Gallery: Buying Guide for the Wired Ride: Cool Car Gadgets
01or-your-bike-whatever
Keyless entry and push-to-start are for squares. True kings of the road rely on the same tech you saw inside Burt Reynolds' Pontiac Firebird. For your next trip across the county line, a smartphone with Google Maps won't cut it. Here are some car accessories that will bring out the Bandit in you. *Photo by Ariel Zambelich/Wired*
02uniden-homepatrol-1-scanner
Uniden HomePatrol-1 Simple Program Scanner, $600 ------------------------------------------------ When driving at high speeds through small towns and across state lines, the best way to stay out of trouble is to keep abreast of the authorities' activities. Even if you're not hauling a shipment of knock-off Louis Vuitton handbags, a [trunking scanner](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trunked_radio_system) is essential for road travel, and the [Uniden HomePatrol-1](http://www.uniden.com/scanners/homepatrol-1-simple-program-scanner/invt/homepatrol1g/) is the most user-friendly model on the market. Unlike other police scanners that require manual calibration to find local wavelengths, the HomePatrol-1 locates itself with either a ZIP code or, if you're really connected, a GPS. Pick the services to scan, like EMS dispatch, fire, police, prisons, railroad, and military, then set the radius for reception -- in a dense location like San Francisco, even a four-mile scope kept me overly informed of crimes-in-progress. The bandwidth options available will please everyone from storm-chasers to speeders to midnight truckers. At the very least, it provides excellent entertainment when Netflix is acting up. __WIRED__ Sets up in minutes with a simple menu system. Copious peripheral connectivity options. Long-life battery helps cord clutter. __TIRED__ Dash mount is useless -- scanner slides out when you hit even the smallest pothole.
Blaster and apple device inserts. / Image: Hasbro03cobra-handheld-cb-radio
Cobra HH Road Trip Handheld CB Radio, $110 ------------------------------------------ Yes, citizens' band radios still exist. Their reliability and simple interface have not yet been bested by smartphone apps, and for the intrepid few still using CB to warn of speed traps or weather hazards, Cobra's models are hard to beat. The [HH Road Trip](https://cobra.com/detail/hh-road-trip-handheld-cb-radio-with-weather-and-soundtracker.cfm), even without its supplementary magnetic antenna attached to the exterior of the car, has excellent range. And thanks to Cobra's patented SoundTracker technology, voices sound crisp within its four-mile range. When new hazards are developing, the CB shines and trumps the smartphone. The HH Road Trip connects to all 10 [NOAA weather channels](http://www.erh.noaa.gov/phi/wxradio/nwrfaq.htm) to ensure an early warning before driving through flooded roads. __WIRED__ Exceptional clarity and range for CB. Option to use batteries, or cigarette lighter DC power. __TIRED__ Inscrutable button layout for the uninitiated. It's a lonely world on citizens' band these days.
04blueant-s4-true-handsfree
BlueAnt S4 True Handsfree, $100 ------------------------------- It's incredibly dangerous and usually illegal, but we all talk and drive, hopefully with one white earbud in place and both hands on the wheel. For anyone with a non-premium or older model car, a removable Bluetooth speaker is the best solution to avoid a ticket while staying in touch with the friends and family who wouldn't take to the road. [BlueAnt's S4 True Handsfree](http://www.myblueant.com/products/speakerphones/s4/) goes further than other devices by incorporating voice commands. Say "BlueAnt, speak to me," and it's ready for your bidding. After uploading your phone's address book, the device will announce incoming calls by name, to which you can reply, "Reject" or "Answer." The BlueAnt is exceptional for being so simple and, more importantly, functioning reliably and delivering clear sound in everything from rumbling trucks to quiet hybrids. Unfortunately, the device has no such option for outgoing calls. Instead, it defers to the paired phone's voice command system. __WIRED__ Easy attachment to sun visor with magnetic clip. Once synced, screening calls can be done verbally. __TIRED__ No way to dial by voice. Voice for "Volume Up" when raising the volume gets tedious.
05arkon-seat-rail-mount-for-tablet
Arkon Seat Rail Mount for Tablet, $40 ------------------------------------- Precious windshield real estate gets consumed quickly with GPS, radar detectors and digital toll passes. Most tablet holders suction on to the glass like all these other devices, but [Arkon's mount](http://www.arkon.com/tablet-accessories/universal-tablet-car-mount.html) screws into the seat railing. With a couple tools and a few minutes' time, the mount installs and can hold any tablet with its spring-loaded clamps. Thanks to a very rigid goose-neck, my tablet stayed put during turns that sent other peripherals flying. Should you be driving with your tablet? Try it once and you'll insist from then on. It's like being James Bond, or Christian Bale-era Batman -- assuming you have a 3G plan and promise not to launch your Netflix app. __WIRED__ Grips tablet securely, there's almost no wobble while driving. Floor mount keeps dash and center console looking sleek. __TIRED__ Installation requires a Phillips-head screwdriver. Anyone riding shotgun loses legroom.
06tomtom-go-live
TomTom Go Live, $250-300 ------------------------ Navigation systems of yore were unaccommodating and fickle. You were cooked if the freeway was crawling with traffic, and any deviation would result in a repeated "Recalculating" notices, complete with an inflection of disappointment and pity. Those days have been over for a while, and navigation systems have been steadily improving since, most surpassing the pre-installed units on modern cars. The [TomTom Go Live](http://www.tomtom.com/en_us/products/car-navigation/go-2535-m-live/) series is linked to everything from Google searches to Twitter to Yelp and TripAdvisor reviews. It updates its traffic readings every two minutes to ensure there's no blockades looming. On top of that, it features about two dozen voice commands to find the nearest ATM or calculate an alternate route. If there's a downside to this glut of features, it's that the screen becomes cluttered with superfluous info unless you adjust the settings to your liking. __WIRED__ Slim and minimalist casing keeps the dash uncluttered. Tweeting your precise ETA saves phone calls to anxious hosts. __TIRED__ App interface is clunky -- you'll usually just defer to a smartphone if it's available.
