Vehicles Blog

Updates from May, 2012

• MirrorLink shows potential While there has been plenty of recent press about Sony’s bazillion-dollar losses and the supposition that flailing innovation has been a culprit, we are here to say that the fault does not lie in Sony’s car stereo division, which routinely innovates, often embracing technology well ahead of the curve.

  The new XAV-601BT six-inch multimedia receiver features MirrorLink, a technology that unites content from smartphones to car stereos so that users can literally control their phone apps from the stereo screen. The XAV-601BT also features Bluetooth, iPod control, a seven-band equalizer, Sony’s SensMe music organization software and a batch of other good features, but it is MirrorLink that raises the bar here.

  Unfortunately, MirrorLink is only compatible with Nokia phones, so, until more phone makers join the fray alongside app makers who also need to program compatibility into their apps, MirrorLink runs the risk of being unsupported into obscurity. We hope this won’t be the case. Early adopters can rest easy knowing that MirrorLink or not, the XAV-601BT is solid. $550; visit sony.com.

  Barista not included A modern-day Moriondo, Henrik Jul Nielsen is the inventor of Handpresso, a premium line of hand-held espresso makers that are small and compact and allow the caffeinated drink to be made anywhere.

  
  Newly released is the Handpresso Auto, which casts aside the shackles of a seat belt and the open road, allowing drivers to make their favourite hot beverage during the commute. Shaped to fit in the car cup holder, the Handpresso Auto is plugged into the cigarette lighter adapter. Add water and the company’s proprietary coffee pod. Press a button, wait for three beeps and, voila, you have hot steaming espresso that could not possibly spill on to your pants while driving. To be fair, Handpresso’s website features multiple videos demonstrating the product in use, all of which show the driver parking the vehicle before brewing an espresso.

  Coffee junkies will want to add this product to their emergency road kit, but market penetration into Canada might prove difficult as we are fortunate enough to have a Timmy Ho Hos (or equivalent) at nearly every street corner. $200; visit handpresso.com.

  
  

  

  
  8:00 am on May 12, 2012
   

• Maps for vehicles big and tall GPS manufacturer Magellan taps into the recreational vehicle craze by releasing the RoadMate RV9145 navigator, which features a seven-inch widescreen display and software that’s been specifically engineered to help RV drivers navigate their way around.

  Magellan has partnered with Good Sam Trailer Life RV Parks and Campgrounds Directory to provide information within the RV9145 about more than 11,700 campgrounds located across Canada and the United States, with the device offering specific information about the amenities that are featured at each location.

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  • CARgo: Stop theft, start remotely

  The RV9145 has North American map data, six million points of interest, intelligent route planning based upon the driver’s historical route preference, spoken street names and night view, which automatically adjusts colour and contrast for easy night-time viewing. Magellan has even taken into account the fact that RVs come in all sorts of shapes and sizes, as RV9145 users can automatically select routes based upon vehicle height, width and length in order to be assured that a low highway overpass or narrow tunnel will not scratch your svelte, mobile vacation on wheels. $350; visit magellangps.com.

  Toronto gets Blaupunkt With a name that sounds like a German practical joke, it’s not altogether surprising that stereo manufacturer Blaupunkt has released a car stereo that’s sure to seem like a prank to Canadians. As though Toronto the Good needs any further ammunition to fashion itself the centre of the universe, the Toronto 410 BT car stereo adds the Canadian burgh to a growing list of world cities whose names have been bestowed upon Blaupunkt products.

  The Toronto 410 BT features Bluetooth capability, iPod and iPhone control, a front-loading USB port, a three-band equalizer, easy-to-read display, SD, MMC and auxiliary input and a detachable panel. Before anybody shakes his or her firsts in jubilation or in anger, bear in mind that Blaupunkt has previously named stereos after Montreal, Calgary and Vancouver, so Toronto is not breaking any new ground here.

  And while there’s nothing in the feature set that bears recognition between the product and its namesake, the Toronto 410 BT may be somewhat overpriced and many would agree that this makes it deserving of its name after all. $250; visit blaupunkt.com.com.

