Ram Mount Cradle F/garmin Nuvi 1690 on 2040-parts.com

Apple Carplay vs Android: the smartphone hits the road

By Damion Smy Motor Industry 11 June 2014 07:18 The days of frustrating in-car interfaces and clunky touchscreens are ending, as computing giants Apple and Google start unleashing the full power of smartphone technology in your car.  Apple has fired the opening salvo in the war on wheels with its ‘CarPlay’ system launched at the 2014 Geneva Motor Show and offered by Ferrari, Mercedes and Volvo, and at least 15 other car brands. If you own an iPhone, you’ll find CarPlay natural and intuitive – it’s this type of familiarity that car companies and Apple are banking on to win you over. Cars have been able to play your iTunes library and read texts for a while, but CarPlay takes this functionality to a whole new level.

Elegance Without the Boast: Glenmoor Gathering keeps gaining significance

Founders of the Glenmoor Gathering of Significant Automobiles steered away from the “concours d'elegance” label when they started the thing 16 years ago. That “concours” word escapes their lips now that the annual gathering on the grounds of the Glenmoor Country Club (the centerpiece of a gated community just outside Canton, Ohio) has achieved a certain gravitas. Consider the best in show winner at the Sept.

Fiat Punto Sporting arrives with revised Punto range

The Fiat Punto Sporting (pictured) ash been added to the Punto range The Fiat Punto is a bit of an anonymous Fiat that should probably sell better than it does, but with most of Fiat’s marketing efforts centered on the 500, the Punto just gets overlooked. So Fiat are trying to inject a bit more interest in the Punto by making some teaks to the range, deleting a couple of trim levels and adding a new one – the Punto Sporting. The Fiat Punto Sporting is Fiat’s take on ‘Sporty’ for the Punto with a set of side skirts, a sports suspension setup, ‘Tarmac’ finish on the dash, 16″ alloys, chrome exhaust tip and a gloss black roof.