Rejoice bimmer fanatics!  If you have the current 335xi or the 535xi you can now use the COBB Tuning Access Port!  It was just announced yesterdaythat the brains at COBB have successfully tuned their own personal bimmers with a custom access port map and it works just fine.  So far you can run stage 1 applications on automatic or manual transmission cars but as time goes on I’m sure stage 2 applications will be available.

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These days there is an external device for just about everything in our cars.  For those of us who like to go fast there are usually an extra few devices like radar and laser detectors to make sure we’re aware of whose keeping tabs on us.  ESCORT decided to put those two devices together, and then they threw in a GPS!  The ESCORT Passport iQ is a radar/laser detector/GPS that has a touch screen, 3D navigation display, tons of stored points of interest, and an internal data base of red light cameras. 

With this puppy not only will you avoid being snagged by the fuzz but you won’t get lost either!  Good deal ESCORT!

The G-TECH meter has been a part of our scene since 1994 but after 2007 they kind of disappeared for a bit.  At this year’s SEMA show G-TECH is making a come back with their new Pro FANATIC Precision Series.  It isn’t officially available yet but the newest model incorporates a GPS for more accurate horsepower, torque, and 0-60 measurements.  This new model will also have track timing and segment timing with immediate in car results.

With many similar products on the market now, what will really determine the new G-TECH’s success is its price point which has yet to be released.  We will keep you posted.

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Take a look at Pioneer’s newest head honcho head unit the AVIC-Z120BT.  This GPS Navigation unit has a 7 inch double-din screen, DVD playback, a 3D user interface, and Pandora functionality.  It also connects with your iPod and/or iPhone in more ways than the Karma Sutra.  You can even use Pioneer’s “MusicSphere” app to create “mood based” playlists via your iTunes account.  This is the perfect head unit for Apple fans.

Press Release:

LONG BEACH, CA – (May 24, 2010) – Pioneer Electronics (USA) Inc. continues to stay ahead of the curve in in-car entertainment and information technologies with the official launch of its top-of-the-line, AVIC-Z120BT in-dash navigation system. The highly sophisticated flagship unit introduced at the 2010 Pioneer Car Electronics Road Show for dealers, brings together the best route guidance features with more entertainment and convenience attributes that include PandoraLink for Pioneer App, MusicSphere^TM, Pioneer’s proprietary music analysis software, a revolutionary 3D user interface and ECO Graph for eco-friendly drivers.

“In 1994, Pioneer was the first company to bring in-car GPS to the U.S. market, and today we are continuing to advance the navigation category with the launch of our highly intuitive, flagship AVIC-Z120BT.  Our team of designers and engineers devised this model to not only deliver reliable route guidance and high quality audio and video, but also to enable users to easily adapt their personal devices to their cars.  And, now with its capability to deliver Pandora’s popular Internet music service, Pioneer again redefines the navigation category,” said Ted Cardenas, director of marketing for the car electronics department, sales and marketing division of Pioneer Electronics (USA) Inc.

Navigation and Entertainment from A to Z

The AVIC-Z120BT is the latest entry in Pioneer’s prestigious Z-series navigation systems, offering the best in in-dash navigation with compelling entertainment and sound quality features.  It features an elegant, motorized high-resolution 7-inch WVGA touch screen display, 3D graphics accelerator, onscreen iPod/iPhone control, built-in Bluetooth¹ for hands-free calling and wireless music streaming, USB connectivity², SD card slot located behind the motorized front panel, high quality CD/DVD audio/video playback, back-up camera input and is SIRIUS XM³ satellite and HD Radio⁴ ready.  The AVIC-Z120BT’s comprehensive map database from Tele Atlas® covers the entire United States, Canada, Alaska and Hawaii, enabling users to route to millions of destinations including more than 12 million points of interest (POIs).  Additionally, the unit features enhanced voice recognition, including the capability to input destination addresses by voice. 

Unique to the 2010 Pioneer navigation line, the AVIC-Z120BT features dual zone entertainment, which enables rear passengers to enjoy DVD video and audio on a separate rear display and headphones, while front passengers listen to AM/FM or XM or SIRIUS satellite radio sources.  Additionally, the unit also features several sound quality components, including Supertuner^TM IIID, Radio Data System (RDS), dual A/V inputs, 7-band graphic EQ and 4-Volts preamp outputs (X3).

