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Category Archives: Auto

Satechi’s Tablet & Smartphone Car Dash Mount & Cup Holder Make for Safe Driving

Taking your hand off the wheel to text, view GPS, check facebook while driving leads to more crashs than ever before. Hands free products are a must have for the busy driver in 2012. Featured at CES  Satechi, a leading mobile accessories manufacturer, offers many safe driving products from its impresive line up.


The Satechi ST-TP01 cradle for your tablet or navigation unit. The convenience of your portable navigation can now be used inside your vehicle within your reach. With the ST-TP01, your device will be securely fastened onto your dashboard and adjusted to any desired position for optimal viewing.

Rather than being window mounted, this dash mounted holder won’t cause any new blind spots. Plus no more hassle of having to constantly pick up or place your expensive device unsecurely somewhere in your car. Safer driving can be achieved.

Futher more it has no screws, easy installation right on the dashboard. It allows for horizantal and vertical adjustment, comes with 2 suction cups – one for dashboard and the other to secure your device
Compatible with Smartphones & Tablets

 

 

 

 

 

 

TheSatechi ST-TP01 cradle  is available now for $29.99 at Satechi.net and Amazon.com.

The SCH-121 Cup Holder Mount does the same thing for those who do not like dash mounted devices.  The user friendly and convenient SCH-121 Cup Holder Mount provides a non-obtrusive solution for safer hands-free calling and navigation with any 7-10 inch tablet or smartphone.

The safe and convenient SCH-121 Cup Holder Mount includes two cradles – one for 7 to 10 inch tablets and one for smartphones.  The tablet cradle allows for stable and secure mounting with full access to all buttons and functions on any tablet including iPad 2, Samsung Galaxy Tab, Kindle Fire and more.  The case-friendly smartphone cradle safely secures and adjusts to fit any device in place, including iPhone 4S, HTC Flyer and Blackberry.

The SCH-121 Cup Holder Mount’s cradles can rotate 360 degrees allowing the tablet or smartphone to be placed in landscape or portrait mode.  The hinges on the mount can rotate 180 degrees for vertical or horizontal height adjustment.  Additionally, the Cup Holder Mount features an expandable base to ensure it fits in any size cup holder.

The SCH-121 Cup Holder Mount  is available now for $29.99 at Satechi.net Back In Stock 3/30/12 and Amazon.com.

For more on all of Satechi’s award winning products, follow us on Facebook.com/Satechi and @Satechi.

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Holy Batmobile, Obama Rides “The Beast”

Roy Bassave & The Batmobile at CES 2007

The first all purpose high-tech car was the Batmobile. Now sci-fiction meets reality. The president has Air Force One, now he rides in  Cadillac One, but it will always be known as the Obamamobile.

This is the top-top security armored limousine in the world which is custom built as Barack Obama’s presidential car. It replaced the George W. Bush 2001 Cadillac Special Custom Limousine he used from 2001-2008.

After more than  two years his Secret Service agents are very familiar with the machine they call ‘The Beast’, built by General Motors in Detroit and based on a Cadillac chassis. Or is it ObamaMotors or  GM Government Motors. It runs on diesel but,  what kind? Bio-Diesel maybe? Gets 8-miles to the gallon not bad for a tank. It’s not very “green” Mr.President, as you tell Americans to downsize what they drive.

The car is one of a small fleet of what is believed to be no more than 25 presidential limos General Motors built for the Obama administration . Although presidential limos have a lifespan of about a decade, the Commander in Chief gets a new one about every four years. Hand-me-downs are used to carry the vice president and visiting heads of state.

GM  can’t give precise details of how it  performs its primary purpose – protecting the president. But cutaway illustration of the new Cadillac One by John Lawson does.

What we do know for sure is as with previous presidential limos it is packed with electronic communication systems to allow the president to keep in contact with the outside world. You know places like the Pentagon, the Vice-President, even with facebook and Twitter I assume.

What about a Blue-ray player to play his favorite movies during a long drive. Or to keep his kids happy and not bored.

Highlights of the Beast within the Beast:

• It can withstand rocket impacts and it’s perfectly sealed against biochemical attacks.
• Tank-like: Can withstand a direct hit thanks to a special foam and armor-plating.
• Bodywork: made of dual hardness steel, aluminum, titanium, and ceramics to break up deadly projectiles.
• Tires: Kevlar-reinforced with steel rims underneath so it can run away no matter what.
• Accessories include: Night vision cameras, pump-action shotguns, tear gas cannons.
• Comes with bottles of blood compatible with the President’s blood (creepy).
• Bulletproof glass and armourplating are standard throughout.
• Ten-CD changer, why it’s 2011 not the 90s. How about an upgrade to an iPod dock or surround sound speakers.

Despite the protection afforded by Cadillac One, the Secret Service never takes chances when President Obama goes anywhere. The Beast is packed with thing we will never know. And that’s all right with me. It’s a need to know thing and the bad guys are not on that list either.

LIMO HISTORY

Obama’s limo is the latest in long line of presidential cars Cadillac has built in the 100 years since Congress approved funding for a presidential motor pool. President Wilson rode in a Caddy during a parade marking the end of World War I. President Coolidge sported a lavish 1928 Cadillac Town Car, which was among the first Caddy’s parked at 1600 Pennsylvania Ave. It featured a 341 cubic inch engine and a robust (for the time) 90 horsepower.

