Motionlites Gallery

Banks Power To Debut iQ Dash Computer At SEMA

Banks Power, the company behind some of the fastest diesel trucks, has turned its tuning prowess to a fully-featured dashboard computer. Called the iQ, it's the perfect stocking stuffer for anyone curious about their exhaust gas temperature. More »

Spy Camera Hidden In Fake Key Fob

Brilliant Hong Kong electronics maker Brando has come up with a new gadget for the spying car guy, a fake key fob with a built in spy camera. It's even got an SD slot for extended observation. More »

Spy Camera Key Fob Pictures

Start Your Car With Your iPhone

Viper SmartStart is an iPhone app that allows you to remotely unlock or start your car and, unlike remote keyfobs, the range is virtually limitless. More »

MINI Offers Roadside Assistance App To iPhone Nerds

Is there a more perfect hipster union than MINI and the iPhone? No. So MINI, in conjunction with Allstate, is offering an iPhone application to manage all your roadside assistance needs. Because, you know, that's necessary. More »

Burger King Drive-Thru To Harness Power Via Kinetic Energy

A New Jersey-based Burger King has announced they'll install a kinetic energy harnessing speed bump in their drive-thru to tap into the unused power generated by the hundreds of cars that pass through daily. More »

Heli Mission SWAT Truck: R/C Truck + R/C Helicopter

There's something ingeniously simple and awesome about the Heli Mission SWAT Truck, which combines a six-wheeled R/C truck with a fully R/C helicopter. We may have found the perfect wedding gift. More »

Land Rover Lends Name To Virtually Everything-Proof S1 Phone

Land Rover partnered with Sonim Technologies to create this — the world's first IP-67-rated GSM mobile phone. The S1 is completely resistant to dirt, dust, drops and can be fully submersed up to 3.3 feet. More »

The $7,000 Custom Key Fob

If expensive supercars and gold paint jobs aren't unique enough for you, Eng-i-Creation can whip up a one-off silver and gold embellished custom folding key-fob for only about $7,000. More »

Panasonic Launches First In-Car Blu-Ray DVD Player

Panasonic is launching the first in-car Blu-Ray DVD player, the CN-HX900D, for those who need to watch HD videos on a 7-inch screen while waiting in the drive-thru at McDonalds. More »

OnStar May Add Voice-Activated Twitter Capability

OnStar may soon partner with Twitter to offer hands-free tweeting capability to its suite of voice-activated communications services. This may be the perfect compliment to OnStar's automatic crash reporting. More »

Bulldog R/C Rider Is The Best Grown-Up Toy Car Ever

Playing with R/C cars always engenders the thought "Man that would be really fun if it was big enough to ride." Well 3Z Scale has an awesome new offering: The Bulldog R/C Rider. More »

Lewis Hamilton Ghost Rides F1 Car Using Blackberry Storm

We know you can use an iPhone as a G-meter, but did you know you could use a Blackberry Storm to control an F1 car? Lewis Hamilton had his McLaren wired to try it. More »

XROADS G-Map: First iPhone Turn-By-Turn Nav App Review

The XROADS G-Map software brings turn-by-turn capabilities to the Apple iPhone, bridging the gap between the device and a typical GPS systems. Does it work? More »

BMW's New Navigation System Knows Where You're Going

BMW is reportedly developing a new navigation element which can guess your next destination based on driving habit and time of day. BMW is sorry Dave, it cannot let you put this route at risk. More »

Samsung Transparent OLED Display Pitched As Automotive HUD

Organic light emitting diode displays are normally shown over a black background to provide contrast. This see-though Samsung display, however, does not, providing a creepy, holographic quality perfect for a high content heads-up display. More »

Truck N' Buddy Aftermarket Pickup Truck Step Gives Ford Patents The Finger

Like Howie Long, have you been enviously coveting the 2009 Ford F-150's man step? Now, thanks to the Truck N' Buddy, you can have a similar feature on any pickup of your choosing. More »

Driver Saved From $200 Ticket By iPhone

When a police officer asks for proof-of-insurance, most people reach for their card. When it's expired, most people take the ticket. Paul reached for his iPhone and saved himself $200 and a suspended license. More »

Chrysler uconnect: An Orwellian Nightmare

The overriding theme for Chrysler’s Detroit Auto Show unveils seems to be the future and the latest fantasy is a frightening space-age version of Chrysler uconnect. More »

Segway-Killing Toyota Winglet Enters Production Priced At $3,500

Toyota is putting its sex toy-like Winglet personal transportation device into production, with limited sales beginning this year. For just $3,500 you can look as ridiculous as a Segway owner. More »

Toyota Safety Connect, Lexus Enform Take Aim At GM OnStar With New Service

Toyota's ready to battle GM's OnStar with it's own on-board telematics program appropriately named Safety Connect and Lexus Enform. Of course GM could have avoided this if they'd let Lexus continue to use OnStar. More »

Swiitek CarPC Head Units Heading To CES

Swiitek's bringing two universal-fit double-DIN PCs and four dashboard-specific head units designed to fit late-model Toyota Camrys, Corollas, Honda Civics and CR-Vs to this week's CES geekfest in Vegas.

