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Part IV: Using a Wireless Network
Are navigation systems the hub of the car?
Earlier in this chapter we discuss the car PC —
it’s a neat way to add a lot of information and
entertainment (often called infotainment) features
to your car. Of course, not everyone is ready
to put a PC in their car (at least not on their own).
If, however, you look at what car navigation systems
can do today, you’ll see that a lot of what
you might want from a car PC is easily available
in today’s fancier navigation systems.
What can a nav system bring to your car? Well,
of course they bring GPS-based navigation
(they’d be pretty useless if they didn’t). They
also bring a nice big color screen (again, a
no-brainer). But what else is available in the
nav-based infotainment realm? Try these features
on for size:
� Music servers: Many navigation systems
have hard drive or flash memory systems that
not only hold map and POI data but also provide
room to store your own media. MP3 and
other music files can be synced to your navigation
system when it’s connected to your
PC, and then played back in the car through
an FM transmitter or auxiliary audio connection
into your car stereo.
� Document viewing: A number of nav systems
can be uploaded with detailed travel guides,
reference materials, and even dictionaries.
Going on a trip? Upload a travel guide and
quickly pull up a description and guide to the
tourist highlights for your location!
� Hands-free calling: Most nav systems,
beyond the least expensive, include a
Bluetooth hands-free phone system (like the
ones we discuss in Chapter 15). You can
leave your phone in your pocket and make
and receive calls using the built-in microphone
on your nav system and either a
speaker built into the system or your car
stereo’s speakers.
� Text messaging: A few navigation systems,
when connected via Bluetooth to your
mobile phone, can display incoming text
messages (SMS messages) on your navigation
screen. Most systems don’t let you type
replies (for safety reasons), but this is a
great way to have your friends in the convoy
to the big alumni homecoming game let you
know they’re pulling over in two miles for
some BBQ.
Navigation systems may also have a built-in DVD
or other video player (MPEG, WMV), or even a
photo viewer so you can upload pictures of the
kids and have them up on the screen when you’re
not actively navigating. As we’ve mentioned, a
number of navigation systems can also receive
traffic information broadcasts and automatically
route you around the worst traffic (though if you
live in Southern California, like Pat, there’s really
no getting around traffic!).
What this functionality needs to become really
useful is network connection that brings a live,
real-time element into the equation. The Dash
Express system we discuss has this built in. We
suspect that other manufacturers will take
advantage of the Bluetooth connection to mobile
phones to add this functionality by simply taking
advantage of the fast 3G connection built into
many of today’s phones.
Choosing wireless gear for your car
The integration of external wireless connectivity options to cars is in its
infancy. However, if you’re shopping for auto-based audio and video gear,
look for the following: