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Bogdan Popa

13,289  ARTICLES

Personal motto:

"Cats are smarter than dogs. You can't get eight cats to pull a sled through snow" - Jeff Valdez, Stand-up Comedian.

Staff Writer
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Bogdan keeps an eye on how technology is taking over the car world, and more often than not, you’ll see him writing about the whole thing with a typing speed that a traffic camera could easily issue a ticket for.

He typically carries both an iPhone and Android device because there’s no such thing as the perfect phone, and he drives a car that some say is blue, others say is green.

His guilty pleasure is finding bugs in Android Auto (cc @Google, you’d better keep an eye on his reports, as these could actually help you refine the experience behind the wheel), and he occasionally tries out all kinds of weird gadgets that many people didn’t even know they exist.

His daily tech arsenal also includes a smartwatch and earbuds because that’s how geeks rock, as well as a laptop that has nothing in common with fruit.

Bogdan’s long-term goals are buying an 18-wheeler because he needs more space in the trunk for his kid’s toys, as well as convincing Google and Apple that Android Auto and CarPlay deserve at least as much attention as the phones that these two companies build.

When he’s not writing about cars, Bogdan’s probably trying to fit a bike in the 375-liter trunk of his car or posting tech stuff for autoevolution’s sister site Softpedia.
Lowered Dodge Viper GTS Is Digital Tuning Done Right
Lowered Dodge Viper GTS Is Digital Tuning Done Right

4 Apr 2020, 15:50 UTC · By: Bogdan Popa / Of course you love the Dodge Viper, because as you probably know already, this is the kind of car with millions of fans all over the world. The popularity of the Dodge Viper has also propelled it to so many racing games, some of which have manag...

 
How to Fix Android Auto Issues on Android 10
How to Fix Android Auto Issues on Android 10

4 Apr 2020, 12:58 UTC · By: Bogdan Popa / The Android 10 rollout is nearly complete, which means that the majority of phones still receiving support should already be running the latest version of Google’s mobile operating system. And while the upgrade to Android 10 is the recomme...

 
Mazda Releases New Gracenote Update with a Rather Unexpected Bug
Mazda Releases New Gracenote Update with a Rather Unexpected Bug

3 Apr 2020, 20:40 UTC · By: Bogdan Popa / Software updates are particularly important for every car model out there because, technically, they are supposed to add new features or at least fix bugs and bring further optimizations for an overall improved performance. So every time new upd...

 
Old Volvo Gets Comfort Blinkers with Arduino-Powered Hack
Old Volvo Gets Comfort Blinkers with Arduino-Powered Hack

3 Apr 2020, 19:36 UTC · By: Bogdan Popa / Comfort blinkers aren’t necessarily something you can’t live without, but they’re certainly helpful, especially when driving on a highway. But it goes without saying that not every car comes with such a feature, and older model...

 
Android Auto Now Broken Down After the Update to Android 10
Android Auto Now Broken Down After the Update to Android 10

3 Apr 2020, 16:48 UTC · By: Bogdan Popa / Android 10 is the latest version of Google’s operating system, but while users are recommended to update their devices to get so many new features, some might actually delay the whole thing due to an issue with Android Auto. More specifica...

 
Tesla’s Next Software Update Will Include the Most Requested Feature Ever
Tesla’s Next Software Update Will Include the Most Requested Feature Ever

3 Apr 2020, 12:58 UTC · By: Bogdan Popa / The next Tesla software update is expected to bring what’s likely one of the most requested features ever: a so-called Dashcam Viewer that allows owners to view Dashcam clips or Sentry Mode events right on the on-board screen. Right now, ...

 
Quick Hack to Make CarPlay Speak the Weather Forecast When Connecting an iPhone
Quick Hack to Make CarPlay Speak the Weather Forecast When Connecting an iPhone

2 Apr 2020, 20:32 UTC · By: Bogdan Popa / The Shortcuts app that comes pre-installed on any iPhone running iOS 13 and now allows you to configure CarPlay to do all sorts of cool things, including an automation that speaks the weather forecast when you connect the smartphone. So technica...

 
Apple Silently Fixes Major CarPlay Bug on Acura Cars
Apple Silently Fixes Major CarPlay Bug on Acura Cars

2 Apr 2020, 19:44 UTC · By: Bogdan Popa / The most recent iOS update comes with significant improvements for the CarPlay dashboard, finally allowing third-party maps apps to replace Apple Maps, but as with every new operating system version, there’s more to discover in terms of bug f...

 
You Really Don’t Need Android Auto on a Bicycle
You Really Don’t Need Android Auto on a Bicycle

2 Apr 2020, 13:21 UTC · By: Bogdan Popa / Android Auto is a great system, there’s no doubt about that, and what makes it so special is that drivers can run their favorite apps on the display in their cars, all with speaker integration, steering wheel controls, and everything. It g...

