Gearfuse

So you’ve lost your car… again. How many times have you forgotten where you parked? It happens to the best of us, but everyday? Come on, you should probably go visit a neurologist or something.

If he has trouble squeezing you in, here’s a nice back-up plan. The $.99 iPhone app Car Finder uses augmented reality to help you find your car. Car Finder guides you to your car using easy to follow walking instructions and even marks your spot with a little icon. Now all you have to do is remember to actually set the app before you leave your car.

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I’m not driving with you anymore. No way. I’ve had enough bruises to last me a lifetime, thank you very much. Nope, I’d like you to meet AIDA, short for Affective Intelligent Driving Assistant. Basically this little guy will take my place, and hopefully take my place as your punching bag. I’m tired of dressing as a robot anyway.

AIDA uses sensors both inside and outside of the car to create “a platform comprising of a personal robot and an intelligent navigation system that aims to bring an innovative driving experience.” So yeah… basically a robotic backseat driver. Focusing less on the waypoints and more on driver behavior, AIDA gets to know you and your car on a more personal level than some might be comfortable. Check out the demo vid after the jump.

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Whether your spying on your kids or just like keeping a recent record of where you’ve been, the Driving Reporter does the job. Tracking all activity for the most recent 100 hours, the Driver Reporter is a 16-channel GPS device that keeps tabs on all of your driving data, including where you’ve been and how long you were there.

If you’ve just broken up with your super-stalkerish geeky boyfriend, I’d definitely be checking the car for any new doodads.

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Whenever I’m in an unfamiliar area I have an issue when I want to get my shopping fix on. I hate driving around aimlessly looking for stores, it just feels like a waste. And sometimes, the GPS just doesn’t cut it as far as shopping destinations go.

The BI concept is a handheld device designed specifically for shoppers. The device offered detailed GPS directions and information about the store, including the shop’s website so you can check out the stores you’re not familiar with. All of this takes place over a wireless connection, either Wi-Fi or 3G.

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Japanese students lucky enough to snatch a free iPhone 3G from their school shouldn’t get too excited just yet. Your universities mean serious business. The iPhone might just be a smart ploy to get your asses in school.

A Japanese university has started to employ a special school attendance app which keeps track of whether you show your face in class or not. So not only are the iPhones to be used for studying purposes, but you can bet your academic arse that officials will be checking GPS records as well. So, you know what you do? Switch off with your friend, once every other day, give your friend your phone to bring to class. Let them deal with it.

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My goodness! Palm has made a triumphant return to the industry by announcing a phone that will compete with Apple’s iPhone. It’s called the Pre and it features a 3.1-inch touchscreen, 8GB of onboard storage, a 3MP camera, WiFi, GPS, Bluetooth and an operating system that relies on web apps. In fact, Palm claims that developers who know HTML, CSS and JavaScript will be able to easily build apps for the Pre. I wonder how Apple is feeling right now. A bit concerned, I’d imagine.

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T-Mobile has been long overdue for a new RIM device and the Blackberry Curve 8900 will do just fine. The phone will drop sometime next month and has plenty of features that make us drool with jealousy. Try out some WiFi, GPS, headphone jack, microSD slots and of course, myFaves for size. Too rough for ya? Didn’t think so. All those cool new apps like the Facebook and Flickr app will work just dandy on the 8900, most likely ages better than the Blackberry Storm. It’s also thin as hell.

Oh yeah. Almost forgot the 3.2-megapixel camera and 512MHz CPU. Take that, iPhone.

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Here’s a back-to-school jacket worth getting excited about. The NavJacket from O’Neill is due out this winter and will feature more technology than you can shake a stick at. Designed for people who like to snowboard, ski or just hit the trails, the NavJacket features Gore-Tex material and integrated GPS that allows you to navigate a hillside. The left arm features 5 buttons and a HUD for displaying information and guiding you throughout the cold night.

There’s no set release date or official price for the jacket, but don’t expect O’Neill to let it go for cheap.

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Ooh, nice hips. Fancy keeping track of your girl because you’re an obsessive douche? Then Brazilian designer Lucia Lorio’s “Find Me If You Can” lingerie line isn’t quite for you. Consisting of a lace bodice, bikini bottom and faux pearl collar, it’d almost be ordinary lingerie attire if it wasn’t for the GPS device visibly tucked away in the bodice.

At first we were skeptical of the concept, but Lorio assures us,

“It’s not a modern chastity belt. Some men think they can keep tabs on their girlfriends with it, but they’re wrong.”

The truth is, the possessor of the GPS can only be found if she wants to. She could hand out the password to her GPS to every guy at the party, but if she turns it off – all doors are closed. “A wink to women and a challenge to men,” says its creator. But, don’t go digging through your pocket just yet. This lingerie is in the $800 to $1,100 dollar price range – that’s some serious spending for a girl who’s probably going to put it on and then run around handing out her GPS password to everyone but you.

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It seems wind records aren’t the only vehicular-based records being broken this year. Pictured above is the 66-pound unnamed unmanned flying machine that broke a world record for the longest-lasting unmanned flight. It remained airborne for an unbelievable 83 hours and 37 minutes.

That’s three and a half days of non-stop flight thanks to it’s power source: lithium-sulfur batteries charged via solar panels during the day. The craft remained steady at a height of 60,000 feet while being flown by an autopilot guided by GPS. Who says you need a piloting license to operate an aircraft, let alone an actual pilot?

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