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Valeo Park4U turns your phone into a valet parking service (video)
Assisted parking's all the rage these days -- because the car parks itself, it seems trivial to remain in the car at all. That, friends, is the crux of why Valeo has produced Park4U: an iOS / Android app that remotely parks your car. Enter the app and begin the reversing process, and boom -- much like Houdini's best -- it takes care of the rest. The system's currently available on a limited number of Volkswagen-group models including the Touran, Sharan, Audi A6, Audi A7 and the Seat Alhambra, and the company is planning to have 38 models equipped with the tech by year's end. Practical considerations aside -- and there are several -- at least you won't need a friend to stand behind your car and holler before you hit the rear wall. Not buying it? Perhaps the video after the break will drive it home. [Thanks, Texas]
BeamAtic Premium headlights let you keep your high beams on all night long
It looks like the highways of Japan could soon get a bit brighter -- at least if these new BeamAtic Premium head lights from Ichikoh Industries ever catch on. Developed by France's Valeo SA, the headlights make use of an on-board camera and some image processing software that tracks oncoming vehicles, and some movable dousers attached to the headlights that are able to deflect the light so it doesn't bother other drivers; the idea there being that you could simply leave your high beams on all the time without worrying about blinding anyone. No word on any plans for a release over here, but you'll apparently be able to get them in Japan next month, and the company is also reportedly looking to talk some Japanese automakers into offering them as a factory-installed option.
