In car computers?

[Sara Noel]

Windows PCs Find a Place in the Car
Martyn Williams, IDG News Service
Friday, October 18, 2002

Later this year, Japanese company will offer an in-car computer that can surf the Web, play digital tunes, and keep you organized.

Japan's Clarion has taken the wraps off a new in-car computer at World PC Expo in Tokyo this week and said it plans to put the device on domestic sale in December.

The computer, which is based on Microsoft's Windows CE for Automotive operating system, is one of the most feature packed in-car electronics systems yet seen in Japan--a country where dashboard navigation, television, and DVD Video functions can be found in many cars.

Clarion's Cadias, the company says it stands for Car Digital Assistant, offers all of these functions and other basic systems such as an AM/FM radio, a CD player, MP3 and WMA digital audio players, and adds communications options into the mix.

E-mail and Internet access are both possible through the system once a network connection is present. This can be done in several ways: either through a cable to a cellular telephone, via a USB connection to advanced handsets such as those for NTT DoCoMo's third-generation mobile service or via a communications card or modem plugged into a PC Card slot on the front of the Cadias.

Remote Control
Other features on the main menu include a scheduler and address book and system has a 7-inch thin film transistor LCD panel which includes a touch panel for operation. A remote control is also included allowing the system to be navigated from the back seat.

Technical specifications include a RISC microprocessor running at 166 MHz and 64MB of memory. An addition 8MB of video memory is also built in.

Future versions of the Cadias could be more advanced. The company has plans to add support for entertainment-related features like support for digital TV and direct-to-car satellite broadcasting.

The Cadias will go on sale in Japan on December 1 and carries a price tag of $2,730. At that price, it is around twice as expensive as many mass-market car navigation systems and around the same price as Pioneer's hard drive-equipped Cyber Navi system.
http://www.pcworld.com/news/article/0,aid,106046,00.asp

I think this would be great for things like navigational type things or some sort of alarm/monitoring system if you were carjacked or in an emergency situation, but if it's just a pc in the car...how distracting is that? I can understand a little pda or something, but I picture myself rebooting and running a red light or something. We all see what adding cell phones in the car has done. *sigh*

Sara

[heaven]

hey I need that, i would never have to leave the village that way. I can see me driving down the road checking post on the way. ROFLMBO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[~Sherry~]

LOL.... thats the last thing we addicted Villagers need. I think we'd be dangerous! LOL

[SewCrafty]

My sister calls me at least 3 times a week from the west coast (3000 miles from me) while on her way to work in the am. She is constantly saying "Hang on, this guy is trying to cut me off!" or "Oh no, I just missed my exit!"

All I can think of is LOOK OUT! I had to take her for her drivers exam, and she isn't a very good driver!

I hate it when she calls me while she is driving! I can't imagine what she would be like with a PC in the car!