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Chevrolet MyLink brings the app fight to Ford Sync, Toyota Entune

Filed under: Technology, Buick, Cadillac, Chevrolet, GM

Chevrolet MyLink

Chevrolet MyLink – Click above for high-res image gallery

General Motors is finally bringing the smartphone battle to Ford with the introduction of Chevrolet MyLink, an integrated infotainment system that connects to your smartphone and allows you to access apps through either the steering wheel controls or the console-mounted touchscreen.

The wraps officially came off at tonight’s Engadget Show and boasts similar functionality to Ford’s AppLink and Toyota’s recently revealed Entune system. MyLink connects your Android or Blackberry device over Bluetooth, allowing you to wirelessly access apps. And if you’re partial to Apple’s iOS devices – namely the iPhone or iPod Touch – you get the same functionality, but can only be controlled by plugging it in via USB.

At launch, MyLink is only compatible with Stitcher and Pandora radio, with other apps due to be released later this year. The Chevrolet Volt and Equinox will be the first two models to come equipped with the new system, and in addition to voice-control functionality courtesy of Nuance, both models will be available with PowerMat’s inductive charging system, so you don’t have to worry about your Bluetooth-tethered phone running out of juice. Pricing hasn’t been announced yet, but expect MyLink to be available within the next few months. Hit the jump for the official release and get more details at our tech-obesessed sibling site Translogic.

Gallery: Chevrolet MyLink

Continue reading Chevrolet MyLink brings the app fight to Ford Sync, Toyota Entune

Chevrolet MyLink brings the app fight to Ford Sync, Toyota Entune originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 17 Feb 2011 19:24:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Video: Honda debuts trippy new Jazz ad with Garrison Keillor voiceover, interactive iPhone app

Filed under: Marketing/Advertising, Videos, Honda

Honda Jazz commercial

Click above to watch the video after the jump

honda jazz iphone app Honda has made some incredible commercials over the years. Remember “The Cog?” How about Commercial of the Decade “Grrr?” Then there is two of our favorites; “Impossible Dream” and “Impossible Dream II.” These spots share two common traits: all are voiced by the silky-smooth Garrison Keillor and each is innovative in its own way.

The ad geniuses at Honda are hoping to strike gold once again with a now spot titled “This Unpredictable Life,” which features Keillor and a bunch of animated characters. The Honda Jazz (the Fit here in the U.S.) spot itself is well-written and attractively animated, but the innovation comes in the form of an iPhone app that actually communicates with the commercial.

To download the app, simply hit the App Store and type Honda Jazz in the search. The object of the free game is to hold up the iPhone with the app running while the commercial is being played. Any time one of the characters from the game (shown, right) are shown in the commercial, you have to shake your iPhone. As you “catch” the characters, the app gains interactivity whenever you tap on them.

Once you download the app you can hit the jump to play the commercial. Make sure the volume is up on your computer so your phone can sense the sounds in order to tell when you’re supposed to shake. We definitely won’t guarantee the game is a blast to play, but we’re impressed with the creativity in any case.

Gallery: Honda Jazz Commercial

Honda Jazz Commercial

[Source: Honda]

Continue reading Video: Honda debuts trippy new Jazz ad with Garrison Keillor voiceover, interactive iPhone app

Video: Honda debuts trippy new Jazz ad with Garrison Keillor voiceover, interactive iPhone app originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 02 Feb 2011 16:59:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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iClarkson: Jeremy from Top Gear gets himself an iPad app [w/video]

Filed under: Etc., Videos, Celebrities

iClarkson iPad App

The best iPad App… in the world – Click above to watch video after the jump

Jeremy Clarkson has gone 21st century. The co-host of the BBC’s Top Gear, along with publisher Penguin Books, has created an app for the iPad called iClarkson, and it features over 140 of his automotive reviews that were taken from his books Driven to Distraction and Don’t Stop Me Now.

The app is styled to look like a study and is loaded with interactive features. Images of automobiles adorn the “walls”, Clarkson’s drum kit sits in the corner and many more surprises are in store for iPad users who pony up the $7.99 to buy iClarkson. Click past the jump to see the app in action.

