California Court Rules In Favor Of Using Cellphone Maps While Driving

Good news, Californians. You can now, once again, use Google Maps on your phone while driving. That is, legally. Until this court ruling, map use was in a shady legal gray area.

This comes two years after a Fresno, Calif., man was ticketed for looking at a map on his iPhone while stuck in construction. He was looking for an alternative route. As you do. The cop issued the $165 ticket under a law that prohibits listening and talking on cellphones while driving.

The man thankfully challenged the law and won.

The 5th District Court of Appeal reversed the ticket on the ground that the law specifically limits the use of “listening and talking” without the use of a hands-free device, but does not apply to other uses of the phone.

Next up, Californian man challenges traffic ticket issued for playing Threes while driving.

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Dash’s Smart Driving App – A “Fitbit For Cars” – Arrives On Android

Dash, a Techstars New York-backed startup that wants to be like a Fitbit for your car, has now launched. The product includes a combination of a hardware device and smartphone application which offers real-time feedback on your driving, trip logs, access to vehicle diagnostics (that pesky “check engine” light, and who can fix it!), a map showing where the cheapest gas is nearby, and even social features.

Like several of the “connected car” products on the market, Dash’s hardware involves an OBD device you can purchase from either within the Dash mobile application or the Dash homepage. The Dash software will also work with any Bluetooth-enabled OBD device, if you happen to already have one, or you can choose from two types of devices Dash’s homepage points to: generic devices found on Amazon for $10 and up, or a premium OBD LINK LX which is a steeper $69.

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How the 2014 Cadillac CTS Upped My Driving Game

Author: Bryan Cain-Jackson
Published: December 31, 2013 at 10:47 pm ShareTweet

Everyone’s been saying it for years…

America is on the way to a serious comeback in the automotive world.

Well, it’s pretty safe to say that we’ve arrived – and there’s no such thing as not noticing it.

Where do we begin on attempting to properly gage why the 2014 Cadillac CTS is Motor Trend’s Car of the Year?

Do we speak endlessly about its striking design and impressive craftsmanship? Do we talk about how it breaks the rules for American luxury, including its own brand and succeeds in a big way?

No, we’ll talk about something that few if any have talked about when it comes to what the CTS does. It dramatically upgrades the person who is driving it in so many ways, that it would be very possible that I leave some of the car’s more impressive features and benefits out of this story.

The trim that I was fortunate to drive recently was the CTS Performance Sedan equipped with a 2.0 Liter turbo-injected 4-cylinder, front wheel drive, Brembo brakes, an automatic/manual transmission – thankfully the performance Gods at GM gave drivers of this car the awesomeness of paddle shifters. Okay, yes, they might be common – however, it fits in this car in a way that it hasn’t in many others.

The CTS is truly a car for everyone – the way that it performs fits a wide variety of drivers and different driving situations.

The daily commuter who wants to drive to work in style and doesn’t have an outrageously long commute could be very interested in driving this car. The creature comforts alone invite you to live your life behind the wheel. Cadillac’s greatly improved and upgraded CUE infotainment system makes navigating from A to B, listening to music, news, traffic, weather, and system customization easy. It’s almost like using your iPad – almost.

The CTS’s fuel economy is a pleasant surprise given its ability to perform – if you’re light on the gas pedal, it’ll get you from A to B without burning too much gas. The new and improved platform sheds quite a bit of weight making it close to 200 lbs lighter than the comparable BMW 5 series. The CTS does operate best with 91 octane. I will admit though, even if you’re a conservative driver this car, will bring out the need for speed from within you. It is very hard not to want to push that pedal to the floor in this car – and it feels great each time it jumps, it’s almost as though it’s eager to please by getting you places in no time at all.

Continued on the next page     Page1   2 About this article Article Author: Bryan Cain-Jackson

Bryan, a native of the Northern California Bay Area is an Assistant Editor for Technorati. He writes in nearly ever channel; entertainment, politics, lifestyle, human interest, automotive, and some tech as well. He has also contributed to the Huffington Post. …

Bryan Cain-Jackson's author page — Author's Blog

Article Tags 5 series, American Cars, BM@, Brembo brakes, Cadillac, CTS, CUE, General Motors, GM, infotainment, lifestyle, luxury, performance, Share: Latest Autos Articles #DisruptSF - Never Speak to an Automotive Repair Scheduler Again with Otozip You're never too old to get a new car for free Tesla Model S receives highest safety rating in history Top Autos blog offers more than car news All Autos Articles Follow Technorati Recent Autos Features  Getting Your Hands Dirty: Engine Work The Way It’s Meant To Be All Autos Features Write for Technorati

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