and mobile professionals to watch a lineup of 22 satellite video channels anywhere in the country." The official unveil will occur tomorrow at SEMA, the Specialty Equipment Manufacturer's Association yearly festival of bling, ICE, lowered (and raised) suspensions, and generally tricked-out automobiles and automotive accessories.

Notably, the new satellite reception service, which employs a new low-profile antenna, is reported to use reception technology that is able to overcome "line-of-sight obstacles" like freeway overpasses, buildings, trees, or tunnels that typically scramble or kill in-car satellite reception. Sounding to us like oversampling in compact disc technology, "video buffering" promises to keep all of the kids and family, documentary, music, comedy, news, and sports programming streaming loud and clear with little to no interruptions. "We believe consumers will flock to bringing living room entertainment into the back seat of their car," says Yoel Gat, who will serve as chairman and CEO of RaySat Broadcasting Corp.

Specifically, the Disney Channel, Toon Disney, Discovery Kids, Animal Planet, Nickelodeon, Cartoon Network Mobile, USA, Comedy Central, MSNBC, CNN Mobile Live, and CNBC will be the featured satellite video channels. Twenty satellite radio channels will also be offered at launch, along with the capability to add more channels if demand rises.

With gigando full-frame SUVs--some of the first vehicles to offer preposterous amounts of ICE (formal: in-car entertainment. Informal: shiny or ostentatious jewelry; bling)--dying a quick death in this tough market, do you think there will be demand for DVD, satellite video and radio, and other bits of audiovisual frippery in the backseats of Toyota Priuses, Honda Insights, and 2011 Chevy Volts? We suppose there's still the crossover market, and in-car entertainment does make sense in those seven-passenger-plus, three-row affairs.

When I was a kid, we played the license plate game, passed around the Mad Libs, or listened to my dad tell stories. Either parents have it easier these days, being able to simply press "play" to quiet the kiddies, or the new generation coming up will be ever more hopelessly addicted to the TV monitors that seem to be serving as surrogate parents.--Colin Mathews
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Posted in : 2009, Advertising/Marketing, Aftermarket/Tuning, Gadgets/Products, Industry News, New Products, SEMA, Technology

Nissan Taps Video Game Maker to Help Launch New 370Z

By colin October 30th, 2008

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Nissan 370Z - Need For Speed Undercover Enlarge Photo

"Bringing the Nissan brand to a passionate and unique audience" was the impetus behind featuring the brand's new 2009 Nissan 370Z in the hit video game series, Need for Speed. The game will allow Z enthusiasts and gamers a virtual seat behind the wheel of its new sportscar in Need for Speed Undercover prior to the vehicle's actual release. The game will be available in the United States on November 18 and in Europe on November 21. The public unveil of the 2009 370Z will occur at the Los Angeles Auto Show on November 19.

Nissan marketing folks claim this is the first time an automaker has done a vehicle world premiere by partnering with a video game company. Black Box, a studio of Electronic Arts Inc., produces the Need for Speed series, which for the last 15 years has been bridging "the gap between gamers and the world's hottest cars."

They say that video game designers worked closely with Nissan "to accurately replicate the overall look, feel and performance of the all-new Nissan Z." The game's cop chases, highway battles, and even an "all-new Heroic Driving Engine" (a character, perhaps?) may be experienced on Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, Wii, PlayStation 2, Nintendo DS, PSP, PC and mobile. Click Need for Speed to find out more.--Colin Mathews
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Posted in : 2009, Advertising/Marketing, Cars We Love, Coupes, Driving, Enthusiasts, Gadgets/Products, Los Angeles Auto Show, Nissan, Racing/Motorsports

Audi to Offer HD Radio Across 2011 Lineup

By Marty Padgett October 23rd, 2008

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2008 Audi R8 Enlarge Photo

"Vorsprung durch Technik"--that's German for "Advancement Through Technology," a concept that Audi espouses in promoting new technologies such as HD Radio as standard equipment on many of its model-year 2011 lineup. The German automaker, who shares a U.S. headquarters with Volkswagen in Herndon, Virginia, announced yesterday that its luxury vehicles with HD Radio will offer "the best in digital broadcast engineering, top-of-the-line AM/FM HD Radio audio systems featuring added content and format choices and crystal-clear sound."

iBiquity Digital Corporation's Jeff Jury feels the partnership between Audi and his firm--which is responsible for developing digital HD Radio technology for AM and FM audio and data broadcasting--is an astute one. Continuing to pitch HD Radio's ultra-clear reception and ability to transmit digital/text information (making possible the transmission of song titles, traffic/weather updates, emergency alerts, news, and valet-type services), Jury feels that Audi's significant buy-in with HD Radio will promote the technology as one in vogue with the luxury auto market.

