For some reason, I’m a sucker for driving games. So when I looked into the Intel booth and saw some F1-looking cars hooked up to video monitors, I figured it would be a great chance for Sean and me to spend a few moments off our feet, racing each other! Turned out this wasn’t so much a video game but a webcam mounted onto a remote control car about half a mile away. Sean and I would be driving head to head remotely using WiMax technology (basically, long-range wireless: several miles versus dozens to hundreds of feet for WiFi). Sean of course spanked me at this "race" (hey, driving by webcam isn’t easy!) so I didn’t get entered in the drawing for a new laptop. Oh well.

Are you a complete gadget geek? Then what are you waiting for? Head over to the SoundDomain Blog for complete coverage of the Consumer Electronics Show!

For CES, Alpine wanted to recreate the feeling of sitting inside a battle-ready SPL contender, and they succeeded—big time. At their booth, there’s a small enclosure loaded with subwoofers and powered by one of their new monster 2000 watt class D amplifiers, and it’s—literally—not for the faint of heart. Now, I’ve been involved in car audio for the better part of 20 years—as both an enthusiast and sound off judge—so I’ve sat inside some pretty loud cars. This is probably the loudest area I’ve experienced. To give you an idea of just how loud it is, a jumbo jet at takeoff emits approximately 140 decibels. Inside the Alpine’s little chamber, the volume hits 150dB. Luckily, I was wearing ear protection and had a thumb switch to trigger if it got too loud. It was a pretty cool experience, and it was also a good way of showing how Alpine is diving headfirst into the large SPL amp market. Check out the video.

Are you a complete gadget geek? Then what are you waiting for? Head over to the SoundDomain Blog for complete coverage of the Consumer Electronics Show!

For some people, one of the hurdles of going with a portable navigation system over an installed unit is the display size. Well, the guys at Garmin have taken care of that by introducing the Nuvi 5000, a portable navigation device which sports a large 5.2" display. Along with that, they’ve included an external signal display function, FM TMC traffic receiver capability, the ability to display MSN dynamic content and a sweet function which lets users input destinations directly from their home PC. And since today’s navigation devices can’t just be navigation devices, the Nuvi 5000 offers a few other trick features like an internal MP3 player, an audio book reader and built in games. Check out more pics over at the SoundDomain Blog!

When I first got my license, I did a ton of really stupid stuff behind the wheel. Eventually, my exploits reached the point where some of my friend’s parents wouldn’t allow me to drive their kids around.

Today, if you’re worried about what your kids do behind the wheel, the guys at Zoombak have an answer. Once attached to a car, their small GPS tuner allows prying padres to track its location via the web, phone, or SMS text message. This little gadget can even set up an area the car can’t leave—it’ll send a text if the vehicle moves out of a prescribed zone—and stores a history of vehicle locations online.

Thanks to devices like the Zoombak, the days of taking a joy ride in mom’s car—or even speeding around in your own—might be coming to an end. They might even make dad reconsider that extra-curricular lunch meeting with the secretary. Hey, nothing lasts forever!

For more coverage from the Consumer Electronics Show, head over to the new and improved SoundDomain blog!

The guys at Team Hybrids and Hybrid Audio Technologies, really blew it up at the IASCA finals this year. Not only did Team Hybrids (using Hybrid Audio Technologies speakers) walk away with five of of nine possible world championships, all the winners are CarDomain members. How cool is that?  Dave Brooks’ 2006 Ford Super Duty F250 (Rookie, IASCA World Champion, SQC IASCA World Champion), Andy Jones’ 2002 Ford F150 (Semi-Pro, IASCA World Champion), Rick Sellers’ Dodge Ram 3500 Pick-Up (Amateur Ultimate, IASCA World Champion) and John Marsh’s 1997 Mitsubishi Eclipse (Pro Ultimate, IASCA World Champion) all stomped the competition. Congrats, gang! Oh, and special props go out to Andy Jones, who is also a SoundDomain forum moderator. Thanks man!

It’s been three weeks since we announced our month-long Monster Cable contest, and today, we’re ready to crown our third—and last—semifinals winner. As always, the competition was tough, but Brian (Pontiac96Sunfire) assembled one serious system. Congrats man! In addition to a Monster Cable baseball cap, key chain and iEZClick iPod remote, he’s the final entrant for the grand prize—a complete car audio wiring system! So now, it’s time to vote between the three entries. Will it be Brian’s Black 1996 Ford Probe, Steve’s Yellow Saturn SC, or Andrew’s Red Mitsubishi Eclipse. Click here and vote for your favorite!

Two weeks ago, we announced our killer, month-long Monster Cable contest, and today, we’re ready to crown our second winner. The competition was tough, but Steve (2FNLOUD) put together an awesome system for his ”01 Saturn SC. In addition to a Monster Cable Baseball Cap, iSlim charger and iPod charger, he’ll be entered to win a complete car audio wiring system. Congrats man! If you didn’t win, don’t worry. Just head over to the CarDomain Store,
pick out the components you’d use to build your dream system—including
part numbers—along with the Monster Cable product you’d use to wire them all
up, then leave the list in the comments section. If you’re lucky,
you’ll win this week’s Monster Cable gift package, plus the chance to
win the grand prize. What are you waiting for?

Last week, we announced our killer, month-long Monster Cable contest, and today, we’re ready to crown our first winner. The competition was tough, but Andrew  put together an awesome system for his ’95 Mitsubishi Eclipse. In addition to a Monster Cable-embroidered shirt and an FM-modulated iPod adapter, he’ll be entered to win a complete car audio wiring system. Congrats man! If you didn’t win, don’t worry. Just head over to the CarDomain Store, pick out the components you’d use to build your dream system—including part numbers—and the Monster Cable product you’d use to wire them all up, then leave the list in the comments section. If you’re lucky, you’ll win this week’s Monster Cable gift package, plus the chance to win the grand prize. What are you waiting for?

The last place you want to skimp when building your car audio system is the power delivery, because to make the most of all your fancy equipment, you’ll need the correct wires and accessories. Wondering which company to go with? Well, then you’re in luck. I recently got a chance to review some of StreetWires’ latest products, and placed a review on my member page. While a lot of the stuff is cookie cutter, they do have some cool options you can’t find anywhere else. Want to know more? Read the review!