As you might have noticed (the sweltering heat, the sun, the sweat...), it's summer. And you know that feeling of getting into a car that's 10 degrees hotter than the outside (which is already too hot). It would be awful nice to be able to get the car cooled down without turning on the AC and walking around for 5 minutes until you can actually touch the steering wheel.



Of course, there is a solution: a Remote Car Starter. It's packed with features you'll find handy in any season: turn on the air conditioning or defrost from a distance, leave your car running while taking the key with you or auto-start your engine - all of this from up to 1000 feet away. It's got security features to ensure it can't be driven without a key, and the LED mounted on the dashboard might prove useful as a thief deterrent (how would they know it's not an alarm?)

Just one thing you have to be careful about: it doesn't work in manual transmission cars. Also, be sure to check if your particular make and model can be equipped with one.

Perhaps you dream that one day you will be rich enough to own a luxurious mansion with an attached big garage with 3 or so cars, plus the necessary house staff including a butler to make you feel like a British lord. Well, sorry to break it to you, but for most of us that's just a dream that will never come true.



But (if you're good at pretending) you can imagine that you have someone taking care of your precious garage at all times - without having to actually hire a person. The Garage Butler is a smart little device that makes sure the garage door shuts when it should. It can be programmed to close a certain time after it opened and it will automatically close when it gets dark.

It will play nice with your already existing opener and it doesn't require any drilling to be installed (but be prepared to spend half an hour getting it on the wall and working).

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The biggest downside to living in a big city, in my opinion, is the hours you waste every day stuck in traffic. Imagine how much you could get done in that time! But since you have a big steering wheel in front of you, it's difficult to hold anything in you lap or in front of you and still be able to advance from time to time.

That's when a car laptop desk comes into the picture. The CarGo Desk Mobile Laptop Desk mounts on the passenger chair and can be configured in countless ways according to your specific needs because it's modular. The available options are:

• Hinged and lockable cover with non-skid surface for mobile vehicle organizer file folder compartment


• Slide-out desktop with non-skid surface that can be used in left-hand drive or right-hand drive vehicles


• Retractable handle


• Ball bearing wheels


• 400 watt power inverter


• TSA approved mechanical combination locks


• Laptop lock-down system - attaches to large top and secures laptop to CarGo Desk mobile vehicle organizer with key lock


• Ballistic nylon computer case with carrying strap and additional storage compartments


• CarGo Guard security system - prevents theft by securing CarGo Desk contents and the CarGo Desk itself inside vehicle with aircraft grade cable and TSA* approved combination locks


• Cell phone mount


• GPS mount


• PDA mount


• Printer mount

Of course, you could always go with one of the pre-built models, which range from about $150 to $330. For more combinations of the modules, see after the jump.






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The Mini Cooper is a great little car, but you need a license to drive it. You can get one, but it takes time (plus money, for both the license and the car, of course). It might not be the same kind of experience, but the Thumb-Size R/C Mini Cooper looks even better. (Ok, and I have a thing for miniatures.)


The Mini comes in two colors (red and silver) and one size (2.25"), with a remote control that looks like a mobile phone. It can go forward and in reverse and do right and left turns, but there's something to keep in mind: the cars, regardless of color, operate on the same frequency, so there is no way to race them; your controller will just drive them both.

One more photo after the jump.

It looks like a GPS... but it's definitely not one. It's probably the most useless piece of car gadgetry ever released... but it's also funny. Until you throw it out the window, that is.

The Sat Nag is like a Sat Nav, just that it doesn't give any useful information; its "map" features streets such as Whiny Lane, Backseat Drive and Earache Avenue. Its main feature is a patronising woman voice that gives "helpful" instructions to the drivers. Among the sentences it can say are: "I know you're a man, but it's been 35 minutes now, so can you please admit you're lost and ask someone the way"; "In 100 metres turn left. No right, err, no left. Sorry, I never can tell my left from my right"; "In 50 meters I'm going to put on my most annoying voice and say 'Is your short cut really faster when we get stuck in traffic like this, well, is it darling?" and "In 100 meters I'm going to talk to you in that special voice, which should let you know you've upset me in some way that is bound to be your fault".

A perfect gift from a wife to her husband. He surely misses her advice during those long drives.

Would you like a Lamborghini? Heh, wouldn't we all... Unfortunately, an average Joe has extremely thin chances of ever owning one... so start playing the lottery or settle for the USB drive version. Which really isn't bad at all.



This USB Lamborghini Memory Stick comes in 2 models - yellow or white, has a 1GB storage capacity and the headlights light up when it's plugged in. It's also designed by Lamborghini and officially licensed, which is probably why it costs so much. £21.95 (~$40) is pretty expensive for just 1GB, but if licensed merchandise is a must-have for you, this at least is an useful way to spend your money.



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Driving a car as diabetic can be dangerous both for the driver and the other traffic participants. If a hypoglycemic attack occurs while the diabetic is at the wheel it can result in serious accidents if the ill person loses consciousness; sometimes an attack can be felt with enough time in advance, but it's still risky.

So Medtronic, a company specialized in medical technology, came up with the M-Powered Concept Car, which features an on-board glucose-monitoring system and was presented at the 68th Annual Scientific Sessions of the American Diabetes Association.

How it works: the diabetic has to wear a continuous glucose-monitoring system (CGMS), which sends data via Bluetooth to a display in the car dashboard which shows real-time data about blood sugar level. A planned system could also dial a hospital if it detects abnormal levels of blood glucose or if the driver fails to respond to prompts.

However, it is yet unclear if the car will ever enter production or when it will do so.

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Not all car owners know much about cars. And, as long as there's people paid to know this stuff, there's not much incentive to find out. Until you end up with a problem you need to solve and you're clueless about the way your car works...



The Closed-Hood Car Jump Starter is a very simple solutions for those with little or no car mechanics knowledge, or for people who prefer not getting their hands dirty. Dead battery problems are usually solved with a lot of messing around under the hood, which is neither fun, nor clean. But this jump starter kit makes it as easy as possible: all the unfortunate driver has to do is find someone with a working vehicle and then connect both ends of the cable in the respective cigarette lighter sockets. 5-10 minutes later a green light will go on to indicate the car is good to go.

If you're an Audi fan and can find no new products inspired by your favorite car, we have a suggestion. This Touch Screen GSM Phone shaped like an Audi is... well, it has an Audi theme, though it doesn't look like the best phone around.



The tech stuff: its most impressive feature is probably the touchscreen. It also has a 2.0 inch color display with 260k colors, a 1.3 megapixel camera, an MP3 player with background play which supports many formats (though they are not specified), a movie player that can play 3GP and MP4 without file restrictions and can go full-screen. And it looks like its wheels are going to poke your head if you try to use it.

But its main selling point is, of course, the shape. You can see more pictures after the jump.

















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I never understood why some car manufacturers put the clock in a position visible only for the driver. Is the person in the passenger seat forbidden to know the time? It's easier for the driver to see the time if it's on the dashboard, but that doesn't mean a second clock isn't needed.



Since you can't embed another clock in the car (well, you could but it would be difficult), a viable alternative is the Car Projector Clock. It displays the time and date wherever you want it and can be easily mounted with the double backed adhesive tape included. It's powered from the cigarette lighter socket and comes with an on/off switch (so be sure you turn it off when you leave the car, or you might find your battery drained...).

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