Top 10 In-car Tech
Like tech geeky like stuff? Well you’ll gonna love this then, as our mates over at T3 have compiled a list of the world’s most essential new in-car tech.
They’ve picked 50 gadgets, some weird, some great, and some that are just err… well plain crazy.
We’ve cherry picked our favourite 10 (below) to give you a little taster of what to expect.
However, if you want to see the full 50, check out T3’s 50 Essential pieces of in-car tech.
Top 10 in-car tech
1. IFR Unidrive
You may have a supercar, but how plebian are all those buttons? IFR has solved this burning issue with the Unidrive platform, which replaces almost all hardware controls and buttons with a pair of interactive touch displays. Currently available in the companies carbon-fibre Aspid hypercar.
Price: £75,000
2. Car cam
Do you rush to the window every time an alarm goes? Paranoid that 'they' are out to pinch your pride and joy? Maybe the car cam is what you're looking for. It'll video both inside and out for 'legal or insurance purposes' – although it'll probably get nicked along with the car.
Price: £40
3. Autonet from Chrysler
From the land of huge cars comes the in-car Wi-Fi hotspot, enabling you and your passengers to watch YouTube wirelessly, anywhere in the vehicle! The Autonet hooks into passing high-speed networks such as WiMax and EV-DO, then converts them to Wi-Fi for your viewing pleasure.
$499
4. Knight Rider GPS from Mio
An inevitable development, and possibly one of the lamest – a GPS that issues directions with the actual voice of KITT. A standard Mio internally, it also represents your car as a cartoon Trans-am. Camp, fleeting hilarity beckons if you're already bored with the optional TomTom voices.
Price: $270
5. ClarionMiND in-car UMPC
Sat navs are so last year darling, with contenders like this around. Clarion's take on the UMPC has applications for YouTube, MySpace as well as media playback from a 4GB SSD. That's on top of your normal GPS and traffic updates displayed on a 4.8in screen.
Price:£520
6. In-car Microwave from Maplin
The gadget that needs no introduction. Hot snacks plus long boring motorway journey equals epic win. It plugs directly into your car cigarette lighter. Spilling left over curry on your lap on the M25 is not a good look though.
Price: £89.99
7. CA-1P500 head-unit from FUSION
There is one reason why tech doesn't make more of a presence in your car. If you leave so much as sucker-mark on your windscreen, some crack-addled junkie is likely to open the window with a brick and line their pockets with whatever they can find. So when it comes to having an iPod plugged in, you're in a pickle. The CA-1P500, however, cleverly hides it behind the faceplate out of sight and out of nimble-fingered thieves.
Price: £144.99
8. AlcoHawk Digital Alcohol Detector
Visited a pub recently? Apparently, a mere four drinks before 11pm could see you still over the limit at 11am the next day, with licence-busting effects or worse. Panic not, test yourself with this breathalyser before the law gets a chance.
Price: £25
9. Mercedes Night View Assist
Look mum, no lights! The clue is in the name, a space-age piece of technology now filtering into top spec cars that allows the driver to see further in the dark. A built-in screen on the dash shows an infra-red enhanced look at the road ahead – a must for everyone.
Price: £1200 optional with Mercedes
10. Car Cassette MP3 Player
Remember these? Back by popular demand – the cassette. Fear not though, you don't need a pencil to wind the tape back in, as storage is sensibly delegated to an SD card. It'll work as a freestanding MP3 player, or stick it in the tape deck of a Fiesta for digital tunes on the cheap.
Price: £30