[Source: YouTube, Apple]

Continue reading iClarkson: Jeremy from Top Gear gets himself an iPad app [w/video]

iClarkson: Jeremy from Top Gear gets himself an iPad app [w/video] originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 17 Jan 2011 18:48:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Ford launches SYNC Destinations mobile app

Filed under: CES, Technology, Ford

Ford SYNC Destinations Around this time last year, Ford debuted its brand new MyFord Touch system, an infotainment setup that will be spreading like wildfire to the full host of Blue Oval products. To further build upon Ford’s SYNC technology, the automaker will now be releasing a free mobile application called SYNC Destinations, available for iPhone, iPad and Android-based phones. (Don’t worry, BlackBerry folk – your app is in the pipeline.)

This app allows customers with the SYNC TDI (Traffic, Directions and Information) service to search for and save destinations to their individual cloud-based software for easy access back in the car. What’s more, the app uses predictive traffic, powered by INRIX, which provides recommended departure times along with estimated travel times for commutes.

Ford says that by using SYNC Destinations, TDI users will be able to better plan the “when and where” of their commutes, simply by using the INRIX features found within the app. Specifically, aids like traffic maps with real-time speed and accident information, traffic forecasts and easy look-up of addresses will make adding new destinations to the user’s SYNC system easier than before, and more accessible while on the go (and not in the car).

SYNC Destinations will make its official debut at CES in January. For the full details, follow the jump to read Ford’s press release.

Gallery: Ford SYNC Destinations

Ford SYNC Destinations Ford SYNC Destinations mobile app

[Source: Ford]

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Ford launches SYNC Destinations mobile app originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 30 Dec 2010 00:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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DriveMeCrazy app provides outlet for virtual tattle-tales

Filed under: Safety, Technology

DriveMeCrazy iPhone app

We all see bad drivers. Now, one company has developed an iPhone app called DriveMeCrazy, which allows you to digitally jot down a license plate and deem someone a “bad driver.” This information isn’t then simply posted to some lame social network, it’s reported to the DMV and your insurance company.

While the idea of being able to report someone for driving like a jackass sounds great, there’s little question that this will lead to abuse. What if someone were out to get you and reported you simply because they felt like it? Perhaps the person who didn’t get that parking spot you ended up with is feeling particularly angry. Maybe the other driver didn’t see your blinker even though you had it on for the last 15 minutes. This is DrivemeCrazy’s inherent flaw.

In addition to empowering virtual snitches, DriveMeCrazy also lets users reward good driving, as well as “flirt” with other DrivemeCrazy users. We now await the first report of a DriveMeCrazy user getting a real ticket for using a mobile device to serve up a cheesy virtual ticket while driving.

[Source: DriveMeCrazy via Wired]

DriveMeCrazy app provides outlet for virtual tattle-tales originally appeared on Autoblog on Sat, 18 Dec 2010 18:05:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Video: Hyundai shows off super slick Equus owners manual app for iPad

Filed under: Car Buying, Sedan, Marketing/Advertising, Technology, Videos, Hyundai, Luxury

2011 Hyundai Equus Apple iPad owners manual

Hyundai Equus and its iPad owner’s manual – Click above to watch video after the jump

We know that the all-new Hyundai Equus features an Apple iPad in place of a traditional owner’s manual but now we’re getting our first opportunity to see it in action. In a new ad that will certainly appeal to tech-savvy luxury car buyers, Hyundai shows off the iPad app that provides any information that an Equus owner might need to know about his or her car.

Rather than just providing written information, Hyundai has taken advantage of the iPad’s capabilties to deliver an app that shows you what it’s talking about, be it the Equus’ available right-rear jet-style reclining seat or its adaptive headlights. Better yet, the app is free to download on iTunes regardless of whether an Equus is sitting in your driveway (so you can see what you’re missing). Hop the jump to check out an ad featuring the iPad owner’s manual in action. Top tip, Fred!

Gallery: 2011 Hyundai Equus

[Source: YouTube via Unncessary Umlaut]

Continue reading Video: Hyundai shows off super slick Equus owners manual app for iPad

Video: Hyundai shows off super slick Equus owners manual app for iPad originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 16 Dec 2010 12:31:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Slow Down app curbs music tempo when you speed [w/video]

Filed under: Aftermarket, Etc., Technology, Videos

Slow Down App

Slow Down app – Click above to watch video after the jump

For many of us, music and driving go hand-in-hand. A great song can complement a great road and the overall experience of piloting a vehicle can be raised a few notches. Of course, you might even get a little overeager behind the wheel when allowing yourself to get wrapped up in the cadence of the music instead of looking at the speedo (Metallica, anyone?). Well, now there’s an app for that.

