11. CarPC Front Ends

Over at MP3car.com, in the Software & Software Development forum, there are many great front ends that have been developed both by users and companies who want to make in-car computing an everyday reality.

You might be wondering why we don't just use Windows XP for the front end. The reason is that Windows was designed for high-resolution screens, and it is not very touch screen-friendly, as anyone with Windows XP on a Tablet PC will tell you. Finally, who would want to be fumbling about in Windows Explorer when you are hurtling down the highway (and especially the freeways here in L.A.)? The "blue screen of death" is bad, but the "red windshield of death" is a whole lot worse - not something we want to have to experience for the sake of a mis-applied OS!

A front end for a CarPC is a program that makes the PC touch-screen friendly, with large buttons and easy-to-navigate menus. Because most CarPCs don't have a keyboard, most good front ends will also have an On Screen Keyboard (OSK) for entering navigation information and settings.

In terms of features, some front ends have the functionality to control and play XM radio, while some do not. Others will not allow you to play DVDs when it detects that you are moving faster then a predetermined speed, by using a signal from the GPS receiver or a wire from the parking brake switch.

Navigation software is embedded in most CarPC front ends, either via third party or proprietary software. Finally, to make the front end match your car's colors, there are many different skins available.

Created by the owners of MP3car.com, the Street Deck front end is a commercial piece of software, and what we currently run on our CarPC. We've found that the software is intuitive and extremely easy to use. The UI is extremely clean and simple - there are almost no buttons on the screen. Instead the system uses gestures.

For example, to go to satellite radio you make a big "S" on the screen with you finger; for navigation, you draw an "N". The gestures also control the multimedia functions of the system. For example, by making a line from left to right you skip a track or change radio stations; making a vertical line stops the music, and so on. If you so desire, you can also customize the gestures to fit your personal preferences.

The navigation in Street Deck is powered by data from Microsoft MapPoint, and includes voice-guided navigation. In the Nav screen you can either enter a specific address, or go looking for a point of interest on the map. You can also set a particular address as "home" for easy access; this way, no matter where you are, you can just hit the big "H", and it will guide you back to the mother ship.

In Conclusion

Having a PC in your car is probably one of the most interesting mods you can make. And having a PC in your car without it looking like you have a PC in your car (except for the screen of course) is even better. We hope that this DIY adventure will help set you on the road towards opening up the dashboard and measuring wire lengths.

Of course, when you're actually on the road, please try not to get too engrossed in a DVD or other distracting activities. Safety first!

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