  
  

  

  
  8:00 am on May 6, 2012
   

• Flagship in features and price Pioneer’s flagship AVIC-Z140BH navigation multimedia receiver features a seven-inch touchscreen display, built-in Bluetooth, an Advanced App mode that promises greater interactivity with iPhone and iPod apps and voice control for hands-free operation. It has a built-in traffic tuner, which, in partnership with Clear Channel Broadcasting, provides real-time traffic data for more than 90 cities in Canada and the United States. Unfortunately, in Canada, the traffic tuner provides data for only Toronto, Ottawa, Montreal and Vancouver.

  A seven-band graphic equalizer complements a MOSFET amplifier, and the interface features customizable home screen shortcuts and multiple button colour illumination options to match any interior. Built-in GPS provides NAVTEQ-powered North American map data, alongside 12 million points of interest. It also has compatibility with Aha Radio and Pandora Radio served up from iOS and Android devices. In other words, the AVIC-Z140BH pretty much does everything that a car stereo can and should do, and it better or else its price tag could be classified as grand larceny. $1,300; visit pioneerelectronics.ca.

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  • CARgo: Stop theft, start remotely

  

  Handout

  DriveGain is an iPhone app that shapes driving habits to improve fuel economy and save money.

  Guzzle less gas For owners of gas-guzzling monster vehicles and everybody else who is victimized by rising fuel costs, DriveGain is an iPhone app that shapes driving habits to improve fuel economy and save money. Users enter information about their car and DriveGain tracks how the car’s operated. It also shows how said operation impacts fuel economy. The developer boasts that users of DriveGain can realize approximately $210 per year in fuel savings.

  The website provides a breakdown of its calculation, demonstrating that the number is not pulled out of thin air. There are two versions of DriveGain: a free app featuring a fuel efficiency gauge that also grades drivers on their habits and a pay version that includes a series of gauges that track, among other items, the amount of money that efficient drivers can save on each trip. It’s not yet available for Android, but that’s not to say that non-iOS users are out of luck. High gas prices aren’t going anywhere, and we’ll showcase other smartphone fuel-saving apps and gadgets throughout spring. $6.99 for premium version; visit iOS app store.

  
  

  

  
  2:54 pm on April 27, 2012
   

• Tailgate theft is a thing There is an underground black market for just about everything, and pickup truck tailgates are not immune. Considering a perpetrator can make hundreds or thousands of dollars for this pickup truck component that can be removed in mere seconds, it is no surprise that Master Lock has released its brand new TailgateLock, which is an easy-to-install tailgate security device. No image can adequately capture the esthetic quality of this product, because it has none.

  This puppy is all about utility, with the stainless steel key-locked clip slipping on to the tailgate post to ensure the tailgate cannot be removed by shadowy underworld sorts. Master Lock has collaborated with Mike Rowe, host of Discovery Channel’s Dirty Jobs, and the manufacturer’s website features a video of Rowe providing an unironic lesson showing viewers how a tailgate can easily be stolen, followed by a visual demonstration of the TailgateLock installed, and in action. Hardly of use to regular commuters, pickup truck owners will likely regard this minor investment as a worthwhile one. $25; visit masterlocktruck.com.

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  • CARgo: The bigger screen cometh

  • CARgo: A cheaper alternative to back-seat entertainment

  Smarter starter Remote starters are wonderful, but the accompanying key fob can be an albatross. They are big, bulky and ugly and generally turn your car keychain into a paperweight. We want to remotely start our car. We want it secure. But we don’t want to pay for the pleasure with overstuffed pockets.

  Escort’s QuickStart Remote Start and Security System overcomes this limitation by offering an Apple and Android smartphone app, which manages all core services and a few extras. The system comprises a starter, remote lock, remote security arming and disarming, panic alarm, trunk release and smartpark function, which remembers where you’ve parked, noting vehicle location every time the user presses the door lock. This is cool because most vehicle finding apps require users to press some button when leaving the car, while this one is smart enough to deduce such. Users not wishing to employ their smartphone will still benefit from an included one-way four-button remote, but our advice is to ditch the gaudy keychain and join the rest of us in the future. $800; visit escortradar.com.

