What Can Happen if Your Tires Are Going Bald

There are millions of cars on the road and millions of drivers, most of which know what to do to keep a car safe. Keeping parts like the steering rack and the steering gearbox in good shape is something everyone makes sure to check out but what about the small parts? Well not really the small parts...

Speech interfaces: UI revolution or intelligent evolution?

Speech interfaces have received a lot of attention recently, especially with the marketing blitz for Siri, the new speech interface for the iPhone.After watching some of the TV commercials you might conclude that you can simply talk to your phone as if it were your friend, and it will figure out what...

What is a Knock Sensor

The knock sensor is the unit in the car that protects against incorrect timing issues. It allows the engine to run with the timing advanced as far as possible without damaging the motor or loss of power. Unlike oxygen sensors or the air fuel ratio sensor the knock sensor will not allow the car...

Enabling the next generation of cool

Capturing QNX presence in automotive can’t be done IMHO without a nod to our experience in other markets. Take, for example, the extreme reliability required for the International Space Station and the Space Shuttle. This is the selfsame reliability that automakers rely on when building digital instrument...

QNX and Freescale talk future of in-car infotainment

Paul LerouxQNX and Freescale enjoy one of the longest technology partnerships in the field of automotive infotainment. The roots of their relationship reach back to 1999, when QNX became a founding member of MobileGT, an industry alliance formed by Motorola (Freescale's parent company) to drive the...

What Causes an Engine Fire and What Should Be Done

Car and trucks move by harnessing the power of fire, the combustion in the motor is a controlled explosion that moves the pistons. Inside the motor the fuel injectors and fuel pump work together to add the correct amount of fuel to complete the combustion process. Any form of combustion is going to...

When will I get apps in my car?

I read the other day that Samsung’s TV application store has surpassed 10 million app downloads. That got me thinking: When will the 10 millionth app download occur in the auto industry as a whole? (Let’s not even consider 10 million apps for a single automaker.)There’s been much talk about the car...

Marking over 5 years of putting HTML in production cars

Think back to when you realized the Internet was reaching beyond the desktop. Or better yet, when you realized it would touch every facet of your life. If you haven’t had that second revelation yet, perhaps you should read my post about the Twittering toilet.For me, the realization occurred 11 years...

Get Prior Auto Inspection to Get Suitable Used Cars For You

Buying a new car is always a planned decision where you invest a lot of your savings. No buyer would want that the used car they but comes out to be faulty and becomes trash after some days. Used car sellers have various tactics to lure the customers and make them believe that the car is perfect. They...

An Introduction to Tire Pressure Monitoring Systems

Since 2006 most car have been fitted with a TPMS or tire pressure monitor system to check for issues with the tires. The basic idea behind the TPS system is that the tires pressure can effect the movement of the car. Just like an oxygen sensor or air fuel ratio sensor the TPMS sensors are crucial to...

BBDevCon — Apps on BlackBerry couldn't be better

Unfortunately I joined the BBDevCon live broadcast a little too late to capture some of the absolutely amazing TAT Cascades video. RIM announced that TAT will be fully supported as a new HMI framework on BBX (yes, the new name of QNX OS for PlayBook and phones has been officially announced now). The...

New release of QNX acoustic processing suite means less noise, less tuning for hands-free systems

Paul LerouxThis just in: QNX has released version 2.0 of its acoustic processing suite, a modular software library designed to maximize the quality and clarity of automotive hands-free systems.The suite, used by 18 automakers on over 100 vehicle platforms, provides modules for both the receive side...

Wanted: Haunted Vehicles

Halloween is just around the corner, and that reminds me of the haunted room at Lucent Bell Labs. Mind you, it wasn’t really haunted. But for a moment, I was convinced.Let me explain. As I entered the room, I could hear two of my colleagues talking to each other, and by the sound of their voices, they...

Hamster Hamster Hamster Draaaaaaaaaag Racing

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Star Trek Art Car - from Greece?

Here is one of the first Star Trek art cars I have ever seen out of Greece and I commend him for doing it. It's the first art car period that I have ever seen out of Greece and having lived there my self, I can't imagine anyone driving around in them, yet. It will take sometime before its more accepted,...

Tight Steering After a Rack Install

Recently the vehicle you drive had a leaking steering rack and it is leaving puddles everywhere you go. You think to your self "great! how much is this gonna cost?" so you find the power rack or power gearbox that you need online for a good price. The install goes well and the mechanic stands behind...

Sausalito Art Car Gets New Life by Heather Wilcoxon

Heather Wilcoxon is better known as an artist from Sausalito Cailfornia who now lives on a decorated house boat called the "Delta Queen". I was honored to meet Heather last Saturday who came to my garage sale while visiting here sister who happens to live down the street from my house. We started talking...

Harman infotainment systems gear up with QNX technology

Paul LerouxIf you've ever driven an Audi, BMW, Ferrari, Mercedes, or Porsche, chances are it used a sound system or infotainment unit from Harman International. Mind you, Harman isn't just about the high end. They also offer a scalable infotainment platform that can target both higher-end and lower-end...

The Fin Car by Bill Lockner

the fin carBill Lockner’s car is a 1979 Volvo that has been enhanced and rebuilt using scrap yard metal, and car parts that were bound for the landfill. “It started out stock,” Lockner explains, “and as time went by, things got added to it.” These things include truck fenders, the back end of a Rambler,...

Honda Accord Steering Moan Fix

In 2003 Honda introduced the new Accord with classically elegant lines and a few new upgrades to the interior. A new power steering rack and power steering pump were just a few of the updates. The car was a sales success selling hundreds of thousands of units but with great success comes great responsibility....

QNX Auto Summit Japan 2011

How many car guys does it take to change a light bulb?  Three normally, but only one if you've already lifted  the engine block out of the way!There's an actual reason for this joke which I'll explain in the epilogue.  But let me shamelessly segue: there's a whole room full of car folks...

QNX Auto Summit Japan 2011 – ‘Automotive at the speed of Mobility’

The QNX Auto Summit Japan 2011 will be starting soon, here in Nagoya, Japan.  We’re expecting a good crowd of Tier 1s and OEMs from across Japan.  QNX technology is being showcased in a BMW X5 and Audi A8 - as seen below - as well as in many of our partner demos.  The theme of the...

Countdown to the Auto Summit Japan

I’m here at the QNX Auto Summit Japan 2011  in Nagoya, Japan and really energized about our event!  We’re being supported by some of our key partners including ARM, Redbend, Freescale, A&W, Elektrobit, Texas Instruments, Renesas and TCS.   There’s presentations, amazing car demos...

What Makes a Car Cool

Cool is a word that can be used to describe many a thing...it can be a mass air flow sensor or alternator that is new and works in a  unique way. It can also be a car that may look ugly as hell but for some reason we all want one....WRX STI anyone. The fact that a car is bad wont even make it loose...