Thread: Iphone in car navigation - The Death of your PND

Not that my opionion matters a ton on this because I still don't have my carputer installed yet, I don't see the harm in this. Here is my break down...

1. Eventually everything progresses to something. The first time I saw MP3Car.com it was basically a fancy MP3 player in a car. Now its color touch screens, gps and more.

2. As things get more popular someone is going to see the possiblity of making money on it. So you see pre-built carputers for tose who just want the toys but not the work.

3. Some people don't really care about all this built in stuff they just want it to work.

4. This will just make it cheaper for us who want to make a real Carputer.

Why did I number them...eh just looks pretty. But I have a point of just this is a natural progression of things. Let them do what they want. People still build home computers even though there are computers rather cheap out there because they want what they want not what some company thinks they want.

Maybe this was a stupid post...who knows. But I wnated to participate

That PAC device mentioned won't work with the car I want to buy. Nor is there ANYthing out there that I can find for Hyundai. The LG Nav used for the Infinity Logic7 Surround 10-speaker system nukes the iPod 3.5mm & USB (unreal). I think it's so crippled a backup camera can't even fit.

I'm not so sure of the statement that most all cars with a nav can find the right gadget like the PAC. At least it doesn't seem the case for me. I question I can plug anything into that Nav unit. And there's no way I'll ever know for sure.

I like this thread!

Okay Nokia has wide range of phones that are compatible with AT&T's 3G network.

I have a TMO G1 so I'm just waiting for things to mature, but I can see the promise already.

I see several things were not mentioned here that could be useful...

With a solid 3G data connection, you can use any of the remote media access. I use Orb, but you can use Slingbox, etc

3G streaming if not on a busy, busy network and on such a tiny screen (under 7") picture quality is more than acceptable.

I can access my HDTV tuner in my Media Center from Orb! Try watching Live HDTV in a moving car using a standard PC specific tuner, NOT.

Many phones have A-GPS, not sure about the Iphone 3G. Many Windows Mobile Phones have A-GPS. No need for a Bluetooth antenna. There are Sirius/XM apps for Windows Mobile as well and Nokia S60 phones. Internet Radio like Shoutcast and Pandora can be accessed on most smart phones.

To stream audio from either the phone directly or via network shouldn't be an issue. I can listen to any audio on EDGE or 3G it doesn't matter.

With a few more tweaks I can see how this could replace a CarPC which tends to be tiny and expensive or of modest cost but bulky.

I don't think many of the new decks from Pioneer, Alpine, Eclipse and others, including OEM's are all that limiting really. MS' Sync for example just need to be exploited a bit further.

Using a phone is one way to keep your Car PC connected constantly anyway, why not expand its use???

While I agree that this is where the mainstream is headed. I however think it is nearsighted to call car computer dead or dying. Hobbyists will continue using full powered computers in their cars and add more and more advanced features. A few years ago only hobbyists thought or were putting mp3 player connectivity and aux in ports in there cars. Now almost all car companies offer built in iPod or aux-in connections in their cars.

Car computing is a hobby for hobbyists. Always has been. Just because the mainstream is starting to adapt some of the concepts does not mean it is dead. People who want a hobby will still build full computers in their cars, people who just want some of the benefits will use the cheap & easy solutions.

I think (almost) everyone has made a good point or two on this thread. The various positions of the posters seem to be largely driven by their perspective on time line. The mobile solutions folks are looking at trends in the field and thinking in the 2 to 5 year time frame---an eternity in high tech. And you are right; the trend is towards mobile computing (maybe not phone, but something similar). The carPC folks are looking at "what can it do for me now?" and not terribly interested in where the market is going. You are right too; no small mobile platform will come close to the power and customizability (is that a real word?) of an on-board system.

My suspicion is that you die-hard hobbyists out there will always be the vanguard on exploring the possibilities of in-car technology. But, as the really useful/valuable/cool applications you guys develop become obvious, the big boys are going to figure out a way to repackage it into smaller, more easily installed units for the mass consumer market. Because there will always be people like you pushing the envelope on high-tech apps, there will always be a need for dedicated on-board systems. Because there will always be people thinking about how to make a buck off the deep-pocketed, technologically un-savvy, there will be a strong push to "productize" the great stuff being developed here. Integrating into the rest of their "high-tech" lives will inevitably mean moving the big sellers to mobile platforms.

My 2¢ ... or maybe 25¢.

PS - I will, however, give a BIG thumbs up to cloud computing and all that it implies!

great points... as a lurker, i'd like to mention:
1) You'll likely never have the FULL power in a phone that you'd have in a custom system built into your car. Its just like latop vs desktop. Typically the desktop is the powerhouse.

2) For us out there that want some great features the phone is the way to go. I personally need music, traffic, mpg, etc. Stuff like that. The iphone is a perfect avenue for me once they figure out a larger display for car use. It just is simple, removable, and upgradable in 2 years with the next purchase of a phone. Perfect for uses that don't require 1080 high def etc. I don't need that function. I want charting, cool software, good music, and for those of us like that... this is a better avenue. PLUS, take into account when you sell your car, its easier to remove a single headunit and speakers than an entire car system built with wires everywhere


I can't wait to see if a screen control solution is found with the 3.0 release and the new generation of the iphone.

I recommend telenav. I first saw TeleNav mentioned in the New York Times and then I went to their website: www.telenav.com $10/month is a great deal, especially considering it offers more features than a $600 standalone unit.

Think it'll be over $30 bucks? I'm thinking $30 bucks min. but I'm not very gps savvy. Could it be $100 or more?