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Car PC, Part 3: iMobilePC Navigation
Date Posted: January 29, 2007 12:00 AM
There may be more Car PC articles in the future as iMobilePC's software continues to grow, or as other alternatives arrive. There are some features I have not had a chance to check out, including the addition of a DVD to the mix; although movies should not normally be played on a screen that the driver will want to use for navigation. Multiple monitors might be employed in this instance.
I am hoping to put together a Q&A with the developers of iMobilePC (could be part 4 of the series) so stay tuned.
A Closing Note
My projects tend to take a long time to complete, so the "latest" hardware often gets superceded by newer products. In particular, check out Mini-Box for the latest VoomPC-2 case (Fig. 7) and the motorized VMI70 7-in. TFT LCD monitor and touch panel (Fig. 8).
The VoomPC-2 uses a similar extruded anodized aluminum case with space for the same kind of Mini-ITX board and power supply used in this project. It also adds support for a slimline DVD drive. Check out compatibility with your motherboard before planning on using the drive, though. The case is still a tight fit. The front panel has USB and audio connections that may be helpful in some environments.
The VMI70 is impressive, although if you checked out a top of the line car and its nav system then you may seen something like it in the dash already. The visual specs are similar to the VM7000. The VMI70 has a resolution of 800 by 600 pixels and it has a 16:9 aspect ratio. The 12-V power consumption is 8-12 W. It supports two composite inputs in addition to the VGA input and it has a built-in TV tuner. Just add an antenna.
For more information, check out Car2PC, InDashPC, iMobilePC, ITOX Applied Computing, Logic Supply, Mini-Box and Seagate.