Future Society of the Non-Verbal

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Do you own a landline phone? Have you considered getting rid of it and only using your cell phone? As technology continues to improve, we find ourselves abandoning old ideas and flocking to newer, more efficient methods of communication. Just look around and see if you spot anyone still rocking a pager or beeper.

That being said, it's no surprise that texting is quickly overshadowing the traditional phone call for many of us today, especially amongst younger generations, who are embracing it at younger and younger ages. Whereas a phone call typically requires one's full attention, focusing on conversation with one person, texting does not. It is faster, more convenient, and allows you to easily hold multiple conversations at once. We have gotten to the point where communicating via text message has become a social norm, and can even express emotion through this medium, thanks to emoticons.  :)

Unfortunately, the situation in which we are most likely to text also happens to be the worst for multi-tasking: driving.  Your eyes are taken off the road, and your likelihood of having an accident is 23 times as high compared to non-impaired drivers. 35 states have banned texting while driving, and there are even states that ban cell phone use in the car completely, due to the amount of injury and risk it presents!

Despite bans on texting while driving, many of us continue to be guilty of doing it, and end up weaving about our lanes in traffic, or speeding up and down erratically. That's a lot of potential danger just to get back to our friends and let them know that we aren't ignoring them.
Here are a couple ideas you can try out to keep you safer when driving:

1. Drive Safe.ly
This app for iPhone and Android offers a free as well as paid version. It allows you to set up an away message when you are driving, and auto responds to incoming texts. The app will also read incoming texts sent to you, so that you don't have to look at your phone.

2. Voice to text 
Most smartphones allow the user to press a button on their keypad which allows them to speak into their phone and translate their voice into a text message. While not perfect (the software doesn't always understand exactly what you're trying to communicate) it keeps your eyes more focused on the road, and not as much on your phone, worrying about typos or the auto-correct inputting something silly. The good news? Great strides are being made in voice recognition software, and continue to get better (just ask anyone who owns the newest iPhone and has used Siri).

3. Hands free options (Entune)

Being able to utilize technology while keeping your hands on the wheel and eyes on the road is the closest thing to a win-win situtation for both drivers and anti-texting advocacy groups. For that reason, an infotainment system such as Entune is recommended. You can check gas prices, weather, look up businesses on Bing, and use voice recognition to pull up directions. Toyota is also hoping to add full voice recognition functionality early in 2012  so that you will be able to send full e-mails and texts with your voice.
Entune is currently available on select vehicles, such as the Prius V, 2012 Camry, and 2012 Tacoma, with plans to become available in more vehicles next year. You can try out Entune by running the simulation online or by heading over to Lou Fusz Toyota and taking a test drive.

New Portable Pick-Me-Up Could Make Tired Driving a Thing of the Past

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Did you know that driving while drowsy (having been awake for at least 17 hours without sleep) can have the equivalent effect of driving with a 0.05% blood alcohol level? Reaction times, attention to detail, and visual processing can all become impaired to the point where you're at risk of having an accident on the road.
While law enforcement are always on the lookout for drunk drivers, tired drivers are just as dangerous (and quite possibly more common, when you consider the fact that many Americans get less than seven hours of sleep a night). In fact, young men aged 16-29 and individuals who work overnight are at the highest risk for driving while sleep deprived.
Many of us try the same solutions: rolling down the windows, blasting the volume on the radio, and rubbing our eyes repeatedly, all in an attempt to stay alert. The only other option, besides simply taking a nap, is to stimulate our nervous system.
A Harvard scientist by the name of David Edwards may have found an interesting solution - he's created a caffeine inhaler that he's dubbed "Aeroshot Pure Energy". Mr. Edwards is known for coming up with crazy ideas for inventions (he previously created "Le Whif", a smokeable chocolate!)

The invention works just like an asthma inhaler. You pull down on one end of the tube, and can inhale a puff of caffeine powder that packs a punch equivalent to drinking a 12 oz Cafe Mocha, which is approximately 100 mg of caffeine. The powder is calorie free, and each tube contains 6-8 shots.
Because the powder comes in a tube, it's incredibly portable and can easily be stored in a glove compartment, giving  tired drivers a boost to help keep them focused and less accident prone.

Would you consider buying a caffeine inhaler? What do you do if you need to drive late at night and stay alert?

Tech My Ride: Entune

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You gotta love technology. Not only does it help to simplify our lives, it keeps innovating and keeping us excited for what’s to come. Remember life before smartphones and GPS? Those were scary days, weren’t they?
That being said, Toyota is debuting a new navigation and infotainment system, Entune, which is currently outfitted in select vehicles, such as the 2012 Camry.

So, what does this thing do? Why should you care?

Entune works by syncing with your smartphone and giving you quick access to apps and information on the fly using its large display screen. When you purchase a new Entune equipped vehicle, your salesperson will help you setup the system so that is syncs specifically with your phone. What's cool is that when these apps and services on your phone update, such as Pandora, Entune will automatically sync to the latest versions as well. Even cooler is the fact that it’s an all-in-one system. You get a CD player, HD radio, DVD player, blue tooth capability, and USB/auxiliary ports, with a 7’’ LCD screen to navigate or access your content.

To put things in perspective, think of Entune as Inspector Gadget. It has tools for every situation! You can check the weather at your current location, or wherever you plan on being. If there's traffic ahead, such as a closed lane, Entune will alert you ahead of time. You can even have the system create a detour route for you on the fly in case of heavy highway congestion or road closures!

Along with those features, you can also use the built in gas app to search for nearby gas stations, and Entune will compare prices so that you can find the best deal. Want directions? There's a button that will let you speak out a business or address, and Entune will automatically find the best path for you to take.
Early next year, Toyota is hoping to add more voice recognition technology (similar to iPhone's Siri) so that you can utilize voice commands for just about anything, such as saying "I'm hungry" to pull up nearby restaurants.

 Entune-equipped vehicles come with 3 free years of service, and Toyota will add the service to more vehicles next year. Check out the Toyota website for more on Entune, or visit the Lou Fusz Toyota showroom to take a test drive and try it out for yourself.