The vast majority of us will never get to experience a Mercedes-Benz C63 AMG Coupe Black Series up close and personal, so the German luxury automaker decided to take the liberty of creating an app for fans to enjoy some media on their Apple devices.

The app showcases what makes the C63 AMG Black Series Coupe so exciting with highlights on its styling, racing atmosphere, and performance. You can browse through specs of the Black Series Coupe, download dynamic wallpapers, and even share the iPad experience with your friends on Facebook.

Hit the source after the break on your Apple device to download the app.

[Source: iTunes]

There’s nothing entirely revolutionary about an app that reminds you where you parked your car, but the guys looking to finish their “Find My Car Smart” app wants to revolutionize the process involved.

Currently the vast majority (all) of the apps require you to launch the app after you park your car, mark it on your map and is entirely dependent on how strong your GPS signal is. Find My Car Smart on the other hand will integrate the new Bluetooth 4.0 technology found in Apple’s iPhone 4S in order to track where your parked your car.

The project is looking for funding in order to acquire and program a large order of Bluetooth Smart Devices so that they can be offered at an affordable price. Essentially, the Bluetooth Smart device is a USB-powered Bluetooth adapter and when your vehicle is shutoff, the app will detect the Bluetooth device powering down and automatically start the GPS and save your car’s location. From there, you only need to fire up the app to find your car.

Even though the app is up on the iOS App Store, it doesn’t do much without the Bluetooth Smart device and the programming it needs. So pledge today and help get this off the ground if you’re one of those people always wandering the mall parking lot looking for your car.

[Source: Kickstarter]

MINI continues to use technology and connectivity to enhance the Mini driving experience with the release of a new app, called Driving Excitement, for its Mini Connected infotainment system. This new app allows the driver to do more than record their vehicle’s diagnostics.

The first mode in the Driving Excitement app is the Condition Check. The driver can run through a status check from engine temperature and fuel levels to the outside temperature and the chance of rain. When the Condition Check determines that all parameters are satisfactory for spirited driving, the system will declare, “Be Mini.”

The second function is Force Meter, an accelerometer that displays directional g-forces. Force Meter will record peak cornering forces as well as the driver’s steering input. The app’s Digital Sports Instrument mode can report engine coolant temperature and current engine speed as well as the amount of horsepower and torque produced.

Finally, the Mini Connected infotainment system now features a new Excitement Mode, which shuts off other functions within the system to only share key driving information so as to not distract the driver. Perhaps most clever of all, the Mini Connected also includes Dynamic Music, for enthusiasts who would like a soundtrack to their drive. Dynamic Music will help a driver choose up-tempo songs for fun, twisty two lane roads or relaxed music for the extended highway drives.

Get the complete Mini Connected app here.

MINI does social networking right. Introducing the MINI Motoring smartphone app, available for both Android and iPhone, it allows fellow drivers to share their favorite driving roads with each other.

Probably the best automotive app ever created, the only complaint we have is it should have been invented sooner. After making an account, drivers can post their favorite stretches of roads or routes to the app’s internal Google Maps feature. Posted routes can be viewed by other users and they can visit these roads and rate them on a scale from 1 to 5.

While this sounds like the day-trip cousin to yelp.com, MINI Motoring app comes with a twist. Users get virtual points for their activity on the app. Non-MINI owners that use the app can receive digital items such as smartphone wallpapers and physical promo items are in the cards as well. MINI owners can get access to their MINI Financial Services lease or loan accounts and get points through paying their bills through the app as well.

The app is free and available at the Apple App Store and the Android Marketplace now.

[source: Motor Trend]

Is eliminating distracted driving worth $24 a year? Sprint thinks so, and that’s why the company is offering its customers the new Drive First app.

Available only to Sprint subscribers, you’ll need to download special software to your Sprint Android devices (Android phones launched later this year will have the feature built in, with BlackBerry and Windows 7 devices being added in the future).

The Drive First app locks down your mobile phone when it senses motion (your car needs to be going more than 10 mph). If someone were to call or text you while you were behind the wheel, a message would let them know you were driving. You can select up to five numbers that can ring through, as well as three apps, such as navigation, music and weather (but not Facebook – the app is smart and knows that you don’t need that one open while driving).

