Arnaud Loumeau ’s graph paper art tickles my obsessive-compulsive-by-proxy lobe in much the same way that pixel art, quilting, and LEGO modeling does.

Excerpt from:
Graph paper art by Arnaud Loumeau

Filed under: Gadgets , Sedans/Saloons , Sports/GTs , Tech , Cadillac Perhaps as part of a thoughtful move to combine two of the major aspects of the Autoblog lifestyle, Cadillac has just announced that it will offer full WiFi access in its CTS sport sedan beginning next month. The dealer-installed option will cost $499, and Cadillac says the Autonet Mobile system will effectively turn the CTS into a 3G hotspot with speeds of up to 800Kbps. Naturally, there’s a monthly charge associated with the service, but $29 a month for a stylish, leather-lined mobile command center doesn’t strike us as too bad of a deal, especially when the WiFi is capable of handling multiple devices simultaneously. No word yet on whether existing CTS owners can retrofit their cars, but considering this is a dealer-installed add-on, we imagine it’s possible. If not, there’s always the aftermarket. Now, if we could only get Cadillac to consider fitting a Nespresso machine, we’d have all the tools of the trade! Continue reading Fast Connection: Cadillac adds WiFi to CTS options list Fast Connection: Cadillac adds WiFi to CTS options list originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 19 Mar 2009 10:27:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink ?|? Email this ?|? Comments

Continued here:
Fast Connection: Cadillac adds WiFi to CTS options list

Filed under: Gadgets , Etc. , Toys Automoblox are some of our favorite playthings, and our kids like them, too. When a little cherub wraps baby-fat fingers around the C9 perched on the edge of the desk, rather than grit our teeth, we just wait to see what kind of assemblage will emerge. That free play time can now be worth cash money if you manage to capture a photo that wins one of the categories in the Automoblox Photo Contest . Three categories will be considered; coolest car, best play action, and most artistic photograph. Winners will receive a $200 gift certificate, good at the Automoblox Store . Entries are being accepted until March 31, 2009, and winners will be announced on April 3rd. Get out there and get shooting! UPDATE: The founder, owner and designer of Automoblox , Patrick Calello, is an Autoblog Super Fan and has offered any Autoblog reader 25% off his or her order using the coupon code “autoblog” , which is good through March 31st, 2009. Click here to start shopping. [Source: Automoblox ] This One’s For the Kids: Automoblox holding snapshot contest originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 16 Mar 2009 09:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Read ?|? Permalink ?|? Email this ?|? Comments

Originally posted here:
This One’s For the Kids: Automoblox holding snapshot contest

Filed under: Aftermarket , Gadgets , Etc. , Bugatti UPDATE: No, this Bugatti is totally unrelated to the automotive brand, but we’re not the first internet chumps to get Casa Bugatti crossed up with the storied car brand. You’d expect that a Bugatti-branded blender would follow the lead of its Veyron sibling, with enough power to liquefy concrete. Unfortunately, the Bugatti Vela 3-speed blender is not the kitchen countertop equivalent of a 1001 horsepower supercar that accelerates like a GSX-R. What, then, is the point of dropping a third of a grand on something that doesn’t even have the power of the $60 Oster “Beehive” blender that’s been in production since the Pleistocene? Design. So what if the 450 watt motor is only about half a horsepower? The Vela is a decidedly modernist way to mix up your morning smoothie or evening mudslide. Looking super-smart in chrome (red is available, too), the style is elemental and bold. A lack of frippery brings a fresh look to an item that’s so often shaped like a plastic lump sprouting buttons. That said, if we were looking for high power, the wheezy Vela wouldn’t even make the best blenders list. Not when you can get the Vita-Mix 5200, sporting a full 1500 watts - that’s two horsepower, folks - for about a hundred bucks more than the Bug’s $350 list price. Since most any blender will work, the Bugatti Vela begs the question, what price, fashion? Thanks for the tip, Ed. [Source: Macy's ] Bugatti Vela 3-Speed: Not exactly the Veyron of blenders originally appeared on Autoblog on Sun, 08 Mar 2009 12:08:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Read ?|? Permalink ?|? Email this ?|? Comments

Read more from the original source:
Bugatti Vela 3-Speed: Not exactly the Veyron of blenders

Filed under: Gadgets , Videos , Toys Click above for high-res gallery of SuperCar Challenge screen caps System 3 has a follow-up title to last year’s Ferrari Challenge: SuperCar Challenge . The new game will offer 40 cars to choose from, not all of which are Ferraris this team. The roster will include such cars as the Aston Martin DBR9, Lamborghini Murcielago RGT, McLaren F1, Maserati MC12 and, of course, a supercar or two from Maranello like the Ferrari FXX. You’ll be able to race them on 20 real and fictitious tracks and the graphics of each car have been improved with better polygon counts, texture details and buffing. Multiplayer capability can link 16 drivers at once, sim players will get good handling and tuning options, and there’ll be an arcade mode for folks who just want to tear up the pavement. The AI has also been redesigned to be more consistent, and there’s a “Legendary” AI setting meant to challenge the best drivers. It will be available exclusively for the PS3 this Spring. While you wait, check out the high-res screenshots below and the video about the game’s innovative camera angles by clicking here . Gallery: SuperCar Challenge [Source: Gamers Hell ] Continue reading New SuperCar Challenge for PS3 under development New SuperCar Challenge for PS3 under development originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 02 Mar 2009 08:27:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Read ?|? Permalink ?|? Email this ?|? Comments

