If you're new here, you may want to subscribe to receive daily tips on Auto & Moto Gadgets using our RSS feed or by Email. Thanks for visiting!

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.

If just knowing how fast you’re going isn’t enough and you want more details about your car’s performance, the K.A.T. Matrix 3-Axis Accelerometer is the thing for you.

This smart little device can measure your braking force, cornering, horsepower, G-force, 0-60 second acceleration and 1/4-mile time/speed and can be mounted on your windshield with the included bracket (just make sure your state/national laws allows it). It’s battery powered, so you won’t have cables in the way, and the included 3 AA batteries will power it for about a year.

So, if you’re really proud of your new car or just curious about its performance, $60 shouldn’t be too much for this gadget.

via.

Driving when tired and/or sleepy is a bad idea, but sometimes there’s just no other option. And, if you’re a professional driver, you’re bound to make a few trips while exhausted. The “obvious” solutions like playing loud and energetic music don’t really work, so the Anti Sleep Driving Alarm offers a different and more effective solution: loud, annoying sound.

You wear the device behind your ear and you don’t even know it’s there… until you tilt your head more than 30 degrees, when it emits a high-pitched alarm which will probably jolt you back to the real world. Hopefully before you crash into the can on the other lane.

Obviously, relying on something like this is a bit risky, but it can’t hurt as an extra safety measure, especially since it won’t break the bank at only $14.99.

How do you make a watch to reflect the spirit of F1? According to designer John Pszeniczny, it requires carbon fiber, Swarovski crystal, rubber and metal… oh, and 18 rubies. Although the required materials are an unusual combination, the F1/Carbon GMT Watch looks impressive indeed.

While it has regular features like a lap timer function and a stopwatch, it can also tell the time in every one of the 18 cities on the 2008 F1 circuit, although I’m not sure anyone would need that.

Either way, even if you had a cartload of money, you still couldn’t buy it, because it’s only a concept.

via.

I know a lot of drivers who hate it if their passengers turn on the ceiling light. And, as a passenger, I’ve always been annoyed by the lack of light when I need it. Of course, the car could be equipped with a flashlight, but no one I know can remember to get one… And it’s difficult to use a lantern when you’re holding a map on your legs, trying to figure out where you are and how to get back to civilization.

The Seatbelt Light is east to forget in the car and comes real handy for passengers or the driver. The lights clip onto the seatbest and the 4 LEDs offer two levels of brightness. At $14.99 for a set of two, it’s an affordable gadget that can be useful at all times.

via.

There probably isn’t anyone who hasn’t discovered his or her car keys are missing exactly on that morning when they were late for work. And, even though said keys are usually very close by, they can’t speak so they remain buried under paperwork or clothes for a long while.

But even though keys can’t talk, they can now bark with the Fetch My Keys electronic key finder from SUCK UK. When you whistle, the dog keychain barks back, so you just have to follow the sound. You need to know how to whistle, however. And not have a big house, or you’ll have to whistle your way through all the rooms.

via.

Some consider solar power the future of electricity, but there are still many issues to be addressed before it can be used on a large scale. So… companies are using it on a smaller scale. Very small, in this case.

Dubbed the world’s smallest solar powered car, this toy measures just 3.3 x 2.2 x 1.4 cm and is completely solar powered (that means no batteries whatsoever). The solar panel on top converts sun rays into electricity, powering the motor. It also works if placed under a strong artificial light source - but it’s more fun if it works on actual solar power, really.

It doesn’t do anything much, but it’s an interesting demonstration of the uses of solar energy, something to keep us entertained until full-size solar powered automobiles are in everyone’s garage.

One more photo after the jump, with the car held in someone’s hand, just so you see exactly how tiny it is.
Read the rest of this entry »

An enterprising person called Leah Buechley came up with an ingenious solution for cyclists or bikers: a jacket with turn signals on its back. She used the LilyPad wearable e-textile technology developed by herself, which is especially designed to have large connecting pads so that the LilyPads can be easily attached to clothes.

The jacket uses a LilyPad Arduino Mainboard and LEDs, and the signals are controlled through wrist-mounted switches.

According to comments on Buechley’s Flickr photo, there is already a patent for a similar type of clothing: High visibility safety garment.

You can find all the LilyPad products here.

via.

Remote Controlled cars are great, but when they are equipped with a video camera and live sound feed, they make the most interesting thing you have ever had. For several minutes. Then you should go give the kid his toy back. And shut the doors.

Features:

- Spy on people in other rooms
- LCD screen lets you navigate
- View all the action through your own personal headset

The Spy Video Car includes a headset, screen and hand-held controller.

Requires 12 AA batteries, sold separately.

buy here

Here is a round up of all GPS device related articles around the web today:

1. Engadget tells us about the Blusens G01 satellite imagery GPS device, that uses satellite images downloaded for the area you are in.

2. Gizmodo writes a review of Pharos Drive GPS 250.

3. BlueNavi N7000 is a 2-in-1 gadget that is a multimedia player and a GPS device. via

4. Gadgetizer found out that you can change your GPS device voice, replacing that annoying one you already have (go here for that, but you need to understand Dutch)