Concept vehicle art by Kemp Remillard

See more of Kemp's work.








Keywords: video game vehicle concept military digital art illustrations by professional concept artist kemp remillard

It pays to uncover... the new QNX reference vehicle

As you know, we are gearing up for Telematics Detroit next week and bringing our brand new reference vehicle to the show. I would tell you what kind of car it is, but that would take away all the fun! We posted some pictures earlier but we wanted to give you a few more to see if you can correctly guess the brand name and model.

And to make it interesting, if you’re right, we’ll give you a $25 gift certificate to Starbucks! We will award gift cards to the first 25 people who respond with the correct answer and currently reside in the United States or Canada.

Earlier votes don’t count; you have to vote on Twitter, starting today. Simply follow our handle at @QNX_Auto and tweet @QNX_Auto with your guess, and you’ll be entered. And stay tuned on Twitter, where we’ll post more pictures. Don’t have Twitter? You can vote here, but you must include your email. And in order to play fair, QNX employees aren't eligible - shucks.

Check out the pictures below and get your votes in early. The car will be unveiled, and winners notified, on June 6. Good luck!

Report from CTIA Wireless: Apps in the Car

You wouldn’t think that CTIA Wireless, a mobile show, would be a good venue for a car guy. But automotive journalist Doug Newcomb put together a set of panels that managed to attract everyone from the automotive industry who attended the show.

I met a good number of friends from a variety of automakers, tier one suppliers, and hardware and software vendors. I also had the distinct pleasure of participating in one of Doug's panels, which was moderated by Damon Lavrinc of WIRED.

The topic was the future of apps in the car, and it generated a spirited discussion. Panel participants included Geoff Snyder from Pandora, Michelle Avary from Toyota, Henry Bzeih from Kia, and Scott Burnell from Ford — all experts on the topic.

Andy speaking on the

apps panel. Videos of all

the panels are now online.

In general, we agreed: apps are coming to the car. They have already arrived in several cases, and it’s only a matter of time before they come to mass-market vehicles. And apps are not for North American alone: it's a worldwide phenomenon.

Mind you, we engaged in lively debate on a number of questions: What role does the mobile app developer play? How to deal with the fragmentation caused by different OEM app platforms? How to deal with driver distraction? And when will the "one man app" ever make it into the car? We all had good and varied opinions on these topics, and the session was very well received by the audience.

Derek Kuhn, QNX vice president of sales and marketing, also participated in a panel session, titled "Can we all just get along… for the consumer's sake?". That panel focused on how the industry as a whole can create a more seamless experience for the consumer. Derek's co-panelists included Mark Harland from GM, Leo McCloskey from Airbiquity, Brian Radloff from Nuance, and Niall Berkery from Telenav.

Did I mention? Videos of all the panels are now on Doug Newcomb's website — check them out!
 

Reasons for using enclosed car transport

Moving your vehicle in an enclosed car transport service or open carriers has benefits and disadvantages, but sometimes using a particular type is a better option. Many people may not care what type of vehicle is used when hauling their vehicles as long as it is done effectively and their vehicles arrive at their intended destination in good condition. This is not a major factor for them because they know that most auto transport companies are professional and take care of their wheels no matter what. This type of carrier is ideal for certain types of motor vehicles. The types that usually require an enclosed car transport carrier are Expensive cars, Classic autos, Luxury autos, Fleets of vehicles.

Reason for choosing an enclosed car transport carrier:

It reduces the chance of dings and dents due to being hit by trash, accidents or even from conscious acts of damage. Sometimes, other vehicles passing a carrier may kick up small stones which can hit the vehicles being hauled. It is worth remembering that depending on the final destination, carriers may be left outside in hotel parking lots overnight and anything can happen. When in a closed carrier, your vehicle will be less insecure.

Improved protection while shifting vehicles, especially classic cars cost so much that owners want to protect them as much as possible. The less revealed to human acts, whether accidental or planned the better. For this kind of protection when moving vehicles from one point to another over large distances, enclosed type of service is the best option. Using this type of carrier is an especially wise decision when moving more than one vehicle at the same time. Moving them individually will call for multiple trips and or more than one driver resulting in extra money for gas, food and possibly hotels for instantaneously continues to be.

