You know that Aston Martin DBS not sitting in your driveway? Here's the watch to not go with it, the €27,500 (more than $40,000) Jaeger LeCoultre AMVOX2 DBS Transponder. First spotted last year, the Swiss timepiece capable of locking and unlocking the DBS from a distance of 10-meters has had a rough time making the transponder reliable due to the mechanical watch's impact on electrical fields -- a Faraday Cage of sorts. The solution was to craft a 128-mm sapphire and metal antenna inserted into the curve of the inner bezel ring. Man servants and gold diggers will find the watch at fine retail shops sometime around December. [From: Jaeger-LeCoultre]

Just over a year ago, we passed off a far-out proposal that would turn highways into wind farms. Now, however, the state of Oregon is proving that such feats are actually within reach as it breaks ground on the first so-called "solar highway" demonstration project. The project will be installed at the Interstate 5 and Interstate 205 interchange in Tualatin, where it will cover around 8,000 square feet and produce 112,000 kilowatt hours per year. The total cost for the 104-kilowatt solar photovoltaic system is $1.3 million, and believe it or not, it should be completed and operational in December of this year. [From: SustainableBusiness.com via Digg]

The Paris Motor Show kicks off in October and Honda plans on unveiling what it hopes will be a Prius killer at the event. The as yet unnamed hybrid hatchback is to be priced lower than both the Prius and Honda's own Civic Hybrid, though exactly how much lower remains to be seen.

The new car is expected to be the opening salvo in Honda's move to dominate the hybrid industry. Honda hopes to sell 500,000 hybrid vehicles by 2012 between its Civic Hybrid, a hybrid version of its sub-compact Fit, and the new unnamed vehicle.

Despite the announcement being just around the corner, details are scare on the new model. Rumor has it that the car will be priced under $20,000 and will get at least 60 miles to the gallon, which would make it both significantly cheaper and more efficient than the Prius ($21,500 and 48 MPG). The new hybrid will take some design cues from Honda's forthcoming FCX Clarity (pictured above) and will go on sale early next year. [From: Autoblog and AZ Central]

We've written about mini-microwaves before, but here's a microwave that's not only mini, it's actually designed to work in your car, so you can heat up pop-tarts or nuke some links while you drive to work (theoretically, at least -- let's hope you do this cooking while parked).

Maplin, a UK electronics retailer (think Radio Shack), is selling a microwave that runs on 12 Volt DC power -- yes, it's meant to be plugged into your car's cigarette lighter, which means you'll be able to heat up your burritos, cold pizza, or even ramen noodles while you careen down the highway at 80-miles-per-hour. Just in case your lighter socket is malfunctioning or you're in need of a little extra juice to nuke that frozen TV dinner, Maplin built in the ability to hook this baby up directly to your car battery. How much will a mobile microwave run you? $180, though it's currently only sold by Maplin, which means you'll pay a hefty overseas shipping premium to get it sent to you Stateside. (Another option for US-in-car-gourmets: the Wave Box portable microwave, which came about about six months ago.)

We've been plugging our Nintendo Game Boys into the cigarette lighter since the early '90s, but we've only recently been noticing appliances originally designed for the home popping up in car-ready forms (Ford Flex's built-in refrigerator, for example, or Chrysler's in-car Wi-Fi router). Check out the gallery below to see some auto innovations (if you want to call them that) that range from said mobile wireless Internet hotspots to in-car refrigerators. [From: Maplin via OhGizmo]



Related Links:

• Chrysler Launches In-Car Wireless Internet This Month
• Lotus Adds Fake "Vroom" Sounds to Electric Cars
• Motocyclist Reclines to Text While Riding (video)
• Teenager Hacks Hardware to Control Your Car Via Phone

Wait, wait. Something that was promised for next year is arriving... this year? Be still our hearts! Chrysler will reportedly offer up its in-car EV-DO solution (dubbed Uconnect Web) starting on August 25th, and owners of 2009 Chrysler, Jeep and Dodge vehicles (along with a few "earlier models") will be able to have the $499 box retrofitted into their rides.

Apparently the auto maker isn't planning to install the units directly at the factory, so those who want it will be forced to pay an additional $35 to $50 installation charge, a $35 activation fee and a $29 monthly subscription fee. The service is said to provide download speeds between 400Kbps and 800Kbps with uploads hovering around 400Kbps, and provider Autonet Mobile has promised that you'll "never lose the connection." That's a pretty bold claim -- thankfully we'll be able to test it out in just a few weeks. [Via CrunchGear, image courtesy of Flickr]

There is some good news and bad news for General Motors (GM). The struggling auto manufacturer seems to be resting all of its hopes for survival on its plug-in hybrid Volt, due to be released in 2010. The good news? Over 33,000 have already signed up on an unofficial waiting list to get their hand on the vehicle. The bad news: The average price these very overzealous fans are willing to pay: $31,299.02, much less than the anticipated $40,000 GM sticker price.

GM is going to have to drum up significantly more interest from consumers with deeper pockets if it hopes its much hyped hybrid will save the company. [Source: AP via Propeller ]

Fred Flintstone used his feet to get his car moving forward, but what will you be using in the near future? What if we told you the answer to that question was "air?"

Yes, friends, air. Compressed air, to be exact.

The compressed air car is the inspired idea from a European company called MDI, founded in 1991 by a French inventor. The car would use compressed air in a way similar to how a steam engine drives pistons to create motion.

With the goal of 106 miles per gallon of fuel (so you still need a little gas) and an 800 mile range, the car could be the super solution to the challenge of ever-increasing gas prices.