In 1938, the US government received two Cadillac convertibles, each 21.5 feet long and weighing nearly 8,000 pounds. They were dubbed the “Queen Elizabeth” and the “Queen Mary” after the ocean liners.  Each featured back-up generators, two-way radios and an arsenal of weapons. They served presidents Roosevelt, Truman and Eisenhower and were replaced by the Queen Elizabeth II and Queen Mary II, which remained in service until 1968.

Cadillac returned to the White House in 1983, when President Reagan rode around in a Fleetwood famous for being the last equipped with the Turbo Hydra-Matic 400 3-speed automatic transmission. President Clinton rode in a Fleetwood Brougham powered by a 454 cubic inch (7.4 liter) V8.

The largest collection of presidential limos is held by the Henry Ford Museum, but President Bush’s limo will not appear in it. The Secret Service has since the terror attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, required that presidential limos be destroyed upon retirement to preserve their secrets.

Below is a look at  previous presidential limos.

 

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Easy Hands Free Bluetooth & iPod Gadget

Most cars today don’t have built-in Bluetooth, making you upgrade via third party companies for a new radio or dash mounted product. In many states it’s illegal to talk and drive while holding your cell phone. Many products exist on the Market, but one came across my desk that made me smile. Alpine offers the newly enhanced eX-10 Advanced iPod Controller with Bluetooth. It makes a cool gift for someone who is always on the road, and won’t break the piggy bank.

The eX-10 on-dash solution enables you to upgrade your car or truck by adding iPod control and Bluetooth hands-free calling features, with all audio transmitted through the car’s factory sound system. The eX-10 consists of a 2.4-inch color TFT display monitor that can be installed on top of the car’s dash (via two-way tape), a wireless remote control and a power module that plugs into the car’s cigarette lighter.

Installation took 20 minuets and though it did everything advertised, I did have one problem. Too many exposed wires to connect all the devices, and looks ugly too. It should be wireless like the remote. Ok my complaint may be picky, but into today’s technology wireless connections are the way to go.

“The eX-10’s reduced price and enhanced features make it a great product for consumers who want an iPod and Bluetooth experience that integrates into their vehicle’s existing system,” said Stephen Witt, vice president, marketing, Alpine Electronics. “Consumers don’t have to buy a new car to get today’s advanced technology; they can just upgrade their current cars.”
Other features:

iPod Connection

The eX-10 connects to Gen 4 and newer iPods via Alpine’s own Full Speed™ Connection for iPod cable (included). If the iPod displays album art, this art will also be shown on the eX-10’s screen. The supplied remote control offers full control of the iPod, allowing the iPod to be safely stored away. A return dial on the side of the remote is used to navigate through the iPod tracks.

For devices with Bluetooth hands-free calling features, commands such as Phonebook list, Missed Calls, Received Calls and Dialed Calls are displayed on, and accessible through, the eX-10. The unit is also ready to meet the growing popularity of streaming music playback from Bluetooth devices.

Suggested retail price: $180, www.alpine-usa.com

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Santa’s GPS Ho! Ho! Ho!

This Holiday season many of us will be driving into areas that are new to us. You could do what my dad did in the 60’s; have my mom read the road map to him as he drove on the great American highway. But let’s be real here, you know as guys we don’t like using maps, we think we always know the way. Fast forward to today, we find that the old paper map is bye bye!

Today GPS and digital-mapping technology combined space age gadgets with down-to-earth simplicity. These portable navigation systems can help you get from point A to point B with cool audible driving directions, color maps, points of interest, and traffic updates. And while they were once a little known helpful device, they’ve gained in popularity and you can found almost everywhere

I was talking to a friend of mine who asked what GPS would be good for his wife for Christmas. Gee I thought Santa using on I bet at the end of Rudolph’s nose. All kidding aside, I went to find out and ended up trying three top brands out – TomTom, Magellan, and Garmin. These innovative companies continue to create the leading GPS devices for retail. Prices range from $250-$1,200, and you really get what you pay for.

TomTom GO 930 GPS is a no frills easy to use navigation system that is loved by the ladies. This is the perfect fit if you never used a GPS device before. Navigation ease comes first and this new model brings several new features, including advanced lane guidance and historical traffic data, to make it a helpful copilot to any driver with speech recognition. My favorite feature is that you get celebrity voice downloads like the new Kim Cattrall’s one, are one of the many features TomTom offers to personalize your driving experience. With Kim Cattrall’s voice helping you navigate your trip, it will not only have you travel safely and with less stress, but will also be amused along the way. SRP Price: $380-$490

The Magellan Maestro 4250 with voice command and superb location accuracy is very easy to use and is a step up from TomTom. I love the sleek back finish of the device and its driver friendly software. This product is also very popular at BJ’s. Price: $255-$490

The most advanced GPS so far that also has the heftiest price tag is the Garmin Nuvi 880. For the price you get an impressive text-to-speech functionality, MSN Direct services, and Bluetooth, into a compact design. Though I would go with a TomTom, if you’re a beginner and just want to not get lost. But if your at the high-end of gadget must have person, then this portable navigation system offers the best and most accurate speech recognition GPS outside of the military. SRP Price: $560-$1,200

The only thing missing for any of these GPS’ is the voice of K.I.T.T. the computer voice from The Knight Rider TV series on NBC.

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