The Traffic Assist 100 from Becker will be officially launched at the IFA 2008 consumer electronics show in Berlin. Known under the pseudonym “Crocodile”. On the technical side, the Traffic Assist 100 scores points with fast route calculation, an integrated 2 GB memory with pre-loaded data for 42 countries, 3-D Terrain View and 3-D City View with crystal-clear images. The Becker Crocodile features menus and text-to-speech instructions in 28 languages to safely guide user to their destinations. With a price tag of around 300.00 eu, the Becker Crocodile will be available on the market in October 2008.

The Becker Crocodile is based on the Becker Traffic Assist Z 201. Although the rubber-coated, water resistant version can also be used in a car, it is ideally suited for motorbikes. The crystal-clear 4.3 inch widescreen colour display with day and night view features an ingenious graphic guidance system that makes it easier for bikers to read the display in low visibility conditions with a closed visor. Other features including the Lane Info function for safe lane selection on multilane roads, realistic motorway traffic signs and visual/acoustic warning signals for speed limits have been carried over from the precursor model.

The Terrain View display opens up to the horizon in brilliant image quality and is especially helpful when driving over hilly terrain or on winding roads. For better orientation in cities, buildings are displayed as 3-D models.

http://www.mybecker.com/

Remember the PDA, the “personal digital assistant” that was literally held out as the ultimate in portable technology? Even as PDA’s fade from the technology horizon, another currently hot “P” device - the PND, or “personal navigation device” - may soon follow, says an MIT Sloan School of Management expert on business strategy, technology, and innovation.

PND products, such as Tom Tom and Garmin, may remain popular for a few years, “but life is getting tough very quickly” for PND makers, according to MIT Sloan Senior Lecturer Michael A. M. Davies. PND’s face a growing challenge not only from cell phones, which are increasingly equipped with high-end navigation programs, but from a less obvious competitor: automobile makers. As software expands the capabilities of PND’s, car manufacturers are in a unique position to make their use both practical and safe, he says.

MIT Prof says three-way battle looms over navigation wars CONTUNUED…

I just saw this on EngadgetMobile who saw it on eMercedesBenz who got it from the MB press release…just keeping it green by recycling folks.

Here’s how it works.  First, you must specify Optional convenience telephony (Order Code 386). The cradle then connects without any tools into the audio system either via the optionally available Media Interface or the retrofittable iPod Interface Kit.  Once the cradle is installed, your iPhone’s music and phone functions can be controlled with the help of the multifunction steering wheel controls, while the vehicle’s display is used to indicate the phone status, music functions, etc.  Other features include automatic recharging while your iPhone is attached to the cradle as well as increased reception with the help of your vehicle’s aerial.

If you’re interested, as already noted, the new Apple iPod cradle is available for ordering immediately (check with your dealer for local availability), while pricing is set at EU 249 (including VAT).

http://www.emercedesbenz.com/

We just got our new autocross/track camera installed on our sponsored 911 Carerra. Foresight sent us their “essentials” kit. The foresight camera system consists of a lipstick camera and custom mount to capture video.

While at CES back in January I picked up at 20 gig PMP (portable media player) with video recoding that we will use on board the Porsche for viewing and capturing video from events.

Installation took about an hour and required routing the cables into the trunk (bonnet) area of the car. Nothing to difficult, I did have to drill a small hold in the back the marker housing on the car to get the cables positioned but this proved very easy.

The quality of the housing is top notch and at a glance appears complete stock on the car. The lipstick camera is well built and has a glass lens; preliminary tests show a good video quality. Over all I would say it is a great value for $295 considering the custom housing and quality.

There should be some drive events coming in a couple of weeks, I will capture some footage and post the results at that time. The foresight website does have some sample footage to view.

http://www.foresightcameras.com/

With 2006 rapidly approaching we have been quietly prepping a Porsche 911 Carrera Targa for sponsorship. We will be starting slow with a few autocross and track days to get our feet wet for the 2006 season. Also we will use the Porsche for our new install proving ground for mobile products like GPS, Satellite Radio, Windows Media devices, etc.

So far upgrades have included a Fabspeed exhaust system, Bilstein sport shocks, Rennline triangulated strut brace and custom Steve Wong performance chip. So far we have reduced the vehicle weight to about 2800lbs.

Here is a video clip of the Dyno run we did at CarbConn a couple of weeks back. We ended up with 200 RWHP (rear wheel horse power). That works out to about 240 HP assuming about 15% drive train losses.

We are still looking for a couple additional sponsors for logo placement on the car, send us a note if you want to see your logo in our reviews photos and track videos.

Special thanks to Craig @ Rennstore for taking the video of our dyno run.