New York-based Zero Pollution Motors is the first U.S. company to license MDI's technology, with hopes to have a six-seater model for sale in 2010 – for less than $18,000.

There are skeptics, of course. The amount of air pressure required -- 4,500 pounds per square inch – is something typically seen only in industrial applications. But the company claims to be able to surmount this challenge. They also say that while their car will be small, it will still be safe to drive on American roads, surrounded by SUVs and 18-wheelers.

Between zero and 35 miles per hour, the car would use only compressed air to move forward. Above that speed, a little extra juice is necessary, and that's where the fuel would come in to play.

Next year, the car will compete for the Automotive X Prize, with a multimillion-dollar award going to the car that "can win a stage race for clean, production-capable vehicles that exceed 100 mpg equivalent fuel economy."

We'll keep you posted. [Source: CNN.]

As we reported two months ago, electric cars, while great for the environment, can be a threat to pedestrians. The eco-friendly engines are so quiet that cyclists, the blind, and other motorists have difficulty hearing them coming, increasing the risk of accidents. The solution finally emerged as British car manufacturer Lotus has invented speakers that emit a normal engine sound from the front of the vehicles, making the streets safe again.

The system uses waterproof speakers placed next to the radiator in the cars that project different sounds based on speed and throttle. In hybrids, the noise will be played only when the car is operating in electric mode; in electric-only cars, it's always on. Since the speakers face forwards, the sound won't be heard once the car passes and is barely audible to its occupants.

The idea is supported by a study in which blindfolded participants could hear normal cars 36 feet away while the Prius was only detected at 11 feet. Of course, this is a moot point if you're listening to music or crossing the street while texting. Then, you're just asking for it, no matter what kind of car hits you. [Source: Daily Mail]

Ah, Black Hat. How we adore you. Each year there's always one speaker who shows up and completely undermines something that most people assume is rock solid. This year, our pals at Hack-A-Day were in attendance to hear Nate Lawson expose California's FasTrak toll system for the security hole that it is.

Essentially, toll transponders that are purchased and slapped onto vehicles offer up exactly no authentication, meaning that anyone with an ill will and an RFID reader could wander through a parking lot and lift all sorts of useful information.

Think it can't get worse? The transponders reportedly support "unauthenticated over the air upgrading," which means that each tag could be forced to take on a new ID if the right equipment was present. We don't have to spell out "potential disaster" for you, now do we?

[Image courtesy of Mindfully]

Johnny Law's technological arsenal continues to grow by leaps and bounds. Over the past year or so, we''ve seen criminals fitted with GPS trackers, police soliciting help via text message and YouTube, a drivers license scanning PDA, and even a multi-lingual gadget that can translate spoken commands. That's why it comes as no surprise when the police show off yet another fancy tech-toy that is helping them nab crooks.

As the Washington Post reportes, the latest weapon in the war on crime is a pair of cameras mounted on the top of police-car rooftops. Said cameras snap photos of license plates on cars in front of and behind the police cruiser. The photos are then decoded using advanced image processing techniques, which read the numbers from the license plate and feed them through a police database looking for matches. Originally, these systems were purchased by Maryland police to help reduce car theft, but seem to have found just as happy a home pulling up unpaid traffic tickets.

Of course, don't expect privacy advocates to go quietly into the night on this one. The indiscriminate running of plates (police estimate the computer can check the records of 3,000 vehicles a day) strikes many as overstepping acceptable bounds. The British may be used to this level of surveillance, but Americans tend to be a little more uneasy about "the man" watching their every move. [Source: Washington Post]

GPS (Global Positioning System) navigation devices -- those talking screens with maps that give you real-time directions to wherever you're going (as you're going there) -- used to be the province of the well-to-do with high-end cars. But nowadays, real-time navigation technology is available for all budgets in all sorts of shapes, sizes and feature packages. So which type of GPS is for you? Should you spend a mere $2.99 to get directions on your cell phone or splurge up to $500 for a high-end portable? Are factory-installed navigation systems you get with a new car better than a standalone portable? Do you really need an MP3 player with your traffic directions? For answers to these questions and more, check out the five things to consider before you buy a GPS, which we've organized by the most commonly asked questions on the following pages (click below to get to tip number 1).

Prepare to step aside Segway, you had your chance to revolutionize personal transportation. Introducing the Toyota Winglet. Still under development, Winglet's body has a 10.4 x 18-inch footprint and stands 1.5-, 2.2-, or 3.7-feet tall (depending upon the S, M, or L model chosen) and features an electric motor capable of a max 6km/h cruising speed for up to 10km a jaunt (only 5km for the S model).

Like the Segway, the user controls the Winglet by shifting his weight to move the transporter forward and back or to make tight turns. Winglet will begin consumer testing at the Central Japan International Airport near Nagoya and Laguna Gamagori resort this Autumn with further testing in more crowded environments planned for 2009. It's planned to hit a production stride in 2010.

Hey Toyota, here's a hint: you'd better start lobbying for sidewalk legalization ASAP if you're hoping for global success. All three pictured after the break in order of S, M, and Large.

Update: Video added after the break to show just how nimble the handle-less S and M versions can be. [Source: Toyota Via Akihabara News]

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Used to be, homing devices were the domain of James Bond and similar ilk. No more: In fact, chances are, you're carrying a GPS-enabled tracking device in your pocket. For at least two years, cell phones have been the largest application of GPS chips, and now, finally, we can use them to do our own sleuthing -- even if it's to find the nearest watering hole.