How Soon Will Today's Automobile Technologies Become Yesterday's Old-School Gadgets?

The integration of technology in today's vehicles is moving at an alarming pace for some drivers, and yet it may take years before it's all taken for granted...
It's strange to think of it in this way, but the latest, greatest car technology is, of course, new in a new vehicle. How many years will it take before it's considered "old technology?"
Consider the average U.S. vehicle on the road is about 15 years old. This means a majority of the drivers on the road will have a vehicle that's more than seven to ten years old. So some drivers have the newest stuff while others are "getting by" on technology from the last century.
Remember that time of innocence, about ten years ago, when we drove V-8 powered vehicles with combined fuel economy of about 16 miles per gallon? We had a cassette deck or maybe even a 6-disk CD player. We had two airbags, interval windshield wipers, a moon roof and maybe even heated leather seats. About the coolest gadget you could get, and even in only a few models, was the OnStar telephone service!
That's all changed. It's to the point where Anti-Lock Braking (ABS) systems are standard, where highly efficient smaller engines get better than 30 miles per gallon and even the CD player may be on the way out. Smartphone technology is leading the market. Customers are becoming increasing dependent on these phones and are used to their capabilities. Now they want the same kind of functionality in their vehicles.
Bluetooth connectivity that allows a driver to make and receive phone calls wirelessly is the goal of almost every manufacturer. Additional functionality, such as streaming music or internet access is expanding very quickly into the automobile market. Now it seems to get more performance from your vehicle, just look for a new App on your phone!
In a historic perspective, the first windshield wipers appeared in a few autos in 1903. The first automobile radio from the Motorola was introduced in 1930 (it was a tube-based radio). The first car FM radio receivers were introduced in 1952. The car air conditioner finally told hold as new technology in 1953. Only about half of the autos on the road by 1969 had air conditioning. So you can see there is a period in which new technologies are accepted, slowly integrated and then regarded as "standard equipment."
The early 1970's brought us the 8-track tape player, yielding to the CB radio or the cassette tape player. The first in-car CD players appeared in the mid- to late- 1980s. OnStar only was available on a few GM models in 1996. We had video tape players that progressed into DVD players and now there are streaming movies and TV shows from "the cloud" available for your kids to watch.
Vehicles in the 20th Century were mechanical marvels. It looks like vehicles in the 21st Century have become more computer-oriented. Wrench-turning mechanics are fast turning into techno-geeks. Instead of looking to replace your old car, you may start thinking about "upgrading your mobile car computer."
Look how far we've come in just a few years. Today's new technologies include lane monitoring, adaptive cruise control, blind-spot monitoring, rear view cameras, cars that speak to one another and soon, self-driving autos. GM and Ford Motor Company have set their goal to have robotically driven vehicles available to the public by 2020.
Today's vehicles are being built with the best reinforced steels, the best recycled materials and the most efficient engines (and/or electric motors). Today's vehicles are safe, efficient and more fun to drive. And it looks like the goal is to keep improving in all of these areas. So fast-forward 15 or 20 years in the future... the "clunkers" of tomorrow (AKA, today's breakthrough technology vehicles) will be considered "charming old school gadgets."

DAB Car Radio

If you enjoy listening to the car radio, then there are some things you need to know about the digital changes that will affect radio in the same way that they have the TV. Since 2009 the TV analogue signal has begun switching off in favour of digital and radio will be no different.
It is expected that by 2015, radio stations will have gone digital too and so there are some adjustments you will need to make in order to enjoy radio in your car but the rewards will be great.
You can look forward to more features on your radio. For example, due to the information that can be sent digitally, you will see a display of facts about what you're hearing, like the artist or song title.
The sound quality received through a digital radio is a lot better than FM broadcasting. There will be no more drops in signal or "white noise" interference. You will just get pure clarity.
You will be offered a greater choice of radio stations as more broadcasters are transmitting in digital. This will make any journey seem refreshed as there is plenty of choice to keep you entertained.
If you are wondering how to make the changes to receive this much improved radio service, then you have a couple of options really. Whichever way you go though, you will need a good quality aerial on your car, so you can receive a continuous signal from different places in the country. A bad aerial will mean a bad service, even if your radio itself is state of the art.
As far as the DAB radios themselves are concerned, you could just fit a brand new digital radio in place of your old analogue one and you're off. Don't forget you still need a new aerial!
Alternatively you could have an extra DAB box fitted alongside your old radio. This will require extra wiring in and this could prove costly. The easiest method is to get an external box, about the size of a sat nav system. This is then mounted on the dashboard and plugs into your cigarette lighter socket. Your existing radio then picks up then frequency emitted by the DAB Radio box. Again you will still need a new aerial fitted.

