The Ultimate in Z Music/Video/GPS/XM/Phone/PC solution! Oppinions needed!
04-21-2005, 03:23 PM
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The Ultimate in Z Music/Video/GPS/XM/Phone/PC solution! Oppinions needed!
All;
Here's one more PC option for you. As you know, InCarPCs, CarPC, Carputers, or whatever the hell you want to call them or becoming more and more popular. Unfortunately, if you are not tech savy, they are not the most easiest thing to build. And once you get the physical hardware together, getting the software to work with the front end and all the external peripherals is also a challenge. Once again, for all the computer savvy people, it definitely is possible. But for those that want to have a box that does it all, here's my solution.
As you know, there are a host of different front end / skin applications that integrate everything to one main user interface. Some of the popular ones are FrodoPlayer, Centrifuge, Media Engine, etc...The one I found most appealing and developed is RoadRunner from Guino. The software is consistently updated and all issues,concerns, questions, and comments are practically immediately dealt with.
So along with Guino's help, we have introduced an all in one solution for the ultimate in car music/video/DVD/GPS/computing/phone/ anything your mind can think of tool! I have been in the car stereo business for some time and have networked this PC to several shops who seem to be all over it. One shop that has taken high interest is West Coast Customs who do all the cars for MTV's Pimp My Ride. The other shop is Speaker Works who have won more IASCA (International Auto Sound Challenge Association) competiitions then anyone else. They even have their own brand of speakers USD Audio! As a matter of fact, they are going to use this PC for their head unit on a bug they are building for septembers issue of Car Audio and Electronics as well as Euro Motorsport and 3 three other import car magazines...On top ofthat, this car is part owned by Zapco who builds very high end Car AUdio amplifiers. There's a chance this will be part of Zapco's show car for CES, Cema, along with many other shows.
So that said, heres what the PC will consist of. The usual Via Epia C3 Processor everyone is using;Ultra Slim Case, 512MB Ram, 80 Gig Harddrive, DVD Rom, Audigy Sound Card (DVD-Audio Capable), WinTV TV/FM card, XM radio tuner, WiFi, Bluetooth and GPS! And all the components are top notch components (Kingston Ram, WD HardDrive,etc). Here are various screen shots: <p>
Front End:
Music:
XM Radio:
FM Radio:
GPS Navigation:
GPS 2D View
GPS 3D View:
GPS Birds Eye View:
Phone Supprt:
As you can see, these pix are just a sample of what this concept can bring to the table. The GPS navigation is second to none! Everything is touch screen with an on screen keyboard for easy entry! The PC will also come with an RF keyboard. The transitter is in the case so you dont have to worry about any kind of external boxes! Here's a pix of the case!
Slim Case:
That said, further details will soon be out! Since this is still in the very near end developmental phase, please feel free to shoot any requests, comments, ideas my way! And just to note, all licenses and software royalties will be accomodated!
Last but not least, here's the unit in the car! The unit starts up when you turn on the ignition and shuts down when you turn it off. A "smart power supply" ofersthis great feature. The alpine can be replaced with an indash DVD rom to fully integrate this unit in the mobile environment. These are all preliminary pix! Final pix and website will be posted once completed! Please send any comments to me directly at aseraj2001@yahoo.com!
Car Interior 1:
Car WinXP:
Here's one more PC option for you. As you know, InCarPCs, CarPC, Carputers, or whatever the hell you want to call them or becoming more and more popular. Unfortunately, if you are not tech savy, they are not the most easiest thing to build. And once you get the physical hardware together, getting the software to work with the front end and all the external peripherals is also a challenge. Once again, for all the computer savvy people, it definitely is possible. But for those that want to have a box that does it all, here's my solution.
As you know, there are a host of different front end / skin applications that integrate everything to one main user interface. Some of the popular ones are FrodoPlayer, Centrifuge, Media Engine, etc...The one I found most appealing and developed is RoadRunner from Guino. The software is consistently updated and all issues,concerns, questions, and comments are practically immediately dealt with.