  
  

  

  
  8:00 am on April 21, 2012
   

• The bigger screen cometh Alpine Electronics has consistently maintained a high level of innovation, being among the first to adopt iPod connectivity, Bluetooth and a host of other features that are now deemed standard. With the new INE-Z928HD Navigation Receiver, Alpine plays market leader once more, introducing the first-ever eight-inch double-DIN in-dash touchscreen stereo.

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  • CARgo: Sony

  The unit features navigation data for North America, Bluetooth capability, nine-band parametric equalizer with time correction capability offering customization for audiophiles and smartphone connectivity including Pandora Internet Radio control. Alpine also sells a kit called Perfect F.I.T., which helps to make the Z928HD slip easily into a host of vehicle dashes.

  But the big proposition is the new big screen. This is a high-end system and the price tag definitely reflects all of its features and the big screen. By loading an extra inch of touchscreen space over its competitors, Alpine has thrown down the gauntlet, challenging for stereo supremacy. The company better benefit quickly, because other manufacturers will copy the screen size fast. $1,500; visit alpine.com.

  

  Contigo

  Contigo Autoseal West Loop Stainless Steel Travel Mug offers bliss of drinking coffee while on the road without fear of spill and stain reprisal.

  Mug better late than never Despite claims by most travel mug manufacturers of a spill-proof experience for drivers, these assertions often prove false. This may be due to user error on our part or shoddy manufacturing in the travel mug industry, but it was not until recently experiencing the Contigo Autoseal West Loop Stainless Steel Travel Mug that we first understood the bliss of drinking coffee while on the road without fear of spill and stain reprisal.

  To be clear, this product is not new. But our discovery was such a revelation that we cannot restrain from sharing with all. The mug features patented technology — the Autoseal button — which is pressed when sipping and automatically seals the cup between sips. Vacuum insulation keeps hot drinks warm for up to four hours and cold drinks cold for up to 12 hours. It’s won numerous awards for its technical proficiency, and although these accolades are not new, this is as advanced as it gets in the travel mug sector — which may not seem important until your cheap mug spills coffee on you before a big meeting. $21; visit gocontigo.com.

  
  

  

  
  8:00 am on April 15, 2012
   

• Tablet enjoys back-seat carnage The proliferation of tablets has been a game changer. Most stunning is the fact they have altered the course of business across multiple sectors. Bracketron’s Universal Tablet Headrest Mount helps tablets to alter the course of traditional backseat electronics for the better.

  Where parents used to buy expensive overheard monitors or headrest DVD systems, the Universal Tablet Headrest Mount provides an easy alternative, allowing the mounting of a tablet manufactured by Apple, Blackberry, Samsung, Motorola, Amazon and others in such a manner that the controls are accessible to passengers and the screen is pointed in the right direction to deliver maximum diversion. It’s simple to install and, considering the low price of some tablets, the result is similar in cost to a headrest monitor system, with more utility.

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  Video users would need to adopt the brave new world sans DVD in order to make this switch, but, with each passing day, the technology becomes less intimidating. Bracketron and its peers are providing permanent housing to tablets in the back seat. It’ll be interesting to see how the traditional players adapt. $40; visit bracketron.com.

  AppRadio enjoys early refresh Pioneer Electronics has released a substantially improved version of its critically acclaimed AppRadio, just one year following its introduction. Among the first car stereos to play nice with iPhone apps by way of an interface that could directly control some specifically designed apps, the original AppRadio featured a 6.1-inch touchscreen and support only for iPhone. AppRadio 2 adds Android support, although Android devices need to be attached to the stereo via wired connection, and it boasts a larger seven-inch capacitive touchscreen.