Continue reading here:
New SuperCar Challenge for PS3 under development

Filed under: Gadgets , Tech What’s good for the iPhone is apparently good for the sedan. Hughes Telematics is working up a suite of programs that will work with its in-car communications technology and allow you to download applications for your car. From tailored data collection to controlling your car’s systems with your phone to repurposing your car’s features, the possibilities will turn your humble transport into the ultimate programmable appliance when Hughes releases the software to be ready in 2010. Let the betting begin on how long it will take someone to make an app that makes your car fart. [Source: New York Times ] Hughes Telematics working on downloadable apps for vehicles originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 19 Feb 2009 08:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Read ?|? Permalink ?|? Email this ?|? Comments

Go here to see the original:
Hughes Telematics working on downloadable apps for vehicles

Filed under: Gadgets , Tech Click above to enlarge The tried-and-true needle and dial dash has been a staple of the modern automobile, and aside from a brief stint in the ’80s when digital gauges were a popular (if not entirely reliable) option, not much has changed in the dash department. Recognizing that another revolution is on the horizon, researchers at the Fraunhofer Institute are developing a 3D dashboard to show drivers where the vehicle is in relation to its surroundings. Best of all, no funny red and blue glasses will be required for the technology to work since it’s generated by a slew of cameras that track the position of the driver’s eyes. Other tidbits of information can be specified by the pilot, including a fuel gauge, speedometer, tire pressure warning or the title of the song currently playing. Early prototypes are scheduled to be displayed at next month’s CeBIT convention. [Source: Fraunhofer Institute via Engadget ] Fraunhofer developing 3D dashboard originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 13 Feb 2009 18:29:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Read ?|? Permalink ?|? Email this ?|? Comments

Read more here:
Fraunhofer developing 3D dashboard

Filed under: Gadgets , Ferrari While Ferrari prepares the replacement to the F430 and its racing team continues to fine-tune the new F60 ahead of the Formula One season opener, the company’s tech partner Acer has released the latest addition to its Prancing Horse-emblazoned laptop range . Called the Acer Ferrari 1200, the new ultraportable succeeds the 1100 (pictured above) introduced last year. It comes packed with an AMD Turion X2 Ultra CPU, four gigs of RAM, a SATA HDD, 12.1-inch LED-backlit screen, WiFi, fingerprint reader, bundled Bluetooth mouse and optional VOIP one, all packed inside a partial carbon-fiber case, with vents supposedly inspired by an F1 exhaust and an anodized metal touchpad styled after the pedals on a Ferrari sportscar. A load of BS? That depends entirely on your perspective, but Acer and Ferrari have lead a trend in automotive-themed laptops , and you can bet they’re going to push through every corner to stay ahead of the pack. Pricing has yet to be released as the laptop nears market launch in the UK, with the rest of the world to follow. See the press release after the jump for more details. [Source: Engadget and Inside Line ] Continue reading One Fast Hard Drive: Acer’s latest Ferrari 1200 laptop One Fast Hard Drive: Acer’s latest Ferrari 1200 laptop originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 09 Feb 2009 07:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Read ?|? Permalink ?|? Email this ?|? Comments

Read the original:
One Fast Hard Drive: Acer’s latest Ferrari 1200 laptop

Filed under: Concept Cars , Gadgets , Special/Limited Editions Spend two million bucks on a car, and you’ll get to have whatever the hell you want as a horn tone. Alfred DiMora is back, adding more splashy aftermarket items to the list of standard equipment on his Natalia vaporware sport luxury sedan. DiMora Motorcar has decided that the Horntones system will be factory-fitted to every V16 Natalia SLS 2 produced. So far, that’s none. This isn’t the first time the Natalia has specified an item cherrypicked from SEMA awards , and we suspect it won’t be the last. The Horntones system has 256MB of flash memory that can be loaded up with MP3 files. Once your files are in the Horntones system, there’s a 150-watt speaker to delight everyone within a quarter mile by blaring your audio with a 110dB sound pressure level. DiMora contends that the Horntones rig is the most significant development in car horns in the last 100 years. We disagree - after all, the Dukes of Hazzard General Lee had that bitchin’ setup that played Dixie. Perhaps the biggest news here is that there’s a new rendering, this time, a rear three-quarter view. Press release after the jump. Gallery: DiMora Motorcar Natalia SLS 2 [Source: DiMora Motorcars ] Continue reading $2M DiMora Natalia SLS 2 to get - wait for it - world’s first MP3-enabled horn $2M DiMora Natalia SLS 2 to get - wait for it - world’s first MP3-enabled horn originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 06 Feb 2009 19:28:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Read ?|? Permalink ?|? Email this ?|? Comments

See the rest here:
$2M DiMora Natalia SLS 2 to get - wait for it - world’s first MP3-enabled horn

Filed under: Gadgets , Euro , Government/Legal Red may be their national racing color, but there’s little Italians hate more than red lights. And with good reason, it turns out: Stefano Arrighetti, creator of the T-Redspeed “smart” traffic system implemented across Italy, is under investigation for fraud on suspicion that he illegally forged transport ministry certification for his system. In place in over 300 municipalities, the system reportedly cuts the yellow-light time by half to ensnare motorists and charge them with running red lights. According to reports, some camera locations jumped from issuing 15 fines per day to more than 1,000. The net-net? The scheme may have fleeced motorists for more than $1.68 million dollars. Arrighetti isn’t the only one under investigation. Along with him are 63 chiefs of police and 39 local government officials. Local police are charged with rubber-stamping the automated tickets and sending them out without proper review. If the T-Redspeed system is indeed fraudulently issuing moving violations, it would be the local authorities reaping the benefit from the extra charges incurred. [Sources: BBC News ; Motor Authority ] Italian traffic cameras investigated for red-light rigging that may have cost motorists $1.7M originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 03 Feb 2009 18:26:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Read ?|? Permalink ?|? Email this ?|? Comments

Read this article:
Italian traffic cameras investigated for red-light rigging that may have cost motorists $1.7M