GM rolled out the IntelliLink system. The system connects wirelessy to your smartphone and provides voice-activated access to phone and audio functions. It’s the latest example of the growing number of in-vehicle smartphone connectivity systems.

The IntelliLink system turns the vehicle infotainment display into a smartphone-like interface with a configurable series of icons. The system integrates a voice control function that allows drivers to place a phone call and request a specific artist or song without pulling their hands or eyes from their respective driving duties.

In terms of music, IntelliLink offers several options. Drivers don’t need a proper MP3 player to enjoy digital music and can simply plug a music-loaded flash drive into the USB port in the center console. The system also allows for wireless Bluetooth streaming from services like Stitcher and Pandora when paired with a smartphone. It displays album and artist information streamed from the Gracenote database on the seven-inch color display.

"Gracenote is typically limited to devices plugged in to the USB port," said GM lead engineer Tony Kraatz. "With IntelliLink, we are the first company to run Bluetooth streaming audio through the Gracenote database to display album art for music players connected wirelessly."

Unlike some other systems available on cars today, the IntelLink system does not include any type of voice-activated text messaging or social networking features.

A public relations rep for GM told that the IntelLink system will be shared between GMC and Buick. It will be standard equipment on all Buick sedans and will be offered as an option on the GMC Terrain and Acadia. Chevy offers the MyLink, which is based on the same technology as the IntelLink system, while Cadillac has its own independent connectivity system called CUE.

The ‘Window to the World’ project is developing interactive touchscreen windows, for use in Toyota vehicles

As a child sitting in the back of the family car, did you ever use your finger to doodle in the condensation on the inside of the windows? Well, a group of engineers and designers from Toyota Motor Europe’s Kansei1 Design Division and the consultancy arm of the Copenhagen Institute of Interaction Design (CIID) have taken car-window-doodling into the 21st Century. They’ve created a prototype system that could turn the side windows of Toyotas into touchscreen augmented reality devices, allowing passengers to interface with the passing scenery.

Called "Window to the World," the technology was developed with five main concepts in mind. The first of these, called "Drawing in Motion," would allow passengers to draw on the window with their fingers. As the vehicle moved, however, their drawing would stay "attached" to the real world objects it was drawn around – if a child drew a tree beside a pond, for instance, that tree would stay lined up with the pond, until it scrolled off the window.

In a manner similar to that with which smartphone users zoom in on photos with their fingers, Toyota passengers could use their fingers to zoom in on objects seen through the window. By using a distance function, they could also obtain on-window read-outs of how far away different objects and landmarks were from the car.

A similar function would let them see and hear the words for selected objects, in the language of the area through which they were being driven. Finally, the "Virtual Constellations" function would work with the car’s roof windows, pointing out and displaying information on the constellations visible through the glass.

Although neither Kansei1 nor CIID have provided any information on how the system actually functions (such as how the window knows which angle it’s being viewed from), two working prototypes have reportedly been built, and were on display last month at the "Our Future Mobility Now" exhibition in Brussels.

It’s a situation that everyone has experienced – you’re walking down the street, when a vehicle drives by that’s so loud, people cover their ears and cast angry glances at the driver. You assume that it’s illegal to use a muffler that’s so ineffective, or to have a stereo turned up that high, but if it is … how come so many people seemingly get away with it? Well, part of the reason is manpower. While speeders and red-light-runners can be ticketed in the thousands using automated systems, actual police officers need to go out and manually check cars and motorcycles for noise violations. The designer of Noise Snare, however, claims that his unmanned system can automatically detect and identify overly-audible vehicles.

Owners of vehicles that exceed local allowable noise levels could start automatically getting ticketed, thanks to Noise Snare

Noise Snare was invented by Mark Nesdoly, an electrical engineer from Edmonton, Canada. He was inspired to create it after a neighbor’s loud motorcycle woke up his young daughter.

The system can be covertly mounted on a vehicle, which is then parked and left unattended at a location that municipalities wish to monitor. Once everything is armed, a microphone proceeds to register noise levels of passing vehicles. When a vehicle that exceeds legal noise levels is detected, a video camera captures footage of it, which is recorded – along with stereo audio – to DVD. Information such as the time, date and location of the infraction are superimposed on the footage, along with the vehicle’s sound level in decibels.

As with photo radar, vehicle owners are identified via license plate numbers on the footage. Users can simply view the DVD to find out who’s getting a ticket, or the system can notify them as it detects violations, via text messages or email. According to Nesdoly’s company, Street Noise Reduction Systems, the system is able to accurately identify which specific vehicle is the guilty party, even in heavy traffic or on multi-lane roads.