  The unit currently supports a handful of apps for both iPhone and Android, but the beauty of this product is the number of apps available is limited only by the willingness of developers to ensure compatibility on future apps. If Pioneer can sell enough units of AppRadio, developers will feel financially motivated to develop even more compatible apps, providing consumers with a larger app ecosystem for AppRadio, thus stimulating greater sales of the hardware and continuing the contemporary hardware-software complementary sales paradigm that’s been perfected by video game console manufacturers and Apple. $600; visit pioneerelectronics.ca.

  
  

  

  
  8:00 am on April 8, 2012
   

• Refresh losing its lustre Two years ago, Sony refreshed its car multimedia lineup by launching the XAV series, featuring a double-DIN layout, a nice 6.1-inch touchscreen and integrated Bluetooth technology. The new XAV-64BT doesn’t deviate much from the original formula, which isn’t a bad thing except that Sony hasn’t innovated with the series. But, for the price, those looking to enter the double-DIN multimedia sphere may like what they see.

  The XAV-64BT features Sony’s SensMe music application, which organizes tunes by song mood and tempo. And it has ZAPPIN search, which will play just six, 15 or 30 seconds from each track as it scans toward the song you wish to hear. Pandora compatibility is present, as is the case with nearly every car stereo released this year. What’s not present is the new MirrorLink capability that’s being introduced in the high-end soon-to-launch Sony stereos, which allow smartphone touchscreens to be manipulated via the stereo display. But this puppy does boast a new, faster interface response time, which is cool but not exactly a boast-worthy frontline new feature. $400; visit sony.com.

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  Kidz lets kids rock Children spend a lot of time in the back seat during long commutes, listening to music or watching DVDs with a pair of headphones on. But how attuned are parents to the volume on the headphones? Are we oblivious as our sons and daughters blow out their eardrums? Kidz Gear is a manufacturer of high-performance headphones for children, with three different products that comprise a set of wired headphones, a set of wireless headphones and Apple-compatible headphones that have an in-line microphone.

  All three products feature the company’s proprietary KidzControl Volume Limiting Technology, which provides a safe listening experience as the maximum volume levels are limited to between 80 and 90 decibels. The microphone that’s included with the Apple-compatible headphones is useful for recording audio, issuing voice commands to iOS devices and making phone calls on an iPhone. Of course, children who require a headphone that features parental volume control should probably not be entrusted to own an iPhone. But we shall cast no stones, lest we as parents wish to be judged. Prices vary; visit gearforkidz.com.

  
  

  

  
  1:00 pm on April 2, 2012
   

• Mechless point of entry Readers ready to move past the old paradigm of CD-based music are in for a treat. Dual AV’s XR4115 Digital Media Receiver is a solid entry-level product.

  This Mechless car stereo, named as such because it lacks the mechanical moving parts that  comprise an optical drive, plays MP3, WAV and WMA files via the front-loading USB slot and SD Card slot. It has a detachable face, wireless remote, three equalizer pre-sets and the USB port will charge any USB device that’s connected. But the real factor is the price. At $70 (or cheaper via diligent web hunting), this product is not just entry-level but virtually immune from buyer’s remorse.

  Dual AV may not have the Q-Rating of Sony or JVC, but it’s not chopped liver. As a first foray into the stereo world sans CD player, there aren’t many safer options than the XR4115 and not necessarily because it’s the best mechless receiver ever but because the price tag is so modest that it is a relatively low-cost gamble for consumers interested in breaking their CD reliance. $70; visit dualav.com.

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  • CARgo: 'Gimmicks' add function to Bluetooth

  Jabra’s big journey By my count, Bluetooth manufacturer Jabra released five different car speakerphones this past year. It’s busy, it knows its market and its latest release, the Journey, includes most of the top specifications that have been featured in previous devices, with the exception of the three-speaker output available in the legitimately high-end Jabra Freeway.

  The Journey offers HD Voice Technology, which utilizes embedded speech processing developed by a company called Rubidium, and talks users through pairing instructions and battery and connection status, among other operations. The device is perfectly hands-free. Calls can be initiated and answered without any button to press. The speaker is loud and can be heard above cabin noise. It’s better because the product does not have an FM transmitter, so all audio transmission relies upon the Journey’s built-in speaker. We would like to see Jabra adopt a smaller profile. The Journey is smaller than its predecessors, but we’d appreciate it being smaller still. Knowing the precocious nature of this manufacturer, 10 smaller models are probably already rolling off the assembly line. $80; visit jabra.com.