Finding the best deal involves spending a little time online searching for reviews on vehicle moving entities. This way is easy to find those firms with a good reputation. An online search may also be used to get an instant vehicle shipping quotes from different providers so that you can compare the rates and select the best one based on your needs. Understanding that you are doing your best to secure them whiles them out of your hands taking additional precautions. For many people this will involve paying a little extra for an enclosed car transport carrier.

BMW Zagato Coupe

I probably couldn't find Lake Como even if I had a car naviagtion system or an in dash navigation system, but after dicsovering a car show they hold there I am sure gonig to try.

This Northen Italian Lake is where one of the most luxurious auto shows on the planet occurs, The Concorso d’Eleganza Villa d’Este.  The name by itself sounds like a car worth a million dollars.  BMW chose this prestigious event to unveil is Zagato Coupe.  They probably decided to introduce this eye catching beast in Italy because their partner in designing the car was Italian manufacturer Zagato.

Zagato has been styling sports cars since 1919. The company has designed cars for Ferrari, Maserati, Bugati, Bently and many more.  The combination of Italian styling and German engineering has hit a home run with the Zagato Coupe. I guess since this is Italy and Germany I should say they scored a goal, instead of a home run.  But don’t take my word for it, check out the pictures yourself.

The best news of all is that this may not just be a concept.  BMW has put the Zagato Coupe through high speed testing, and it meets German road standards.  We may actually see this thing on the road!  

Concept vehicle by Levi Hopkins

Tons of work by Levi. Check out conceptships!


Keywords: concept truck vehicle machine render by professional concept artist levi hopkins seattle washington video game concept art

Peugeot revealed new Peugeot 301 car

Peugeot has revealed the new Peugeot 301 car which is a clear design to overcome new markets. The car was specifically designed to appeal to wide customer base attracted by four door saloons which are both accessible and present an enhanced level of status.

The new Peugeot 301 car is powered with variety of latest generation petrol and diesel engines. The car is powered with 1.2 liter VTi engine which produces 71 bhp with manual or EGC / electronic gearbox control. The car is also powered with 1.6 liter HDi engine which produces 92 bhp with manual gearbox. The car is also powered with 1.6 liter VTi engine which produces 115 bhp with manual or automatic gearbox. 

The new Peugeot 301 car features class leading occupant space in rear due to wheelbase of 2.65 m and best in class boot volume of 506 dm3. The car has Safe handling combined with high levels of comfort, with outstanding driving under all conditions. The car has safety equipments like ESP, ABS, up to four airbags, emergency braking assistance, ISOFIX and more. 

The new Peugeot 301 car has modern comfort equipment features like electronic air conditioning, MP3 audio system with Bluetooth hands free kit and USB connection, remote opening of the boot, rear parking assistance and more which guarantee an excellent level of comfort on board. The new Peugeot 301 car was produced to adapt to all conditions of use and extremes in hot countries, cold countries and poor roads. The overall length of car is 4.44 metres. 

The new Peugeot 301car is manufactured in Vigo, Spain which will be going to make its first debut at Paris Motor Show in September. The new Peugeot 301car will be available for sale with dealers from 1st November 2012 in Turkey and later in other countries.

Clean Air Vehicle Stickers and Second Service Visit

A true miracle happened this past Friday when the Clean Air Vehicle stickers arrived from the California DMV which allow me to travel in the carpool lane solo. We've had the car since January 16th so that's roughly 4 months and a week. I spent way too much time getting the decals. Numerous factors all came together to create the perfect storm leading to the delay. I hope when the i3 arrives, the process will be painless.

As luck would have it, our car went in for its second service visit at just under 9000 miles, before I had a chance to even drive in the carpool lane. Thankfully, the service went smoothly with no surprises and I picked up the car this morning. Drove a 2011 328i loaner and put 101 miles on it. Fuel cost was $21.50. Those miles in the ActiveE would have cost approx $3.00 in electricity from my in garage fuel pump, aka charger.

