Video: Motor Recall app makes game out of identifying vehicle lights at night

Filed under: Technology, Videos, Toys/Games

motor recall app

What will they think of next? This is an app called Motor Recall, and if you’re at all like us, it’s pretty much the equivalent of any nighttime car ride as a kid – see a pair of headlights or taillights, pick out the make, model and if you’re lucky/good, the year. Now, the clever folks at Case By Case Studios have turned that time-honored way of surviving a long drive into an app.

Loaded with over 250 different headlight and taillight patterns, players have the choice of either matching the headlights with taillights in a game called Match, or out and out guessing which vehicle is being shown, not surprisingly, called Guess. Players can score points and unlock even rarer vehicles the longer they play. Case By Case is claiming that it will continue to update with new vehicles to keep you guessing, which makes us quite excited for this new game. Could be a great time waster.

Take a look at the demo trailer below. Motor Recall is only available in the Apple App Store, but we’d expect it to arrive on other platforms in the future.

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Motor Recall app makes game out of identifying vehicle lights at night originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 27 Aug 2013 16:29:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Report: Hyundai app lets you build your own zombie apocalypse car

Filed under: Hyundai, Humor

Hyundai app lets you build your own zombie apocalypse car

Walking Dead fans, rejoice! Thanks to Hyundai, you can build your very own virtual zombie survival machine. We’ve all seen the light-green Hyundai Tucson transporting the likes of Rick Grimes and his motley crew of survivors in AMC’s hit series, and now you can get in on the action with Hyundai’s Walking Dead Chop Shop.

Available both as a mobile app and desktop version, this quirky configurator presents you with a choice of three Hyundai vehicles: the Veloster Turbo, Santa Fe and Elantra. Each one has its strengths, though we particularly like the Santa Fe’s utility. After all, according to Hyundai, “There’s room for seven survivors inside” and you won’t have to worry about “getting zombie all over your seats. They’re easy to wipe clean.” But for those who prefer not to invite zombies along for the journey, the speedy Veloster Turbo and its 201-horsepower engine may be the way to go.

Once you select your post-apocalyptic ride, you have a choice of colors (including Apocalypse Black, of course), decals (“Alive Inside” is a useful one) and nearly 300 other zombie-fighting features. We’re partial to the automatic shotguns on the hood, although the flamethrower is also quite tempting. You can even add titanium or aluminum armor and a dizzying array of other defensive and offensive weapons: spinning saw blades on the wheels, a horde plow on the front bumper and barbed wire on the side windows, just to name a few.

When you’re finished creating your zombie death machine, the app spits out a percentage rating your likelihood of survival. You can also share your vehicle with friends on Facebook and Twitter. According to Hyundai, 37,672 vehicles have been built so far. And out of these, they’ll choose one vehicle to build for the New York Comic-Con convention this October (the automaker already debuted a zombie survival concept based on the Veloster at the San Diego Comic-Con). The only question now is… when can we buy one of these things for real?

Hyundai app lets you build your own zombie apocalypse car originally appeared on Autoblog on Sun, 04 Aug 2013 17:22:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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ETC: I’m Stuck app informs your elected officials when you’re in traffic

Filed under: Safety, Technology

LA traffic

Traffic, as we’ve established, is one of the worst things about driving. Too many motorists on too few roads is enough to ruin one’s day, not to mention the impact vehicle congestion has on the environment. Now, though, an app called I’m Stuck can share the misery that comes with being lodged on the 405 for three hours for no apparent reason with the people that have the power to make road improvements: politicians.

Yes, I’m Stuck, as Wired describes it, is “like tweeting a company CEO when a product fails.” I’m Stuck sends a message directly to your local Representative or Senator about where you’re stuck and why. It includes everything from your average traffic jam to a subway delay to an overcrowded train.

Funded by Building America’s Future, an infrastructure advocacy group that counts former Pennsylvania governor Ed Rendell, New York City mayor Michael Bloomberg and former California governor Arnold Schwarzenegger as its co-chairs, I’m Stuck is meant to help shed light on the amount of productivity that is lost by transportation delays. It’s also designed to help Americans realize that politicians can have an effect on the amount of misery that comes with their commute.