  
  

  

  
  8:00 am on March 24, 2012
   

• JVC plays with Android The KD-X80BT Digital Media Receiver is JVC’s new flagship car stereo, featuring Bluetooth capability, a flip-down faceplate revealing the CD drive, direct control for iPhone, dual USB ports, three-line LCD display, three-band equalizer and more than 30,000 different display colours that will match any car interior. These are solid but unspectacular features. Where the KD-X80BT veers into real innovation is via JVC’s major new feature, Smart Remote for Android, which allows users to operate the car stereo via swipe gestures on their Android smartphone’s touchscreen.

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  So, if your Android phone is more accessible than the car stereo, you can swipe the phone to change source, switch song and adjust EQ settings. This very cool feature is the reason why people will opt for this car stereo over others, and it makes for a compelling reason to purchase an Android phone. In a world where all smartphone coups seem to belong to Apple, this is a big checkmark for Android. Hopefully, the computer geeks at Google understand social protocol and send a gift basket JVC’s way. $210; visit jvc.ca.

  Turn your car into a profit centre Getaround is a new service that allows regular people to rent out their cars during times when they’re not using them.The philosophy is that the average car is driven for only 8% of its lifespan, so why not rent out some of the remaining 92% to make a few bucks and reduce the need for other people to buy cars? If it all sounds peace and love, that’s because the company is a California start-up. It has developed an app for iOS devices that allows users to post their cars with a price and rent by the hour to other Getaround users. The company provides an insurance policy to replace the owner’s policy when renters use the car.

  There’s no cost to join, and Getaround takes a 40% cut on the rental price, which is determined by the car owner. Like any social service, Getaround’s success will be determined by the enthusiasm of its users. The core user base is presently in the United States, so Canada has a lot of ground to make up. Prices vary; visit getaround.com.

  
  

  

  
  8:00 am on March 17, 2012
   

• A different Bluetooth solution The XtremeMac InCharge Auto BT is an atypical Bluetooth device that plugs into both the vehicle’s cigarette lighter adapter and the stereo auxiliary port. It wirelessly sends and receives phone calls from a Bluetooth-enabled mobile phone. Unlike traditional Bluetooth products that either clip to the visor, suction to the windshield or affix to one’s ear, this puppy offers a relatively low-profile solution in that the cigarette lighter adapter is generally out of one’s sightline.

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  That said, the additional auxiliary cable connecting the device to the car stereo could be characterized by some to be moderate clutter, and so the product’s not entirely subtle. One-button control makes usage easy, but it does not have voice command capability, so there’s still some button pushing required on the mobile. Include the fact that the InCharge Auto BT can also charge the phone via USB connection and you have a versatile product. Just be conscious that your Bluetooth microphone would now be at the cigarette lighter adapter level, and so satisfaction may vary depending upon placement, in-car, of the device. $80; visit xtrememac.com.

  Anatomy of a gimmick There’s strange alchemy inherent in a gimmick. Some regard a gimmick as an extraneous feature that adds marginal value, if any, to a product or service. Others may perceive the very same gimmick to be a core benefit, a key determinant whether it’s a buy or a pass. Dual AV’s new XDMA6510 CD receiver is a value-priced stereo with one such gimmick. The product has many typical features, including a front-loading USB port that can read MP3 and WMA files, seven pre-set EQ settings and built-in controls for attached iPods and iPhones. But the gimmick here is a mount that Dual has included so that iPod and iPhone users can affix their Apple device to the stereo for easier access to it, and to eliminate cabin clutter.

  Some will see this as cool and innovative. Others will yawn. Being competitively priced and containing a feature set that’s comparable with other entry-level stereos, the XDMA6510’s success may simply boil down to whether consumers will regard the added mount as a flakey gimmick or a bonafide benefit. $100; visit dualav.com.

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  9:00 am on March 11, 2012