One soon becomes so accustomed to the wonderful driving experience, smooth starts, quiet drive and instant torque that after a while you start to take it for granted. A loaner car helps you quickly realize just how fantastic the ActiveE really is. I would say it's as drastic a difference as say driving a 325 and a M3. I'm not saying the ActiveE is as quick as an M3, it's not. I'm referring to the overall differences one feels when driving the two vehicles. It's like night and day. Speaking for myself that's how I feel. I find myself looking forward to driving the ActiveE and missing it when I have to drive something else.

Time to put the hammer down and start putting on the miles!

OnStar RemoteLink app comes to BlackBerry smartphones

This just in: The RemoteLink App from OnStar, which allows smartphone owners to remotely start their vehicles, check fuel levels, and lock or unlock their doors, is now available for the BlackBerry Bold 9900 and 9930 phones.

RemoteLink has been available for iPhone and Android phones, but many OnStar subscribers have asked for a BlackBerry version of the app. In response, Onstar wrote a new version for the BlackBerry platform, in HTML5.

“Writing the app using HTML5... positioned us to be more flexible supporting new phone operating systems,” said Steve Schwinke, director of advanced systems development for OnStar.

Opening screen
for RemoteLink
© GM Company 

In 2011, OnStar added navigation to RemoteLink, allowing users to search for a destination on their smartphone and send it directly to their vehicle. Users can then access the route through the QNX-powered OnStar system.

By leveraging OnStar’s connection to the vehicle, the app can report on oil levels, tire pressures, fuel level, and lifetime miles per gallon. It also offers remote commands, such as remote start, door lock/unlock, and horn/light activation.

According to OnStar, a total of 821,000 smartphone owners actively use the RemoteLink app.

To read OnStar's press release, click here. To download the RemoteLink app from BlackBerry App World, click here.

On a related note, here's a conversation between QNX's Andy Gryc and OnStar's Steve Schwinke. The topic: how HTML5 can benefit the auto industry.


 

Concept car out. Reference vehicle in.

Our big announcement for Telematics Update is that we are not showing a concept car. Odd news, you say. The truth is, we're not building a concept car because we are building a reference vehicle. Splitting hairs? Not really.

Unlike the Corvette and the Porsche, our demo for this show will be based on the exact same technology that our customers are using today to design their next-generation systems.

So why vehicle instead of car? Is it a truck? Nope. A van? Negative. What about a motorcycle? Double negative.

I was hoping to give you a sneak peek at what we are working on but I'm not allowed to give away the details. However, I did manage to get these shots – let me know if you can see the vehicle. :-)


 

A cool surprise at the Elektrobit auto summit

Recently, our good friends at Elektrobit invited the QNX team to participate in their German Executive Automotive Summit. It was an outstanding event with all of the leading OEMs and tier ones represented. The day was filled with engaging speakers and plenty of opportunities to network.

Elektrobit held the event in a small castle near Erlangen. In the courtyard, several cars featuring Elektrobit technology (and, in almost all cases, QNX technology) were on display. The car from Delphi was especially interesting. It's a full-blown race car, complete with everything you'd expect in a track vehicle — but it also has two rear seats. These seats allow mere mortals like you and I to vicariously share the racing experience with a professional driver at the wheel.



As I stood next to it, drooling, I noticed that it was equipped with an infotainment system, mounted on the back of the driver's seat. I leaned in to have a closer look and, to my delight, saw that it was running the QNX OS. Who knew?

Renault revealed Renault Twingo RS Red Bull Racing RB7 car

Renault has revealed Renault Twingo RS Red Bull Racing RB7 car which is a limited edition version car.

The Renault Twingo RS Red Bull Racing RB7 car is powered with 1.6 litre 16V engine which produces 133hp and 160Nm of peak torque. The fuel consumption of the car is 6.5 litres/100km and CO2 emissions of 150g/km. The ‘Cup' chassis lowers car ride height by 4mm and enhances performance by reducing weight transfer.