 

• PandoraLink – Pandora internet radio fans using the service on an iPhone now have the same control interface directly on the AVIC-Z120BT.  When users launch the PandoraLink for Pioneer App, Pandora will be displayed as a dedicated source on the AVIC-Z120BT and provide similar functions on its onscreen display such as detailed track information and album art.  In addition to the capability of rating a track with “thumbs up” or “thumbs down,” the dedicated user interface provides easy navigation on a large 7-inch touch screen display and allows users to bookmark a song or artist, skip the currently playing track, change stations and select Quickmix playback. 

 

• Advanced User Interface – 3D animation utilized in the navigation maps has also been applied to the audio interface providing a completely new in-car experience.  The intuitive touch slide control capabilities of the AVIC-Z120BT feature dynamic shortcuts for source selection, expanded display of album art and improved display of audio track data.  The receptive touch slide interface is also utilized for

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Pioneer Advanced Navigation System pg. 2

 

searching through music content with a new, improved dual-speed scroll for ABC and List Searches.  The customizable home menu allows users to drag and drop up to 15 function icons into the home page display for easy one-touch access.

 

• MusicSphere – Pioneer’s new proprietary MusicSphere⁵ technology enables iPod and iPhone users to enjoy their library of music in a new way by creating unique, mood-based playlists that can be accessed onscreen with a distinctive 3D animated sphere. MusicSphere analyzes the user’s entire music library and creates 40 specialized playlists based on various musical attributes of the songs, such as feeling (bright, energetic, gloomy, relaxing calm), rhythm pattern, Beats Per Minute (BPM) and year of the song and/or date added to the device. The specialized playlists can be accessed on the navigation display through an animated 3D sphere that can be rotated with a touch of the screen, providing a quick and highly visual method of selecting MusicSphere generated playlists.

 

Additionally, the MusicSphere software allows users to create a “DJ Playlist” which will create a non-stop mix of the selected music types with the ability to blend between songs using transition effects.

 

• ECO Driving – The system also features the second generation ECO Driving function which provides driving status reports as well as the driver’s impact on the environment with visual graphics onscreen.  Through Pioneer’s proprietary AVIC FEEDS®⁶ PC software⁷, the unit can estimate the fuel cost of trip as well as the vehicle’s CO2 emissions through detailed Drive Reports.  Through a proprietary fuel consumption algorithm, AVIC FEEDS can also log and archive driving data and analyze driving habits to generate various reports with suggestions to improve fuel efficiency.  The ECO Graph shown on the navigation unit visually represents the user’s environmental impact, illustrated in 2D, 3D and divided map views.  Additionally, when a route is set the system will calculate a Drive Score based on driving efficiency which factors abrupt stops, accelerations and idle time. 

The AVIC-Z120BT can be fully integrated into a large number of vehicles with a 2-DIN dash opening, and can match any vehicle’s dash lighting with its more than 30,000 customizable illumination colors. 

The AVIC-Z120BT will be available in June for a suggested retail price of $1,599. 

Pioneer’s Car Electronics Department is known for offering the kind of in-car products that make driving more enjoyable by offering high quality audio and video, seamless connectivity and ease-of-use.  Its focus is on the development of new digital technologies including audio video, navigation and satellite radio, while maintaining its strong heritage in products for car audio enthusiasts and sound competitors.

NOTE:  Do not use your Pioneer system if doing so will divert your attention in any way from the safe operation of your vehicle. Always observe safe driving rules. In some states certain operations of devices while driving may be illegal. Where such regulations apply, they must be obeyed.

¹Bluetooth functionality requires a compatible Bluetooth-enabled mobile phone. Certain Bluetooth features may not be supported by all compatible Bluetooth-enabled devices, and/or the functionality of such features may be limited in certain devices or by certain wireless carriers. See more details about compatible Bluetooth-enabled mobile phones at the following webpage: “http://www.pioneerelectronics.com/BluetoothCompatibility“.

