Nowadays it seems you can’t turn a page of the paper or read a website (like this one!) without seeing something to do with GPS devices (they’re all the rage with the kids these days). This is especially the case when it comes to in-car navigation devices. In respect to these direction-giving wonders, there are several manufacturers in the market and each one likes to think that it brings some unique feature, something that gives them the competitive edge in the field. But if that’s the case, with each company with a supposed ace up its sleeve, than Dash Navigation Inc. is packing a royal flush.

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Tesla Motors and it's flagship car, the Tesla Roadster, both bear the name of Nikola Tesla. As a Gadget Addict, you may know who Tesla was, but it's possible you don't. He's the guy who invented Alternating Current (that stuff that comes from those wall-outlets to power all your stuff). Nikola Tesla also held a couple hundred patents, invented the first remotely controlled devices, hung with Mark Twain and was pretty sure he could broadcast electricity to everyone around the world for free. Sadly, while that last bit never came to pass, the type of electricity he invented would allow the twentieth century to unfold the way it did.

Thanks to Telsa's main competitor for AC being Thomas Edison (who believed DC was the way to go) most folks tend to never hear about Tesla in the first place. People point to the rock band from the 1980s with the same name and now they have Tesla Motors to be confused about. So, why name a car company after a guy who's barely known for the invention of the most commonly used form of electricity?

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You may have seen commercials on TV for the Porta-Jump emergency car starter. Their website describes their device as "a revolutionary advancement in emergency vehicle-care equipment. So small it can fit in the glove box or center console. So powerful it can charge any 12-Volt battery in a matter of minutes" and looking at the little guy, you just might agree with them on that whole "revolutionary advancement" thing. Size-wise, it's almost small enough to fit in one of your bigger pockets. Well, assuming it's a bigger pocket on your overcoat or something.

For years, the accepted way of starting your car when the battery died was to ask for help from someone with jumper cables. If you couldn't find someone or if they didn't have jumper cables, you were, more or less, out of luck. If you had a membership with AAA, then you were "lucky" and got to wait forty-five minutes (or so) for a tow-truck to show up. This is pretty much the case for most people, even today.

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Three days, hundreds of miles; I’m talking classic road trip scenario, which generally means zoning-out, awkward sleeping positions, and a resurgence of your creative imagination. Is there any possibility to salvage some of this down time? I mean, who really wants to read? What you need, my friend, is 7” Sun Visor Theatre DVD/TV/MP3.

This sleek, compact design, emulates the standard in-car sun visor, however, where you’d generally find that crappy mirror with the dim lamp, you’ll find instead a 7” LCD screen and an accompanying DVD/CD player. The screen itself sports a 16:9 aspect ratio, providing a clear, crisp picture and given its size, this greatly increases its value. The player accepts all of the following formats: DVD, VCD, CD, MP3, CD-R, CD-RW. And if that’s not enough, it also has a built in SD card reader as well as a USB port for a laptop connection! And that’s not all folks! The Sun Visor Theatre also has a built in TV Tuner.

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A new gadget that is always good to have on hand is the new CarMD. It is exactly what the name says. It’s a “health check” system for your automobile. It is a hand-held diagnostic tool that can down load information from the computer on your car, truck, minivan, or whatever type of vehicle you have, as long as it is a 1996 model or newer. It gathers the diagnostic codes from the auto and then gives you a diagnosis of what is wrong with the vehicle. Initially it will color code the diagnosis on an easy to read LED indicator. The Green light is for “ok”, the yellow light means “needs attention” and when the red light lights up this stands for “problem”. For further and more precise information you can upload the collected information to the CarMD company’s website and get actual trouble-by-trouble print outs along with the approximate cost for repairing those problems. Or if you prefer you can call CarMD and get help from a certified technician that will provide help and information based on what the CarMD is indicating is wrong with the vehicle. The actual time the CarMd takes to perform this task is around all of fifteen seconds.

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There is not much worse of a situation than being in a huge hurry or out late at night only to return to your car and find the battery is completely dead. Well, it could be worse if you then realize that you have absolutely no cell phone service and everyone else has already left. Even if there are people around not everyone carries jumper cables. And even those who do, find that they are usually a burden to haul around. That’s where the “Charge-N-Start” system comes in handy. It is a 12 volt lightweight and very compact vehicle battery charging system. It is so convenient and easy, not only to store, but it’s easy to handle. It’s even simple to operate.

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