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Volvo announces touchscreen-based rear seat entertainment system
Volvo unfortunately isn't providing any pictures of it just yet, but the automaker has announced a new rear set entertainment system that might just make those actually driving the vehicle a little envious. Dubbed the RSEi-500, the system is based around a touchscreen of unspecified size, and packs a 500GB hard drive for media storage, a DVD player, USB and A/V inputs, and built-in WiFi to let you pair it with a Sprint OverDrive or other mobile hotspot (or your home network when you're parked in the garage, for that matter). You'll also get Windows XP for an OS, although there's no word on the specs for the computer at the heart of the system (we'd expect it to be a bit too underpowered for a mobile LAN party though). Volvo also isn't making any firm commitments about which vehicles the system will land in, but Autoblog apparently has it on good authority that it'll be available on both the Volvo XC60 and XC70 starting this summer.
Volvo adding new safety features to S80, XC70, and V70 automobiles
Volvo's name has long since been connected with safety, and the firm has recently announced a few new features for the S80, XC70, and V70 that aim to keep the link alive. Among the new systems that should be available "at the end of 2007" is the (tweaked) Collision Warning with Auto Brake -- which automatically activates the brakes if the driver doesn't react to the warnings -- and the Driver Alert Control for monitoring the behavior of the vehicle and suggesting that the motorist take a coffee break if there's just too much swayin' going on. Additionally, Volvo will be adding the slightly more common adaptive cruise control and distance alert features to the aforementioned cars, but there's no word on whether NAV-equipped rides will route themselves to the nearest java shop if the pictured message is forced to appear.[Via CNET]Read - New Collision Warning from Volvo helps prevent rear-end collisions Read - Volvo introduces new systems for alerting tired drivers
Volvo treasure hunt delayed after locating $500 million instead
In an interesting turn of events, it seems like the winner of Volvo's lucrative treasure hunt won't be unearthing the $50,000 treasure anytime soon, as the automaker's hunt partner (Odyssey Marine Exploration) has happened upon an actual $500 million treasure instead. The reported fortune is located somewhere in the Atlantic Ocean -- in a secretive area known only as Black Swan -- but reports are claiming that a court in the Spanish coastal town of La Linea has "issued an order for the Spanish Guardia Civil to detain any Odyssey vessel should it leave the port of Gibraltar," which has brought about an abrupt halt to Volvo's retrieval plans. Thankfully, it sounds like the Russian winner will still be awarded the dough and a new XC70 to boot, but there's no telling how long it'll be before Odyssey is able to put aside its bigger worries and dig up the (comparatively) paltry $50k.[Via CarTechMag]