²Not every USB device is compatible with a Pioneer head unit containing an USB port. See more details at the following webpage: “http://www.pioneerelectronics.com/USBCompatibility“. Pioneer head units containing a USB port are compatible with USB MSC (Mass Storage Class) devices only, and are not compatible with DRM (Digital Rights Management) contents and MTP (Media Transfer Protocol) connection devices. For size and other limitations, please see Owner’s Manual. Unauthorized copying of music or other files is strictly prohibited. Optional USB extension cable is available for use with front USB ports.

³SIRIUS XM satellite radio is a subscription service not affiliated with Pioneer Electronics – service is available everywhere within the continental U.S. More information is available at “http://www.siriusxm.com“. The “XM” and “SIRIUS” and related marks are trademarks of SIRIUS XM Radio Inc. Ability of the Pioneer system to access the SIRIUS and/or XM satellite radio service is subject to change without notice and could be affected by any of the following (but not limited to the following): changes to the SIRIUS XM radio service; or, discontinuation of the SIRIUS XM radio service.

⁴HD Radio and the HD Radio logo are proprietary trademarks of iBiquity Digital Corp.

⁵PC systems requirements for MusicSphere software includes:

        OS – Windows XP, Windows Vista, Windows7

Windows Hardware

A PC with a 1GHz Intel or faster processor

512MB of RAM or greater

Screen resolution of 1024×768 or greater

Broadband Internet connection to use MusicSphere data download

 

Windows Software

Windows XP Service Pack 2 or later, 32-bit editions of Windows Vista, or 32-bit editions of Windows 7

64-bit editions of Windows Vista or Windows 7 doesn’t support

iTunes 9.0.3 or later

QuickTime 7.6.4 or later

Internet Explorer 7 or later

300MB of available disk space

⁶Functionality available via AVIC-Feeds varies by AVIC model.

⁷PC systems requirements for AVIC-FEEDS software includes:

OS – Microsoft Windows XP Home Edition / Professional (Service Pack 2 or later), Microsoft Windows Vista, Only supported by 32 bit version. (Not compatible with Mac OS)

CPU – Pentium III 500MHz or higher (Recommended: Pentium III 1.0GHz or higher)

Memory -256MB or more (Recommended: 512MB or more)

Hard Disk – 100MB or more of available hard disk space

Display – Display capability of 1024 x 768 resolution, 16-bit color (65536 colors) or higher

Other – Internet Explorer 6.0 or later preinstalled, USB/SD Card-accessible interface, Google Maps-capable internet environment

 

PIONEER, Supertuner, MusicSphere and AVIC FEEDS are registered trademarks of Pioneer Corporation.

BLUETOOTH is a registered trademark of Bluetooth SIG, Inc.

IPOD, IPOD TOUCH, IPHONE and iTUNES are registered trademarks of Apple Inc.

TELE ATLAS is a registered trademark of Tele Atlas North America, Inc.

 

A long time ago RJ and I were having a conversation about technology and he made a prediction that cell phones would replace laptops and PC’s.  At the time I thought he was nuts but now I’m starting to think he was onto something!  AEM has this new gadget called the “X-WiFi Wideband UEGO” and it will wirelessly beam engine vitals to your phone!  Can you believe that?  If I told someone about this back in ’96 they would have had me committed.  Check out the video below to see the X-WiFi in action.

Mitsubishi fans throw your hands up!  COBB Tuning finally dropped an AccessPORT unit for the Mitsubishi Evo X!  It comes in just under 700 bucks and has 126 tuning maps available with undoubtedly more on the way.

Bluetooth cell phone speakers are pretty cool and they help us avoid tickets here in California which is an added bonus but they can still be a pain.  You have to find somewhere to stick them and make sure they’re charge which is really annoying!  However, it seems that Scosche has a pretty cool solution to both problems.  Their solCHAT has suction cups to easily attach to the windshield..and coolest of all is that there is a solar panel on the back (hence the “sol”..for solar) which keeps the battery charged!  Freakin’ sweet…

You read the title.  ARC is on the verge of releasing a downforce measuring device for the consumer market.  Now the next time someone asks you what that silly giant wing on the back of your car is for you can shove their face in the LCD screen of your new downforce meter!  It comes with all the sensors needed to measure air flow over your wing and recommend wing angle adjustments for optimal downforce.  Sounds cool but who is going to use this thing?!  Seriously though you need to do the google translate on the product page and read the description.  You’ll thank me!