Sync Workshop: Pushing the Right Buttons

Let's face it, most car manufacturers are quickly bringing smartphone technology to our vehicle dashboards. Some of us are not sure how to use these systems. This is a workshop focusing on some common problems with the Ford Microsoft Sync system.

For some Ford owners, they may think their Sync system is "acting up." Sometimes you try to make a phone call and it seems that the Sync system just "isn't listening." This is a summary of some common problems and how to overcome them. Most times the problem isn't the Sync system, it's our understanding (or lack of understanding) of how the system works.

First of all, let's push the right buttons!

Ford developed their hands-free system with steering wheel controls. There are push buttons on the right side of the steering wheel. Some of these buttons are "two-sided" so you are either pushing the button down on its left side or its right side. One of the buttons is the "voice" button -- it's got an icon (picture) of a mouth with sound waves coming out of it (or it's simply marked "Voice."). This is the button to push to begin a vocal command to make a call, to ask for Bluetooth audio or make other vocal requests.

ush the Voice button and the system's female voice will come on the vehicle's speaker system with a statement, such as "Sync, state your command." Reply by saying, "Phone." The system will respond with "Phone, state your command." Then say "Call Name (your contact's name save in your phone book.) " For example, say "Call John Smith on cell." Or say, "Call Bill Henderson at home."

If you are trying to dial a number, push the voice button, say "Phone" and then say "Dial." The system will ask for the number. In a moderate volume, just say the number at a normal speed. Speak the phone number as individual numbers such as "Eight-One-Eight, Five-Three-Five, Five-Three-One-Nine." Don't try to condense numbers, such as saying "Eighty-One, Eight-Five, Fifty-Three, Fifty-Five, Three-Nineteen."

Some other buttons on the right side of the steering wheel are for raising or lowering the speaker volume and the "scroll arrows." These arrows will move you from pre-set station to pre-set station when in the radio mode, or from the start of the track or to the next track when listening in CD or Line In mode.

There is another button with an icon of a Phone receiver, this is the "Phone" button. This button is for answering a phone (by giving it a quick definite push) or for hanging up or cancelling a call (by pushing the button and holding it down for about five seconds). There is another button with the word "OK" on it. This button is used for answering questions the system might place on the LED screen or the touch screen on the dash. For example, when listening to the Sirius satellite radio, if you push the "Menu" button on the center console, the LED display will show the words "Satellite Menu," then press the OK button on the steering wheel. The LED screen will then display "Category Menu" and then press OK again, then use the scroll arrows on the steering wheel (or the tuning knob) to rotate through all of the music categories available with Sirius. If you select "Comedy" and push the OK, then it will take you right to the first station in that category.

Just pushing the "Phone" icon will not access the "voice" for making a command. It will only access the "Phone Menu." This menu's title will turn into "Phone Redial" on the LED screen after a few seconds and then you can use the Seek arrow buttons on the steering wheel, or the Tuning knob to scroll through the phone options, such as System Settings, Phone book or Call History. Push OK to access any of these categories and, once again, use the scroll arrows or the tuning knob to drill deeper into the menu. When you see the word "Return," then push OK and it will return to the previous menu.

