The Mp3Car Blog

Tech news and tech reviews of the latest cutting edge mobile computing software and hardware.


Aug 13
2008

Go Go Guru!

Posted by Fiberoptic in Mp3Car Store Projects

Introducing a new all-in-one Car PC solution!

For the last 6 months MP3car has been testing the Guru PC. The Guru is a new double din sized car computer that packs a serious punch. My review of the Garmin Mobile PC software was actually implemented using this hardware. This product is a significant step forward from previous “all-in-one” car computer offerings. We have decided to sell this in the store within the next 2 weeks. As with any new product, there are a lot of exciting things about this unit plus a few drawbacks.

Rear View of the Guru Car Computer Guru Bios Front View of the Guru Car Computer

The Good:

  • Easy to install
  • Fast. Really Fast. Garmin, StreetDeck, and Centrafuse fly. We might test Road Runner this weekend.
  • Stable; It has only crashed twice in 6 months of testing
  • Very nice sunlight readable screen. This isn’t quite transflective grade but it is better than most
  • Tons of features packed in one box - Dual core CPU, Wifi, GPS, Bluetooth, PCMCIA, Amp, array mic, 120gb HD, 2gb Ram, shallow profile, low power, AM/FM hardware integrated, volume knob, programmable buttons, ambient light sensor, optical drive and more.
  • The PCMCIA slot is a nice expansion option for high speed internet, more sound cards, CAN bus, MOST bus, or ther add on hardware. 


The Bad:

  • There is currently no software support for any front ends; however, several front-end developers are aware of the hardware.
  • No software support means clunky control of the AM/FM Radio, some of the preset buttons have no function.
  • There has been no firm commitment from any front-end developers to support this hardware. We are told software support is just a matter of writing radio and button control plug-ins.
  • Power management for the device is also software controlled. We hope to have an application done to handle all this by the time it gets released in a few weeks.
  • The Price – The price hasn’t been set yet, but it will be less than $3,500


The Install:

  • Here is a quick work log of my install.
  • Hover your mouse over for an image description
  • A full version will be posted shortly in the Blog Talk Forum(Link).
  • If you can’t wait until this goes on sale, get a sneak peak this Saturday. 2pm. Lat/Lon: 38.963228,-77.154204
Guru rear connector Original Factory Dash, Scion TC Re-Used factory Radio Bracket Lots of Space in the Dash 06-factory_connect.jpg 07-wire_connect.jpg 08-evertything_connected.jpg 09-no_plastic.jpg 10-finished.jpg