Car DVD players are so 5 minute of arc ago . DirecTV in the cable car , old news . X - Box in the back seat , puhleez . Any car enthusiast deserving their salt has a computer in their elevator car . That does n’t admit the old laptop you “ forgot ” to give back to that we’re - all - gonna - be - ample dot com before it close up .
Only a few twelvemonth ago , putting a go personal computer in a car mean wedging a desktop microcomputer in whatever vehicular orifice one had available , and perform DC / AC gymnastics to get the wildcat humming . There was also the issue of where just on your fascia do you put a 15″ admonisher . All said and done , even a finished mathematical product would n’t be atrociously useful , but the central processing unit would make a nice projectile in a head - on collision .
A new multiplication of elevator car specific fanless cases , force supplies , screens and input devices have made installing a fully functional calculator as simple as adding a new stereo . No bodywork ask . No projectile estimator .
The compelling argument occur from the fact that a modern computer can do anything a elevator car stereo can do and much , much more . Currently you may install name trade name DVD , MP3 , TV , radio , XM and piloting ironware into your railcar , costing you thousands and the possibility that it wo nt all work together . A calculator in your car can offer up all those options and lots more to check that you ’re distracted enough to plow through a farmers market . Internet approach , encoded movies , gigs of MP3s , email , WWW browse , in - car gaming , and even , * gag * bureau practical program are just some of the thing that a little box in the trunk can offer .
integrate the audio with your live system is as unproblematic as using anAUXinput adaptor .
All of the systems list here come with or have optional touchscreen . Touchscreens hunt down about $ 375 . Well deserving the toll but if you ’re going lo - dinero , a regular 7″ TFT with VGA input will do you just fine . Lilliput and Xenarc screen are uncommitted throughXenarcandLogic Supply . These brands are the standard in car microcomputer as they have VGA inputs rather than composite , which will search like sheep snob in comparing .
Standard I / O devices like Keyboards also occur with or are options with all systems . Gyrationsells an RF keyboard and pad - free melodic line mouse . Using it while driving may scare other drivers . Some even add up with an IR or RF remote control that controls numerous functions without having to whip out the QWERTY . Earn your nerd band by using a PocketPCRudeoorNiveusremote .
rise the microcomputer is pretty straight forward . One Xenarc microcomputer mannikin is individual DIN size so it fits in most factory radio slots . The residue are small enough to be mounted where one would put a CD changer , although these are often pocket-size than changers . Some units could , with a little panache - hackery , mount in larger Chrysler / GM sized mill radio holes . major power requirements are handled by DC / DC 12V mainboards so no power provision needs to change over the power from AC to DC per your home colossus . No want to get your pantie in a turn about when the railway car twist off , most systems have power management that create the PC go nightey - nighttime after a few minutes . one that do n’t add up with that option from the factory can be upgraded with a part fromOpus Solutionsthat redact the PC into a sleeper hold .
What ’s the degree of having your personal computer on the road if you ca nt zigzag up that old Interweb . option are aplenty for have that TCP / IP stack hum . Before the WiFi geezer get their Depends askew , let cover that grayish region ofWardriving . Latch on a USB or PCI 802.11 card ( PCMCIA if you get it ) and start sucking down that bandwidth from those unsuspicious folks who ca nt care to delegate a WEP paint . The de - facto standard software for Wardriving is Netstumbler . for get any range at all , its important to get a WiFi scorecard that take an feeler attachment . PCI is preferable as most of those cards use standard connectors that permit you crank up the increase a few Dbi with astronger antennaThe NetStumbler computer storage has a whole sight of combos for you . It ’s good to corrupt it all as a outfit since all of the parts are mat up and sexual union is significant stuff . 5Dbi omni directional is the minimum you want for an antenna . avert directional feeler as they are just that , directional , so its only good if you know where the accession point is , while you ’re moving , in a car . Nuff said .
Another agency to get that coveted bandwidth is to use that vibrate pain in your pocket . Most modern wireless phones have a USB cable ( and yes some jackass phone manufacturer * still * sell serial adapters as if I were going to TTY into the phone ) that along with their connexion package countenance you employ their GPRS / PCS to surf the web . The downside is some providers shoot down you astronomical monetary value per megabyte . Check out the pricing anatomical structure before sign up for a data programme .
The unfailing method acting is to buy a PCMCIA datum memory access card from a wireless provider . Sprint has 3 different joining card . Verizon also has 3 cards , some using old internet and the Sierra Wireless AC580 which does a very respectable 2Mbs . At $ 350 , it should . AT&T only has one card but its the Sony Edge card which I ’ve used and it kicks all of the other notice shiny flat butts . At $ free and $ 79 / mo its hard to contend with it , in bitchiness of my impression about AT&T customer table service . Yeah , its 130Kbps but unless you ’re download off of Giganews.com driving down the highway , its deal . The only difficulty using these cards is that their little feeler may not be capable to get great response if shut away up in the torso . Most of the wireless Internet providers provide aSierra Wirelessconnection add-in . Sierra , thinking about the many possible uses , makes a bunch ofantenna extenders . They hightail it about $ 40 which is easier than stretch the PCMCIA expansion slot out to some other place in your car .
heavy reproduction and the power to process complex decipherment allows for a very broad compass of audio options . A few the car PC ’s have some sort of 5.1 digital audio out . Car amplifier maker Phoenix Gold make believe a new line calledOctanewhich occupy Digital Coax and TosLink ocular in and decodes / dish out Dolby Digital and Pro Logic .
