pilot

U.S. military wants to 'protect' key civilian networks

The Pentagon today elaborated on its plans to defend privately-owned Internet servers owned by banks, transportation and utility companies, and other key firms from electronic attacks, a proposal that has raised privacy concerns in the past.

"Our assessment is that cyberattacks will be a significant component of any future conflict, whether it involves major nations, rogue states, or terrorist groups," William Lynn, the deputy secretary of defense, said during a speech at the National Defense University in Washington, D.C.

To illustrate the sophistication of such attacks, Lynn said a foreign government was behind a cyberattack in March … Read more

Volkswagen's 'Temporary Auto Pilot' will drive your car up to 80 mph

The dangers of drowsy or distracted drivers may be a thing of the past. Volkswagen engineers say they have developed an autopilot for your car.

Dr. Jurgen Leohold, Executive Director Volkswagen Group Research on Friday introduced the "Temporary Auto Pilot" (TAP) by Volkswagen at the EU research project HAVEit (Highly Automated Vehicles for Intelligent Transport).

With TAP, the car can drive semiautomatically up to a speed of 80 miles per hour, under the driver's supervision.

"[TAP is] An important milestone on the path towards fully automatic and accident-free driving," Leohold said.

TAP relies on cameras … Read more

TechTracker Plus for Mac: Package deal offer

As an editor at Download.com, I can't really state an opinion on software made in-house for obvious reasons. But with that said, I can't help but think this latest promotion for TechTracker Plus is a pretty good deal. Starting today, for a limited time, you can get TechTracker Plus for Mac for $19.99 (down from $29.99) and receive a free copy of MacPilot as part of the deal.

MacPilot (usually $19.95) is one of our favorite apps for fiddling around with your Mac, optimizing it to run better and unlocking the hidden potential of … Read more

New technology could slash airplane delays

If a technology being developed by aerospace giant Honeywell that helps airplanes land in very cloudy conditions wins regulatory approval, it could make a huge dent in weather-related delays throughout the aviation system.

The technology is called Enhanced Visual System/Synthetic Vision System (EVS/SVS), and it is designed to give pilots the information they need to land safely even when there is cloud cover near ground. Current U.S. rules mandate that pilots decide at the 200-foot mark if their ground visibility is good enough to land or if they need to circle around for another try. With EVS/… Read more

Anti-drowsy-driving company releases iPhone, iPad app

Smartphones and tablets are often thought of as driver distractions in cars, but could a new application actually help prevent accidents and save lives?

Anti Sleep Pilot, an automotive technology company in Denmark, released an app for iPhones and iPads that monitors driver alertness and calculates when a driver is too drowsy to drive. Its goal is to keep drivers alert by breaking the monotony of driving and encouraging drivers to pull the car over when the app determines that it's time to take a break.

The app works by establishing your driving risk profile based on a series of 12 questions about yourself and your work and sleep schedule. Before each trip, you use the app to calculate your alertness through a questionnaire. The trip destination is also entered so the safety tool can factor driving duration into the equation.

Anti Sleep Pilot measures driver alertness through a series of interactive light and sound tests based on how quickly you can tap the screen when prompted. Using the risk profile, trip duration, and response time information, the app calculates when you should pull over and take a break.… Read more

EV pilot programs show sticking points

The initial results of pilot programs on plug-in electric vehicles may spook companies and create a vicious cycle of inefficiency when it comes to charging.

That's according to one of the topics covered in the "Changing the game: Plug-in electric vehicle pilots" report (PDF) released yesterday by technology consulting giant Accenture.

The Accenture report examined the recent data garnered from over 25 pilot programs scattered around the world that have been monitoring EVs and driver habits.

Overall the pilot programs found public charging stations have not yet been getting enough use to pay for themselves and their … Read more

Garmin debuts four apps for iPhone, Android

Although technically one of the first GPS manufacturers to market a mapping app for portables with its Garmin Mobile 10 software for PDAs and Palm, Garmin has been notably absent from the smartphone navigation app marketplace as of late (discounting the aging and ridiculously overpriced Garmin Mobile for Blackberry). Today, Garmin jumps back into the fray, challenging apps from TomTom, Magellan, and Navigon with not one, but four of its own GPS-centric apps, including the new StreetPilot navigation app for iPhone and three new GPS apps for Android devices.

The StreetPilot name hearkens back to the original Garmin StreetPilot GPS … Read more

Google Cr-48 Chrome hardware pilot program: 'Not for the faint of heart'

Want to get your hands on one of those Chrome OS laptops demoed by Google today at the Chrome OS launch event? Admittedly, the first glimpse at a Chrome OS laptop wasn't exactly visually inspiring, but that's because it was a deliberately generic-looking black box for testing and development, not a final retail product targeted to store shelves. But while this system, code-named Cr-48, won't be available on Amazon or in Best Buy, that doesn't mean it'll be impossible to get.

Google's Chrome pilot program invites Web surfers to sign up as essentially beta … Read more

Honda is trying to clean up the mess inside your car

Anyone who has ever been on a road trip knows how hard long hours on the road can be on a car, especially the interior. Road trips for me generally include one dropped/knocked-over/exploded beverage, fast food droppings, wrappers, and complimentary toys and and other bits of consumables ground into the car's interior.

A new publication "In Your Car: Road Trip through the American Automobile," chronicles market researcher Kelley Styring's 30-day, 5,800-mile cross-country research study of American drivers and their messes.

Styring, who wrote "In Your Purse: Archaeology of the American Handbag," … Read more

The chair that stops you from vomiting in flight

I was just at the wedding of one of New York's finest unsung comedians.

Her father is a recently retired US Airways pilot. He explained to me that he was instructed never to use words like "turbulence" or "thunderstorm," as these tend to frighten people to the degree that they might reach for the air sickness bags.

Perhaps you are one of those who is prone to having your food make an unexpected return to your throat when the plane begins to bump, grind, and sway out of control. Well, perhaps the Barany chair might … Read more