So along with Guino's help, we have introduced an all in one solution for the ultimate in car music/video/DVD/GPS/computing/phone/ anything your mind can think of tool! I have been in the car stereo business for some time and have networked this PC to several shops who seem to be all over it. One shop that has taken high interest is West Coast Customs who do all the cars for MTV's Pimp My Ride. The other shop is Speaker Works who have won more IASCA (International Auto Sound Challenge Association) competiitions then anyone else. They even have their own brand of speakers USD Audio! As a matter of fact, they are going to use this PC for their head unit on a bug they are building for septembers issue of Car Audio and Electronics as well as Euro Motorsport and 3 three other import car magazines...On top ofthat, this car is part owned by Zapco who builds very high end Car AUdio amplifiers. There's a chance this will be part of Zapco's show car for CES, Cema, along with many other shows.
So that said, heres what the PC will consist of. The usual Via Epia C3 Processor everyone is using;Ultra Slim Case, 512MB Ram, 80 Gig Harddrive, DVD Rom, Audigy Sound Card (DVD-Audio Capable), WinTV TV/FM card, XM radio tuner, WiFi, Bluetooth and GPS! And all the components are top notch components (Kingston Ram, WD HardDrive,etc). Here are various screen shots: <p>
Front End:
Music:
XM Radio:
FM Radio:
GPS Navigation:
GPS 2D View
GPS 3D View:
GPS Birds Eye View:
Phone Supprt:
As you can see, these pix are just a sample of what this concept can bring to the table. The GPS navigation is second to none! Everything is touch screen with an on screen keyboard for easy entry! The PC will also come with an RF keyboard. The transitter is in the case so you dont have to worry about any kind of external boxes! Here's a pix of the case!
Slim Case:
That said, further details will soon be out! Since this is still in the very near end developmental phase, please feel free to shoot any requests, comments, ideas my way! And just to note, all licenses and software royalties will be accomodated!
Last but not least, here's the unit in the car! The unit starts up when you turn on the ignition and shuts down when you turn it off. A "smart power supply" ofersthis great feature. The alpine can be replaced with an indash DVD rom to fully integrate this unit in the mobile environment. These are all preliminary pix! Final pix and website will be posted once completed! Please send any comments to me directly at aseraj2001@yahoo.com!
Car Interior 1:
Car WinXP:
04-21-2005, 03:39 PM
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holy shitt... do you need someone to test the setup out? i am your man! i will sacrifice myself and be your guinea pig. how much is this thing gonna cost in full?
04-21-2005, 03:53 PM
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Originally Posted by kinjal
holy shitt... do you need someone to test the setup out? i am your man! i will sacrifice myself and be your guinea pig. how much is this thing gonna cost in full?
How about a test in a roadster? Huh? Huh? *wink* *nudge*
04-21-2005, 04:21 PM
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Guys!
Thanks for the interest in beta testers! And as a matter of fact,that is exactly what i am looking for! Guino and I are both young engineers with professional day jobs...So unfortunately we just cant give this thing away....As a matter of fact, i had to sell some of my professional DJ equipment so i can build one for Speakerworks! Speakerworks is using this guy as their headunit for this crazy bug they are building in part for Zapco. THis bug will be in Car Audio and Electronics, European Motorsport, as well as three other magazines that they promised. Thus, I was kind of forced into giving them one because you couldnt buy that kind of publicity. So here is what i am offering for anyone that is willing to beta test this guy for us. We are asking pretty much the exact price that it cost us to build it. Not a dollar more...Not a dollar less. With a full blown system including:
Music/Video&DVD/GPS/XM Radio/TV&FM/Wifi/Bluetooth/DVD-Audio/etc
One is probably looking at about $1000 +- 100. I have had mine running solid for about 3 weeks now and have had no problems! But the way i use it might not be the way someone else uses it so thats why i want to get these in as many cars as i can so i can get feedback! I want to know what you like about it, what you dont like about it, any bugs you find, etc...After we are comfortable with the product, we will probably sell these somewhere in between $1400-$1600 depending on the options...That is still a very reasonable price because i've seen similar product start at 2K and go up to 6K! And the 2K versions give you 40GB harddrives and other cheesy components. We will have one model and one model only..The model will have the best performance name brand components. Thus at the end of the day, we are hoping to have our product stand out performance wise, reliability wise, and size wise. Last but not least, the unit is super small and everything is one box. The box is:
Dimension (WxHxD): 12.7"(322.58mm) x 2.7"(68.58mm) x 10"(254.0mm). In the 350Z, it fits perfectly behind the passanger seat compartment with a lot of room to spare!
