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Soon we may not even be able to identify whether or not we have our iPod located anywhere on our person, these things are getting so darn tiny! Photo via: techfever

This newest edition to the iPod Shuffle was introduced recently and Apple tells us that it will be half the size of its predecessor (no bigger than AA battery), offer 4 GB worth of storage (1,000 songs), an internal speech engine, and will have a rechargeable battery capacity of 10 hours.

Will it Work in Automotive Applications?
While many vehicles today are set-up with their own technologically endowed music players, there are still a lot of folks who are still using an iPod plugged into an older stereo system, and why not… it does the job! The question I have for this setup, is whether or not it is going to be a good or a bad change for automotive applications?

I will let you make the final decision, although I give this a thumbs down until they introduce controls on this unit as well as a “clapper” feature that will help you find this little thing should you ever misplace it. You know, a clap your hands and it will beep back at you kind of thing.

The older iPod shuffle was perhaps not the greatest adaptable car player in the world, but it was functional for its compact size. It at least had enough room on the player to outline the controls enabling you to shuffle through the songs at the push of a button.

Features and Potential Automotive Problems with the New iPod Shuffle
The problem with the new iPod shuffle is going to be it is so small that there is only room for an on/off button and a shuffle switch, so you better make darn sure you like the songs on your playlist, as you aren’t going to be able to search through them as easily as you may be used to. The main controls are featured on the headphones rather than player itself this time around!

But even the headphone search feature will take a small amount of brain power to remember the functions that its “one” button offers. If you want to listen to a song again, click the button three times. If you want to pause the song, click it once. To skip a song, double click. To hear the voice speech engine recite the title and name of the artist currently playing (using its 14 language capability), just hold down the button.

The player also features playlist capabilities. To switch between playlists all you have to do is hold down the button and wait for a tone, then release the button and it will begin to play music from the next available playlist. I bet you never knew you could do so much with just one solitary button.

Sometimes smaller is better and other times it is just… well, smaller!

WD-40, originally uploaded by djmikeryan.com

WD-40 is 56 years old this year. It was born in 1953 by a man named Ken East. Ken perfected the formula so that it could be used in the rust prevention of Atlas missile parts. It took 40 trial formulas before he was completely happy with the results. Since that faithful moment in history, folks have tried WD-40 on just about everything and anything, and believe me folks, I really do mean ANYTHING!

Low and behold, WD-40 has been proven useful on probably no less than about half of those things, despite a couple rashes here and there I’d imagine. With the many successful uses of WD-40 (some 2,000 the last time we checked), it has certainly earned the right to be on just about every single shelf in every single persons garage in America. Over 1 million cans of the stuff are produced every week.

For those of you who are unfamiliar with WD-40, allow us to introduce you to its top 20 automotive uses, starting with our least favorite on up to our front runner:

21. Removes spray paint graffiti from painted surface of vehicle. However, the duller the paint, the less effective the WD-40 will be. This is great for those folks who aren’t particularly popular around the neighborhood…

20. Removes gum, tar, and grease from vinyl and leather seats. This is a good one for those of you who have kids!

19. Removes brake dust from wheel rims easily.

18. Lubricates telescopic antennas and keeps them running smooth.

17. Keeps door and trunk locks working smooth, while also aiding in the prevention of the mechanisms freezing during wet and frigid temperatures.

16. Cleans and protects overall engine. Yes, I used to have a friend who would spray WD-40 all throughout his engine whenever it quit running. It never did anything however. Remember, It protects folks, it doesn’t fix!

15. Repels water (drives moisture away) from wet electronics, such as distributors, alternators, batteries, spark plugs, etc. Also protects these delicate electric parts from corrosion.

14. Cleans oil and grease off of hands. Works great when you’re all out of garage soap.

13. Cleans, shines, and removes oxidization from steel and other metals.

12. Penetrates rusted, frozen, or seized bolts and screws, allowing them to be easily removed without breaking them.

11. Protects weatherstripping from drying and cracking. Also allows for your rubber windshield wipers to last longer.

10. Stops fan belt from squeaking. You will still need to replace the belt or tighten for a permanent fix, but to rid yourself of that embarrassing squeal right away, nothing works faster or cheaper than WD-40.

9. Removes dog slobber from seats and dash. No kidding!

8. Removes pine sap, tar, asphalt, bird droppings, and splattered bug guts from painted and non-painted surfaces. There are a lot of very caustic ways of removing these common catastrophes, but this is one of the gentlest methods around.

7. Removes unwanted wax from plastics or flat colored surfaces. Don’t you hate it when you get wax somewhere on your vehicle where you did not want it? Well, here’s how to get rid of it.

6. Removes skid marks from cement floors. It works!

5. Cleans cup holders. Dried coffee and soda pop come off in a jiffy using this stuff.

4. Spray tie-downs prior to securing a load in order to protect the surface from being scratched by the rope. Most people don’t know this, but it works great!

3. Removes adhesive stickers from windows (glass and plastic) and bumpers (painted and plastic).

2. Shines the rubber on your tires at a fraction of the cost of other products sold specifically for that purpose.

And the #1 use for WD-40 in Automotive applications is…

1. Removes a Boa Constrictor stuck in engine compartment of cars. While not something that happens to too many people too often, if the situation ever should arise, you will be glad you have a can readily available!

There you have it. If you don’t already have a few cans in your house and garage, you better get some. You can never have enough WD-40 as my father always tells me!

2010 LEXUS RX 350, originally uploaded by Toyota USA.

You knew it was coming! With the popularity of the GM based OnStar and Ford’s voice-activated Sync system, it was only a matter of time before a few other auto manufactures caught on and said, “Hey, they just might have something there. That could be an extra $20 bucks or so a month from a customer, which is looking mighty tempting during these hard economic times.”

The new system which will be deemed “Mini-Star”… no not really, but that would be pretty funny. It will actually be called Enform, and will be featured on the 2010 Lexus RX as far as we have been told.

How Will the new System Work?

How Enform will work, is during emergency situations it will connect the driver and its passengers to a built-in GPS system which will be able to function in a variety of ways. Its functions will include help with automated collision notification, stolen vehicle location, roadside assistance, and for just about any emergency situation you can think of, it will have an “SOS” button located on the dash.

Destination Assist

But probably its most useful feature will be its Destination Assist (including eDestination), which will take out that annoying automated robotic GPS voice we all have dealt with at some point or another, “You have arrived at your destination—you are driving over the posted speed limit—you have taken the wrong exit, you dolt.”, and instead connect you with a real person. As long as we can understand what they are saying, (no offense, but some dialects are more consumer friendly than others), the future Lexus driver should be in heaven when it comes to guided direction.

The system will also allow the operator to help find the nearest movie theater, sushi restaurant, or perhaps on a really slow night, help mediate a spousal argument outside a McDonald’s Drive-thru. Using the new Ford Sync technology, the driver and passengers will also have the convenience of voice recognized mobile audio casts and XM radio (as long as it is still around by then).

Coming to a Summer Near You

We can look forward to seeing the preliminary versions of this system as early as this coming late summer, but don’t expect all the bugs to be worked out until well into next winter!