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Journalists Cover Microsoft, Using Macs

It’s not an easy time for Microsoft — with Steve Ballmer having to field questions about being “buffoons” and an “evil empire”  at the shareholder’s meeting (.doc) — so when they get together “the world’s most influential technology pundits and online writers” (nb: we weren’t invited) for Mobius to discuss super-secret mobile tech you’d think [...]

Guide To Black Friday Apple Bargains: Cheap MacBooks, iPods and Accessories Galore

Here’s a guide for finding the best bargains on Apple-related gear during the infamous Black Friday sales on November 27. We’ve compiled a comprehensive list of gear from leaked photos of sales flyers and descriptions of sales.
The bargains include a 2.26 GHz MacBook + $150 gift card at Best Buy for $999.99 ; a 32GB [...]

Review: Voices Is Today’s Best Thing Ever, Grab It Now While It’s Cheap

New on the App Store is Voices from the clever folk at Tap Tap Tap. You can guess what it does.

Open it up, pick a silly voice. Helium is pretty silly. A microphone appears and the app even clears your throat for you (try it, you’ll see what I mean). Now speak your brains, and [...]

Review: Sony Walkman S540 Series Video MP3 Player

Press releases, you will hardly be surprised to hear, are rarely very interesting. But one arrived in my inbox a couple of weeks ago that made me double-take.
“Sony’s S Series Walkman,” it chattered, “is a serious challenger to the iPod Nano.” Gosh, really? Perhaps the Cult had better have a look at one, then, despite [...]

Nissan’s First Networked Car to Feature Built-in iPhone Functionality

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Nissan's networked car will feature controls using an iPhone app.

Nissan unveiled the details Monday on its plan to produce the first electric, fully-networked consumer automobile, which will function with an exclusive remote-control iPhone application to make efficient use of the car’s battery.

Dubbed Car 2.0, Nissan’s idea suggests the next generation of cars will connect to public and private power grids and communication networks, and will function similarly to electronic gadgets familiar to consumers today.

Nissan calls the system controlling the auto EV-IT, a central brain encompassing an onboard transmitting unit that stays connected by mobile networks to a global data center.

Drivers will be able to view the driving radius within range of their battery charge level on a navigation map, and also find detailed information about available charging stations within range, according to a report describing the car at Earth2Tech.

The iPhone app will let drivers access information about the time required for a full charge and the current temperature inside the vehicle. The app will also let drivers control air conditioning and heating from outside the vehicle, allowing them to cool down or heat up their vehicle while it’s still plugged in rather than using the battery once they are on the road.

The final prototype for Nissan’s 2010 electric car is set to debut on August 2nd.

About the author

Lonnie Lazar

Lonnie Lazar is a writer, musician, web designer attorney. He writes about Apple for Cult of Mac and Mac|Life, and about VoIP and telecommunications for Voxilla. Follow Lonnie on Twitter @LonnieLazar, join the Cult of Mac on Facebook, and find Lonnie's photos on Flickr.

Email the author | Read more posts by Lonnie Lazar.

2 comments

    Sounds like a great idea. Though potential could Apple be responsible for onboard computer repairs?

    Yet another reason to get an iPhone! ;-D

    I wonder if Apple helped develop this new car… and are there other products being similarly developed with the iPhone in mind?

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