Communications

It only takes a village to raise a child, but it apparently it take the Twitterverse to find a stolen car. This month, the Seattle police department became one of the newest Twitter users and will use @GetYourCarBack as a way to find stolen vehicles.

Consider it a poor man's lo-jack or an Amber alert for newly jacked cars. When the Seattle police get a report of a stolen vehicle, they will report on Twitter the year, make, model and color of the missing car with instructions to the public to call 911 if they spot the vehicle. The … Read more

The less you drive, the less likely you are to get into car accidents--at least that's how insurance companies look at it. To better align drivers' automobile insurance rates with risk, State Farm is offering its California customers discounts based on their odometer readings.

The insurance giant created Drive Safe & Save (DSS), a new voluntary program for California customers that adjusts future policy rates based on the previous six months of driving. Prior to the program, the insurance company rated drivers as either a low- or high-mileage driver, with the cutoff point at 7,500 miles per year. … Read more

General Motors recently released a suite of iPhone and Android apps for OnStar and 2011 Buick, Cadillac, Chevrolet, and GMC models as a first step toward improving in-vehicle communications technology. I was eager to take the OnStar MyLink app for a spin in a 2011 Buick Regal during a road trip from New York to Boston, but I was surprised at how little opportunity I had to use it. OnStar's MyLink app is primarily a safety application for emergency situations, so not finding opportunity to use it was a good thing. But if the app is a step toward … Read more

French electronics manufacturer Oxygen Audio will introduce an audio system at CES 2011 that uses an iPhone as the head unit interface. The O'Car audio system physically integrates an iPhone by snapping it to the front of the audio deck. A cantilever swivels the phone horizontally or vertically, and angles it in any direction.

Using the iPhone as the software platform, you'll be able to use your favorite app-du-jour for traffic information and navigation or whatever new technology comes to the market--as long as it goes to your phone. A downloadable app controls the entertainment system, offering AM/… Read more

There haven't been too many iPhone applications that prompted a federal investigation, but one that did--Google Voice--is now finally available in the App Store.

Google announced the availability of the official app today, nearly a year and a half after it first submitted Google Voice to Apple. Apple's reluctance to approve Google Voice--Google claimed that Apple actually rejected the app while Apple said it was evaluating it--led to an investigation by the Federal Communications Commission into Apple's App Store approval policies, and a deepening of the rift between the two formerly close partners.

Apple relaxed those rules … Read more

Audi is raising the bar for electric vehicle infotainment systems by offering the same telematics package in the European A1 E-tron that it delivers in its top-of-the-line A8 sedan.

The Audi A1 E-tron is a prototype plug-in that uses a 45-kilowatt electric motor powered by a 12-kilowatt battery to deliver a 31-mile range. For longer distances, a small gasoline engine generates electricity to recharge the battery and extends the urban EV's range another 125 miles. Gear heads often complain that EVs take the fun out of driving, but the A1 E-tron's infotainment system could change their minds.

It … Read more

Parrot, makers of the previously reviewed and highly rated Minikit Slim Bluetooth speakerphone, has just announced the latest in its line of hands-free car kits, the Parrot Minikit Smart. However, the Smart has a trick up its sleeve. It's not just a speakerphone, it's also a universal phone cradle and a USB charger.

The Minikit Smart attaches to the vehicle's windshield with a suction cup and connects to any handset that supports Bluetooth wireless, acting as an external speaker and microphone for for hands-free calling. If it sounds anything like the Minikit Slim, we're sure that … Read more

Do you own an Aston Martin DB9? Disheartened by the ignominy of opening the door with a wireless fob? Can't be bothered to reach into your pocket to get the keys? No, we didn't think so. But if you ever win the lottery and find yourself burdened with such hardships, the AMVOX2 DB9 Transponder watch is for you.

This gorgeous timepiece does several things. First, it makes even the skinniest, limpest of wrists more attractive. Second, it tells the time, and third, when you press the sapphire buttons on the left and right side, it'll open or … Read more

GM just announced myChevrolet for owners of 2011 Chevy models. myChevrolet and OnStar MyLink applications are available for free on the Android or Apple iPhone.

Ever lost your car in a mall parking lot? MyChevrolet includes a GPS-enabled map and a feature that lets you add a note or photo with details or where you parked your car. There's a timer, so you can track how much time you have on the parking meter.

If you get back to your car but there's a problem, you can use the app to request roadside assistance or to locate the … Read more