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The next-generation wearable will be your car

This year's CES has had a heavy emphasis on the class of device known as the "wearable" – think about the Apple Watch, or Fitbit, if that's helpful. These devices usually piggyback off of a smartphone's hardware or some other data connection and utilize various onboard sensors and feedback devices to interact with the wearer. In the case of the Fitbit, it's health tracking through sensors that monitor your pulse and movement; for the Apple Watch and similar devices, it's all that and some more. Manufacturers seem to be developing a consensus that vehicles should be taking on some of a wearable's functionality. As evidenced by Volvo's newly announced tie-up with the Microsoft Band 2 fitness tracking wearable, car manufacturers are starting to explore how wearable devices will help drivers. The On Call app brings voice commands, spoken into the Band 2, into the mix. It'll allow you to pass an address from your smartphone's agenda right to your Volvo's nav system, or to preheat your car. Eventually, Volvo would like your car to learn things about your routines, and communicate back to you – or even, improvise to help you wake up earlier to avoid that traffic that might make you late. Do you need to buy a device, like the $249 Band 2, and always wear it to have these sorts of interactions with your car? Despite the emphasis on wearables, CES 2016 has also given us a glimmer of a vehicle future that cuts out the wearable middleman entirely. Take Audi's new Fit Driver project. The goal is to reduce driver stress levels, prevent driver fatigue, and provide a relaxing interior environment by adjusting cabin elements like seat massage, climate control, and even the interior lighting. While it focuses on a wearable device to monitor heart rate and skin temperature, the Audi itself will use on-board sensors to examine driving style and breathing rate as well as external conditions – the weather, traffic, that sort of thing. Could the seats measure skin temperature? Could the seatbelt measure heart rate? Seems like Audi might not need the wearable at all – the car's already doing most of the work. Whether there's a device on a driver's wrist or not, manufacturers seem to be developing a consensus that vehicles should be taking on some of a wearable's functionality.

2015 Ford Mustang: Obsessively covered [w/videos + poll]

Here at Autoblog, we've officially stamped December 5, 2013, as Ford Mustang Day. Sure, the sixth-generation Pony Car started leaking out onto the web days ago, but all of the official, non-embargoed hotness has come out today. And man, there's been a lot.
In terms of new car debuts, this is a really big one - not unlike all of the Corvette madness that kicked off the 2013 automotive season. So to make sure you haven't missed anything, here's a wrap-up of everything you need to know about the 2015 Ford Mustang.
Deep Dive: 2015 Ford Mustang

Ford sued by Versata over alleged software trade secret theft

Automakers are routinely subject to intellectual property and patent disputes, whether over design similarities or pieces of tech. Ford is now facing a lawsuit for alleged IP theft over a piece of software from a company called Versata, and the business wants $1 billion from the Blue Oval for the violation. With such huge amount of money at stake, the legal situation is already getting complicated. According to The Detroit Free Press, Versata's software is designed to help automakers improve product development by making sure all of a car's countless components work together. The company and Ford had a contract for the system for many years, and they were negotiating an extension at the end of 2014. However, the deal fell through, and the Blue Oval ended the two business' arrangement. Making the legal situation especially tricky is that Ford developed and patented its own software for the same task. The automaker then filed a lawsuit in Michigan to have the court check whether the program violated Versata's IP, according to The Detroit Free Press. Later, the software company registered a lawsuit in Texas and alleged the Blue Oval stole proprietary code. Versata has asked for an injunction against Ford and restitution. "Ford's patented software does not use or infringe any Versata intellectual property and Versata has provided no basis for their claims against us," the automaker said in a statement to Autoblog. "We are confident that we will ultimately prevail in this case and we look forward to the opportunity to present our evidence at trial." With both sides in dispute, that leaves Ford pushing for a hearing in Michigan and Versata for Texas. According to The Detroit Free Press, it could be at least a year before a trial, if not longer. Of course in the meantime, the two sides could conceivably reach a settlement, and the whole issue would disappear.