Oh sure, we've seen alleged criminals wriggle out from under the strong arm of the law, but this one takes things to an entirely different platform. Reportedly, a truck driver in Germany was pulled over for yapping on his cellphone while cruising, but apparently, said trucker actually wasn't talking when the boys in blue saw his handset upside his melon. As the story goes, the 43-year old was actually using the freshly recharged mobile to "warm his ear" in an attempt to alleviate an earache. Astonishingly enough, he was even able to provide "an itemized telephone bill proving he had not been using the phone at the time he was stopped," thus, a court in Hamm accepted the excuse and let him go sans penalty. Something tells us this guy's got friends in low places.

[Via Switched]

When CEO Peter Chou himself declares that there's a fix en route for the video problems plaguing several of his company's devices, that's a pretty good sign -- there are a couple of catches, though. One, we still don't know which devices will be patched, and two, it turns out that the fix to improve video acceleration performance still won't involve an actual driver for the ATI silicon within the Qualcomm chipsets. Our mommies always told us never to look a gift horse in the mouth, so we're going to stay cautiously optimistic here until we get the actual patch out in the wild (in March, if we're lucky) for some testing.

Every once in a while, a device comes along whose stupidity is exceeded only by the individuals advocating its use; a device so confusing and controversial, it creates twice as many problems as it solves. Enter Highway Safety & Technology's "Cellular Detection System" (or as we like to call it, the "Automatic Civil Unrest Creation System"). The idea is this: through some magical, thoroughly unexplained array of "electronic sensing equipment," the system can somehow detect drivers talking on their phones and set the subsequent legal process in motion without any law enforcement involvement whatsoever. Never mind that other people in the car might be using their phones and the fact that headsets are almost always legal when handsets are not, we guess. The product is actually so ridiculous that we're leaning toward it being an elaborate hoax -- or we're hoping as much, anyway -- otherwise it'll allegedly be available to overzealous municipalities this fall.

[Via Techdirt]

It's fairly safe to say that Continental Automotive Systems isn't the only company out there conjuring up an in-car safety system to alert motorists of impending hazards, and while a certain sect (we jest, we jest) would likely ignore whatever great advice it's sure to give, we can still admire the effort here. Dubbed a "car-to-car and car-to-infrastructure telematics application," the system's goal is to alert drivers in advance of potential perils such as poor traction conditions, an approaching ambulance / emergency vehicle, or a road-block ahead that could induce fits of frustration. The developments are reportedly right in line with the US government's Vehicle Infrastructure Integration (VII) Initiative, and we're sure officials are mighty proud of the E-Flare, which provides optical and acoustic warnings coupled with a force-feedback gas pedal, and E-Horn, which accepts incoming warning signals from emergency vehicles and alerts the driver via (presumably distracting) in-cabin lights and sounds. No word just yet on when our next whip will sport a few extra senses, but rather than make things easier on us to control, why not jump straight to autopilot?

[Photo courtesy of Continental]

It may not be legal in most civilized nations to ride a Segway on the sidewalk, but for those still risking their lives on a two-wheeled machine, things are about to get a lot safer. SoundofMotion has developed a clever new warning system that turns your phone into what sounds like a roaring motorcycle, and not content with just playing a pre-recorded loop over and over, it's actually designed to rev up and down based on the speed and acceleration of your bicycle. The application will run on "any Bluetooth- and Java-capable phone," and it interacts with a "wireless BT sensor" that gets mounted on one of your wheels. Unsurprisingly, the device responds to the motion sensor and lets the carefree motorists around know you mean business when crossing an intersection. The app is currently sitting in beta, but the creators hope to have a final rendition ready to go before you make too many summer treks, but you better be willing to face total embarrassment (and have one loud speakerphone) to save your skin before picking this up. Click on through for a demonstration.

[Via Slashphone]

Ah, the sequence of events is nearly complete. First, we get the Xbox 360 axe rockin' on the console itself, and then comes the inevitable hacks to get it rollin' on Windows, and without further adu, we present the ability to melt those plastic frets on OS X. Thanks to an impressive development from TattieBogle (v0.5), a USB driver which purportedly "allows the use of wired Xbox 360 controllers via USB" on your OS X-based machine is finally available. Apparently, it actually works fairly well to boot, so if you've been pouting over your Mac not being able to enjoy the same face melting Guitar Hero II niceties as the other guys, be sure to hit the read link and get your download on.

[Via Joystiq]

Sure, the higher-ups in Switzerland aren't exactly fond of GPS devices that sniff out speed cameras, but that's not stopping France's own GPSPrevent from kicking out a rendition of its own to fight The Man whilst driving. Presumably similar in function to Cobra's own forthcoming (and controversial) red-light camera / radar detector, the G200 integrates a GPS receiving into a typical detector in order to warn drivers about "fixed radars, danger zones, and mobile radars" throughout France and Europe. In an effort to get extra fancy, it even informs the driver of the distance until a zone is reached, what the authorized speed limit is, what type of radar it is, and how frequent the given camera looks for victims. The device signifies that you're coming up on a speed trap by beep or robotic yelps (read: male or female vocal cues) from up to 600-meters away, and the volume can be adjusted depending on how frightened you'd like to be when this fellow blasts out your faults. Additionally, drivers can program in their own alarm points thanks to the built-in memory, adjust the brightness of the digital display, and save themselves from quite a few tickets starting right now for €129 ($170).

[Via NaviGadget]

It sure took 'em long enough but Apple finally got right with the Lord WWAN. The latest software update brings official Novatel ExpressCard and USB modem driver support (like the XU870 HSDPA card pictured) for HSDPA and EV-DO cards. The drivers work with the latest intel-based MacBook and MacBook Pros on Cingular, Sprint, and Verizon Wireless networks. Just give your Software Update a nudge and say goodbye to those suspect driver hacks you've downloaded from the forums.

P.S. -And yes, for those paying close attention there's an unannounced Verizon Rev. A ExpressCard, the V740.

[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]

Once upon a blue moon, we can only assume that the advent of GPS meant easier navigating for all, as humans thought less about finding a map and more about focusing on the road. Apparently, blokes (and dames) over in England need to revert back to the paper-based method, as the government has been forced to erect warning signs in specific areas in order to get folks to pay attention to their surroundings. Odd as it may sound, the "Do Not Follow SAT NAV" cautions have actually quelled accidents on a narrow road in which drivers of wide vehicles were blindly driving themselves into a literal pinch. The vivid yellow signs have been posted in Exton, near Winchester in Hampshire, and embarrassingly enough, we wouldn't doubt if more make their way around given the Brits' long history of choosing outdated GPS instructions over common sense.

Volkswagen is making absolutely sure that it doesn't fall behind the curve with regard to technology, as its Electronics Research Laboratory in Palo Alto, CA is hard at work on an electrophoretic bumper sticker. While this creation may not go far in producing more aerodynamic vehicles or burning less fuel, the novelty factor is high nonetheless. The company states that its sure-to-be-popular add-on is a "wafer-thin, highly flexible foil that can display text and images like a computer monitor," and envisions drivers of the future letting fellow roadsters "know how they're feeling as moods change." While we can't imagine the tell-tale sticker having much good to say while stuck in rush hour traffic (or just after being pulled over), it's just one more distraction to keep from paying attention to what matters most.

[Via CNET]