Wednesday 13 February 2013

Welcome, you have officially entered the 'iCar' Era !


Cars today come with factory fitted GPS systems and fancy touch screens, but nothing beats a single point source for your music,videos and navigation built by none other than Apple!  iPhone and iPad custom fit on to your dash is the way ahead. Seamlessly integrate your iPad or your iPhone/iPod touch(iDevice) and transform your drive into a 'carputer' experience. There are plenty of applications that can help your driving experience besides the obvious benefits of google map enabled navigation and in car Internet radio streaming.  

Although a host of car companies today are providing iDevice integration, none of the manufacturers provide an iDevice on your dashboard. Most often you are left with cords dangling dangerously to connect your iDevice. At Speed Freaks we custom create a neat dashboard that retrofits an iDevice (see images below). The advantages are obvious, the iDevice is securely fit in a nice compartment, that is aesthetically matched to your cars interiors.
 
Here are some of the apps that will transform your driving experience:

Siri: With Siri you can call upon your iDevice to play music, direct you using GPS, stream video or radio. All this while you can drive away with out getting fidgety with all those buttons. You can also ask Siri to read you messages, emails and type out messages or emails while you drive in peace. It's almost like driving with your personal assistant.

GPS: There are several navigation assistance available on your iDevices, one of the most useful applications in India, is still the google maps. Google maps in India can even suggest traffic updates, so you can choose not to take one route vis-a-vis another. MapMyIndia also provides reliable navigation with voice commands application on App Store.

iTunes/music: Are you in a mood for some good music and don't have it readily in your car, don't fret! You don't have to go searching for a music store to get the cd. Just download it on the go and enjoy the music. Or simpler still, just stream it through YouTube or an Internet radio station.     

Find Places: Running out of fuel? Or Running out of money? Find out where is the closest petrol pump or ATM with Google Places. This useful app can also show you the nearest restaurant, coffee shop or pub with user ratings, besides closest boarding options. Another useful app is trip adviser.

Max my speed : Have you ever been caught for overspending wrongly? There's no way to prove to a cop that you weren't overspending, until now. Max my Speed app lets you set up max speeds you don't want to breach and then provides consistent data of your speeds, while cautioning you if you are exceeding your limit. The app utilises the iDevice's inbuilt accelerometer to asses your speeds.

Measure your G's: Here's an app that measures your G forces, also calculates the horsepower, using the accelerometer. G-Tac, records 0–60 mph, 0–100 mph, and quarter-mile times, as well as braking and cornering forces.

Track Fuel Consumption: Accufuel can keep track of what you spend on all of your cars and gives you instant feedback while driving. You can switch between SAE, imperial, and metric fuel use, and the app also includes a resettable odometer. Fuel-fill records can be stored for multiple cars too.

Have you customised your car's deck to accommodate an iDevice? Let us know how you use your iDevice to improve your driving experience.