Thanks for the interest in beta testers! And as a matter of fact,that is exactly what i am looking for! Guino and I are both young engineers with professional day jobs...So unfortunately we just cant give this thing away....As a matter of fact, i had to sell some of my professional DJ equipment so i can build one for Speakerworks! Speakerworks is using this guy as their headunit for this crazy bug they are building in part for Zapco. THis bug will be in Car Audio and Electronics, European Motorsport, as well as three other magazines that they promised. Thus, I was kind of forced into giving them one because you couldnt buy that kind of publicity. So here is what i am offering for anyone that is willing to beta test this guy for us. We are asking pretty much the exact price that it cost us to build it. Not a dollar more...Not a dollar less. With a full blown system including:
Music/Video&DVD/GPS/XM Radio/TV&FM/Wifi/Bluetooth/DVD-Audio/etc
One is probably looking at about $1000 +- 100. I have had mine running solid for about 3 weeks now and have had no problems! But the way i use it might not be the way someone else uses it so thats why i want to get these in as many cars as i can so i can get feedback! I want to know what you like about it, what you dont like about it, any bugs you find, etc...After we are comfortable with the product, we will probably sell these somewhere in between $1400-$1600 depending on the options...That is still a very reasonable price because i've seen similar product start at 2K and go up to 6K! And the 2K versions give you 40GB harddrives and other cheesy components. We will have one model and one model only..The model will have the best performance name brand components. Thus at the end of the day, we are hoping to have our product stand out performance wise, reliability wise, and size wise. Last but not least, the unit is super small and everything is one box. The box is:
Dimension (WxHxD): 12.7"(322.58mm) x 2.7"(68.58mm) x 10"(254.0mm). In the 350Z, it fits perfectly behind the passanger seat compartment with a lot of room to spare!
04-21-2005, 04:32 PM
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Originally Posted by aseraj
Guys!
Thanks for the interest in beta testers! And as a matter of fact,that is exactly what i am looking for! Guino and I are both young engineers with professional day jobs...So unfortunately we just cant give this thing away....As a matter of fact, i had to sell some of my professional DJ equipment so i can build one for Speakerworks! Speakerworks is using this guy as their headunit for this crazy bug they are building in part for Zapco. THis bug will be in Car Audio and Electronics, European Motorsport, as well as three other magazines that they promised. Thus, I was kind of forced into giving them one because you couldnt buy that kind of publicity. So here is what i am offering for anyone that is willing to beta test this guy for us. We are asking pretty much the exact price that it cost us to build it. Not a dollar more...Not a dollar less. With a full blown system including:
Music/Video&DVD/GPS/XM Radio/TV&FM/Wifi/Bluetooth/DVD-Audio/etc
One is probably looking at about $1000 +- 100. I have had mine running solid for about 3 weeks now and have had no problems! But the way i use it might not be the way someone else uses it so thats why i want to get these in as many cars as i can so i can get feedback! I want to know what you like about it, what you dont like about it, any bugs you find, etc...After we are comfortable with the product, we will probably sell these somewhere in between $1400-$1600 depending on the options...That is still a very reasonable price because i've seen similar product start at 2K and go up to 6K! And the 2K versions give you 40GB harddrives and other cheesy components. We will have one model and one model only..The model will have the best performance name brand components. Thus at the end of the day, we are hoping to have our product stand out performance wise, reliability wise, and size wise. Last but not least, the unit is super small and everything is one box. The box is:
Dimension (WxHxD): 12.7"(322.58mm) x 2.7"(68.58mm) x 10"(254.0mm). In the 350Z, it fits perfectly behind the passanger seat compartment with a lot of room to spare!
Thanks for the interest in beta testers! And as a matter of fact,that is exactly what i am looking for! Guino and I are both young engineers with professional day jobs...So unfortunately we just cant give this thing away....As a matter of fact, i had to sell some of my professional DJ equipment so i can build one for Speakerworks! Speakerworks is using this guy as their headunit for this crazy bug they are building in part for Zapco. THis bug will be in Car Audio and Electronics, European Motorsport, as well as three other magazines that they promised. Thus, I was kind of forced into giving them one because you couldnt buy that kind of publicity. So here is what i am offering for anyone that is willing to beta test this guy for us. We are asking pretty much the exact price that it cost us to build it. Not a dollar more...Not a dollar less. With a full blown system including:
Music/Video&DVD/GPS/XM Radio/TV&FM/Wifi/Bluetooth/DVD-Audio/etc
One is probably looking at about $1000 +- 100. I have had mine running solid for about 3 weeks now and have had no problems! But the way i use it might not be the way someone else uses it so thats why i want to get these in as many cars as i can so i can get feedback! I want to know what you like about it, what you dont like about it, any bugs you find, etc...After we are comfortable with the product, we will probably sell these somewhere in between $1400-$1600 depending on the options...That is still a very reasonable price because i've seen similar product start at 2K and go up to 6K! And the 2K versions give you 40GB harddrives and other cheesy components. We will have one model and one model only..The model will have the best performance name brand components. Thus at the end of the day, we are hoping to have our product stand out performance wise, reliability wise, and size wise. Last but not least, the unit is super small and everything is one box. The box is:
Dimension (WxHxD): 12.7"(322.58mm) x 2.7"(68.58mm) x 10"(254.0mm). In the 350Z, it fits perfectly behind the passanger seat compartment with a lot of room to spare!
