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more about #ford more comments → battra92: I think what Ballmer fails to realize is that people really do want what Apple is selling. I support approximately 100 PCs at my work. While I certain... more » aec007: I rather have "SecureFoam" and turn my car into a Canoli! #inflatableseatbelts more » zounder1: Heck this has apparently hit a nerve. Another story on why to wear a seatbelt. I was on the last 10 minutes of a long drive when the car in front o... more » zounder1: As a person that was involved in a head on collision on a highway and lived to talk about... well anyone that does not wear a seatbelt since it is unc... more » karatecarrot: Like we firefighters need more compressed gas cylinders in a car. This just will make our job harder. I already have to check every pilar for side cur... more » Homerjay is utterly alone.: Why not save a bundle and just go with the Tiddy Bear? #inflatableseatbelts more » Hello Mister Walrus: Mmm... reducing the pressure seatbelts put on people is a good idea. However, it seems that this would be more easily accomplished by changing the way... more » ebob: a good idea, when i wrecked my ford explorer the air bags never even went off, not to mention the ABS locking up, but i don't see why this shouldn't w... more » Jrsy Devil's Advocate®: Having been inside the third car in a four car sammich I can tell you that mine and my gf's neck & shoulder hurt for a couple of days afterwards. ... more » mmmiles: You obviously don't have kids and don't know anything about children. A child can never be too heavily medicated. #inflatableseatbelts more » Vulphaestus: I'm paranoid with seatbelts. Whenever I sit in a car, I need to put it on, no matter how uncomfortable. If I'm driving, you are required to wear them ... more » Pessimippopotamus: It's a good idea. I mean, the idea's been around, but if they're actually getting around to making it work, good for them. Good for Ford. They're the... more » Digo: For some reason I cannot bring myself to put a seatbelt on in the backseat. At the same time, I can't comfortably sit in a front seat without the seat... more » Kaiser-Machead: Even with moderate forces tugging you about in the cabin, the taught edge of the strap is pretty irritating. I can't imagine how badly the seatbelt wo... more » Bertone77: These are a good idea, I don't understand the sarcasm. I've been in an accident where the seatbelt left a nasty friction burn across my chest (I was j... more » -
#cars
Inflatable Seatbelts...Really Ford?
Times are tough for the automotive industry. Consumers have less money, the environment has less tolerance and nothing short of new engineering paradigms can fix any of it. You know, stuff like inflatable rear seatbelts. More » -
#retromodo
Ford's Nucleon Concept: Twin Steam Turbines and a Nuclear Reactor in the Trunk
Say what? Back in 1958, Ford designed models of its batmobile-like concept with lead-shielded uranium fission-plant. Fears of nuclear-meltdown meant it never got built, but it lovingly appears in two recent car retrospectives well worth a read. [Jalopnik and LIFE] -
#cars
Future Ford Hybrids Will Tell Energy Grid When To Power Up
Ford has come up with a smart new system that enables drivers to tell their hybrid car precisely when and how long to charge from the grid—potentially helping you to save money on electricity. More » -
#ifeelgassy
Tesla Gets Full $465 Million In Federal Loans
The Department of Energy just announced electric automaker Tesla will get the full $465 million in Federal loans it asked for. Ford will receive $5.9 billion and Nissan will get $1.6 billion. America will get three I.O.U.'s. [AP] [Jalopnik] -
#diy
Ford Engineer Builds Street-Legal, 125 MPG Hybrid in His Garage
The "HyperRocket" was built by a Ford efficiency expert in his garage, and with two seats, a whopping 125 mpg, and a comfortable cruising speed of 65 mph, we're awfully tempted to buy the thing. More » -
#autos
Ford Winning Dashboard Tech War: Trucks Getting Opera Browsers With Their 3G
If Ford can put Sprint 3G in their cars, and now, Opera browsers, what the hell is taking the rest of the industry so long? SHAME! More » -
#cars
Ford Offering 3G-Connected Dashboard Computers in 2009 Trucks
Ford continues their push for tech-friendly vehicles with a new announcement to put computers with Sprint 3G connections into the dashboards of 2009 F-Series trucks and E-Series cargo vans. More » -
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#fridayflamewar
Ballmer Bites Apple, Saying Pro-Mac Trend Is Waning
My buddy Todd at TechFlash reports that Microsoft boss Steve Ballmer went on an anti-Apple rant yesterday in NYC, saying "the tide has really turned back" toward Microsoft products, adding "The [downturned] economy is helpful." More » -
#cars
Ford Uses Balloon Cars for Crash Testing
While Ford has been developing a new collision warning system, they've decided that there are cheaper, safer ways to the R&D than smashing endless piles of cars into one another. More » -
#ces2009
Hands On: Ford Sync's New Voice-Controlled Turn-By-Turn Directions
Ford Sync 3.0's lovely Samantha robo-voice can now soothingly guide you to any destination you tell her, incorporating real-time traffic updates to help plan your trip. This is how it works. More » -
#sync
EXCLUSIVE: Sync Video Teases Lincoln Detroit Auto Show Concept
We happened upon this preview of the Sync concept from CES installed in a concept car sharing the same marketing visuals as the Lincoln brand. We're assuming we'll see it at the Detroit Auto Show. [Jalopnik] -
#ces2009
Ford Sync Developing API For Voice-Controlling All Your Smartphone Apps From the Driver's Seat
Want to be able to say "John Mayer" behind the wheel and have the Pandora app on your phone queue up a station of similarly smooth jams automatic-like? That's where Ford Sync is going. More » -
#ces2009
Ford Sync Upgrade Brings Turn-By-Turn Navigation, Coming To Every Ford By '11
Ford and Microsoft's Sync is already pretty great—and the new generation Sync that S-Balm's revealing at this very moment at his keynote is better—turn-by-turn voice direction and more, cooed by Sync's lovely Samantha. More » -
#ces2009
Live: Microsoft CES 2009 Keynote Kicks Off The Ballmer Years
Here at CES 2009 in Las Vegas, Steve Ballmer has kicked off his speech wearing Bill Gates' old shoes. Was TechCrunch right about the speech's contents? Update: Here's video of the keynote: More » -
#smartcars
Ford's Self-Driving Hybrid DARPA Car Now Available for $89,000
If you are looking for a self-driving car, now you can buy the ByWire XGV, the modified Ford Escape that got third place at the DARPA Urban Challenge. Torc Technologies—who collaborated with Virginia Tech to develop this smartypants SUV hybrid—is going to sell the car for just $89,000 as a "research platform," so other researchers can tune and add new contraptions to make it work better and look even more menacing than the current version. The specs are loaded with ports, sensors, and even optional accessories, like vibration isolators. Whatever that is, we want it. More » -
#drinkinganddriving
Ford Adds a Fridge to the Flex
Ford has upped the ante in the options department by offering drivers of the 2009 Flex a $760 refrigerator upgrade that fits snugly underneath the armrest in the back seat. The fridge isn't huge, but it can hold seven 12-ounce cans (no, not beer) or four half-liter bottles—which is not bad for a road trip. It is also runs off a compressor making it a bona fide refrigerator that can take a drink from room temperature down to 41 degrees Fahrenheit in two- and-a-half hours. If you choose the freezer option, the temperature drops to a frigid 23 degrees Fahrenheit. With any luck, Ford will offer a Flex oven and Flex toilet option sometime in the near future. Then I would be ready to move in. More »
