E-Ink Will Change the Face of Displays

When Pioneer introduced their Organic EL displays back in 1998, it changed the industry forever. OEL required less electricity to run, produced less heat, and could produce much more vibrant colors and depth than regular liquid crystal. And at CES we saw a few manufacturers introducing full-color Organic LED TVs. So what's next? E-Ink, that's what.

E-ink has a lot of characteristics that will make a pretty handy technology in the mobile electronics world. Just in case you weren't aware, this is the same technology used in Amazon's Kindle and Sony's Reader e-books. The tech is 40% thinner than typical LCD's, can be cut into odd shapes, requires less power and withstands higher and lower temps than LCD, and is flexible/bendable. The first application in the automotive world will come from Delphi, used in their new alarm/keyless entry key fobs. Seems like a pretty good fit. I wonder when or if we'll start seeing it used in radio displays? Organic LED seems like the best bet for radio displays at the moment, but who knows... Maybe e-ink will go full color one day and pass up OLED.

in the forums!

Source: Electronista via Gizmodo

Project Car: 1969 Camaro Overhaul

One of the current projects in the HzEmall shop is a classic 1969 Camaro RS. We're re-doing almost every aspect of the car from the wiring to the upholstery, adding air ride, and dropping in an LS2/6 speed motor/tranny conversion. It's going to be quite an overhaul, but when it's finally complete, it will be well worth it. Here's our victim:

We'll have some better pics for you when the job is done!

Center Console
When we got the car it had a GTO console in it, but I can’t even really begin to describe how poorly it was installed...it wasn't pretty. Anyways, it had to be fixed, so we added it to the list.

Here's the before (and yes, that is carpet wrapped around the front, and yes it looked like he trimmed it with a sawzall).

Make sure to check out the rest of the build after the jump. You won't be disappointed!

in the forums!

Video: DonkeyLabs Car Alarm Will NOT Be Ignored (NSFW)

One problem I have with today's car alarm systems is the siren. The sounds emitted from today's sirens are such a common sound that nobody really pays attention when one goes off. With previous alarm systems of my own, I'd combine sirens from different alarm systems in order to individualize the sound and possibly bring greater attention to my car. Now don't get me wrong, if an alarm is going off people are curious and will more than likely look to see what's going on, but in order to really grab attention to your car and scare away a thief, I recommend you try something a little different. Maybe the Orgasmo from DonkeyLabs is right up your alley? Much along the lines of the Trunk Monkey, it's another vehicle safety and security device that probably won't make it to production, but definitely would work to deter theft!

Warning: NSFW!! If you must watch this at work, put on headphones or turn the sound off at 30 seconds!

Touch-n-Drive: The Starter Kill from the Future

To help deter car theft, manufacturers in both the aftermarket and in the OEMs have come up with all kinds of creative theft deterrents - from standard starter kill relays, to chips embedded in keys, to GPS tracking and telemetry. The "starter kill" is one of the oldest forms of car security, using a basic SPDT relay to interrupt the power to the starter until something tells it to re-establish the circuit. However, the new Touch-n-Drive from Spetrotec puts a new twist on an old need, using biometric data to interface with an alarms system, or it can be used solo as a hi-tech starter kill.
The Touch-n-Drive mounts on the dash via a swivel mounting bracket, and features a green and red status LED. The unit can store up to 10 fingerprints in memory,... (Continued and more pics after the jump)

What do you guys think?

in the forums!