#ipad

With the iPad 3 announcement scheduled for next week, the rumor mills are churning on what Apple has up their sleeves next. As with everything Cupertino-related, nothing will ever be confirmed until it comes out of Tim Cook’s mouth.

Keeping kids entertained on road trips is fairly simple these days. You can download a movie or a game on your iPad and your kids will stay quiet so you don’t have to put up with endless “are we there yet” questions.

Recently Lexus announced the creation of the Tori 500 track, inspired by swimsuit model Tori Praver’s curvaceous body. At the time of that release, Lexus teased that a TORI 500 app would be available for iOS devices, and now here it is.

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.

Hot Wheels is finding new ways to make their toys relevant and fun again, this time around launching a new product line called the iNitro Speeders which allows the user to control their little car through an iPhone app.

Xatori Inc., the same company that created PlugShare, has released their second iOS application called GreenCharge. Building off the success of PlugCharge, which is the nation’s largest electric vehicle charging network, GreenCharge allows owners of electric vehicles to view real time battery data and to see and share the environmental and monetary benefits of owning their EV.

The app is currently only available on Apple devices for $9.99 and can sync directly with eligible electric vehicles such as the Nissan Leaf or Chevrolet Volt. It is also the first and only app that connects driving data with local energy pricing to give the user their costs of operating their electric car. And for those that are really green, the app will let them know the carbon offset from their driving.

Those that don’t yet own an electric vehicle but are considering one can also use the app on a demo car to simulate driving and cost information to see if an EV would be worth the investment. Lastly, no app would be welcomed in 2012 without the ease of sharing your info on Twitter and Facebook.

“I’ve talked to too many people who have been confused about the benefits and operating costs of an electric vehicle” said Forrest North, CEO of Xatori Inc. “We built GreenCharge to let EV owners understand their cars and educate others on the true environmental and monetary benefits of driving an electric vehicle.”

Check out a video highlighting the app’s functionality after the break.

There are some great auto magazines available for your Apple iPad, but they can be a little pricey. You’ll be glad to hear about Porsche‘s new magazine called Christophorus, and this iPad app is totally free to download.

Ford is taking a clever approach to virtually revealing the new 2013 Fusion sedan before its official debut at the upcoming 2012 Detroit Auto Show. Using an app, now available on Android and iOS systems for smartphones and tablets, is an augmented reality game app where users can virtually drive the new Fusion through a series of worlds that unlock to reveal the car.

Each track is loaded with video clips featuring insight on technology and design from key Fusion team members. A daily video clip will unlock more content to the app every day with demonstrations of key vehicle features on the new 2013 Fusion.

When the vehicle finally debuts at the 2012 Detroit Auto Show, users will be able to unlock access to the full image of the car. At that point, they will also be able to drive any of the four Fusions on the virtual track in addition to creating a custom image of the car to share via Facebook or Twitter.

The all-new Ford Fusion will also be the Official Car of the 2012 CES show.

Check out an app walkthrough video after the break.

If you play the EA Moble game Road Trippin’, you can expect to stop by Sears Auto Centers in your virtual travels.

Take the brand new Volvo FH16 out for a spin… but be careful of obstacles. That’s the idea behind Volvo Trucks’ new game for smartphones and tablets.

Fanboys have been waiting for its arrival almost as long as Christians have been waiting for the second coming and now, lovers of Toyota‘s FT-86 sports car have a new way of passing the time until it arrives. Proving that there really is an App for everything, Toyota has just launched the “FT-86 World Report” App. Get ready to be disappointed.

It doesn’t let you race the FT-86 on the Nurburgring, or go behind the scenes of the creation or design of the car, or even have a great teaser of its exhaust note. Nope. Instead, the App let’s you digitally add a rendering of the FT-86 onto a photo you take and then upload it to the FT-86WorldREport.com website. Perhaps the only genuinely interesting part of this app is that you can see just how many others are as excited as you are about Toyota’s new affordable sports car.

Toyota will debut the FT-86 at the Tokyo Auto Show on November 30, with it’s sister car, the Subaru BRZ being unveiled the same day. The U.S. market Scion FR-S is expected to be unveiled at the New York Auto Show next spring.

Available for iPhone4, 4S and iPad2, download the app today here.

Watch the video after the jump:

The brainchild of Disney and Spin Master, AppMATes feature your favorite Disney-Pixar Cars 2 characters. Available in packs of two, these toy cars come equipped with sensors on its base that identifies them to the iPad. To start these toy’s engines, just download the free app and put the cars on the iPad screen. You child is taken to Radiator Springs, where they can explore, race, and perform secret missions as they move their car around.

A pack of two Disney-Pixar Cars 2 AppMATes costs $19.99 and will be on store shelves starting in October (you’ll find them at Apple stores and other major retailers). The toys themselves may be inexpensive, but you’ll have to shell out cash for the iPad. To see how AppMATes works, watch the video after the jump.

[Source: Consumer Reports]

Take care of business on the go. Busy executives will be able to multitask while being driven to their next meeting, thanks to the Bentley Mulsanne Executive Interior Concept.

Hyundai spokesman Jim Trainor said that the iPad promotion was only available for the first year of Equus sales. Anyone who wants an Equus now will have to deal with a weighty lump of dead tree for their owner’s manual, though the iPad app is still available in the App Store.

The free iPad was a strong attraction for the initial launch of the Equus, though not necessarily a selling point—we don’t know how many people threw down $58,000 for the sake of a $500 iPad. No word on whether future Equus buyers will be stuck with a Blackberry Playbook.

[Source: USAToday]

Click here to read AutoGuide’s Hyundai Equus Review and see after the jump for our video:

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!