Cars Articles on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog

iPhones will play a big part in the upcoming automotive revolution

by Mel Martin (Apr 17th, 2013)

I just spent a few days in San Francisco attending a conference sponsored by Telenav, one of the leaders in navigation and services in both the automotive and smartphone worlds. Much of what is discussed at these kinds of get-togethers is off the record, giving reporters a sneak peek at ...

Apple puts an iPad in a Ferrari, more collaboration on the way?

by Randy Nelson (Mar 5th, 2013)

Today at the Geneva Motor Show, Ferrari announced that its four-seat FF sports car, originally debuted in 2011, is getting a touch of Apple in the form of two iPad minis mounted in the headrests of its front seats. According to Bloomberg, the inclusion of the tablets marks the start of an ...

2013 Honda Accord, Acura RDX and ILX getting Siri Eyes Free option

by Randy Nelson (Jan 30th, 2013)

More automobile manufacturers are hopping on the Siri Eyes Free bandwagon -- or should that be car carrier? Although announced as a partner in the endeavor last summer, Honda has finally confirmed which models will be the first to utilize the feature: the 2013 Honda Accord, Acura RDX and Acura ...

Griffin MOTO TC Monster truck offers Bluetooth control, so-so software

by Erica Sadun (Jan 3rd, 2013)

When Steve assigned me the Griffin MOTO TC Monster truck (US$49.99) to review, I basically assumed this was going to be the best review assignment ever. Sadly, it was not. This Bluetooth-managed truck offers solid hardware features, but its software is just not up to the task. The hardware ...

Ford trying iPads for sales consultants at dealerships

by Mike Schramm (Aug 14th, 2012)

Ford has launched an iPad app specifically for its dealers around the US to use. Fourteen different dealerships participated in a test program earlier this year, in which sales consultants (car salespeople) used iPads to access information about cars on sale, show presentations on various car ...

Daily iPad App: Reckless Racing 2

by Mike Schramm (Feb 10th, 2012)

Gaming company Polarbit is the grandfather of iPhone racers. Raging Thunder was among the first racers to hit the iPhone. Reckless Racing was released soon after and now it's back as Reckless Racing 2. This is a full update to the isometric driving title. The gameplay is similar to other top-down ...

On moderating expectations for Apple's 2012

by Chris Rawson (Jan 3rd, 2012)

Just after the year-end retrospectives clear newsrooms, speculators begin pounding away at the forecasts for the coming year. Every year we see wide-eyed imaginings about what Apple "could" do in the coming year, and every year someone comes out with a list that sounds just as outlandish as the ...

If a car purchase is looming, check the Edmunds iPhone app

by Mel Martin (Dec 1st, 2011)

Many people will buy a new or used car at some point, and that process has been enhanced immensely by the latest version of the free iPhone app from Edmunds. The app, simply called "Edmunds," offers new and used car pricing and appraisals, plus the thorough reviews that Edmunds is famous ...

Daily iPad App: Pocket Garage HD

by Megan Lavey-Heaton (Aug 26th, 2011)

Pocket Garage HD is one of those apps that's best suited for the iPhone, but the HD version looks pretty sweet on an iPad. This is the first auto maintenance app I've taken a look at in quite a while since Gas Buddy is a mainstay on my iPhone, but Pocket Garage on the iPad is pretty nice and ...

Control a car's interior via a dashboard-mounted iPad from Visteon

by Keith M (Jan 7th, 2011)

Visteon doesn't have the first idea for integrating an iPad into an automobile in some way, but it has arguably the most ambitious one so far. At this year's CES, Visteon brought forth their iPad dash product which not only integrates into an auto's audio controls, but it has the ability to ...

BMW releases two apps for iOS

by Mike Schramm (Dec 29th, 2010)

BMW has released two apps for iOS this week. The first one, based on the Mini brand, is called Mini Connected, and it allows you to not only track information about your car, but also access web radio and audio versions of internet feeds, hooked up directly to your car's stereo. And on cars ...

Ford's AppLink to support iPhone voice control of apps

by David Quilty (Dec 24th, 2010)

My, how far we have come since Ford offered a "standard" iPod jack in its 2008 Ford Escape. Starting this month (and next depending on the model), SYNC-equipped Ford Fiesta owners with iPhone, Android or BlackBerry smartphones will be able to use free software from Ford called AppLink, which gives ...

Real Racing 2 coming to iOS December 16th

by Mike Schramm (Dec 10th, 2010)

After a few weeks of teasing and hints, Firemint has finally revealed all about its upcoming Real Racing 2 game for iOS, and it looks extremely impressive. The first game in the series is still one of the most popular and well done racing games in the App Store, and Firemint is upping the ante high ...

Driverless taxi gets called with an iPad

by Mike Schramm (Oct 18th, 2010)

This is just wild! A group of researchers in Berlin have been working on "autonomous cars" for a while. Those, of course, are cars that drive themselves, and as you can see above, this one uses a variety of equipment to monitor the road and environment. It then drives by itself according to all of ...

Ford to offer iTunes tagging in their cars

by Mike Schramm (Jan 2nd, 2010)

Just as 2009 was ending, Ford announced that they'll be offering a new option in their cars for 2010: the ability to "tag" any songs you happen to hear on the radio for later purchase in iTunes. It'll be an option, so it won't come standard in the new Taurus you buy, but if you opt for the HD Radio, ...