iCar

Put your phone into 'car mode' with these dashboard apps

My first Android phone, the original Motorola Droid, was one of the first phones to debut Google Maps Navigation. Now, Google knew that this feature would get drivers interested in using their Android phones in the car and that the tiny virtual buttons and shortcuts that worked well when the device was handheld wouldn't cut it behind the wheel. So, when users popped their Droids into their car docks, they were presented with a simplified interface with large shortcut buttons to car-centric apps, designed for safer use while driving.

Smartphones have come a long way since I retired my … Read more

Forget the iTV, Steve Jobs wanted an iCar

Televisions weren't the only product late Steve Jobs wanted to revamp. According to one of Apple's current board members, Jobs was eyeing automobiles too.

That tidbit came during an interview with J. Crew CEO and Apple board member Mickey Drexler at Fast Company's Innovation Uncensored conference in New York last month. The outlet released a video of the interview late yesterday.

"Look at the car industry; it's a tragedy in America. Who is designing the cars?" Drexler said. "Steve's dream before he died was to design an iCar."

Drexler suggested that … Read more

The power of invisibility--at home!

Lately, my daughter has been begging to see the new show iCarly, a spinoff of Drake and Josh.

Now, I'm not a big TV watcher, but I was a huge fan of it when I was a kid, and I do think that iCarly could have all the makings of a 21st century Zoom, given what we have available in the form of consumer technology around the house.… Read more

VW, Apple 'iCar' in the works?

Could two icons of aesthetics be on the verge of announcing a fruitful partnership?

Apple and Volkswagen are reported to be in talks about an "iCar" or car integration system, according to reports from German magazine Capital and the Associated Press.

Apple CEO Steve Jobs and Audi Chairman Martin Winterkorn, who heads the Audi brand group that includes Volkswagen, met recently in California to discuss ideas, but no concrete plans, a Volkswagen representative told the Associated Press.

"We wouldn't comment on rumors and speculation," said Tom Neumyar, senior manager for iPod and iTunes at Apple.… Read more