In-Dash DIN-form-factor Car PC

kraksmokr writes "Xenarc Technologies have introduced a cool new in-dash DIN-form-factor Car PC. It features built in hard drive, audio/video, and GPS, among other things. Estimated price will be about $1200. I can't even begin to list the possibilities for mobile computing bliss." I'm even more impressed that they can fit it into the dash than I am with in-dash CD changers. If you buy this thing, use it safely. None of us want auto PC users to end up in the same category as annoying cell phone users.

Comments

interface, interface, interface

[RMH101]

this is all very well but is a pc what you want in your car? keyboard, mouse, tiny icons due to running on a small LCD? unless someone's released "Windows XP Car edition" or similar I really don't see this as all that useful - compared to say a navigation unit and an in car MP3 player. Or a PDA based system that has an OS that's in ROM and can be
Ubiquitous computing doesn't necesarily mean a *PC* is the best tool for the job. I don't fancy driving into the back of someone because I was trying to click on the MSN messenger icon...

Re:Great..

[luzrek]

Turns out that in order to pack a computer into a very small space you really need to worry about heat. This is why most notebook computers (which are larger than this case, and other very small cases) run much slower than their desktop equivalents, for instance I think that the Centrino package from Intel starts witha 1.2 GHz processor (low end), and that is a brand new product. Anyway, the low power consumption chips are from Transmeta (I think 933MHz at 6 Watts) and VIA (Eden at 600Mhz at 6 Watts, C3 1GHz at 10 Watts?). Using said chips gets you away from the need for Fans (useful for computers in living rooms) and that lets you goto small form factors.

For more information check out mini-itx or the super small case offerings of casetronic or Morex. Both of Casetronic and Morex make at least one case that has the same physical dimensions as a car stereo. Keep in mind these cases typically require the 2.5" hard drives and "slim" CD/CDRW/DVD drives which drives up the overall cost of the system and limits performance.

Poorly designed power supply

[ortholattice]

The input rating of 10V to 26V may cause the computer to die when starting the engine, so don't depend on this to run anything critical. Do these guys even understand car battery specs? A good design should work at least down to 7.2V: "Today's batteries are rated in cold cranking amps. This represents the current that the battery can produce for 30 seconds at 0 degrees before the battery voltage drops below 7.2 volts." Better designs such as the power supply in this ECU device will work down to 6.5V.

This design error seems to be common. Out of three laptop 12V adapters I've purchased, only one worked with an old battery (that was still good enough to start the car). The worst is my most recent Xtend PowerXtender, which is rated 12-16V and often refuses to work unless the engine is running - very annoying when I'm waiting in the car and want to use my laptop.

Why you would a PC in your car.

[Surak]

With wireless networking and PalmVNC, you could operate the in-dash computer via a PalmOS-compatible PDA. Imagine that this thing could be very powerful as a combination MP3 jukebox, satnav device, PVR -- toss a 7" monitor in the back seat of a SUV or minivan, which some manufacturers are starting to add in their luxury models, great for the kids -- and with USB ports, the thing could be useful to store files for your digital camera. Sure, some of these things (satnav/gps, MP3 playing) can be done by a PDA, but you're limited by the memory you can stuff into the PDA. A full PC, OTOH, can have hundreds of megs of RAM and hundreds of gigabytes of hard drive storage. That, and the fact that you can combine all those devices into one is going to save you space.

That's why you'd want a PC in your car.

Re:Great..

[arivanov]

Yep. Especially in the days of Via Centaur this device is outright stupid. Using components from www.linitx.com I can rig the same thing for around 600$ assuming that 260$ will go for a motorolla GPS to hook up to the serial port.

Re:Page not done by a sales expert

[mattbee]

It was Adam Osborne who suggested the Osborne 1, their current model, was pedestrian compared to what they had in development. Their inventory piled up as everyone waited for the successor and the company ran out of money. He died not very long ago in fact.

Re:$1200?

[GlassUser]

There's a hefty amount of profit in there too. I'm building one of my own. The cost breakdown is about as such:
EPIA M10000 mobo: $175
80 gb slim hd: $200
512 mb pc2100 ddr sdram: $80
slim slot loading dvdrom: $40 (used, I can't find a new one)
ATX DC power supply: $35
Assorted cabling and casing: $50
Front mount LCD panel: $70

About $650 total. You can add a GPS for $100, wireless networking for $50, a regular VGA screen from $250, or a VGA touchscreen for $550.