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04-21-2005, 06:21 PM
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Originally Posted by nis350ztt
So $900-1100 for everything?
Yup! I am not doing this to make money...At least not yet! That is on the agenda once we have a solid stable product. I just want to get others feedback on it. $1100 is pretty much for the full blown system with all the trimmings...Some people might not want stuff like the TV tuner, Audigy card, etc which will drop the price. And to clearify, the monitor is NOT included in that price. There are various options for the monitor so i'll let that be...
Regards
Ali
04-21-2005, 08:42 PM
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that is cool as crap.
If I wasnt going into the military Id test it.
at 1400-1600 bucks, you have under cut Eclipse and kenwood's double din units. Thats awsome.
If I wasnt going into the military Id test it.
at 1400-1600 bucks, you have under cut Eclipse and kenwood's double din units. Thats awsome.
04-22-2005, 09:05 AM
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Originally Posted by Santacruzslick
I am extremely interested in this...just have to see if I can scrape together the cashish.
I'm sure if you sold your alpine and eclipse, you would even have money left over! :0)
04-22-2005, 09:06 AM
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ncie product, but the interface isnt the coolest looking. and as much as i love functionality, the interface need to be cool too. if you need any help redesigning it, and you'd like to give me some sort of discount on the final price, i'd be willing to do it.
04-22-2005, 02:01 PM
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Originally Posted by craniumdesigns
ncie product, but the interface isnt the coolest looking. and as much as i love functionality, the interface need to be cool too. if you need any help redesigning it, and you'd like to give me some sort of discount on the final price, i'd be willing to do it.
Hey thanks for the heads up....But you have to expand a little for me...What do you define as cool looking? Basically we wanted a skin thats classy, easy to use and see, and gives the interior character. We didnt want anything flashy that will draw the drivers attention. Also, the interface has to be practical. Practical such as big buttons and letters since this is uusually going to be run on a 7" monitor. But the reason i posted this to begin with is for feedback such as this so thanks again!
04-22-2005, 02:18 PM
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yeah, the layout's fine, but it could be more refined in the bevels and highlites. its a good concept, but it could be cleaned up a bit. it doesnt look realistic and the bevels and shadows are off. it just looks like amatuerish of photoshop. good base, but i could improve on it for u. send any files u want to steve@craniumdesigns.com and i can email u sample of what i mean.
04-22-2005, 05:34 PM
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Originally Posted by aseraj
I'm sure if you sold your alpine and eclipse, you would even have money left over! :0)
I couldn't love my stereo more! Unless of course it could despense Pepsi.
If you can make your set-up do that...I will personally fly to your house and pick up my new system from you. LOL
04-22-2005, 07:30 PM
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hey javikid,
where'd u get the programs for it? did u just find an old hp laptop and throw it in there? where can i learn how to implement something like that?
where'd u get the programs for it? did u just find an old hp laptop and throw it in there? where can i learn how to implement something like that?
04-22-2005, 07:38 PM
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I also have a carputer in my car. I love it, like aseraj said it does everything. Nav,Vids,Radio,MP3s,Sat,Phone,OBD2 Data
The main software is free you can get it at www.mp3car.com. The nav software, OBD2 will cost you. The nav in the pic looks like Destinator 3 with Map Monkey. Personally I prefer Iguidance. I like the display,directions and price much better.
The main software is free you can get it at www.mp3car.com. The nav software, OBD2 will cost you. The nav in the pic looks like Destinator 3 with Map Monkey. Personally I prefer Iguidance. I like the display,directions and price much better.