Dashboard Devices Hopes To Corner In-Car Computer Market

With the ability to integrate movies, music, navigation, phone and Internet into one in-dash device, Dashboard Devices thinks it has developed the ultimate in in-car tech.

Mercedes Splitview Command Coming To 2009 S-Class

You’ll soon be able to check one more option box on that 2009 Mercedes S-Class you planned on ordering next year.

Deer Detecting Road Technology Being Tested In Colorado

An electromagnetic sensor system capable of automatically detecting the presence of large animals on or near roadways and alerting drivers to their presence is being tested in Colorado. So far, the system appears to be working; the only problem might be the drivers themselves. Colorado is trialing the system on a road where up to 70% of all accidents involve vehicles colliding with animals. But how does it work? More »

Carcade Turns The World Outside Your Car Into A Video Game

Because the DVD players and in-car PS3s were starting to bore the kids, three students at the Berlin University of the Arts have created a video game that uses what's going on outside a car's window, incorporating it into the game. Behold CARCADE! Utilizing a webcam and a laptop, the program detects the landscape outside the window and then lets players zoom around the obstacles. The game is currently in demo form but shows off some fairly awesome technology. [Carcade via Gizmodo]

BrakeNutz. Yeah, You Read That Right, Brake... Nutz.

Let's say you're looking for a way to spice up the tail-end of pickup truck and regular truck nutz just don't do it for you. Perhaps something more tasteful and yet more flashy — literally. Enter BrakeNutz, a clear set of polycarbonate Nutz with dual-element LEDs inside. Those strategically placed lights are wired to mimic brake lights when properly installed into your cars or trucks wire harness. Guess that's one way to legally flash your nutz at someone. [BrakeNutz]

New Sharp Mobile Phone Will Unlock Car Doors, Start Engine For Owner

Eliminating the need to stuff both car keys and a mobile phone in your pockets, Nissan has partnered with electronics maker Sharp and mobile phone company NTT Docomo to create a phone that can do everything your car keys do, plus make phone calls. The gadget may not be able to help you open packages or stab muggers in the face like a traditional key can, but it can still operate your door locks and start up your engine. It does this by tapping into Nissan's Intelligent Key system which is already in place on premium models like the GT-R. We just hope they don't start charging roaming fees for driving your car outside of your normal coverage network. Press release after the jump. More »

Audi Backs Traffic Project To Get Cars Talking To Traffic Lights, Minimize Time Spent At Stops

Audi has thrown its weight behind "Travolution," a German traffic light communication management system trying to smooth traffic flow and reduce congestion. The system works by way of 46 smart traffic lights installed in Audi's home town of Ingolstadt which communicate with specially equipped Audi A5s and A6s. The cars interpret the information from the lights and display an ideal speed to the driver which leads to smooth sailing through green lights as opposed to hitting the reds. The lights also interpret traffic density and adjust timing to reduce times at the line - and therefore minimization of fuel-sapping "stop-start" traffic. Sounds like a plan to us More »

Google Search Coming To 2009 BMW 1- and 3-Series

Stateside buyers of BMW’s 1- and 3-Series vehicles will now have the option to add “BMW Search Powered By Google Maps” to their BMW Assist and Navigation system-equipped vehicles. Basically, this means they’ll be able to search for addresses and phone numbers directly from their navigation system using Google Maps. The advantages of such a system are obvious, allowing drivers a quick and easy method to find contact details and directions on the fly. But, as with all BMW options, BMW Search is actually way more complicated than that. The press release follows the jump; see if you can understand it. More »

Trucker Rigs Disappearing License Plate To Cheat Tolls

Ever since James Bond showed off the rotating plates on his Aston Martin, people have been inspired to rig up their own devices to conceal their vehicle's identity. Recently, a trucker was nearly caught using such a device to avoid paying tolls. The trick plate was mounted on a hinge and connected to a cable which ran into the cabin, the end of which went through the old cigarette lighter socket, and was activated just by pulling out the lighter. It's brilliantly simple, and evidently rather popular among truckers looking to beat the system. Stick it to the man! [via Yahoo, Gizmodo]

Porsche Design Launches P’9120 Desk Radio

Not to be confused with the last Porsche Design radio, the P’9120 is an attractive desktop radio capable of linking to an iPod or similar radio, and is encapsulated in an attractive aluminum body. The radio is said to be a joint product of Porsche Design and Etón Corporation, known for their hand-crank emergency radios — always a benchmark of fidelity. And, like all Porsche Design products, we’re betting the P'9120 will be ridiculously overpriced and pretty low-quality, which doesn’t sound to us like a good analogy for Porsche cars, but hey, we’re not the ones doing the marketing. The press release follows the jump. More »