09
Mar
cars dot com android

Cars.com App Wheels Into The Android Market

Posted by in Applications, News

Say you are shopping for a new car and the dealership that you were sure was going to have the perfect one for you turned up with only lemons? You want to hit up another dealership, but you don't know where to start. Now you can pull out your Android phone, open the new Cars.com app and find the ideal auto for you. Are you Dealing with a car salesman who swears the one you like is the last on the lot? Open up the cars.com app, check the dealer's inventory, and - BAM! - call him on his bluff.

After Cars.com's iPhone app was downloaded over 871,000 times, the website, which has been around for nearly 13 years, has now issued an equivalent Android app into the Market.

01
Mar
androidsaab

If You Drive A Saab, Your Car May Soon Be Android-Powered

Posted by in Android OS, News

Auto manufacturer Saab today announced the arrival of their IQon "Infotainment system," which will use Android to power a variety of functions in vehicles.

While used largely for entertainment (music, video), it will also incorporate Navigation and will even monitor the car's on-board computer (external devices are generally used for this purpose now). They boast that it will allow upgrading, personalizing, and even "downloading apps like a smartphone" (I can see the 'don't play Angry Birds and drive' PSAs now). The promo video below shows this taking place in an on-board panel, much like a mounted tablet.

No word as of yet to whether the Saab will be rootable or if Cyanogen will be developing it.

07
Jan
IMG_7979_wm

Mavizon's Mavia 3G-Enabled Gizmo Plugs Into Your Car, Acts As A LoJack, Texts Your Family, Diagnoses Your Check Engine Light [Video]

Posted by in News, Videos

Walking around CES Unveiled on the first day of CES 2011, I ran into a little company called Mavizon Tech, showcasing their product with a beautiful name Mavia. I you've never heard of Mavizon, don't feel bad - they don't have many consumer-facing products just yet, but it's all about to change when Mavia hits the market later this year.

What is Mavia? It's a little gizmo box that plugs into your car's diagnostics port and sits there, drawing the power from the aforementioned port. Inside the Mavia - a GPS module and a 3G radio that is able to broadcast a signal anywhere there is 3G reception (I forgot whether they use T-Mobile or AT&T, but it's one of those).