Currently, iBiquity's HD Radio offers more than 1,800 AM and FM radio stations and more than 900 new multicast channels (HD2/HD3) on the FM dial. All channels are subscription-free, unlike satellite radio, though users might find the slightly higher price of the more complex receiver reflected in the bottom line of vehicles so equipped.

According to Wikipedia, Ford was first to market with an HD Radio tuner in 2008, and offers HD Radio tuners as factory-installed options in its SYNC-equipped models. Three other German auto manufacturers also offer factory-installed HD Radio; BMW on nearly its entire lineup, BMW's MINI on the 2009 Cooper and 2009 Cooper S, and Mercedes-Benz on the 2009 R320, 2009 ML320, and 2009 GL320. Scion offers the radio technology with some of its radio options, and Volvo offers it, factory-installed, on eight models from the S40 T5 to the XC90.--Colin Mathews

Posted in : 2011, Audi, Cars We Love, Gadgets/Products, Industry News, Luxury Cars, Mobile Audio, Sport-Utility Vehicles, Technology

iPhone Tapped to Bolster 2009 Ford Flex Sales

By Marty Padgett October 21st, 2008

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Hoping to ride the wave of massive popularity enjoyed by Apple's iPhone, Ford is pumping up its 2009 Flex crossover with a new iPhone application, reports the Detroit Free Press.

Called Flex Photo Lab, the app allows users to alter photos on the iPhone or learn more information about Ford's 2009 Flex CUV. CNET's Web site versiontracker.com calls it a great tool "to enhance photos on your iPhone."

Upon opening Flex Photo Lab, users enter a darkroom through the iPhone's segment-leading interface. Inside the darkroom, special effects like a kaleidoscopic filter may be applied to photographs stored in the phone. The altered images may then be saved. The promotional part of the software is called Discover Flex, and users may access that promotional tool with a quick finger tap.

Sales of the Flex started soft with only 7,552 sold from June to September, but 20,000 iPhone users have already downloaded Flex Photo Lab as of yesterday. With any luck, this progressive marketing move will lure potential buyers into Ford dealerships. And any association with the wildly popular iPhone can only be a good thing for the struggling domestic automaker.--Colin Mathews

Posted in : 2008, Advertising/Marketing, Crossover Vehicles, Ford, Gadgets/Products, New Products, Technology

Cell Phone Software Reduces “Driving While Distracted”

By Marty Padgett October 15th, 2008

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There is mounting pressure against using that mobile phone while driving, even if you go the safe route of hands-free, Bluetooth talking. From the AP Wire, a new mobile phone technology developed by Canadian software firm Aegis Mobility was announced Monday. The software, called DriveAssist, works in concert with GPS sensors in certain mobile phones to detect whether they are moving at car speed, at which point the network will hold calls and texts until the phone becomes stationary once again.

David Teater is an employee at Aegis, and a personal tragedy led to his involvement in attempting to decrease what is known as "driving while distracted." His 12-year-old son Joe was killed by a driver talking on a mobile phone in 2004. Teater attempted to cut back on the habit of talking while driving, but admitted he found it extremely difficult: "We've been conditioned our entire lives to answer ringing phones," he said.

Currently, California and New York ban talking (and, in California, texting) without headsets, and while this would seem to be a step in the right direction to curb roadway incidents due to in-vehicle distractions, the AP story claims that it is the mental distraction of the conversation that diminishes reaction times and can lead to poor driving, not the act of punching buttons or holding a phone.

DriveAssist will operate on phones with either Windows Mobile software or Symbian software. The former can be found on "smart" phones, the latter on products from Nokia and Sony Ericsson. The cell phone's carrier would have to support Aegis functionality, and Aegis is hoping on prices of $10 to $20 per family for the service. As a bonus, insurance companies suchas Nationwide Mutual Insurance, which is a partner with Aegis in launching the software, will likely be offering coverage discounts of 3 to 10 percent.

How much do you talk while driving? Do you use a headset and/or Bluetooth to keep your eyes, reflexes, and focus on the road, or are you more than adept at the one-hand-on-the-wheel-one-hand-cradling-the-phone method? If governments start embracing (or requiring) services like DriveAssist, would your business or your convenience be unacceptably hampered by having to stop the car to talk on the phone?--Colin Mathews

Posted in : 2008, Driving, Gadgets/Products, Industry News, Mobile Audio, Safety, Technology