The Renault Twingo RS Red Bull Racing RB7 car interior features yellow stitching for steering wheel, seats and dash cowling, gloss black inserts for dashboard and audio console. Gloss black color also used for rev counter housing and side air vents. The car has new First audio system and R.S. Monitor. The car is emphasized with numbered FIA 2011 World Champion plaque and Renault Sport logo inlay for gear lever knob.

The Renault Twingo RS Red Bull Racing RB7 car exterior features of forceful front end styling and large vertically mounted logo set to black background. The car front bumper includes Formula 1 style blade, sporty feel of rear end is accentuated by bigger wheel arches, lip spoiler and diffuser. The car features Pearlescent Black body colour contrasts with Sirius Yellow to highlight sporty calling of Red Bull Racing RB7 limited edition version. The car is improved with black 17-inch Gana wheels, roof decal and door decals in colours of Red Bull Racing Formula 1 team.

The Renault Twingo RS Red Bull Racing RB7 car is available in more than 10 markets. The car ordering will start on June 2012.

Concept bike by Mark Yang

Mark's CGHub portfolio. More on conceptships.




Keywords: concept motorcycle bike two wheel vehicle machine by professional concept artist mark yang disney imagineering los angeles california

GM Puts Brakes on Facebook Advertising

It’s never a good thing when your steering rack or your steering gear box bites the dust, but try having the country’s third largest advertiser pull out two days prior to your company going public.  That is exactly what happened to Facebook, when General Motors decided to decrease its Facebook advertising budget from $10 million to $0.  Now, I am not that good at math, but I believe $0 means nothing.

GM still plans on being active on Facebook.  They will update their Facebook page, communicate with fans, and upload videos and photos.  However they will not pay for pay per click advertising. GM says that the return on investment has been insufficient.   They also feel that a car is not a type of purchase someone will make with just one click of a mouse.   GM feels the Facebook adverts are more for spontaneous shopping.

GM Dislikes Facebook

GM communicated with their Facebook Fans by posting this message on their wall yesterday

“Just wanted to let our millions of Facebook fans know, we're still here, and we 'like' you back! We may not be advertising on Facebook at the moment but we'll still be talking with you all daily. If anything, we will be providing more content across our many GM Facebook pages - including Chevrolet, Buick, GMC and Cadillac - to keep the dialogue going.”

Some investors are now waiting to see what other big companies will also leave Facebook.  Though GM’s competitor Ford Motor Company says it is going to invest even more in its Facebook advertising.  Time will tell.

Making the smartphone connection: The state of automotive navigation in Japan

A guest post from Yoshiki Chubachi, the automotive business development manager for QNX Software Systems in Japan

The market for navigation systems in Japan grew rapidly until 2006, but since 2007 the yearly volume has reached the saturation point, at about 2.9M units. For instance, in 2008, consumers purchased 900k after-market systems, 1.1M dealer-installed systems, and 909k factory-installed systems. In 2010, those numbers had changed slightly: 1.01M after-market systems, 1.03M dealer-installed systems, and 858k factory-installed systems (source: Yano Research Institute).

That said, the market is starting to experience a shift from after-market to factory-installed devices. Automakers and their tier one suppliers are struggling to differentiate their products by implementing value-added features.

To get a feel for current navigation trends in Japan, let’s look at some notable after-market products that shipped in 2011. As you'll see, smartphones are exerting a major influence on this market, both in terms of system design and user features:

Pioneer AVIC-VH09CS — This high-end system combines augmented reality technology with a front-view camera, overlaying your route on a live video of the road. It also implements a collision warning system by measuring the distance of the car ahead. Other features include terrestrial digital TV (full HD and 1seg), DVD video, AM-FM, CD and SD music, iPod connectivity, and music ripping and encoding.

Clarion NX501 — The smartphone world seems to drive navigation trends, and the Clarion NX501 is no exception. It offers a touchscreen UI that supports swipes, flicks, and other finger gestures similar to those found in smartphones and tablets. Suzuki factory-installed systems also use the type of user interface.

