Hot car gadgets

Our Consumer Reports colleagues who cover Cars have been attending the Specialty Equipment Market Association (SEMA) Show in Las Vegas these past few days. From the miles and miles of displays of aftermarket automotive gear, they've reported on many things, including:

• The Mio DigiWalker C720T—a portable GPS with a built-in 2-megapixel digital camera. (The C720T, click on the image at right, arrived too late to be included in our most recent test and Ratings of portable GPS units on ConsumerReports.org.)


• A $600 add-on "safety system" that warns drivers when they're about to rear-end someone—say, from driving while being distracted by all the gadgets in their cars.


• Slacker Radio—a portable device that is a cross between terrestrial radio, satellite radio, and an MP3 player.

So, check out the Consumer Reports Cars blog. It's not just for car fanatics and automotive "gear heads."

—Paul Eng