Archive for May, 2008

New car emoticon lets you flip the bird without effort

Friday, May 30th, 2008

These car emoticons just won’t go away. The Driving LED Emoticon and then then its hip-hop version, the Bling Unit.

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However, the Drivermocion probably has the most complex offer on the market, with 6 different devices each with 4-5 messages, ranging from the polite to the downright rude, with the mandatory emoticons included. You can get the Original (“thanks”, “sorry” and three smileys), Animating (five animated emotes), Middle finger (three smileys and the middle finger), Pure faces (five smileys), China’s heart (heart-shaped, five smileys) and Glamour girl (pink fur around the device, “back off”, “thanks”, “sorry” and two smileys).

Useful or not? I’d say no, but it’s up to each driver to decide. I’d say that £19.99 (about $40) is quite a lot for what is basically a car toy.

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Hit the (mini) race track with the new R/C Ferrari Replicas

Monday, May 19th, 2008

These little red cars are, of course, Ferraris. Mini-Ferraris we might say, since they are 3-inch long replicas of the real thing.

Nano Drive R/C Ferrari Replicas

But, even though they’re not as impressive as a full-size car, the Nano Drive R/C Ferrari Replicas have a lot of things going for them: full control with forward and reverse/right and left turns, turbo button for increased speed and working headlights.

Nano Drive R/C Ferrari Replicas

They’re a licensed Ferrari product and only cost $30.

LED traffic cone makes sure you can pull over safely

Thursday, May 15th, 2008

As long as you’re a decent driver, the greatest danger on the road are the other drivers. It’s dangerous to assume they know how to drive, I mean. It’s never a bad idea to be as cautious as possible, and one of the first steps is making sure everyone can see you, whether you’re moving or on the side of the road.

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The Emergency Traffic Cone makes you very easy to see. It’s got the two standard reflective yellow bands, but it takes visibility further by adding a flashing red LED light (you’re going to need batteries for that however) and it’s inflatable. What this means is that you’ll be able to just leave it sitting in your trunk until you need it, and only then inflate it with the built-in hand pump.

I say it’s a very good idea to have one of these in your car, just in case. You don’t want to be one of those “but it couldn’t happen to me!” people, do you?

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French fry holder lets your wreck your health, but not your car

Wednesday, May 14th, 2008

Fast-food might not be good for you, but most of us admit they like to do to McDonald’s or Burger King at least once in a while. And if you’re in a hurry, the “fast” part becomes essential.

Of course, if you’re in a hurry you might be forced to eat in the car, on the way to work. People who have tried to eat their fries while driving have noticed that it’s not the easiest task to accomplish, but if you’re among them you need not worry anymore: the French Fry Holder is here.

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This accessory fits into almost all built-in car cup holders and can hold your fries and even your ketchup or mayo, while the no-slip rubberized base grip ensures that your fries will stay in place, not on your floor.

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If you’re too young for a real Ferrari, the go-kart will do

Tuesday, May 13th, 2008

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Are you a Ferrari fan and also a parent? Do you have too much money? Well then… if you want to show your son (or daughter) who makes the best cars before they are old enough to drive their own, the Ferrari FXX Exclusive pedal go-kart is waiting for your wallet.
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Only the best from Ferrari, of course, even in toys: aerodynamic spoilers, 12 inch lightweight metal wheel rims, 7 gears, double disc-brake, dashboard computer, soft sport seat and a soft-grip leather look steering wheel.

Sounds good? Well, for £1,239 (almost $2500), it’d better.
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Of course, if you feel that’s too much you can always go for the inferior model, the Ferrari FXX Racer pedal go-kart, which can be yours for only £415 (about $800). For a comparison of the two models, go here.

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Woman’s voice inside your trunk will scare potential victims away

Monday, May 12th, 2008

If you’re after a quirky gadget for your car and you don’t mind that you’ll scare people, Our Lady of the Trunk should be yours. When wired to your brake light, this slightly disturbing speaker will let people know when you are backing up. In a woman’s voice. 100dB worth of it.

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Since anyone who hears a lady’s voice coming out of the trunk will be scared to death, you can rest assured that they’ll run off, safely out of your way.

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Pimp your car with the Bling Unit

Friday, May 9th, 2008

Remember the Driving LED Emoticon? Well, if the options it offered weren’t enough, now you can go for the Bling Unit.

Bling Unit Bling Unit

This time the messages are influenced by hip-hop vocabulary, so if you’re a fan of street style this is the gadget for you. The Bling Unit comes with 5 built-in messages: “Holla”, “Phat! Thank you”, “Sorry Homey”, “Chill Out Homey”, and “What Ever” and it attaches to your rear window with a suction cup. The remote stays with you, on the windscreen or in the glove compartment, and the 4 AA batteries that power the main unit should last you 4 months.

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Car casette MP3 player blends new tech with the old

Wednesday, May 7th, 2008

If you have a new car, chances are it came equipped with an MP3 player. But if you own an older vehicle, you might still have a casette player. If that is the case and you don’t want to connect an iPod or similar player, you can simply get a memory card and the Car Cassette MP3 Player.

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This unique player can read SD cards and, if one isn’t enough for all the music you need, you can simply get more and swap them. You charge it via USB and, when you’re out of the car you can just get your headphones and use it as a stand alone MP3 player.

One more photo after the jump.
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External airbags to save lives and making biking safer

Tuesday, May 6th, 2008

Even if you’re one of the lucky cyclists living in a country where this is a commonplace means of transportation, this doesn’t automatically ensure safety. Drivers are more used to sharing the road with bicycles, but accidents still happen. Same goes for motorcycles.
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A Swedish company, Autoliv Inc., has designed a new type of airbag to deal with this problem: an airbag that deploys from the A-pillars and extends over the hood and part of the windshield.

This could save many lives if used on a wide scale – a study cited by the Dutch Cycling Federation said that external airbags could help avoid 60 fatalities each year, and could also eliminate 1,500 serious injuries a year.

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Source: Automotive News (requires subscription)

Keep your cool with the Club System 64 from Cool Shirt

Monday, May 5th, 2008

What do you do if your car air conditioning system decides to break during a particularly hot summer? You probably suffer for a few hours on your commute, then go home and relax. But if you’re a professional driver, things get more difficult, as you might be on the track for a long while and the heat can get overwhelming.

Club System 24 from Cool Shirt

The Club System 24 from Cool Shirt is basically a t-shirt with embedded water tubes. It comes with a 24qt cooling unit with an internal pump, which supplies cooled water to the shirt through 8ft of double insulated hose with automatic shutoff/quick disconnects. Drivers can also choose from several optional accesories, such as Temperature Control Switch, SFI-approved FireWear® fire-retardant Cool Shirt®, Universal Drain Kit, Emergency Pull-Release Connectors and Mounting Tray with strap.

The Club System 24 is designed for cars without a space problem, as the cooling unit takes up some room (H 13” x W 10 ½” x L 15 ½). The system is however pretty light, at only 4lbs total weight, and it offers cooling for more than 6 hours.

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