Fujitsu-Ten AVN-F01i — This system comes with three bundled iPhone applications: Twitter Drive (combines tweets with location data), Where is My Car (uses augmented reality to show your parking location on the phone screen; great for finding your car in large parking lots); and News Reader (allows the system’s text-to-speech engine to read out news articles). The system connects to the phone through Bluetooth.

Panasonic CN-H500WD — The system also lets you use finger swipes to operate navigation and audio functions, including a scrolling map. It comes with a smartphone application that provides POI search, which is downloaded to the navigation system through Bluetooth.

Mitsubishi NR-MZ50 — This system provides an “OpenInfo” service based on Pioneer’s Smartloop system, which provides traffic data from a Pioneer server. VICS (Vehicle Information and Communication System) is a popular traffic data service in Japan that is similar to the RDS-TMC standard, but its coverage is limited to main highways. The smartphone receives traffic data, derived from anonymous traffic probe information, wherever the VICS service isn't supported. Information from the phone is transmitted to the navigation system through Bluetooth.

Connectivity between navigation systems and smartphones remains an issue in Japan. Conventional cell phones are equipped with the Bluetooth DUN profile, which enables data communication between the nav system and the phone, but unfortunately, some carriers still don’t support this profile. Until they do, lack of connectivity will remain a roadblock.

Nonetheless, using smartphones to deliver applications and the user experience has become a major trend in Japan’s navigation systems. Some automotive tier one suppliers, such as Pioneer, already provide navigation applications on the phone. The QNX CAR 2 application platform, with its mobile connectivity features and auto-centric HTML5 framework, offers an ideal foundation for enabling this approach.

In Memoriam Carroll Shelby

I should have had my camera with me. Because if I had photos to show you, you’d understand. Too late now!

It happened in Wilno, a small town in rural Ontario. I had just stepped out of the local tavern when I saw the thing, only meters away.

I stopped dead in my tracks.

It lay close to the ground, absolutely still. Its striped, muscular frame suggested immense power, and its skin reflected the blood-red rays of the setting sun. I stood frozen, refusing to believe what my eyes were telling me.

Moments passed, and I decided I had nothing to lose. I began to walk towards it. Closer… closer… closer.

Finally, I was standing over it. No response. So I reached down and, ever so gently, stroked it. And then it happened. A voice behind me, yelling a question. I mustn’t have responded, because the question was repeated.

“So would you like a peek under the hood?”

"Yes", I said.

Beneath the thing’s hood was a gleaming and oh-so-potent 427 V8. And the thing itself was an AC Cobra, immaculately restored to its mid-60s glory. For the next 30 minutes, the Cobra's owner treated me to a bumper-to-bumper inspection of the car, inside and out. I must have exclaimed “Cool!” about 100 times. Because it was.

The best part? When the owner started it up. The car's engine and side-mounted exhaust pipes erupted into sonic mayhem, right off the decibel scale. Pure rock ‘n’ roll.

Ever since then, I have had the comfort knowing that, on the highways of Ontario, there can be found an unalloyed embodiment of one man’s automotive vision and imagination. A man whom I've never met, but whose work I've admired for more than 45 years. An man who, just recently, left us. The car, an AC Cobra. The man, Carroll Shelby.

RIP Carroll.
 

Sound "bytes" from CTIA Wireless 2012

Several of my colleagues went to CTIA Wireless this week, and yes, they took the connected Porsche with them. No surprise there, of course: we’ve also taken the car to CES, MWC, BBW, and numerous other events. (Sorry, I’m really into acronyms today.) The Porsche, with its QNX-powered mobile connectivity and HD hands-free audio, seems to impress people no matter where it goes, and the reaction at CTIA was no different. In fact, the folks from Black Enterprise were so stoked, they awarded the car a CTIA Best in Show award. How cool is that?

