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Aug 13
2008
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Go Go Guru!Posted by Fiberoptic in Mp3Car Store Projects   |
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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.
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
