Tuesday Toys
Pioneer LTE rearview mirror
If your car isn’t smart and connected yet, Pioneer has a rearview mirror that can do the trick.
This ‘rearview mirror telematics unit’ with LTE connectivity that displays cloud-based data such as navigation, traffic conditions and weather updates.
The real-time info is displayed on a 5″ LCD that functions as a mirror when it’s not showing anything. It takes up part of the unit’s surface beside the dedicated mirror and can also display video from a linked rearview camera.
Information can be accessed via voice commands or the touchscreen interface on the LCD. The LTE connection also enables it to be a Wi-Fi access point for mobile devices in the car.
The back of the unit has a forward-facing, wide-angle camera that can serve as a drive recorder. It can warn drivers when they drive erratically or when a vehicle ahead changes lanes.
The company has not announced a price or availability.
Price: tbc
Belkin Thunderbolt 2 Express Dock
The PC market hasn’t embraced Thunderbolt technology yet but you can’t buy a brand-new Mac from Apple without it having at least one Thunderbolt port. Thunderbolt’s versatility means that Apple can keep its computers slim and the ports to a minimum – with the right cables or adapters, a Thunderbolt port can connect devices that use FireWire 800, HDMI, Mini DisplayPort, and Ethernet.
A dock like Belkin’s Thunderbolt 2 Express Dock HD, could mean the difference between getting along with a MacBook Air (two USB ports and one Thunderbolt) or an iMac (four USB and two Thunderbolt), and having to step up to a Mac Pro, which has plenty of ports (four USB, six Thunderbolt 2) but also starts at over €2,000.
Belkin’s new dock puts two Thunderbolt 2 ports in easy reach, as well as three USB 3.0 ports, one HDMI 1.4b, one Gigabit Ethernet, an audio output in the back for speakers, and a headphone jack in the front.
Because the dock requires AC power, the USB ports can charge your devices even if the dock isn’t connected to a computer. You can connect up to two displays to the dock, even if one of them is 4K. But if the 4K display is connected to the HDMI 1.4b port, the refresh rate is limited to 30Hz.
It’s not cheap, but if you need an extra Thunderbolt port for editing video or hooking up more monitors, the Belkin could justify its cost.
Price: $300
HP Stream
HP officially announced its super low-cost line of Stream PCs on September 8 and now it looks like the super cheap product line is ready for the shelves.
HP’s Stream notebook will sell for $199.99. This Intel Celeron-powered Stream will have an 11.6″ HD non-touch display and 32Gb of eMMC flash memory for storage.
At the same event the company also unveiled a 13.3″ touch-optional SKU that goes for $230, and 7″ and 8″ Stream tablets priced at $100 and $150, respectively.
The 11.6″ (pictured) and 13.3″ notebooks are both fan-less designs with HD displays (HP didn’t provide pixel counts). Touch is optional on the 13.3″ model, but HP did not reveal how much that feature would add to its cost.
Price: From $199
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