Here’s a snap of the award, sitting on the car’s dash:



Meanwhile, Boonsri Dickinson of BYTE met up with Andy Gryc to ask him about QNX’s vision and technology for the connected car. Here's a video of their conversation — in the Porsche, of course:



Andy didn't spend all of his time in the passenger seat. Both he and Derek Kuhn also participated in connected car panels moderated by automotive journalist Doug Newcomb. The panels included "Apps in Automotive: The Future of In-Car Content" and "Can We All Just Get Along, for the Consumer's Sake?". From what I've heard, both sessions were taped, and I hope to post a link to the videos next week.
 

Mercedes Airmatic vs ABC Suspension

I've heard a lot of confusion about whether a Mercedes S or CL-class has Active Body Control suspension or just standard Airmatic (air ride). The biggest difference is that the standard Airmatic suspension runs on air, whereas ABC runs on power steering fluid supplied by the power steering (tandem) pump and does not run on air at all. The car will have one system or the other, not both.

A couple of ways you can identify ABC vs Airmatic:

1. ABC cars will have a button marked "ABC Sport" on the center console, whereas the standard Airmatic suspension has a button has a picture of a spring with arrows.

2. Airmatic struts will have white plastic tubes running to the top which can be seen under hood. See below.

QNX and its customers nab finalist spots in 2012 Telematics Update awards

Every year, the world's top automakers and automotive suppliers vie for a chance to win a Telematics Update award. In 2011, for example, Audi, BMW, Hyundai, OnStar, and Toyota took top honors in categories such as best infotainment solution, best safety technology, and best cloud-based application.

These companies may have won in a variety of categories, but they share one thing in common: they all use the QNX platform.

As with 2011, so for 2012. If you look at this year's shortlist, you'll see that several QNX customers and technology partners are again in the running. The finalists include GM, whose MyLink system is up for best global infotainment solution, and OnStar, whose FMV system is up for best aftermarket solution.

This pattern is nothing new. Back in 2009, for example, more than 50% of the Telematics Update award winners either worked with QNX as a technology partner or used the QNX platform in their in-car systems.

And did I mention? QNX itself is up for a Telematics Update award this year! The QNX CAR 2 application platform, which drove home with a Best of CES Award in January, is a finalist in the industry newcomer category.

Two of the QNX-powered systems shortlisted for this year's Telematics Update awards:   

GM MyLink and OnStar FMV

It's hard to know what pleases me more: that QNX has been singled out for an award, or that QNX has once again helped its customers make the shortlist. Either way, I'm stoked.

The winners will be unveiled June 5, just prior to the Telematics Detroit show. In the meantime, my congratulations to all the finalists.
 

Charged up in Santa Clarita, CA

While public chargers are sprouting up all over the place, one city they so far haven't is Valencia, CA. However, 9 miles away in the Kohls parking lot in Santa Clarita right off the 14 freeway is a ChargePoint Level 2 charger, free for public use provided you have a ChargePoint card available via their website. Yesterday, I met my Mom and her husband Gary there for a early Mother's Day lunch at the Chili's near there. Charger worked great. The drive from Long Beach was 63 miles with a slight incline and a few hills towards the end. I kept the cruise control set at 67 or so and didn't have much traffic. I arrived with approx 35 miles left. I only needed to get back to Burbank for work where I could charge for 8 hours via a regular outlet but after charging up with the ChargePoint Level 2 charger, I could easily have made it all the way back home to Long Beach. An added bonus....the drive to work from Santa Clarita was mostly downhill meaning I used less battery power per mile than I did to drive there.

As the 8000 mile mark quickly approaches, I continue to LOVE driving the ActiveE!

Charging Made Easy

Although electric car owners don’t have to worry about their fuel pump and fuel injectors going bad, one of the drawbacks they face is the car charge time. A Chevy Volt takes up to 10 hours using a 120 volt outlet, and about 4 if you have access to a 240 volt supply. A Nissan LEAF takes about 7 hours to reach a full charge on a 208-240V home charging station. They say most people will charge their LEAF overnight at home “similar to a cell phone”, but in time they hope to make the process more efficient. This is one of the reasons that German and U.S. automakers are joining forces to create a faster EV charger.