Head on over to the I’m Stuck app’s website to have a closer look. The app is available, free of charge, in both the Apple App Store and the Android Marketplace.

I’m Stuck app informs your elected officials when you’re in traffic originally appeared on Autoblog on Sat, 03 Aug 2013 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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SpotSquad app will let you snitch on illegal parkers [w/video]

Filed under: Government/Legal, Technology

If we were cynical marketers, we might suggest this as a tag line for the upcoming smartphone app called SpotSquad: “Rat out your friends and neighbors for a few lousy bucks!”

That’s right, belying the stereotype of the unfailingly polite Canadian, Winnipeg-based SpotSquad is creating an app that will allow you to report parking violations to authorities, and get paid for it. The application asks that you take a photo of the violation in question, which is then forwarded to local parking enforcement authorities.

Though not a going concern yet, SpotSquad plans to demo the app in some private Winnipeg parking lots this summer, before loosing the hellish software on the innocent Canadian public. According to a report by CTV News, members of the public surveyed are split on whether or not SpotSquad is a clever idea, or a grim tattle-teller. Scroll down below to have a brief look at a how the app might work, and remember to do unto others as you’d have… never mind.

Continue reading SpotSquad app will let you snitch on illegal parkers [w/video]

SpotSquad app will let you snitch on illegal parkers [w/video] originally appeared on Autoblog on Sun, 16 Jun 2013 17:04:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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eBay Motors finally gets its own iPhone app

Filed under: Car Buying, Technology

eBay Motors iPhone app

If you’re anything like us, trolling eBay Motors for cars you can only hope to one day own is like teeth brushing or hair combing – you could go without it for a day, but it wouldn’t be a very good day. Thankfully, the chances of that happening have just dropped to nothing with this week’s introduction of the eBay Motors iPhone app [iTunes link]. Sure, eBay itself has had an iPhone app for a while, but it’s a PiTA to use if you’re just looking for cars.

What we like about the new eBay Motors iPhone app is that it’s designed around how we use eBay Motors’ website. The app will of course let you search eBay Motors’ big database of vehicles and parts for sale, but it also has an area of the app called the Garage. This is where you input both the vehicles you own (My Vehicles) and the vehicles you want to own (Dream Vehicles), making it easy to search for either with the flick of a finger. One slick feature is that you can add vehicles to your Garage by using the iPhone’s camera to scan a VIN barcode, which is usually located on the inside of the driver’s door.

There are some things we’d like eBay Motors to fix with the app’s first update, mainly that the app’s search parameters are so limited. For instance, when filling the app’s Garage with cars, you have to input a specific Year, Make and Model, which means you can’t, for instance, claim an entire generation of vehicle as a Dream Vehicle you want to own, just one particular model year. Likewise, you also can’t dig deeper and pick a particular trim, which means my own vehicle, a 1991 Ford Taurus SHO, shows up in My Vehicles as just a 1991 Ford Taurus, making a search for the right parts damn near possible.

That said, we’re still happy that eBay Motors finally has its own iPhone app and hope the team behind its development will take a serious look at the limitations we mentioned. Click here to check it out in iTunes, and why not download the new Autoblog.com app while you’re at it.

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eBay Motors finally gets its own iPhone app originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 17 May 2011 17:29:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Autoblog iPhone app now available in all International App Stores

The Autoblog iPhone app should now be available in all of Apple’s International App Stores. Sorry for the delay, it was our fault, not Apple’s. But you should now be able to download our official app wherever you are, as long as Apple has graced your country with an App Store. If it did, you can follow this link to the prize. If you don’t see it in your country’s App Store, let us know in the comments.

Autoblog iPhone app now available in all International App Stores originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 06 May 2011 17:16:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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State Farm’s feedback app is the pocket-seat driver you never wanted [w/video]

Filed under: Safety, Technology, Videos

State Farm driver feedback app

State Farm Driver Feedback app for the iPhone – Click above to watch video after the jump

Somewhere deep in the recesses of your mind is the desire, surely Freudian, that “I’d like more input and feedback on how I drive, even to the grocery store.” Or, at least, State Farm believes that’s how some of you feel since it has just released a Driver Feedback app for the iPhone that will give you just that.

