Apple teases Eyes Free, Siri car integration

Apple’s VP of iOS Software Scott Forstall just demoed Eyes Free, Siri’s new vehicle integration. The feature is being framed as a safety booster, letting you tap a steering wheel-mounted button to toggle Siri on your iOS device, rather than reaching around for your iPhone or iPad and taking precious seconds away from the road. This being Apple, there are already plenty of partners lined up — BMW, GM, Mercedes, Land Rover, Jaguar, Audi, Toyota, Chrysler and Honda are all said to be on board, with Siri support making its way to vehicles within the next 12 months. It’s certainly not the first example of smartphone/car integration we’ve seen, but it could soon end up being one of the most widely utilized, despite the years-long head-start competing technologies have enjoyed.

Volvo unveils Concept You luxury sedan, dripping with touchscreens (video)

The Frankfurt Motor Show is underway in Germany, where Volvo has just taken the wraps off the Concept You — a new luxury sedan that features some pretty nifty, touch-based controls. Directly behind the car’s steering wheel lies a monitor that digitally displays your basic driving information, including speed and a map of your trajectory. The wheel also features some sensor enhanced panels, which you can use to adjust your radio or cruise control settings. A touch interface on the center console, meanwhile, uses an infrared sensor to pick up on any hand or eye movements before activating to bring up the system’s infotainment control mode, which boasts an unreleased FreshAir subwoofer from Alpine. From here, you can surf the web, swipe through radio stations, check for safety alerts or control your air conditioning, using only your fingers or customized gestures. Plus, there’s an extra touchscreen placed between the two rear seats, meaning your kids won’t be left out of the action, either. Cruise past the break for an exclusive video of the Concept You’s so-called smart pad technology, along with the full PR.

Video: Volvo Concept Video

Buick, GMC getting IntelliLink smartphone connectivity

Back in February, General Motors debuted its MyLink smartphone integration for the Chevy Volt and Equinox on the Engadget Show, letting drivers control their iOS, Android, and BlackBerry smartphone apps via voice or touchscreen. The company announced today that it will be offering the same technology — albeit rebranded as the tongue-twisting IntelliLink — on several 2012 Buick and GMC models, including the Buick LaCrosse, Regal, Verano, and the GMC Terrain. IntelliLink offers up a fairly similar feature set as its Chevy counterpart — connecting to iPhones and Android handsets via Bluetooth or USB, and leveraging Nuance voice recognition and Gracenote databases to control the likes of Pandora and Stitcher Radio. Autoblog reports that IntelliLink will hit the Buick Verano first, followed by the LaCrosse and Regal, though you might be more interested in the Terrain — owners will also be able to control their vehicle’s rear-view camera with IntelliLink, and who doesn’t like manipulating megapixels in the name of pedestrian safety?

Transportation, Tablet PCs iPad 2 installed in Ford F-150 truck, does FaceTime while you roll over stuff (video)

SoundMan Car Audio’s done it again, and this time on day one — they’ve stuffed an iPad 2 into the dashboard of an unsuspecting vehicle, in this case a 2010 Ford F-150 pickup. While that doesn’t sound like the most exciting hack in the world, we have to give credit where it’s due — Doug and company now have a truck that can make FaceTime video calls, browse to world-class technology websites (we’re blushing) and play Pandora too. See the SoundMan crew show off the fruits of their labors in a video after the break.

2012 Lamborghini Aventador LP700-4 gets Tegra-powered multi-function displays (video)

Lamborghini supercars have traditionally never been known as sophisticated beasts, bullish logo proof positive of that, but that’s all changed since the company fell in under the Volkswagen Group banner. The company’s newly unveiled Aventador LP700-4 supercar has more tech than any Lambo before, much of it scattered about the decidedly fighter-inspired interior layout that borrows a few elements from the Audi stable. Most interesting is the MMI infotainment system, which has been given some tweaks but clearly hasn’t fallen far from its parent’s Tegra-powered tree. All the dials and visuals on the car are rendered on LCDs, as can be seen in the video below, along with 3D maps for navigation and a suite of customization menus controlled either by the familiar MMI jog dial in the middle or by a stalk on the steering wheel. Of course, with a brand new, 691HP V-12 tucked in the back we’re thinking owners will have things more important than render quality on their minds, but those of us who can’t afford the expected $350,000+ price tag will have to simply entertain ourselves by saying “Aventador” over and over again. Aventador. Aventador. Aventador…

Saab shows off Android-based IQon in-car infotainment system (video)

It may not be the first to produce an Android-based in-car infotainment system, but Saab is diving headlong into the fray with its new IQon platform that it’s just unveiled at the Geneva Motor Show. It not only packs the usual navigation and entertainment features, but is tied into a network of sensors in the car that measure everything from vehicle speed to inside and outside temperatures to the position of the sun. While that’s fairly impressive on its own, Saab is also going the extra mile and making all of that information to third-party developers though an API, which they’ll be able to use to produce their own applications — which will (you guessed it) be made available through Saab’s own app store. Unfortunately, it’s not clear when the new system will actually be available to consumers, but Saab is already using it in a fleet of test cars, and it’s now showing it off in its new PhoeniX concept car in Geneva. Head on past the break for a brief teaser video.

BMW Connected hitting 1 Series cars first, lets you tweet your disregard for speed limits

The BMW Connected app has been available for a few months now, following in the footsteps of Mini Connected as it sits there, and taunting you from the App Store. We knew cars supporting the feature would be coming in March, and now we know which ones will be first: BMW’s svelte little 1 Series. To enable the streaming radio and even streaming video (when the car is stationary) on the dash-mounted display you’ll need to tick the box next to a €150 (about $205) option. In your suitably equipped car you can then get your Facebook and Twitter feeds read to you and even provide automated responses using “vehicle information such as current speed, outside temperature or navigation destination.” We’re hoping the car can apply some flowery language to such hard data, like “bat out of hell” for those particularly warm days in which you’re driving at a high rate of speed from an unpleasant point of origin.