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Originally Posted by MDimitri
The Pioneer and Eclipse are very nice unit's, but if I were you I would wait a bit longer for a really good unit. The next generation units are going to be PC based and will provide you with tons of extra features: here is one site just for an example: http://www.gnetcanada.com/ Here is another exampe: http://www.allproducts.com/ee/autovision/20-lcdtv.html As you can see when it's a windows XP pro or Vista OS you'll be able to transfer things back and forth from your Home or Office PC to the vehicle with ease, you can browse the web, GEO Map using GPS nav maps of trails for off roading, play movies, music, games, run onboard diagnostics of your truck,navigate using GPS, hook up your truck with a live cam so that you can watch it from anywhere...etc The possibilities are vitually endless. You can run your business from the comfort of your rig without stepping foot into the office!! Best of all it's fully upgradable and configurable unlike some of the NAV units out there now. Just make sure you have a giant hard drive like a 300-500 gig system. In the future we will all be fully connectd via WAN's and LAN's, eventually all of the appliances we own will talk to one another through your home PC. Just think it sure would be nice during the winter when you get up in the morning having your truck start up automatically, turn on the seat warmers, plan your commute and start playing your favorite music when your ready to go out the door!! |
The biggest problem with these solutions is that, in general, the companies producing them are much smaller than Pioneer, Kenwood, Eclipse, etc. and do not have the same budget to allow for things like interface design. I built an AutoPC and integrated it into my Avalanche four years ago, and it used most of the same software that you see in these solutions, including the interface. In fact, I was in contact with GNet Canada in regards to this and the problem is that, as neat as it was to have a PC in the vehicle, it was still a pain to access all of the features, the interface was a little clunky, and there were random slowdowns at times, the limitation of using a PC rather than a system designed for one purpose in mind. After I built my AutoPC, I bought a Pioneer navigation system for my next vehicle, and it worked perfectly. Fast, easy to use, and the interface is built for efficiency. I really liked it. AutoPCs do have a place in vehicles, but I am hesitant to recommend them for navigation anymore.