Auto Moto Gadgets

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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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.

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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