What they are calling the “DC Fast Charging with a Combined Charging” system, automakers are hoping to create a single plug that incorporates four different types of charging. The four types are one-phase AC-charging, fast three-phase AC-Charging, DC-charging at home and ultra-fast DC-charging at public stations. The new ultra-fast DC-charging is aimed to recharge most electric cars in as little as 15-20 minutes.

Beyond the convenience of charging time, the unity of automakers will also create the convenience of location. Although it’s unlikely you will be driving your electric cars across many continents, the hope is that the same plug design that will charge your car in the U.S. will also be able to charge your car in Europe. Although many batteries that are currently in electric cars today may not support the ultra-fast charging stations, big automakers such as Audi, BMW, Chrysler, Daimler, Ford, FM, Porsche and VW are all making the necessary steps to turn this idea into a reality.

Phonedog connects with QNX concept car at BlackBerry World 2012

If you aren't at BlackBerry World this week, you're missing out. For starters, you won't get to see what, in my biased opinion, is the world's coolest car: the QNX-powered and very connected Porsche 911.

But not all is lost. You can still watch this video from Sydney Myers of PhoneDog.com, who caught with up with Mike Shane of QNX for a tour of the car's features — from instant smartphone pairing and off-board navigation to handsfree calling with HD stereo. Check it out:



My favorite part? When the text overlay on the video shouts out "The audio quality was REALLY good." Got that right.

And did I mention? Mike is one of the super-talented people who built the concept car. He's a keeper.
 

The Auto Black Box

A car navigation system or car GPS device can record where a car is located, but there is a little device in all of our cars that tracks everything we do.  Well… not everything but close enough. This gadget is referred to as the vehicle’s Event Data Recorder (EDR).  The EDR works just like an airplanes black box and is commonly used after an accident to see what happened.  It records at minimum of 15 aspects of a crash, including pre-crash speed, engine throttle, changes in forward velocity and airbag deployment time.

All vehicles are mandated to have these black boxes by 2013, but some cars have had these since the mid-90s.  The information collected could eventually be used for insurance companies to set your insurance rates, as well as in civil and criminal cases.  Some people have said that this information should be private but others say that if you are driving on public roads than it is public information.  People very weary of this technology fear a future where a device like this can issue a speeding ticket as soon as you go over the speed limit.  Imagine a citation printing right out of your dash. OK, so that’s a big jump, but you can see how people feel these devices are a little “big brothery.”

Even though it does feel like an invasion of privacy I do feel like this device can be used for good.  It will help auto companies fix problems with their vehicles that lead to crashes.  It will prove who was actually at fault in an accident, so the wrong person doesn’t have to pay for it.

Rockin' the phone at BlackBerry World

I'm at BlackBerry World 2012 (as you already know if you're following my tweets), and it really is amazing.

In his keynote, RIM's CEO Thorsten Heins provided stats on how the average BlackBerry user isn't just connected, but hyper-connected. BlackBerry users engage in more social media, use more organizational tools, and download more apps per day than other smartphone users. (I wasn't quick enough to type up all the stats, but I'm sure you can find them elsewhere.)

Introducing the BlackBerry
10 dev alpha device

Is the BlackBerry platform an entertainment tool? Productivity tool? Social media hub? All of these, but more than anything else, BlackBerry creates success. The 77 million BlackBerry users worldwide are more agile, productive, competitive, and nimble than their counterparts.

Here are some great factoids I was able to capture:

• Mippin is a worldwide mobile development shop responsible for 50,000 apps on iOS, Android, and BlackBerry. But BlackBerry accounts for 70% of their downloads.
   
• Occipital offers a very cool panorama camera app, which they demo'd this morning. It took them only 7 days to port to BlackBerry 10, and it already performs better than the Android version.
   
• Fishlabs creates mobile games. It took them one day to port Galaxy on Fire to the BlackBerry PlayBook tablet. (And it is one awesome app — I gotta go download it tonight :-)
   
• App World for the PlayBook underwent 240% growth in Q4 2011.
   
• 90% of Fortune 500 companies standardize on BlackBerry.
   

Stay tuned for more pix and reports from what promises to be an awesome show!