If you do not press the "Phone" button long enough at the end of call, then the "Phone Redial" text may linger forever on the LED display. You won't be able to access your radio or other audio functions until you press and hold the "Phone" icon for about five seconds.

What's Wrong With Radical Departures of Your Business Model - Example And Case Study

Generally it is considered unwise to try any radical departure from your core business, or launch a new business model or profit center unless it totally fits into your current customer base and line of work. Sure, I get that, but as an entrepreneur, well, I've been quite successful at doing both. Okay so let's talk about this for a moment and let me give you a potential eventuality, example, and perhaps, a wise future case study to illustrate my point here today.

What if RadioShack were to start a mobile service working on automobile electronics?
Interestingly enough, the other day there was an article in the Wall Street Journal entitled; "A Car That Tweets," and the article went on to suggest that our cars are becoming more electronic each and every day. Yes, I think we all know this, and Detroit is going to have to figure out some way to get all these social networking teenagers interested in buying cars again, because they don't seem to be interested in getting a car right away as has been the reality with previous generations.

Nevertheless, we can expect the integration of social networks, and personal tech into today's automobile. This will be the new norm. However, that makes it difficult because there will be folks who will design new hardware, and software for all of this, and someone will have to install the new stuff, keep it upgraded, and keep it from being hacked. The Geek Squad is an interesting business where they send a geek to your house to work on your computer or help you with some software issues that you might have.

RadioShack has a good business model currently, however, it is also a tough business model in this day and age with everyone able to buy stuff online, and have it delivered right away. It's very hard for them to compete on price, and they have the overhead of a retail location. We all know that Circuit City had gone out of business, and they weren't the first electronics store, or software store, or even computer store in the last decade to file bankruptcy.

Thus, there are times when it does require that companies make a move to the future, and sometimes that calls for a radical departure their business model. Barnes & Noble, for instance is trying to go through that right now as they make the transition to electronic books. In any case, I hope you will please consider all this, and this specific potential future case study.

Getting the Best Bluetooth Headset for Your Phone

Cell phones have now truly become an indispensable part of our life! If you look around, you would know that this is a very big fact; there would be very few people, who go about without a cell phone in their hand or one tucked safely away in their pockets. But is it just to make and receive calls that these phones are being used today? Definitely not! With the advance in technology, cell phones have now become a source of information, music and a whole lot of things, apart from their normal use for making calls.
Bluetooth is one such advanced feature that is present in almost every cell phone today. This helps in transferring data from one phone to another, provided that these phones are within a particular range of distance, from each other. If you are to use the Bluetooth facility of your phone to fit well with your requirements, you need to make sure that you have the proper accessories that are required for this purpose. This is where, the choice of a good Bluetooth headset becomes a necessity.
Getting the best Bluetooth headset can be a tricky process and if you are not much aware of what exactly are your requirements, there are more chances that you may get cheated by some dealer! The first point to be kept in mind, when you are out shopping for a Bluetooth headset, is whether the headset you plan to purchase is compatible with your phone. You need to make sure of this because however costly it is, a headset that is not compatible with your cell phone will be of no good to you!
The next thing you should consider is your budget. If you scan the market, you can see that there are many varieties of Bluetooth headsets, some priced as low as $10 and some others, as high as $300! This price variation occurs based on the special additional features that are available in each headset. It is up to you, to choose one that completes your requirements and yet, fits within your budget.
Another thing to notice when looking for the best Bluetooth headset is the type of headset you prefer to use. One of the common types available in the markets is the one with buds that can be pushed into your ears. These types of headsets can keep the sound from the surroundings, completely out of your ears. But they may create some pain in the ears if used for long hours. Another type is the one that covers your ears, without having to plug it in fully into your ears. These are more comfortable to wear, if you are planning to use them for a long time. The call quality should also be taken into consideration, before you decide on any particular headset. The battery life of the headset is yet another thing you should make a note of, before purchasing it. If all these factors are taken into consideration, you are not likely to go wrong when shopping for a good Bluetooth headset