Harman creates individual zones for car audio

Are you and your family always arguing about who gets to play their music on the car stereo? Now, Harman’s going to make you a bit more anti-social with its new in-car setup. It lets drivers create “individual sound zones,” which won’t interfere with the different sounds played in the other areas. It breaks down the interior into “virtual, simultaneous in-car entertainment systems.” It will be created using the car’s current setup as well as the addition of twin 50mm directional units added to the headrests and flat electrodynamic planar loudspeakers in the car’s headlining.

The zones can be controlled individually by the passengers but, of course, it doesn’t offer complete isolation. It does limit it so you wouldn’t be distracted to what your sister is listening to beside you. It can be integrated into any Harman audio system through an amplifier or be tailored to fit a specific vehicle layout. And it can be paired with Harman’s HALOsonic active noise cancellation technology, which is created to combat road and engine noise.

Source: Gizmag

SoundCloud updates Android app to infuse Material Design

SoundCloud took a bit of inspiration from Android’s Material Design with its latest update. It now supports Lollipop notifications and has rounded menus and a more spacious action bar. It also blurs out the background when you pause a song. Facebook integration has also been updated as well as French translation addition. A bug that stops stream paging prematurely has also been squashed as well as login crashes affecting some Samsung devices running Android 4.2.2.

Source: Android Police | Download: Google Play Store (Free)

Chevy Volt EV concept aiming for an affordable electric future

Electric vehicles are cool and make sense for cleaner, more efficient commuting but they're priced out of reach for most users. The high-tech models from Tesla and the latest BMW i cars promise an amazing future but cost upwards of $45,000.00. Chevy's Volt EV concept is a full-sized compact car that's aiming at a more 'affordable' entry-level price of $30,000.00 for a vehicle with a 200 mile range.

“The Bolt EV concept is a game-changing electric vehicle designed for attainability, not exclusivity,” said General Motors CEO Mary Barra. “Chevrolet believes electrification is a pillar of future transportation and needs to be affordable for a wider segment of customers.” No word on when this concept will go into active production but if anyone can pull this off, Chevy seems to have what it takes to make it happen.

BMO's new iPad App with integrated access to banking and self-directed investing

The iPad has is recognized as a the best consumer tablet in the market but has also made some serious inroads in the enterprise and banking industry. BMO Financial Group has introduced the BMO Banking & InvestorLine iPad app – the first integrated app from a major Canadian bank that offers customers access to personal banking and self-directed investing services along with a personal finance management tool.
 
"With one streamlined login, customers can easily manage their personal banking and self-directed investing with the added benefit of a personal financial management tool,” said Cesar Rainusso, Vice-President, Digital Channels, BMO Financial Group.

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