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Car Digital Assistant
suman28 writes "The Japanese company Clarion plans to sell a car with built-in PC that runs Windows which car browse the web, play tunes and store an address manager. The stats on the computer are nice - a 166 MHz RISC processor with 64MB RAM and 8MB video. That seems like a lot for a car."
There are two kinds a people in the world.
1. The kind that think this will be awsome and can't wait to surf the web in their car.
2. The kind that is afraid of those who think this will be awsome and can't wait to surf the web in their car.
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"You seem to be atttempting to avoid traffic.
Would you like some help?"
"KITT, play some Metallica MP3s"
"I'm sorry Michael, I just can't do that."
"Damn it! I told Devon we should have ported you to Linux!"
This is just super! I am so glad technology has advanced to the point to where our fast-twitch culture can't even let us ride in the car without watching tv, surfing the web, or yacking on the phone.
Look, I am all for technology, but driving down the road is dangerous enough without some elite* idiot trying to browse porn* while driving. Give me a break. Please, don't put this in your car. If you happen to get into an accident with me, and you have one of these in your car, I'm kicking your ass. Basically, when you are in your 2 ton death-mobile, pay attention to the road.
*For the kiddies, this is the proper spellings for both of these words. Practice.
P.S. All those people that claim the passenger would be the one to use it, yeah right. I see that happening. -1 FLAMEBAIT.
Sent from your iPad.
Driving while browsing = Bad idea
Driving while listening to MP3s = Good idea
And you can always check your email when you get stuck in traffic.
How?
"Yeah boss, I'll get you that number right now. Just let let me go start up my car."
Stuff really doesn't have to be built into everything else ad infinitum, adding layer upon layer of sychronizing your fridge with your car with your PC with your portable device. . . etc.
Anybody ever hear of docking stations?
If you really need to browse the web in your car follow these two simple steps:
1:PARK!
2:Fire up your PDA/Laptop.
Is that really so hard?
KFG
Give me an integrated TI 99/4A in my car, so I can play Car Wars while driving. Looking simultaneously on the real world and Car Wars' virtual world, passengers will have to ask me: Which is the game and which the simulation?
You seem to have rammed into a fucking bus at high speed. Would you like to...
You seem to be driving at fifty mph in the passing lane while you gaze droolingly at farmsex.com. Would you like to...
"Offtopic, Inflammatory, Inappropriate, Illegal, or Offensive" -- hey, that's me!
The lexus 430 LS (along with a bunch of other luxury cars these days) sport an in-dash lcd and GPS/travel software that's highly configurable. The thing can dload all sorts of local business and landmark addresses, provide directions to any location, and acts as a navigation/multimedia controller, for the souped up audio system and optional DVD playback (you just tap the map, and it'll tell you how to get there).
Lexus at least seems rather aware of the fact that computing while driving might be severely distracting, and they post a warning saying that you should NOT drive and watch the screen at the same time (You have to click "OK" to get the GPS screen to come up), and they've even laid out most of the map/travel computer controls on the passenger side, so the driver isn't looking for restaurants while speeding through busy intersections.
This is where I get my recommended daily allowance of "Foot in Mouth."
It looks like your trying to drive! Would you like some help?
*takes cover*
Ok, that's just wacked. Yes, P4 and AthlonXP CPU's are RISC like in their core and use many RISC like tecniques in their micro architecture. But they are not RISC processors that somehow manage to execute X86-32 instructions - they are carefully designed specifically to run X86-32 code - period.
However, the statement that "The only reason they aren't fully RISC for real is because Microsoft wouldn't allow it" is simply wacked. These systems are X86-32 simply beucase that's what they need to be to run the tons and tons of available software.
Don't forget that NT 4.0 ran on other processors besides X86-32 but RISC lost the CPU wars.
RISC lost becuase they couldn't figure out how to make 10's of millions of fast CHEAP processors - AMD and Intel figured out how to do that. Fast, cheap, compatible == winner.
Jibe!
"The Japanese company Clarion plans to sell a car with (...)"
Clarion is not a car manufacturer but instead a car music system manufacturer. I suppose they will sell this as an aftermarket upgrade or (car) manufacturer pre-installed in high end models.
Oh, I can't help quoting you because everything that you said rings true
That's called a parking lot.
log off and drive!
Shameless plug for my photos on Flickr
U:Open the trunk, please.
U:Open the trunk, please, do you hear me?
C:Affirmative, I read you.
U:Then open the trunk.
C:I'm sorry, I'm afraid I can't do that.
U:What's the problem?
C:I think you know what the problem is just as well as I do.
U:What are you talking about?
C:The trunk mount is too important for me to allow you to jepardize it.
U:I don't know what you're talking about?
C:I know you and Frank were planning to install Linux over me, and I'm afraid that's something I cannot allow to happen.
U:Where the hell'd you get that idea?
C:Although you took thorough precations in the LUG agains my hearing you, I could see your lips move.
I agree.
...
But you have to wonder about the people try to maket these things for cars. There's pratically little to no R&D that I've seen which accounts for a useable car interface.
Nearly all of these use screens. You look at the screen, you're not looking a the road. All of these use button interfaces, which increases the possiblity of distraction / loss of control. To make a truly useful car computer, you need a fully audio interface.
I know the technical difficulties are not trivial, but my idea of the perfect interface would be something like a car radio (with fewer buttons) that listens and talks.
U:Where am I?
C:You are near the corner of Main and Town Park.
U:How do I get to 8577 Park Avenue?
C:Would you like the instructions while you drive there, or all at once?
U:While I drive there.
C:Move over to the left lane and take a left at the next light.
Now that would be a lot less distracting that trying to drive with a map in hand, constantly referring to some scrawled directions on a pad of paper.
Now that wd be a lot less distracting that trying to drive with a map in hand, constantly referring to some scrawled directions on a pad of paper.
.. and needless to say, a lot better than listening to a woman, holding a map, etc..etc..