I harken back to the day pa bought me a sinister and white 4″ tube television that worked in the car . Oh the joys of watching the shifting snow that I could almost make out as Barney Miller . Over - the - air TV is still kinda crappy but for only $ 100,BAM!All done . Barney Miller may still front like a grayish snowy blur .
Remote mounted slim conformation - factor videodisk drive are uncommitted so as to avoid stopping to get into the torso to change out moving picture stored on physical metier . Weird , I love , but some people do n’t encode all their movies . Jack Valenti is roll in his next grave .
One of the big savings in define up your motorcar system is that the cost of adding a navigation “ system ” is nominal . There are a long ton of USB GPS adaptor available so its simpler to obtain the one that declare oneself what you need than to list them all . For the sake of simpleness and hitting most of the marks , the Earthmate USB GPS hooks you up with a nice yellowness ( yellowed makes anything more rugged and outdoorsy ) dingus replete with on / off LED and a copy of Street Atlas 2004.Car CPUhas this for $ 119 or $ 1500 for the Alpine . Your choice .
For whatever grounds , XM decided to make a USB , computer specific radio . I ’m not complaining at all , I just did n’t gestate that kind of subtle genius from a big company . TheXM PCRfor $ 50 is smallish and easy to hide in the car amongst the multitude of other devices . The antenna is made for home PC use but its not immense and can be veil in the package tray under some material if not right behind a head restraint . If you have XM , its only $ 6.99 more to tally another unit of measurement . I said Unit , heh .
A few company have the precaution to come up to most if not all of the pauperism of a car PC substance abuser . From a bare bones kit out to a turn - Florida key organization , there are more than enough selection . cost start as low-down as $ 300 for a small shape - agent whole and go up near 3 potassium for the Macguyver do - it - all theoretical account .
CarBot PCTakes a more whole culture medium experience approach telling us we do n’t need a distracting , fortuity make display to enjoy the benefits of having a PC in your motorcar . That said , the unit has a standard VGA out and can practice a feeling screen that gives you entree to their custom designed interface . The whole system is localise up to be controlled through a custom designed RF remote control doing away with the need for an IR exhibitionist . Their UI is designed to be promiscuous to use while in motion . fortuitously , the remote can be used to access most functions . It also has a spiffy voice feature so you do n’t need to look at a screen at all . Swanky and a good deal at $ 1600
CarTFToffers up a “ staring ” solution that include a 7″ touchscreen TFT ( nach ) videodisc player , 2.8GHz processor,60 GB HD , 512 Mbit RAM and a GPS maus . badly , they actually call it a maus . They slay me . At 1499 Euros , you would expect a real maus and keyboardenzi ( I made that up ) along with some sort of distant , IR sensor , WiFi , PCMCIA . It does include “ espacially created memory ” ( sic ) and you screw we all need that .
TheCarCPUElite organization , is just that , you know , l33 t. A well think out software package that offer up just about everything potential in one box . The external DVD , GPS , IR Remote , voguish power supplying , WiFi , Gyration keyboard / mouse and touchscreen and USB Audigy 2 NX . The Audigy 2NX decodes 5.1 and 7.1 earmark you to use the above mentioned Phoenix Gold amp to give you the full film surround speech sound without faking it . All you would desire to add is the TV / FM tuner and XM radio .
At $ 2849 , its a sense of touch on the pricey side but you get the whole enchilada . The Lite , low carb variant has less goodies but saves you a piece at $ 1959 with screen .
Xenarc Technologieshas a liberal offer of automobile specific computing machine from a 1DIN ( the only 1DIN specific model I found ) to magnanimous fanless model made to go into more halter space with less public discussion . Fanless does n’t mean get up it under the rearward seat , its still a computer and they do get hotter than your run - of - the manufactory car adenosine monophosphate . The CP-1000 1DIN modelling could be the close all be all but for some unmatched reason they have a MMX-266MHz central processor which will limit it from being capable to go forward-looking lotion and operating systems . Linux hax0rs can rejoice if they need a dash - mount BASH prompt .
Their next up is the MP - FL8 which packs a 2GHz proc in a fanless chassis . It would also be a big success except for its lack of PCMCIA slot which is critical for AT&T / Verizon / Sprint wireless internet card . No PCI slot either , so any WiFi will require to be done via USB and I do n’t hump of any USB WiFi adapter that can take an external feeler to lead grasp . I guess that fashion model would be called the FL8io .
The openhanded baby in the bunch MP - SC6 is larger but does extend a single PCMCIA slot . Enough for that wireless access card but still relegate your WiFi to USB if you choose to expend both .
Cappuccino PCSlimpro boxes look just like the ones over at Xenarc . Someone here is “ take up ” from someone else . Not that I ’m point any fingerbreadth either mode … What makes the offerings from Cappuccino different is that most of the models have PCMCIA make them oh so friendly for wireless internet . coffee cappuccino offers almost turn - paint solutions and a ton of mode to tramp your own . Since put together the other parts to make the whole system sing is n’t a vast stretch , this is a good start point for do - it - yourselfers . If the Mini - ITX form factor is just too bragging , they also sell micro - ITX 12/12CM mainboards . No cases included , so mete out with the annoying guy at Radio Shack may be call for to source a undertaking casing . That might be a raft breaker .
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