 
Hack Lets You Run YouTube and Waze Side by Side in the Car, Still a Huge No-No
Hack Lets You Run YouTube and Waze Side by Side in the Car, Still a Huge No-No

2 Apr 2020, 12:36 UTC · By: Bogdan Popa / There’s a good reason why YouTube is not allowed in Android Auto and Apple CarPlay: video services can be a fatal distraction for too many drivers, and blocking the app from being used when getting behind the wheel is pretty much the only way...

 
This Volkswagen Samba Bus Is a Thank You to Doctors in the COVID-19 Front Lines
This Volkswagen Samba Bus Is a Thank You to Doctors in the COVID-19 Front Lines

2 Apr 2020, 11:58 UTC · By: Bogdan Popa / Nearly the whole world is currently in lockdown due to the coronavirus outbreak, so when they’re not working remotely, many people try to rediscover the hobbies they abandoned after embracing the full grownup life. Gaming is obviously one ...

 
Three Apple CarPlay Features Android Auto Also Needs
Three Apple CarPlay Features Android Auto Also Needs

2 Apr 2020, 09:39 UTC · By: Bogdan Popa / Leaving aside the proprietary infotainment systems that carmakers themselves provide to customers, Android Auto and Apple CarPlay are currently the most convenient choices for drivers around the world who want to expand their smartphones’ cap...

 
Xiaomi Builds a Smart Electric Scooter with a Digital Assistant and Everything
Xiaomi Builds a Smart Electric Scooter with a Digital Assistant and Everything

1 Apr 2020, 20:47 UTC · By: Bogdan Popa / Xiaomi isn’t only one of the largest phone manufacturers, but also a business that’s betting big on electric vehicles, so the company is continuously investing in new products supposed to allow for convenient transportation with zero em...

 
Android Auto Broken Down on Chevrolet Cars, MyLink Often Stops Working
Android Auto Broken Down on Chevrolet Cars, MyLink Often Stops Working

1 Apr 2020, 13:42 UTC · By: Bogdan Popa / A number of Chevrolet owners whose cars are equipped with MyLink and support for Android Auto are now complaining that Google’s app no longer works. While bugs in Android Auto are nothing new, Chevy drivers claim Google’s app either ...

 
New Google Maps and Waze Beta Updates for Android and Android Auto Now Available
New Google Maps and Waze Beta Updates for Android and Android Auto Now Available

1 Apr 2020, 12:08 UTC · By: Bogdan Popa / Google Maps and the Google-owned Waze are two of the three most popular navigation apps that drivers use behind the wheel (Apple Maps is obviously the third), so every single update, including those that only further polish the experience with the ...

 
An iPhone Is All You’ll Need to Play with a 3D Version of the 2020 Ford Mustang
An iPhone Is All You’ll Need to Play with a 3D Version of the 2020 Ford Mustang

1 Apr 2020, 11:06 UTC · By: Bogdan Popa / Google’s investments in augmented reality continue, and in the coming months Android and iPhone users will be able to play with more than 3D animals. The ARCore technology powered by Google is already bundled into Google Search, but the Mo...

 
The Latest iPhone Update Comes with a CarPlay Bug That Ruins All the Fun
The Latest iPhone Update Comes with a CarPlay Bug That Ruins All the Fun

1 Apr 2020, 09:44 UTC · By: Bogdan Popa / iOS 13.4, which is the most recent iPhone update, brought several goodies to CarPlay users, including the highly-anticipated third-party map app support on the dashboard. In other words, users can finally replace Apple Maps with pretty much any ...

 
Lamboghini Countach VHS Is So Weird It’s Actually Cool
Lamboghini Countach VHS Is So Weird It’s Actually Cool

31 Mar 2020, 16:05 UTC · By: Bogdan Popa / Games like Forza Horizon give players the chance not only to drive some of the most awesome cars in the world, but also to create their very own skins, or liveries, that eventually customize the standard looks included by default. And it goes wi...

 
Top Waze Feature Goes Missing All of a Sudden on Mobile, CarPlay, Android Auto
Top Waze Feature Goes Missing All of a Sudden on Mobile, CarPlay, Android Auto

30 Mar 2020, 15:56 UTC · By: Bogdan Popa / One of the top features of the Google-owned Waze app was sending traffic reports that could be anything from potholes or cars stopped on the road to police speed traps. While police reports have been quite a controversial topic throughout the ye...

 
Waze Silently Updated with a Warning That Makes So Much Sense Today
Waze Silently Updated with a Warning That Makes So Much Sense Today

29 Mar 2020, 19:46 UTC · By: Bogdan Popa / As one of the most popular navigation apps that we use behind the wheel, the Google-owned Waze receives updates regularly, not necessarily with new features but with further polishing to improve the experience overall. The latest update, however...

 

Stories by Bogdan Popa