Thread: iphone makes me re-think about my carputer... anyone has same ideas?

the same here. after 3 custom car pc installations i decided to to the table pc way. i ordered the new archos 5 internet tablet with 500 gb for approx $500 with accessoires which i plug into the cigarette lighter run it on batteries while charging, plugged into my head unit which have nice round buttons to change volume easily and being happy. it has music, video, great gps, wifi, bluetooth and thousands of upcoming android applications.

and hey, you can easily unplug it from your car and use as mediaplayer anywhere. think about taking out your car pc to quickly connect to a friend's tv or similar.

iphone / itouch is not an option because i cannot / want stick to one format and have to convert everything first. besides that it is of course a great gadget.

car pc is just too much wiring, electrical issues, slow boot time, startup/shutdown problems, hundreds of usb devices for wifi, bluetooth, gps etc. and does not work satisfactory at the end - also due to lack of software.

to me, there was no real progress regarding fully integrated front ends for surfing, audio, video, gps etc. always struggling with embedding, focus, etc.

neither road runner nor centrafuse have changed this. and streetdeck was a joke after paying $160 and now they are gone.

byebye car pc

I am not having any problems with my setup using centrafuse. I think people are moving in the wrong direction with using their phones as carpc replacements. I have a G1 and love the thing but it wouldnt replace a carpc. Instead I integrated it with the carpc. My phone provides a wifi connection and a touch screen/keyboard interface into the computer. I hated keeping a keyboard in my car but now that I can use my phone as a keyboard thats one less hassle. I can control my carpc through my phone and its great. I have the following features running in my car and I am happy with the way they are currently working:

Audio
--advanced settings for tuning
Video
GPS
AM/FM radio
XM radio
MAME
NES
G1 integration
--Internet
--keyboard/mouse
--audio remote control
automatic startup/shutdown
hibernation with no issues

But I do have to admit when I get a new car(at least 5 years from now) my next setup will probably be something prebuilt because of all the time and effort I put into getting my system running without problems.

The best tip I can give someone making a carpc is to not cut corners and buy cheap crap. My first setup was a dell sx260 and it caused me SO MANY PROBLEMS!

the key problem with pcs in boot times. if i enter the car i want music instantly.

also the number of usb devices for wifi, gps, bluetooth, dvb-t etc. you need is ridiciolus (costs and integration) compared to what a pmp or multimeida phone can provide you nowadays.

and even more important. the car pc stays in the car, the mobile device can be used in car and outside. and i dont want another pc (i have a desktop pc at home for work and surfing, one in the living room as htpc, a work laptop) just to listen mainly to music and gsp in car and on when pedestrian

Originally Posted by upspace

the key problem with pcs in boot times. if i enter the car i want music instantly.

Thats why you hibernate, my pc is up and playing music in less than 10 seconds.

Originally Posted by upspace

also the number of usb devices for wifi, gps, bluetooth, dvb-t etc. you need is ridiciolus (costs and integration) compared to what a pmp or multimeida phone can provide you nowadays.

The only things I wanted was wifi and gps which cost me only about $40 to buy the stuff for(ebay!).

Originally Posted by upspace

and even more important. the car pc stays in the car, the mobile device can be used in car and outside. and i dont want another pc (i have a desktop pc at home for work and surfing, one in the living room as htpc, a work laptop) just to listen mainly to music and gsp in car and on when pedestrian

My carpc doesnt feel like a pc unless I want it to. Unless I leave centrafuse its basically a very advanced head unit.

I am not trying to discredit you I am just telling you why I keep my carputer and dont replace it. I just really enjoy having a project to work on in my spare time even though I sometimes get really frustrated when I cant make things work.