New car

I've never been into cars (although I drive a lot -- I'm a Californian, after all). I get a new car about every 8-10 years or so, after I've driven the previous one into the ground. One of the advantages of getting a car that infrequently is that each new car feels like a tremendous leap forward in techmology.

This time, I really hit the nerd jackpot: I got a Toyota Prius. Yep, I'm one of those.

I chose this car for several reasons, in increasing order of importance for me:

• It has very low emissions.
• I can drive it in the carpool lane.
• It gets great gas mileage.
• But mainly, it's a super duper geek toy.

I love the cool tech in this car. I got the navigation system -- I waited a couple of weeks longer because of this -- and it's well-designed, useful, and fun. I love that the "key" is really a transponder, so I can unlock the doors just by touching the handles and I can start and drive with the key still in my pocket. I love that it has Bluetooth, so I can talk on the phone hands-free and without plugging the phone in to anything. And I love that it's silent when moving slowly and running without the gas engine or when idling.

For the first time in my life, I really like my car, instead of just being OK with it.

Comments

[mike3k]

I got my Prius just before WWDC (I ordered it in June) and I love it. I also was never into cars, but since I got the Prius I've become a fanatic. This is the first car I actually *love* to drive. I didn't get Bluetooth, though.

It's almost too quiet - people tend to step right in front of it if they're not looking since they can't hear it.

I even posted a picture here:
http://static.flickr.com/76/197357578_4f6345cf28_m.jpg

(it's Seaside Pearl)

[shy]

Congrats, Scott! I got a blue one in 2005 with all the goodies. Can't imagine not having the nav! Put a bike rack hitch on the back. Drove it from LA to SF for WWDC for the second year. Parked it at the hotel and rode my bike each day to Moscone with my MacBook Pro in my backpack. Great way to not polute, miss traffic and parking hassles, and get a little exercise!

[Dan Winkler]

The Prius navigation system does something very clever: when you're inside a tunnel or a parking garage and it can't see the GPS satellites it starts dead reckoning by using information from the computers that control the speedometer and the steering. Only an integrated navigation system on a highly computerized car could do that.

[mike3k]

When I got home from MWSF last night I found my Prius dead and had to have it jump started. The lights were off and I even turned off the smart key system, so there's no reason it should have died after only a week. This is the second time I had it jump started; the first was when I used a 12v air compressor when it was in accessory on mode. I'll have the dealer check it this week.

[amplifier of car]

Are you in search of a good amplifier? Then I would suggest you check out the JL car audio 500/1 amplifier. This

amplifier is very efficient and will give little, if any, reason to worry. Here is something more about this product.

It is a class D amplifier. What does this mean? It means that it belongs to the class of highly efficient amplifiers that

are up to 90% power efficient. This is a great advantage as it means your battery will not be easily run down. It makes

the most efficient use of power when compared to other amplifier classes. And for your car, this is an invaluable

feature.

This amplifier features a 12 inch polymer-coated subwoofer and a 12 inch polymer-coated passive radiator. These two are

responsible for providing ample bass.

[car amplifier]

A car amplifier will give you a loud and clear sound on a consistent basis. It will boost the power flowing from the

receiver to the speakers. In doing so, it will reduce the stress put on all the other components of your car stereo

system, including the receiver.

Choosing the right car amplifier is important. Your decision should be based on five important features. Make sure you

address them all !

The first item on the agenda is the number of channels. This will depend on the number of speakers in your system.

Two-channel amplifiers will feed well two speakers or a single subwoofer. You will want to consider a four-channel

amplifier if you have any of the following combinations :

[iknowall]

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[iknowall]

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