By way of the Belgian organization OVK, Parents of Children Killed in Road Accidents, comes an application in the iTunes App Store called Slow Down. Play music through your Apple iPhone while the app is running and it will keep an eye on the local speed limits. Should you exceed the posted limit, the music will quite literally slow down. Push that gas pedal even harder so that you are going more than 10 miles per hour over, and the tunes will go mute. All you have to do to get them back is slow down.

We wouldn’t want this for ourselves because we love music and never, ever speed. However, we could see this being the perfect tool for quelling a newly licensed hot-shoe in your family. The best part about it? It’s free.

Hop the jump to see the app in action.

[Source: OVK Slow Down via Engadget]

Continue reading Slow Down app curbs music tempo when you speed [w/video]

Slow Down app curbs music tempo when you speed [w/video] originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 09 Dec 2010 14:34:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Mini Connected app will change music to suit driving

Filed under: Technology, Mini

If you’ve used one of the athletic apps for the iPhone, you’re probably familiar with the feature that matches the music to your workout. You run faster, the system ups the BPM. Cycle slower and the tempo drops. Mini wants to do something similar with the Mini Connected system, and that’s just the tip of the interactive infotainment iceberg.

Mini Connected is the automaker’s integrated music and navigation system, which connects to a smattering of smartphones to stream music and data to the stereo. However, the iPhone and iPod are currently more deeply integrated into the system, including the introduction of the new iPod out functionality which displays Apple’s music player controls on the Mini’s center-mounted screen. But that’s nothing new and Mini wants to go deeper, so it’s releasing the Mini Connected iPhone/iPod touch app to increase the interaction.

The headlining Dynamic Music function plays tunes that have been exclusively composed for Mini and then adjusts the rhythm based on your driving style. Additionally, a web radio function allows users to listen to local radio stations independent of their location, and the app can be programmed to read RSS news feeds, supply Google local searches and send information from your browser to the Cooper’s display. Facebook and Twitter integration will also be included, while the “Minimalism Analyzer” provides advice on how to drive more efficiently.

Mini hasn’t outlined a timeframe on when the new app will be released, but it’s a few steps above and beyond what’s on offer from Ford’s Sync system – assuming it works as seamlessly as advertised. The one drawback: it’s currently only for Apple users, so Android, Blackberry, PalmOS and – any day now – Windows Phone 7 users are out in the cold for the time being. Get all the details in the press blast after the break.

Continue reading Mini Connected app will change music to suit driving

Mini Connected app will change music to suit driving originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 07 Oct 2010 19:25:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Ford releases Fiesta iPad app

Filed under: Budget, Sedan, Technology, Hatchback, Ford

Ford Fiesta iPad app

Ford Fiesta iPad app – Click above for high-res image gallery

Interested in buying a 2011 Ford Fiesta? There’s an app for that.

Ford has just launched its very first interactive sales brochure by way of an Apple iPad app for the new Fiesta (sorry, iPhone users – you’re out of luck on this one). Here, users can learn far more about Ford’s pride-and-joy B-segment offering than they ever could in your standard showroom pamphlets. The Fiesta app includes information about the car’s quality, safety, connectivity, available accessories, colors, as well as a list of standard and optional features.

The interactive Fiesta iPad app is available as you read this and can be downloaded from the iTunes app store. Hit the jump to read the full details in Ford’s press release.

Gallery: Ford Fiesta iPad App

Gallery: Review: 2011 Ford Fiesta SES

[Source: Ford]

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Ford releases Fiesta iPad app originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 17 Sep 2010 00:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Mercedes-Benz updates Mbrace app with ‘Concierge’ service

Filed under: Technology, Mercedes-Benz, Luxury

mercedes-benz mbrace Mercedes-Benz and its partners at Hughes Telematics have released an updated version of its Mbrace app for the iPhone, and 2.0 brings along a new line of location-based services.

In addition to the usual array of safety and convenience features (locking and unlocking doors, finding the Benz in a parking lot, etc.), the app now includes Mercedes-Benz’ Concierge service which can pull down everything from driving directions and traffic updates to movie times and restaurant listings and then ports them directly into the navigation system. The Roadside Assistance program has also undergone a rework and Mbrace Plus subscribers can download it now from the App Store. Full details in the press blast below the fold.

[Source: Mercedes-Benz]

Continue reading Mercedes-Benz updates Mbrace app with ‘Concierge’ service

Mercedes-Benz updates Mbrace app with ‘Concierge’ service originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 03 Sep 2010 08:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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