The city of Calgary will start testing the Noise Snare within the next couple of months, pending council approval, and may become its first adopter.

Below is some test footage captured by the system, of vehicles that exceeded local allowable noise levels.

Keep your hands on the wheel and your eyes on the road: FREEWAY lets you control the communications using voice commands

Jabra says that its new FREEWAY in-car speakerphone is the first to offer virtual surround sound through a three speaker configuration that provides quality audio when making and taking calls or listening to music. The unit sports dual microphones with noise cancellation technology, can be paired with more than one mobile phone and will even switch itself on when you get in the car. Users can control much of the device’s functionality by voice commands and the claimed battery life is pretty impressive, too.

Once Jabra’s FREEWAY hands-free, in-car speakerphone is clipped onto the car’s visor, a built-in motion sensor will automatically turn on the device when the car door is opened and turn it off when you get out. The unit will talk you through pairing up a mobile phone and can handle being simultaneously connected to more than one Bluetooth device. The Bluetooth 2.1 with EDR technology has an operating range of up to 33 feet (10 meters) and the onboard battery is said to be good for up to 14 hours of talk time or 40 days on standby.

A2DP streaming allows music playback from any compatible media player and there’s even an included FM transmitter to send the music/call audio to your radio for playback through your car’s speakers. However, the inclusion of a 4 ohm and a couple of 6 ohm speakers with a frequency response of 300 – 18,000 Hz and offering virtual surround sound, may well mean that the transmitter never gets used.

Making, answering, ending, redialing or rejecting calls can all be undertaken by voice command and FREEWAY will even let you know the identity of the caller, if it’s listed in your phone book. Jabra says that HD Ready Voice has been included to help users get the best possible audio quality when making or receiving calls. The unit features a pair of omnidirectional microphones with Noise black-out Extreme echo and wind noise reduction technology.

The 3.9 x 4.7 x 0.7-inch (99 x 120 x 19mm), 4 ounce (115 g) Jabra FREEWAY will be available from May at a cost of US$129, and will come with a year’s subscription to Voice Assist – allowing users to vocally respond to emails, texts, add posts to social networking sites and more.

SuperTooth HD allows tweet and drive

Portable Bluetooth speakerphones that provide a hands-free way for drivers to stay in touch while on the road are nothing new. Nor are voice-controlled Bluetooth speakerphones with text-to-speech capabilities to read out the name of a caller. But the new SuperTooth HD adds a something new for social networking tragics on the go in the form of a SuperTooth Handsfree Assistant feature that allows drivers to compose and send Facebook, Twitter, e-mail and SMS messages, all without taking their hands off the wheel.

The SuperTooth HD is designed to clip onto a car’s sun visor with pairing the device with your mobile phone the only other installation necessary. If your vehicle isn’t the best at insulating you from road noise then SuperTooth claim its HD’s two 5.4 W speakers and 5.4 W amplifier result in a device that is three times more powerful than any other speakerphone, while its built-in dual microphones pick up voices more clearly to offer increased clarity. Voice commands can be used to answer calls, select pre-dialed numbers, check the battery level and retrieve voicemail.

But it’s the capability of two way, voice activated handsfree messaging where the SuperTooth HD gets more interesting. Powered by Dial2Do, the SuperTooth Handsfree Assistant feature lets users compose and listen to Facebook and Twitter updates along with more than 30 other social networking and online tools such as Evernote and Google Calendar. The device can also read incoming e-mail and SMS messages on Android and Blackberry phones from within the email or SMS application.

While the SuperTooth HD is compatible with all Bluetooth-enabled mobile phones, the SuperTooth Handsfree Assistant app is currently for BlackBerry and Android devices only. The freely downloadable app provides users six months free usage of all features but to continue to use the full functionality users will need to subscribe to a pro package at US$5.99 per month or $59.99 annually.

The SuperTooth HD along with the SuperTooth Handsfree Assistant will be available from SuperTooth in April 2011, retailing for US$129.

The Brabus iBusiness 2.0 system

With Apple recently updating its iPad, German aftermarket tuning company Brabus has taken the opportunity to update its iBusiness multimedia system for Mercedes’ S-Class vehicles to version 2.0. The iBusiness 2.0 system integrates one or two iPad 2 tablets into the rear compartment of the Mercedes S-Class that are connected via Wi-Fi to an Internet-connected Mac mini housed in the trunk. Through an app, the iPad 2 can be used to control not only the on-board entertainment system, but all the functions of the S-Class COMAND system, such as radio, navigation and phone, from the rear seat.

