Thread: 06 Scion xB - Tablet in the box!

-ADDED A LIST OF TABLET USE PRO'S AND CON'S TO THE BOTTOM OF THIS POST-

Basic cost of my entire setup - Broken down:
- Lenovo x41 tablet -1.5ghz, 1gb ram, 60gb HD, fingerprint reader, wireless nic, x4 docker - $600
- Microsoft Streets and Trips 2006 / USB GPS Puck = $105
- Laptop-To-Head-Unit audio cable (stero to stero) = $12
- Cig. LIghter Power Inverter = $60 (<- got ripped off because it sucks ***. this is temp. for now...)
- Logitech Orbit MP digital webcam to use as a backup camera - $30
- Did-it-meself Tablet laptop mount - $1 (the cost of the bandana - hahahaha!)
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Total so far: $807 (January 8, 2007)
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This is just an update of a thread I started some time back. The history - the old thread - can be found here:

My 2006 Scion xB (portable) Carputer setup! w/pics!



Basically, I wanted a way to mount my ibm x41 tablet laptop into my box. This is the tablet that I have. It's got 1.5 ghz cpu, 60 gigs of space, 512mb ram, and the screen is "touch screen" - you have to use the supplied pen for this functionality. Please also note (contrary to the old picture I have below) that this tablet laptop weighs about 4 pounds with battery - making it an ideal solution for my case.



Basically, I wanted to make a mount that fit into the xb cubby but it had to be removable EASILY (like sliding it in and out) . I started with this piece of metal i had laying around. It's something like 5" wide and about 20" long.



I drew a mspaint diagram of how i wanted the mount to be shaped. This is the diagram. According to the diagram, in the cubby, i was going to use 2 pieces of "hard foam" to keep the mont in place. Instead, I chose to use 2 pieces of foam that i connected to the sides of the mount itself. This is an old picture from my 1st thread -when i had an x41 NON-TABLET laptop. the tablets screen folds over the keyboard so it makes this diagram a little different but still gives you an idea of what i wanted to do..


So I took the piece of metal, and bent it according to some measurements i took - the depth of the cubby bin, the thickness of my laptop, etc. I covered this with a bandana by folding it around the metal and ductaping it together - this is to prevent the bare metal from scratching my laptop. Basically, when I was done, and I attached the couple of pieces of foam to the sides, I was done. This is what the mount looks like when it's partially put into the xb cubby space:



All I have to do now is to take out my tablet(laptop) and slide it into the space that there on the mount. I made this space a little smaller than the width of the tablet so it would have a really snug fit. This is what it looks like when I have the tablet mounted.




I wanted only 3 wires running to the laptop - power, sound (from aux input) and usb gps reciever. I plugged in the stero wire into the aux port




and ran the wire under the shift console and the kick panel next to the drivers right foot. I have these wires coming out of the area on the passenger seat as shown in this pic:




Right now, i have to remove that small rectangular compartment in order to access the wires but i plan on drilling a hole at the bottom of this and fishing the wires through there. that way 1) you cant see them when im not using them and 2 ) i dont have to remove the rectangular thing! duhh!

some finished product shots:





I will add more pictures and info to this as i edit but just wanted to say that the laptop moves as i drive - but only slightly. It does not fall out of the "mount". The mount takes a good amount of vibration from bumps and stuff and I'm having no problems with it. I've taken sharp turns that have bumps at high speeds and this solution seems to be holding up so far!

I was just going for something that worked. Not anything pretty, fancy looking, etc. Just something that'd hold my tablet.

The 1 more pretty important piece of into I forgot to mention - the mount that I made - specifically the portion that holds the "back" of the tablet - rests nicely on the cubby door. I originally wanted to remove the door but it actually helps keep the mount stable! I tested it and made sure that the weight wasn't TOO heavy that the door would break and it wasn't! The 3.x pound laptop I'm sure is the reason the door isn't breaking. Try mounting a 9lb. dell with a 17" screen! (that was my original idea!)




Proshop, sorry for the late pics - here they are. Please laugh at how simple the idea is! haha!





The next 2 pics show the foam that i use to "secure" the "mount" into the cubby. They fit pretty snug into the cubby and minimize the "sideways" movement of the laptop when I'm driving. I'm going to try to find some more of that foam stuff to make a tighter fit into the cubby. For now though, it's still not so bad.




I will get some more pictures later this week of how the tablet looks from outside of the car and how it looks at night. I got the chance to see it in the night for the first time yesterday, and it's gorgeous!!!

PS - The front-end i'm using is Road Runner. Oh la la - what a fancy interface! Again, I will put up some screenshots later this week.




april 2, 2007

just wanted to start a running list of pro's and cons for using a tablet in the car. i hope this list will give perspective tablet buyers a good idea of what to expect when using a tablet in-car for navigation/music, etc.


PROs AND CONs of running a tablet in your car for navigation/music

pros-
- 'touch screen' monitor built in - no need to purchase another xenarc/lilliput unit
- very light weight, not too bad to mount
- kicks the *** of a similar VIA solution (in performance, although the via is smaller)
- no need to run wires / take your car apart to "setup" for use
- portability - take this setup into another car, a rental car, take it to work/school with you
- everything already built in - wireless, bluetooth, etc - no need to buy over priced USB add-ons
- no need to **** up factory interior components to run wires, etc
- no need to worry about how to power it - power spikes, voltage ****ups, etc
- completely stand alone - all you need is a cable for power (cig lighter/inverter to laptop) and a single wire for sound (laptop headphone jack to auxillary output) - that's it. no need to hack up factory wiring, relocate head unit/temprature controls, etc.
- full keyboard is always there for you to use - you dont need to use the on-screen keyboard that is a resource hog like a mofo

cons-
- does not look "factory/oem" nice
- easy to steal (if you're stupid and leave it out in the open)
- bulky in car (depending on the model / interior space)
- can fly all over in an accident
- price (new price is north of 1500, used price is about 700-800)
- doesnt turn on with the car
- (when needed) power wire + usb gps wire will show
- issues with screen visibility in direct sunlight


PLease reply with other pro's or cons you may have/come up with! i will gladly add them to this list!!!


- sh00k