How’s this for a driving distraction – a GPS-enable rearview mirror that features a 4-inch touchscrren, Bluetooth and games.

This innovation, brought to you by gadget wholesalers Chinavasion, is a kit that can replace any standard rearview mirror. The biggest perks it offers is its GPS and Bluetooth 2.1 capabilities, as well as a 4.3-inch touchscreen for multimedia playback, touchscreen games and DVR options that allow you to record inside and outside the car.

The kit is easy to install, as it fits right over your old mirror. Its GPS unit uses a SiRF Atlas VI chip and a Centrality Atlas 4 Dual-Core 500 MHz processor. Plus, you can run most major brands of GPS software through it (TomTom, iGO, Route66). For hands-free calls, the kit comes equipped with a microphone and speakers, as well as allows you to listen to music through a Bluetooth connected mobile phone. Giving you a clear line of sight behind you, it features a waterproof wireless rearview camera, as well as a camera built into the mirror that can record video and interior and exterior sound.

The games and multimedia playback capabilities should be enjoyed while your car is in the parked position. You can play some of the games that come included on its 480 x 272 pixel 4.3-inch touchscreen, As well, you can watch MP4, AVI, MPG, WMV and 3GP videos and listen to MP3, WMA and WAV audio files. It also supports BMP, JPG, PNG and GIF images and TXT documents.

The kit sells for about $200 and is available for purchase on the Chinavasion website.

[Source: Autoblog]

The latest characters to join TomTom’s growing list of celebrity voices are Sesame Street’s Bert and Ernie.

Developed with Sesame Workshop and Locutio Voice Technologies, the famous Muppet pair will get you to where you need to go. You and your kids will have blast hto any destination, as Bert and Ernie keep you amused with directions and banter, such as: U-turn ahead, Bert. Just me turn? All of us Bert.”

You can download Bert and Ernie for your TomTom device for $12.95. And be sure to watch the “making of” video after the jump.

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Distracted driving isn’t just limited to texting and talking on your cell phone. Now, more than ever, there are so many things that can shift our attention from the road  like GPS units and MP3 players.

To cut down on all the potential distractions that surround you in your car, a company called ALPS has come up with a concept steering wheel that cuts out all those buttons and instead offers touch sensitive pads.

Designed to be safer for drivers, the ALPS wheel trackpad would let you centralize all of the commands you commonly use in your vehicle and put it right in the steering wheel. To check directions or change a tune, all it takes is the sweep of a finger, kind of like using a smartphone. This means you wouldn’t have to take your eyes off the road when you wanted to crank the volume on your stereo. In the future, the ALPS wheel trackpad could even incorporate handwriting recognition, which would make it much easier to type in directions to your GPS.

[Source: Oh Gizmo]

TomTom is launching a limited edition GO LIVE “Top Gear” edition satnav device, featuring the hit British motoring TV show’s star presenter, Jeremy Clarkson, as well as its resident driving extraordinaire, the Stig.

The new TomTom GO LIVE starts at $269.95 and will include a one year free subscription of HD Traffic, a technology that will prompt traffic updates every two minutes, offer detailed incident reports, the length of delay, as well as accurate travel times and alternate route proposals in order to help commuters combat ever frustrating traffic congestion. Moreover, the limited edition device will offer unique Top Gear selected points of interest including race track and raceway locations related to the series. Jeremy Clarkson, known for his passionate disapproval of speed cameras, will be pleased to know that the GO LIVE will also send nearby speed camera alerts for the driver.

But the best part: Clarkson will be the default navigation voice for TomTom’s new device. However, when switched to Stig Mode, some say the device gets puzzled if the satellite positioning system does not indicate the vehicle is located within the Top Gear test track. All we know is the device instantly turns silent.

GALLERY: TomTom GO LIVE Top Gear Edition

Your teenager just got their license and you’re a little worried about where they are going with your car. You can keep an eye on them – and your car – with iTeen365.

A GPS system that tracks your car and your teen, the iTeen365 needs to be professionally installed in your vehicle. Once that’s taken care of, you just set up a geofence online, and watch where your teen is going. You can watch your vehicle online at the iTeen365 website with your user account.

This account will save up to four months of detailed driving reports, including information regarding where your car has been and if your teen stayed within the speed limits. If you can’t be logged on to your account 24/7, you can get text or email alerts when your car leaves or enters specified zones.

If you’re worried about your teen messing around with the system, don’t be – the iTeen365 device is hard-wired into the vehicle’s ignition column and battery, and is mounted behind the dash. The system costs $289, plus an installation cost of about $65. If you want to get it removed, that will cost extra. On top of that, concerned parents have to pay a month cost, which ranges from $17.95 to $21.95 per month for services, depending on the length of the contract.