The iPad/s sit upon a custom-tailored version of the Brabus table that sees the devices rest against the backrest of the front seats. The electrically deployed and adjustable leather-covered tabletop features recesses for holding the iPad and Apple’s Bluetooth keyboard. There’s also a 15.2-inch 16:9 TFT display – also electrically deployed – on the roof of the cabin that serves as an auxiliary monitor for the iPad, while additional screens built into the back of the front seats can be used for watching digital TV broadcasts or other video content via the UMTS and HDSPA Internet connections.

Other peripherals, such as digital cameras, can also be connected to the Mac mini thanks to USB 2.0 ports integrated into the rear compartment, while music is provided by a 64 GB iPod touch. Sound can be routed through the vehicle’s sound system or through the provided Sennheiser Noise Gard headphones that employ noise reduction technology to filter out ambient noise. By updating it for iPad 2, the iBusiness 2.0 system also gets to take advantage of the iPad 2′s video conferencing capabilities.

When not in use, or to keep them away from prying eyes when parked, the iPad 2′s can be hidden away in custom-tailored compartments in the vehicle’s center console where an integrated docking station tops up the devices’ batteries.

Brabus will install its iBusiness 2.0 system on any current S-Class model from the S 350 to the S 65, while the twelve-cylinder S 600 and S 65 models can also be upgraded with the BRABUS 800 V12 Biturbo engine. This engine produces 800 hp (788 bhp)/588 kW at 5,500 rpm and boasts a peak torque of 1,420 Nm, available from 2,100 rpm, but is electronically limited to 1,100 Nm.

Accelerating from 0 to 100 km/h (62 mph) takes just 3.9 seconds, while 200 km/h (124 mph) is reached in 10.3 seconds, on the way to an electronically limited top speed of 350 km/h (219 mph). This, combined with the iBusines 2.0 system adds up to what Brabus calls, "the world’s fastest office on wheels."

Saab’s IQon infotainment concept is an Andorid-based system that allows users to download apps to a vehicle in the same way as a smartphone

In the 1970′s, top of the line in-car entertainment systems consisted of a quadraphonic eight-track audio system pumping out music stored on cartridges – and maybe a strobe light. Since then, CD, DVD and Blu-ray players, touchscreens, integrated smartphone connectivity, GPS systems and more have all found their way into automobiles to provide increasingly powerful in-car infotainment systems. Saab is now looking to bring the versatility and personalization capabilities of Google’s Android operating system to its vehicles with the development of its IQon infotainment concept that will allow users to download applications, online services and multi-media functions through a Saab IQon store.

The Saab IQon system centers around an embedded computer platform with a modem that will automatically connect to the Internet when the car is turned on. It is controlled via an 8-inch touchscreen that provides access to streaming audio and video, online navigation and media stored on board. But that’s just the start.

In addition to Saab-developed applications, third-party developers will also be able to create custom applications with Saab issuing a vehicle API that will provide access to over 500 signals from different sensors in the vehicle. These sensors measure things such as vehicle speed, location, direction of travel, yaw rate, steering wheel angle, engine speed and torque, interior and exterior temperature, barometric pressure and even the position of the sun.

Saab believes that providing developers access to the full range of car communications, telematics, systems monitoring and diagnostics will ensure the car’s infotainment systems evolve to stay up to date over the life cycle of the vehicle. Additionally, Saab says its ‘open innovation’ development strategy that throws open the doors to third party developers will provide a faster, more efficient and more flexible development of vehicle infotainment services as compared to conventional, in-house development.

"With Saab IQon, there are no limits to the potential for innovation," says Johan Formgren, Head of Saab Aftersales and commercial project leader for IQon. "We will be inviting the global Android developer community to use their imagination and ingenuity."

To ensure drivers don’t plow through a crowd of pedestrians because they’re distracted by a game of Angry Birds, all applications will need to be evaluated and approved by Saab before they make it to the Saab IQon store.

Using the system, Saab dealerships will also be able to remotely carry out diagnostics, view vehicle data, provide service appointments and install new in-car options.

Saab will publicly show the IQon system for the first time in the Saab PhoeniX concept car at the 2011 Geneva Motor Show but a beta version of the system is already being trialed in a fleet of test cars.

