iDriver, an iPhone remote-controlled car by the Artificial Intelligence Group at Freie Universitaet in Berlin scares us off the roads. But we wants it.

[via 9to5mac]

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Thursday Fun Video: iDriver iPhone Remote Controlled Car

Z. O. M. F. G. And Dieter just wanted to control little lego robots. Humph. This here GeekMyRide so much closer to Skynet and the Matrix and Cylons… and to think our little iPhone will be the elegant, buttery-interfaced controlled to our post-apocalyptic machine overloads. Sweet.

The car’s webserver provides a password-protected web interface optimised for full-screen display on an iPod Touch or iPhone running the SOPODS full screen web browser. The web interface has three screens: 1) Control, which provides a top-down view of the car with buttons for start, stop, lock, unlock, accessory power, and boot release; 2) Telemetry, which displays real-time data acquired from the engine management system such as RPM, vehicle speed, coolant temperature, throttle position, etc; and 3) Location, which uses a Google Maps mashup to display the current location of the vehicle on a map using current GPS data.

[via GeekBrief.tv]

This is a story by the iPhone Blog. This feed is sponsored by The iPhone Blog Store.

Thursday Fun Video: iPhone Remote Control… For Your Car!

This cool piece of video came to us from a email tip from 18 year old Josef Průša. Have some time to spare? Have a old remote control car laying around? Well that’s what Josef had and he and his brother took “only one afternoon” to get this up and running!

As for controlling the car, you simply have five buttons. Four of which can be used to drive and the fifth button is used to toggle control via the accelerometer on and off, similar to any of the current racing games in the App Store. Pretty cool trick indeed…

If you want to try and give this a shot be sure to head on over to Josef’s blog for the full how to guide, which can be found here (Note, you will need to have a PC around to act as an intermediary between the iPhone and the RC car).

Now I’m off to see if I can find any old R/C cars laying around…

[Thanks to Josef for the tip!]

This is a story by the iPhone Blog. This feed is sponsored by The iPhone Blog Store.

iPhone Controlled R/C Car… Say What???

Can’t find a Bluetooth Headset that fits your ear? Struggling enough with the headset that it defeats the purpose of being ‘hands free’? Well, the Motorola MOTOROKR T505 Bluetooth In-Car Speakerphone ($99.95) is ideal for you. It is essentially a Bluetooth speakerphone, keeping your hands free and your ears clear while driving your car. Unlike a Bluetooth headset, the Motorokr T505 is meant to be used strictly in a car setting. How does it perform?

Read on for the rest of the review!

Design

The Motorokr T505 looks about the size of your average garage door opener, in fact, Motorola suggests that you clip it to the sun visor in your car. The build quality of the Motorokr T505 is superb. It has great texture to it, feeling soft yet sturdy. The buttons are defined and easy-to-reach, the overall look of the Motorokr T505 is subtly stylish, a gadget that looks more wonderous and mysterious than utilitarian and boxy. It will more often than not blend into your car instead of sticking out like an eye-sore.

Usability

The Motorokr T505 sets out to do a few things which are: keep your hands free while driving, provide a clearer and louder speakerphone than your iPhone’s, and transmit calls (and music) to your car’s stereo system via FM. It certainly can be considered a narrow scope to focus on, if you don’t drive a car you won’t need the Motorokr T505. But if you do drive a car, let me tell you this, I can’t imagine using anything other than the Motorokr T505 again.

Syncing your iPhone with the Motorokr T505 is easy as any other Bluetooth device. And I was able to use the speakerphone in seconds upon powering up. Also, charging is made available through mini-USB. What’s great about the Motorokr T505 is that there is no fumbling for the iPhone or having an earpiece attached to you the entire time you’re driving, it is truly a hands free device.

The speakerphone is clear, loud, and extremely audible. Callers were pronounced and unmistakably clear, this was as good as it gets for a Bluetooth speakerphone. Callers also agreed that I sounded great and hardly noticed that I was talking via speakerphone, they assumed I was on my iPhone the entire time.

When the FM transmitter in the Motorokr T505 transmits the call to your FM, it scans the best available station to broadcast to. Specifically, it searches for an empty signal and broadcasts your call to that transmission. Doing this, it gives your phone call a surround sound-esque platform. Though your mileage may vary with the FM transmitter, I live in Los Angeles, home of a multitude of FM stations and the Motorokr T505 still managed to find a signal that was empty and transmitted the conversation clearly to my car’s stereo.

However, because the Motorokr T505 is a speakerphone meant for in the car use, it can only fill a specific niche. For example, if you are always on the go but without a car, there is little need for a car speakerphone. But if you are a commuter who travels mainly by car, there are few better options. The only downside to the Motorokr T505 is when you are carrying passengers, your conversation is not exactly private since the whole car can hear and participate. For those worried about those situations, a Bluetooth headset might better fit that need.

Final Thoughts

I never imagined a car speakerphone to perform so well. I initially imagined the Motorokr T505 to be nothing more than a glorified speakerphone for the iPhone, but I was completely off base. It is a speakerphone that offers great compatibility, clarity, and flexibility. As a speakerphone it succeeds, but when transmitting to your FM stereo it surpasses all expectations.

This Motorokr T505 is a great solution for anyone who is looking for a hands-free device while driving in the car. I highly recommend it to all people who are in need of talking on their cell phone while driving.

PROS

• Great Sounding Speakerphone
• Transmits to FM stations well
• Stylish Design
• Easy-To-Use

CONS

• For Use in Car Only
• Conversations aren’t exactly private

Final Rating: 4.8/5

This is a story by the iPhone Blog. This feed is sponsored by The iPhone Blog Store.

Review: Motorola MOTOROKR T505 Bluetooth In-Car Speakerphone