posts on CNET - Page 10

Volkswagen tries to conquer the world with tech

California is not known as a carmaking state, but every carmaker is here. And few have been in Silicon Valley longer than Volkswagen Group with its Electronics Research Lab. There they try to crack the code on loading cars up with social media, connected navigation, portable integration, and more without distracting you to death.

I spent a day with wide-ranging access to the VW lab, in conversation with its director, Peter Oel. I came away with the impression that VW, like the rest of the industry, feels the tech cat is out of the bag and we aren't going back to a day when our cars are digital ghettos. That's also because carmakers know that high-touch technology is a key way they'll clobber their competitors, but they also keep their eye on the rear view as the government makes more and more noises that sound like distraction regulation. … Read more

Roadside Assistance: An iPod receiver and in-dash navigation

Greetings Car Tech fans and welcome back to CNET Roadside Assistance. Listeners of the podcast formerly known as Car Tech Live will no doubt remember that we used to devote an entire segment to answering user e-mails. Well, we're back, only in a less auditory format. So if you've got a car tech question you'd like to have answered, and you may find the answer to your query right here on the Car Tech Blog.

And now, let's get to the questions. "Twoheadedboy8" asks:

I am looking for a car stereo that focuses its … Read more

Cadillac launches CUE iPad app

NEW ORLEANS--After introducing its CUE touch-screen instrument panel at CTIA last October, Cadillac has returned to the 2012 wireless trade show with more services.

When CUE is introduced in the 2013 Cadillac XTS next month, buyers will be able to test the system on a new iPad app. According to Cadillac, the app will replicate many of the system's features and make them available anywhere.

XTS buyers in the United States will receive a new iPad loaded with not only the CUE app, but also the MyCadillac App and OnStar RemoteLink. And to help drivers get started, Cadillac dealers … Read more

Clarion Next Gate puts iPhone control, app integration on your windshield

Clarion Corporation of America announced today at CTIA 2012 a new way to connect your iPhone to your car: the Next Gate.

Clarion's Next Gate is a 7-inch WVGA touch display that mounts on your vehicle's windshield with a suction cup, much like a portable navigation device. (However, at 7 inches, its size is only rivaled by the largest of PNDs, such as Magellan's RoadMate 9055-LM.) The Next Gate features a cable connection to the iPhone 4's or iPhone 4S' 30-pin dock connector for data and charging; meanwhile the Clarion unit itself is powered by a … Read more

No more rewind on many SiriusXM channels

It's official -- the best feature of SiriusXM's iPhone (and now Android app) has been removed from many of its most popular stations. Version 2.0.2 of the iPhone app confirmed what many subscribers suspected: licensing contracts got in the way of convenience and technology.

The satellite radio company updated its iPhone app on April 16 to version 2.0.1. Many listeners who updated reported network errors preventing them from using the app, and others lucky enough to connect to SiriusXM bemoaned the loss of an exit button and were left wondering why 5-hour rewind was … Read more

Is SiriusXM restricting five-hour rewind on some channels?

If you're a SiriusXM mobile subscriber and haven't already updated to the latest version of the iPhone app, you'll want to hold off. The 2.0.1 update on April 16 is advertised on iTunes to include faster channel changes and some bug fixes, but it looks like it also introduced a lot of new bugs and maybe eliminated some of the old features.

Last December, SiriusXM introduced a rewind capability with the 2.0 mobile app release. Listeners could tune into any station and replay content that aired up to five hours earlier. However, the 2.0.1 release seems to have restricted this feature on several of the popular news and entertainment stations, including ESPN, Howard100, and MSNBC.

Reviews of the latest version of the app on the App Store report network errors that prevent users from connecting to the service. Many commenters on AppComments.com report that the rewind feature is either broken or has been disabled on some of their favorite channels.

A CNET reader, who first alerted this writer of the change, e-mailed a list of the stations that no longer permit five-hour rewind: … Read more

Intel lands Atom infotainment deal with Nissan

Intel has announced that its Atom processor will power Nissan's next-generation infotainment systems in select vehicles starting in 2013.

The chip giant, which is looking to broaden its reach, also forged a deal with Toyota in late 2011. Under that pact, Intel and Toyota would research new infotainment systems. Intel also has Atom deals with BMW and Mercedes-Benz infotainment systems.

Ton Steenman, vice president of intelligent systems at Intel, said the effort with Nissan is about "extending the digital lifestyle of consumers from home to vehicles." And yes, Intel could move a lot of chips by locking … Read more

Garmin becomes Suzuki's one-stop shop for cabin tech

A few years ago, we tested a Suzuki SX4 that was equipped with a Garmin navigation system. Of course, that system consisted of a Garmin Nuvi portable navigation device that integrated with the Suzuki's stereo via a specialized cradle. That hacked-together solution was one of our first overt experiences with Garmin as an OEM automotive navigation supplier, so it's fitting that Garmin's next step is taken again with Suzuki with the announcement that the navigation provider will be supplying its first fully integrated, factory-installed infotainment system for the automaker's 2013 model year vehicles.

This is no … Read more

How the Mustang would look if Microsoft ran Detroit

Tricking out a car with Windows sounds, well, sort of lame on its face. But suppose it came with a heads-up display that let passengers play Call of Duty against their buddies?

Or cameras around the car that let you use your smartphones to check out who might be eyeballing your ride? Or turning that phone into a microphone you could use to ask -- nicely, of course -- lookie loos to step away from the car?

That's what the folks at West Coast Customs, working with developer evangelists at Microsoft, have put together for their television program, Inside … Read more

OEM Audio Plus delivers car sound in a box upgrade for Scions

Going through lists of amps, speakers, and subwoofers in a quest to upgrade your car's audio can be baffling. OEM Audio Plus removes the confusion, at least for Scion owners, by providing a complete package.

CNET tested the company's audio upgrade in the Scion tC. OEM Audio Plus also offers sound system upgrades for the xB and iQ, and is working on a package for the FR-S and xD.

The upgrade consists of replacements for all the existing speakers, and the addition of an eight-channel 360-watt amp and an 8-inch subwoofer with a 130-watt amp to power it. … Read more