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Ok, I am using a car-pc since 3 years, I have ckecked out several applications out there and have also build some own apps. So here my comments.
1. I wonder whether it is based on DX9 or DX9c?! DX9c needs a high performance gfx card to run smoothly. For a car-pc where power and heat might be an issue it is important to find the right balance between the gfx rendering capabilities and the hardware requirement.
(I myself run a Mini-ITX PC with a Via processor with 1GB)
2. The MP3 player needs (IMHO) following additional features.
- As databases with albums, genres, artists seems further down the road, it would be great to have at least playlist support. It would be easy to automatically generate playlist externaly when syncing.
- When handling long list of songs, it would be handy to have "speed dial" buttons on the screen to jump to each letter of the alphabet. E.g having buttons [A..C] [D..F] [G..I], etc. When hitting [D...F] the list immediatly jumps to the letters D to F.
- Build and keep a database which contains the position to what MP3 has been listend to. You could just store the MP3 name and the position in an XML. When one restarts that particular MP3 the player resumes at that given position. That feature becomes incredibly useful, when listening to audio-books. (like I do in my car). With other software you easily get lost, where you stopped the last time.
And this feature is better than manual set bookmarks.
- IPOD support!!!! I would love to see this in an application. I currently use Roadrunner that has partly IPOD support. It parses the itunedb and presents virtual folders for album/artist/genre.
Think: IPOD is one of the most favoured player. (I do not want to kick off a discussion now about the best player). And if you look at commercial car stereos and home cinema amplifiers, they have IPOD support.
First step would be to parse the itunesdb and offer some virtual subfolders like RR does.
Second, would be also parse and show the playlists.
Third, would be mirror the IPOD contents to the local harddrive. (I do this with a costum set of tools. So I keep all my music collection on my IPOD. I set up playlist and I listen in the car. From time to time I dump the IPOD to the cars HD, so even when I am without my Ipod this allows to listen to my music on th road).
Maybe you could join this with a general USB-stick support feature.
(In addition it would be awesome to update listen count and rating on Ipod DB)
- Visual: make the MP3 list controls scrollable and "bouncing" like one can see on the Iphone presentation. Have a look: Steve Jobs scrolls through the list by putting is finger on the screen and pulling fast down. He releases ghis finger from the screen, but the list continues to scroll and slows down.
As you are using DX9 that should not be to hard to implement and that would be cool eyecandy. (Currently you just allow line by line)
3. Navigation:
I use Mapmonkey, which is actally Destinator 3 based. I would love to upgrade to anything else. I live in Germany and I guess there are lots of packages available.
Would I am missing from my current GPS is some eyecandy features like smooth rotation, changeable tilt and perspective, zooming etc.
Lately I hab a look at these handy stand-alone pocket GPS and these already had neat scrolling, zooming capabilites. That should be avail via a PC and DX9 also.
I would pay up to 100$ and more for a front end like that.
And what is extremly interesting for me: SKINS and the ability to costumize. That is the reason to (still) staying with RR.
Hope there is some value in my comments for you guys.
I was already concidering developing my own spin off of RR. When I saw your app and if I would have a chance I would continue from there ;-)
regards
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