HiPe rolls in-car Vista media center PCs
updated 02:45 pm EDT, Tue April 24, 2007
HiPe Driv-N Car PCs
HiPe this afternoon tracked down serious car enthusiasts with its new Driv-N in-dash PCs. In contrast to most car computers, the Driv-N is quick enough to run Windows Vista Home Premium and its accompanying Media Center but is also extremely flexible depending on needs: the checklist for every model includes options such as Bluetooth, GPS for navigation, and a rear-view camera for larger cars and SUVs. Optional GSM and Wi-Fi transmitters connect the Driv-N to the Internet even in mid-traffic, HiPe says. Displays are just as varied with anything from motorized 6.5-inch touchscreen (which also hides a DVD drive and AM/FM radio) to a 15-inch, roof-mountable LCD with RCA and VGA input for the computer and a separate AV source.
Every system includes both speech recognition for common tasks without distracting the driver. The same system also includes voice feedback and will read back e-mail, contacts, or other info back to travelers. Support for XM radio is built-in through use of the Internet connection, saving the trouble of attaching a separate receiver.
Pricing varies depending on the choice of processor and screen: at the most frugal level is the Driv-N V15, a headless system with a 1.5GHz Via C7 processor, 1GB of RAM, and a 40GB hard drive that sells for $799. The I20 adds a much faster 1.66GHz Core 2 Duo and starts at $1,199; finally, a complete system known as the I15 includes the 6.5-inch screen and a 1.73GHz Celeron M at a price of $1,589.
Fresh-Faced Recruit
Joined: Aug 2007
Cool gadget!!
This the gadget that I wann put on my soon to be Ferrari F40. I had a test drive in Florida in 1995 and thought about nothing else until I purchased the very car, still new, one year later. I have been living a different life ever since. My mind thinks of nothing but reasons to open the engine hatch or just sit in the driver's seat, hand on the neuspeed short shifter, in silence.
A clattery, vibratory experience is her idle, but her whistle on boost and the feel of the 2-3 upshift is incomparable. Simply, she is the mecca of autosport from her day, and the last child of Enzo.
I practically had to sell my soul to obtain the car and I would do it again. And again.