German researchers have demonstrated a system that allows a car to be driven by thought control alone

Since its formation in 2006, Freie Universität Berlin’s AutoNOMOS team has been researching and developing systems that could someday result in driverless, autonomous cars. Previously, they have successfully used an iPhone, an iPad, and an eye-tracking device to maneuver their Volkswagen Passat MadeInGermany test car. Now, using a commercially-available Emotiv EPOC brain-machine gaming interface, they have demonstrated that their car can be controlled by mind power.

AutoNOMOS’ system, known as BrainDriver, acquires bioelectric signals from the driver via 16 EEG sensors on the EPOC neuroheadset. Before slipping behind the wheel, drivers first need to spend some time on the system’s software tool kit, where they learn to move a cube back and forth on a computer screen by altering their thought patterns. Once on the road, BrainDriver links these patterns with assigned actuations (such as steering and acceleration), and sends the appropriate commands to the car’s drive-by-wire system.

In the first test of the technology, the car drove itself autonomously to an intersection, at which point its human occupant used their thought patterns to tell it which way to turn. In the second test, carried out at Berlin’s former Tempelhof Airport, the occupant continuously controlled steering, acceleration and braking. There was said to be “only a slight delay” between their mental commands and the subsequent reactions of the car.

The system is currently only a demonstration project. Team members, however, believe that it could have definite applications in the future, such as for allowing passengers to assist autonomous cars when the vehicles are unsure of which road to take at an intersection.

The iCar Black Box app lets your iPhone double as an accident recording system

Watch any of those Caught on Tape!-type shows, and you’ll know just how valuable an in-car “black box” camera can be. Not only does it provide a visual record of who was at fault in an accident, but you can also use it to record any other questionable activity that takes place in front of your car. While most of the “sensational” footage comes from cameras in police cars, civilian versions such as the CarCam Voyager and the envisionCAM are available for us regular folk. You can go ahead and pay US$100 to $575 for one of those … or you can shell out 99 cents for the iCar Black Box iPhone app.

You could also, of course, just mount your iPhone on your windshield and roll its video camera every time you hit the road. For the extra dollar, however, iCar offers a few useful extra features.

For one thing, it uses the phone’s GPS to keep a constant record of your speed – very important if a dispute arises as to who was to blame for an accident. It also utilizes the GPS, clock and date functions to create a map that displays where and when an accident took place.

Additionally, it only saves footage when instructed to do so, so you’re not left with hours of images to sift through. It uses the phone’s accelerometer to detect when an accident has (presumably) taken place, and then verbally asks if you wish to save. If you press OK on the screen, it then retroactively saves the footage leading up to the accident. Should a Bigfoot cross the road in front of you, or something else happens that you think should be saved for posterity, you can also start recording at any time by touching the Emergency Record icon.

In the event of an accident, it will ask if you wish to autodial 911, or a pre-assigned emergency contact number – a feature shared by the Tiwi teen driver monitoring system. Admittedly, you could do that part without the app, although every little bit of offered assistance helps in the aftermath of an accident.

It does look like the whole setup might be a little awkward – the phone and mount (which you would have to buy if you didn’t already possess) take up some prime road-viewing real estate, and the cords dangling from either end of the phone could be a nuisance.

The iCar Black Box iPhone app is available on iTunes.

IASUS Concepts’ NT3 is a throat mic intended for use when talking on the phone while driving a convertible

It’s not often that one hears about World War I technology being used with today’s mobile communications devices, yet that’s the case with IASUS Concepts’ new NT3 throat mic headset. Throat microphones were originally developed for use by military pilots and tank drivers, as they picked up vocal vibrations directly from the wearer’s larynx, and were unaffected by extraneous sounds. IASUS still makes throat mics for military use, but the NT3 is designed for use when talking on the phone while driving a convertible … that said, you could probably also press it into service next time you bring your Sopwith Camel out of the barn.

There are already Bluetooth headsets that feature electronic wind noise cancellation, although IASUS maintains that these don’t work well enough for convertible drivers. Because its aluminum transponder works solely by vibration, wind is essentially irrelevant to the sound quality of the NT3.

A similar tactic is used by the military-spec QUIETPRO+ Intelligent Hearing System, which picks up the user’s voice through a microphone in the earbud, via bone conduction.

The NT3 also features a coiled acoustic earpiece, tangle-resistant braided wiring, and a magnetic clasp that will release in the event of potential strangulation. The headset is VOX-capable, offers various PTT options, and its multi-adapter allows it to work with most major mobile phones. It sells for a suggested retail price of US$89, at stores listed on the company website.