If you trust you teen, but are a little worried about all those late night meetings your husband or wife has been having, you can always go with the iSpouse365, which the company describes as being the cheaper alternative to hiring a private detective. The company has a range of products so you can keep track of all the drivers in your life – you can check them out on the iTeen365 website. And be sure to check out the promotional video after the jump.

What do you think? Are we treading to far into “Big Brother” zone or should we keep a close eye on our teens to make sure they aren’t getting into trouble? Leave us your thoughts in the comment section below.

[Source: Cnet]

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It’s easy to panic when you’re stranded by the side of the road after your car breaks down or you’re late for an early morning meeting and it just won’t start. Helping you keep your cool and stay safe, AAA has some advice for stranded motorists.

In a case where your car just won’t start, the problem may lie with the battery. It could be that it’s discharged or there’s a poor connection. Open the hood and check out the battery to see if it’s securely mounted in place and see if the cable clamps are connected to the battery. Cable clamps that are loose or corroded may be the problem. Clean the corrosion from the battery terminals and cable clamps and make sure the clamps are secured tight. If that doesn’t work, check to see if your car is fully in park and that there’s enough fuel in the vehicle. If all else fails, it’s time to call in a road service provider.

If you ever find yourself experiencing car problems while driving, your first priority is pulling off to a safe location. This should be away from the flow of traffic, and you should stay in your car while waiting for roadside assistance. Once you’re safe, you can call your road service provider. Take a look around and take note of your surroundings, landmarks and signs – anything that will help roadside assistance find your location. There are even certain smartphone apps (such as AAA TripTik Mobile and AAA Roadside) that will send your GPS location right to your roadside assistance provider.

Once roadside assistance has picked you up, you need to decide where to take it to get fixed. If you’re far from home and can’t get it to your regular mechanic, the easiest way to find a repair ship is with the help of a handy smartphone app (again the AAA TripTik Mobile and AAA Roadside apps can help you out here).

Turn to the dark side… and then turn right… and you’re at your destination. Darth Vader will guide with step by step instructions to your destination – good or evil – as he’s the newest voice available for Garmin GPS.

Joining the ranks of SpongeBob SquarePants, Dora the Explorer, and Squirrely the Squirrell, Darth Vader is going to tell you exactly where to go, complete with heavy breathing and thinly veiled threats. “Proceed as indicated, don’t make me destroy you” and “Go straight on, the Emperor awaits” are just a few of the commands that will ensure you don’t make a wrong turn.

You can download Vader from the Garmin website for $12.99. The bundle includes TIE fighter vehicle icon to display on your Garmin map screen as you drive on your far, far away commute.

[Source: Consumer Reports]

Pioneer is living up to its name by being one of the first to specialize in a GPS units made specifically for electric vehicles. The company’s latest AVIC-ZH09-MEV head unit is set to launch in Japan later this month and is specifically designed for vehicles such as Nissan‘s Leaf and Chevrolet‘s Volt. To aid in maximizing an electric vehicle’s battery range, Pioneer employs their proprietary software in order to route drivers with the most battery-efficient route to their destinations.

As expected, the route may not be the fastest or the shortest, but rather provide the greatest potential for battery charging through regenerative braking. In addition, the GPS will come with a database of charging stations and will even estimate the cost of each route. And of course the head unit comes with your standard CD/DVD drive with multimedia format support, a USB port, SD card reader and 5.1-channel support.

It’s currently priced at around $3,000 but there’s no confirmations on whether or not Pioneer will export it to other markets.

Cadillac is getting ready to reveal a new infotainment system, and while details are tightly under wraps, the system is expected to be introduced in its 2013 models. Some sources have claimed that the luxury brands infotainment system is far more advanced then what BMW, Mercedes-Benz or Audi has to offer.

With Ford having difficulties with its MyFordTouch (available on its Lincoln products), it’s likely that Cadillac may offer a simplified system that uses more intuitive physical controls rather than a touch screen system. Hyundai has opted for this setup on their Equus luxury sedan, and it has won praise from critics and consumers alike.

[Source: CarTech Blog]

The Supreme Court will rule on whether or not law enforcement officers need a warrant in order to track a suspect’s vehicle with a GPS device.

This case is based on Antoine Jones, whose vehicle was being tracked for a month without his consent or consent from the justice department. The police are arguing that tracking should not require a warrant because the location of a vehicle on public streets is public knowledge. The others are arguing that this type of surveillance is an unjust invasion of privacy. However, Jones was caught selling cocaine when his vehicle was being monitored.

Lower courts have agreed with Jones’ attorneys regarding privacy, however there is a precedent for allowing evidence to be obtained through warrantless GPS tracking.

[Source: Autoblog]