You can also choose to override the app, but if teens are thinking about doing it, the app will send a notification to their parents to let them know what they are up to. The Drive First app also knows when your car has stopped, and will unlock to let you use it.

[Source: Edmunds Inside Line]

Ever been out to the mall or on a trip out of town and wondered if you had closed your garage door?

Well if you have the new Craftsman garage door with AssureLink, you can close your door using your smart phone, laptop or tablet.

The system works similarly to that used by some car companies to remotely unlock doors or start the car. This system will allow you to close your garage door as long as you have a working smart device.

What if someone is in the way as the door closes? The system has you covered, as it makes plenty of audible sounds, plus will re-open if its obstructed by an object, so no worries about crushing anyone.

This system will appeal to many, but it does come with a price. Craftsman will require you to register for this app and it has an annual user fee of $19.99. Not bad if you are in California, wondering if your garage door is open in Kansas.

[Source: USA Today]

Technology has progressed so much that sometimes it can be unsafe, even for your car. Mobile apps can now allow drivers to unlock car doors and remotely start their engines. However two hackers have exploited this convenience and now have access to vehicles with remote starters. Researchers Don Bailey and Mathew Solnik managed to use a laptop to hack the mobile app connection in two different car brands, and will demonstrate this at the upcoming Black Hat conference in Las Vegas.

When users push the unlock or remote start button on the phone, a signal is sent to a service center, which then sends a signal to the car telling it what to do. The researchers intercepted the signal and duplicated it, allowing them to have full access to the cars. The researchers have not revealed the car brands which have been hacked, but both GM and Mercedes-Benz were the first to market the smartphone app that offers these functions. However, the researchers have vowed not to reveal anything more, until automakers fix the security breach.

[Source: Network World]

Porsche has released a unique application called the Porsche 360° app for the iPad, iPhone or iPod Touch. This app allows for an up-close driving experience without actually sitting inside one of the sports cars.

The app allows users to ride shotgun, alongside Porsche driver Jeroen Bleekemolen for a lap around the Zandvoort circuit. While in the simulator, the user can choose any viewing angle by moving the Apple product into the according direction.

This app is currently only available in The Netherlands, but is also in the App store in co-operation with Porsche AG.

Check out the Porsche 360° video after the jump!

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Those of you who will become stranded in an Audi, never fear: the Audi Roadside App is here!

No more fumbling through your wallet for that ragged AAA membership card that expired in 1999, or dialing 911 and sheepishly admitting that nobody around you has been shot. For those Audi owners with an iPhone, Android or Blackberry—and let’s face it, many who own Audis will likely play with one—the app allows owners to call for the nearest tow truck and request specific service.

The app works by using GPS to locate the vehicle’s owner, then calling for the nearest tow service. Owners submit their vehicle registration data to Audi via the app, which “greatly shortens the time it takes to dispatch service.” Tin-hatters need not apply. The app works in conjunction with the 4-year complimentary roadside assistance available on new models; older Audi owners should have a hacksaw ready to sacrifice a limb in payment.

You can download the app through the links for your iPhone, Android, or Blackberry.

While it may seem that Apple’s iPhone continues to dominate the smart phone market, Google’s Android is actually the more popular operating system. So naturally, many app developers and companies are slowly creating variants of their iPhone/iPad apps to work on Google’s Android system. Included in that list is radar detector company Cobra.

Cobra’s iRadar app is now available for Android, though we still find it a little oddly named now that it’s on Android. The app offers a collection of standalone features (no actual Cobra radar required) that includes GPS warnings for road hazards, traffic cameras and speed traps. By utilizing Cobra’s Aura Camera and Driving Hazard Database with Google Maps integration, users are able to access a plethora of information to enhance their driving experience.

Those with an actual Cobra iRadar hardware can pair their app via Bluetooth for additional features. The app can serve as an auxiliary display for the detector and allows users to make their own road hazards for subsequent trips and aid other drivers.

The app is free on Android’s Market while a Cobra iRadar Detector is $125.

[Source: Car Tech Blog]