Most of the media attention having to do with electric vehicles has been shining on the Nissan Leaf and Chevrolet Volt as of late, and that can't be sitting well with Toyota. In fact, we know it isn't, as evidenced by a press release announcing the addition of two new Prius models, both of which will be unveiled at the 2011 North American International Auto Show in Detroit.

"In addition to the current third-generation Prius and Prius Plug-in vehicle (PHV), the first all-new addition to the Prius Family will debut along with a Prius concept vehicle," Toyota said.

No one seems to have any idea what Toyota has cooked up for its concept model, and of course Toyota isn't giving away any details. You won't have to wait long to find out, however, as the press conference will be held on January 10, 2011.

Talking and texting while driving has become such a hazard that Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood said there's been talk of installing devices in cars that would prevent mobile phones from working, The Daily Caller reports.

"There's a lot of technology out there now that can disable phones and we're looking at that," LaHood said in an interview with MSNBC. "I think it will be done. I think the technology is there and I think you're going to see the technology become adaptable in automobiles to disable these cell phones. We need to do a lot more if we're going to save lives."

These devices and the technology LaHood refers to would essentially scramble cell phone signals while a car is turned on, including passenger cell phones. How this would affect smartphones with things like GPS or the need to call 911 if you're in an accident isn't clear.

In response to the inevitable criticism that followed, LaHood sought to clear the air in a blog post.

"A story in The Daily Caller this morning inaccurately characterized my response to a question I was asked on MSNBC earlier this week, specifically about whether I believed we should employ a specific technology that would block cell phone signals in cars to prevent drivers from talking or texting behind the wheel," LaHood explains. "What I actually said was, 'There's a lot of technology out there now that can disable phones and we're looking at that. A number of [cell technology innovators] came to our Distracted Driving Summit here in Washington and presented their technology, and that's one way. But you have to have good laws, you have to have good enforcement, and you have to have people take personal responsibility. That's the bottom line."

Read the rest of his blog post here.

It's quickly becoming apparent that there's no limit to what Google Labs will concoct to make everyday life a little easier. The latest experiment is called "Open Spot," which is a free app intended to help Android users find free parking spaces.

There aren't any fancy GPS tricks or spy cameras hidden around town, and instead Open Spot relies on you, Joe Citizen, to tap the "Mark a Spot" button on the app when you leave your parking space. Other Android users within about a 1 mile radius will then see the open spot as designed by a red (just vacated), orange (vacated 5 minutes ago), or yellow (vacated 10 minutes ago) dot. And as an incentive, the more open spots you mark, the more "karma points" you're awarded.

So what happens when some jackass gets the bright idea to mark a bunch of spots as open even when they're not?

"We're watching for behavior that looks like a griefer spoofing parking spots," Google said. "We have a couple of mechanisms available to make sure someone can't leave a bunch of fake parking spots. If we see this happening we will take steps to fix it."

It's a neat idea, but one with limited utility until there are more Android users for something like to truly be effective.

Open Spot Download

Dension has figured out a way to cram tens of thousands of Internet radio stations into your pocket with no one ever being the wiser. It's called the Webradio and it's no bigger than a USB thumb stick, but unlike your flash drive, the Webradio lives up to its name by loading your RadioTime presets, provided you sign up for a free RadioTime.com account. After you do, just pair the device with a 3G-enabled mobile phone and plug it into your car radio's USB port and you're ready to rock.

"RadioTime.com will provide our users with access to 30,000 AM/FM and Internet-only radio stations and 100,000 music, news, talk, sports and entertainment programs, and the Dension Webradio makes it so easy to listen to your favorites anywhere, from the living room to the driver's seat," said Bill Moore, founder and CEO, RadioTime, Inc. "You simply plug the Webradio into your computer to copy your RadioTime account in one step. No need to enter any codes or endure a registration process."

 You can also connect the Webradio to your home stereo, not just your car's audio system. Stations appear as MP3 files, and you can browse, select, and listen to the stations just as if they were regular MP3 music files.

Dension's Webradio is available now for $120.