Hi Ben,
So I was out driving one day, making my bi weekly 3 to 4 hour hike through New York and Vermont back roads, and I thought, wouldn't it be cool if there was an actual PC that could be installed in place of the current car radio? My thoughts were a fold out touch screen that hides in the dash above the guts of a netbook, sound card, and wireless card and/or 3g/4g adapter. Google has, or so it seems, mastered the art of voice recognition and text to voice from emails, and Pandora has a better music selection than any radio station i've heard, which would make it an excellent, hands free alternative to current audio decks. Additionally, Google maps on the go, in a package that can actually be clearly read (not an android phone's tiny screen) is a vast improvement over the often outdated and very confusing navigation apps that most high end audio decks offer.
In conclusion, my idea is for a actual computer, capable of running actual programs (zune for music), accessing the actual internet, and getting usable directions in real time, installed in the space allotted for a car stereo. There is also a six CD changer in my car. It can read MP3, which makes me think it it could also be routed to the new, Night Rider like deck. The audio deck that would be displaced would be replaced by the usb sound card, producing the same results as an amp. If radio is lost, that's a small price to pay.
Ben, please consider my challenge. I'm a frustrated inventor with little access to funding or the real technical knowledge to make such an awesome device. To see one of my ideas become reality would be huge.
Thanks,
Erik Worden
Averill Park, NY