Invoking the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, State Farm says, “Three of the riskiest driving behaviors are hard acceleration, hard deceleration, and hard swerves.” Using the iPhone’s GPS and accelerometer the app will keep track of the trip and how hard or soft your acceleration, braking and cornering and then issues a score for each category. The complete game-ification of safe driving means that you can also compare your trips and scores, and share with others.

We aren’t sure what the criteria are for measuring Light vs. Moderate vs. Severe actions, but if anyone must know it’s State Farm… right? If you need more convincing, check out the short video after the jump.

Us? Well, let’s just say we remain… unconvinced.

[Source: State Farm via cnet]

Continue reading State Farm’s feedback app is the pocket-seat driver you never wanted [w/video]

State Farm’s feedback app is the pocket-seat driver you never wanted [w/video] originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 29 Apr 2011 16:27:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Think you’re ready for an EV? The BMW EVolve app has the answer [w/video]

BMW EVolve App for iPhone

BMW EVolve App for iPhone – Click above for high-res image gallery

I want an EV. Call me an early adopting sucker, but I’ve been actively considering an electric vehicle after spending a week with the Tesla Roadster Sport. But the Tesla is way beyond my meager means and the Nissan Leaf is just too pedestrian for my gearhead tastes. So what’s left? Not much. The Focus Electric makes a strong case for itself, but it’s still a ways out, and while the Tesla Model S certainly has styling, size and geeky sex-appeal on its side, like the Roadster, it’s beyond my budget.

So there’s one option left. And it’s a good one. With rear-wheel drive, a reasonable range and a lease price that – while yet to be set $499 a month with a $2,250 downpayment – I’ve been assured should be within reach of a full-time blogger. I’m talking about the BMW 1 Series-based ActiveE. And if BMW’s latest app for the iPhone and Android is any indication, the ActiveE could be the perfect fit for me. But what about you?

Continue reading Think you’re ready for an EV? The BMW EVolve app has the answer

Gallery: BMW EVolve iPhone App

Continue reading Think you’re ready for an EV? The BMW EVolve app has the answer [w/video]

Think you’re ready for an EV? The BMW EVolve app has the answer [w/video] originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 18 Apr 2011 16:57:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Extraction Zone app helps first responders safely cut through modern cars

Filed under: Safety, Technology

Extraction Zone

The more safety features and technology gets crammed into modern cars, the harder it gets for first responders to cut through them safely. Cutting someone out of a car is hard enough without having to worry about inadvertently triggering an airbag or hitting a power supply.

To solve that problem, the Extraction Zone mobile app includes maps of the vital systems of popular cars, like the Honda Civic Hybrid, to help EMTs and fire departments find a safe area to cut through. The app highlights structural supports, airbags, and power and propulsion systems to give rescuers an idea where to cut safely. There’s even a night mode to make the app more visible in low-light situations.

[Source: Bohemian Innovation]

Extraction Zone app helps first responders safely cut through modern cars originally appeared on Autoblog on Sun, 03 Apr 2011 18:21:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Drive First: Sprint’s Android app to curb distracted driving

Filed under: Safety, Technology

Sprint EVO 3DWith Old Man LaHood making distracted driving a pet cause, both device manufacturers and wireless carriers are trying to devise new ways to reduce distracted driving before the Department of Transportation mandates its own solution.

To that end, Sprint has announced a new Android app at the CTIA show that limits the functionality of your smartphone while you’re on the go.

DriveFirst – created by Location Labs – will be an optional app available on Sprint’s ever-expanding line of Google-powered devices that locks the phone’s screen while the vehicle is in motion, redirects calls directly to voicemail, blocks text message alerts and sends a preprogrammed auto-response that states the driver is unavailable. Thankfully, DriveFirst will allow drivers to select three apps (i.e. navigation) and three contacts they can access while on the road.

Naturally, the service is more geared towards parents and it’s just in time for National Distracted Driving Awareness Month. Sprint says the app will be available in the third quarter of this year and commands a $2-per-month premium over your standard wireless service. Full details in the press release after the jump.

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Drive First: Sprint’s Android app to curb distracted driving originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 22 Mar 2011 14:45:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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