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Coolest Technology for Your Car: A Geek Guide
Car manufacturers are incorporating an inordinate amount of
technology into their vehicles nowadays. Despite their best
efforts, however, there are a number of things you can do to
geek your ride. From one little gadget to a full-fledged car
mod, there's always something else that makes your car one step
closer to the batmobile.
GPS, OnStar and navigation Systems
Hate being lost? GPS is the answer. The latest in-car navigation
systems feature voice recognition and touchscreen technology.
GM's OnStar provides peace-of-mind in the case of an accident,
but some say that the system enables Big Brother to track your
every move. More advanced navigation systems can direct you to
the nearest gas station or pizza joint instead of requiring a
specific address. Some can even provide you with other data like
stock quotes, news and sports scores.
War driving
If you haven't heard of war driving, it is the practice of
driving around, locating wireless networks, and "sharing" other
people's bandwidth. Black-hat hackers sometimes use war driving
simply to find vulnerable networks or as a method of anonymity.
This practice obviously requires a portable computer which leads
to our next tip...
Put a computer (or two) inside
How cool would it be to have a computer at your disposal in the
car? Many police departments now outfit their cars with a laptop
computer mounted at an angle over the passenger seat. Hardcore
geeks will do the same. Once you put one computer in your car,
why not add a file server for music and storage? You can fit it
under the seat or in the trunk and connect it to other devices
in the car via a wireless network.
What do you do with a computer in your car? Bring your
collection of music and movies along. Connect it to OBD (see
below). Get online from anywhere. I can hear you now:
"Anywhere?" well, anywhere with a cell phone signal. Verizon has
a service that enables you to get online as much as you want for
$60 a month (on top of your regular cell phone bill).
Hold still
Here's a simple one. Get a grip pad to set on the dash or the
center console. This gives you a place to set your cell phone
within easy reach. You can also set your iPod or sunglasses
down. The great thing is, you can usually take a corner fairly
fast and your stuff won't move an inch.
Radar and laser detectors; jammers
If you have a lead foot, it's worth investing in a radar
detector. There are many models available from $40 to $400. Make
sure to get a model that can detect K, Ka, and laser. If your
chosen detector picks up on X band, so much the better, but make
sure you can disable it. X band is a common source of false
alarms (especially near traffic lights).
OBD II
OBD stands for On-Board Diagnostics. This system is built in to
nearly all vehicles sold after 1996. If you have a laptop in
your car, you can usually purchase a special cable that will
allow you to view a real-time stream of data from nearly every
sensor in the car. Want to know the left front wheel speed in
real-time? You got it. OBD II provides many different data
streams. You can view the horsepower and torque at any RPM, see
how fast you can do 0-60mph, or find the actual gas mileage at
any given speed and save some money at the pump.
OBD technology also helps to diagnose problems with your
vehicle. When the "check engine" light comes on, you'll be able
to tell whether it's a real problem or just a faulty circuit,
and you can even reset it yourself without having to take the
car in (make sure you know what you're doing).
Get things going
A feature typically sought after in colder climates.Wouldn't it
be nice if your vehicle sat idling, heated and defrosted, in the
morning? You can install a remote starter that enables you to
start the car from indoors and let it warm up. This is a feature
typically sought after in colder climates, but it can also be
used to start the A/C and cool things down.
Creature comforts
Assuming you've got the basics covered like power locks and A/C,
there are many features that you should consider when buying a
new car. Heated seats, cruise control, dual-zone climate
control, sunroof... A geek's ride may not have all the creature
comforts, but if you're buying a new car, it only adds to the
tech factor. Other cool features to look for in a new car
include:
> Automatic tire pressure monitoring
> Adaptive cruise control
> Headlights that point in the direction of a turn
> Backup camera
> Adjustable suspension
> Push-button start (No actual key required)
> Bluetooth to integrate with your phone
> Side/curtain airbags
> Traction control
> Halogen/Xenon lights
If your car has all these features, well, you're probably a
little too much of a geek. But I'd sure like to check out your
car sometime.
About the author:
Alex Smith is the president of WiredBuzz.com, providing
articles, downloads and up-to-the-minute news on technology.
http://www.wiredbuzz.com
Written by: Alex Smith
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