Coming soon is the second application of Cosworth’s new stand alone ECU.  The first EC Pro dropped earlier this year for the WRX but come SEMA time we will see the debut of a new Cosworth EC Pro for the Mitsubishi Evo X.  There are a ton tuning and data-logging possibilities with this thing however I’m no where near smart enough to understand them all! As you may have guessed the EC Pro is meant for serious tuners only.  So if you get this you better make sure you know what you’re doing or you know someone (or a shop) that knows what they’re doing!

Pioneer just released an iPhone app dubbled ”AVIC FEEDS“ that adds some extra convenience and functionality to your Pioneer navigation system.  Normally you have the ability to manually enter points of interest to your navigation but with this new app you can find points with your iPhone through the app or via geo-tagged photos and then the iPhone will wirelessly communicate with the navigation system via bluetooth to add those points to your system.  Cool stuff!  Hopefully Pioneer will release something like this for Blackberry and Windows Mobile devices soon.

Press Release:

PIONEER UNLEASHES THE POWER OF ITS IN-DASH NAVIGATION SYSTEMS WITH NEW FREE APPLE APP

LONG BEACH, CA – (September 21, 2009) – Pioneer Electronics (USA) Inc. today releases its first iPhone® application created for use with Pioneer’s new AVIC-U310BT and AVIC-Z110BT in-dash navigation systems. Pioneer’s AVIC FEEDS App establishes a link between the Apple® and Pioneer products, letting iPhone owners find points of interest or search for destinations ahead of time on their phone and easily access them via Bluetooth® from their Pioneer navigation systems. This eliminates the need to jot down or manually enter address information into the Pioneer unit and allows drivers to receive convenient turn-by-turn voice guidance while still being able to use their iPhone for other purposes.

Through independent research, Pioneer discovered that a significant percentage – more than 22 percent – of registered Pioneer navigation system owners also own and use an Apple iPhone.

“We are continually looking for ways to enhance a driver’s experience by providing high quality navigation and entertainment products that incorporate convenience and safety features,” said Ted Cardenas, director of marketing for the mobile business group of Pioneer Electronics (USA) Inc. “After researching what technologies and consumer electronics products our registered owners embrace, we identified a natural opportunity to integrate the features and functions of our navigation systems with Apple’s iPhone.”

Ways to Navigate:
POI Search – Points of interest (POI) searched through Pioneer’s AVIC FEEDS App can be selected by simply choosing the pin drop of the desired location
Take a Photo – Photos taken on an iPhone that are geotagged with geographical metadata such as location coordinates can be saved for future use as a POI
Saved Photos – Geotagged photos sent to users or photos from the internet can be used as a POIs

Destinations created from a POI search or geotagged photos are converted as a phone contact to the navigation system via Bluetooth. Once the phone book is synchronized, the routable contacts are identified by a unique icon that appears next to the contact in the navigation system. By selecting that contact, Pioneer’s navigation system will calculate a route and provide turn-by-turn guidance to that location.

Value of Convenience:
AVIC-U310BT and AVIC-Z110BT owners who want to take immediate advantage of these convenient features can download the Pioneer AVIC FEEDS App for free from their iPhone at pioneerelectronics.com or the iTunes store.

Consumers who have not yet invested in a navigation system or an iPhone can purchase these products for under $700 – the AVIC-U310BT ($599) and iPhone ($99), plus subscription and other fees associated with the Apple device. Pioneer’s AVIC-U310BT is the best value in in-dash navigation, offering robust, full-featured route guidance, CD playback and the convenience of built-in Bluetooth for hands-free calling and iPod/ iPhone control.

The AVIC FEEDS App is also fully compatible with the AVIC-Z110BT ($1,599), Pioneer’s flagship in-dash navigation AV receiver featuring DVD playback, built-in Bluetooth, voice recognition, text-to-speech guidance, an advanced touch screen interface and more.