So, yesterday while driving around running errands, I started thinking about getting ready to drive to Reno for the Gun Blogger's Rendezvous, and realized that if I want to have the CB radio and the electric cooler running, I need a Y-Adapter for the cigarette lighter. (I don't want to get into why I haven't installed the ham radio in the truck...)
Which got me wondering why more automobile manufacturers don't include one or more 110/120 VAC outlets in their cars. Even if they made them high-quality, well-grounded, line-conditioned it shouldn't add much to the price of even, say, Kia Rio.
Then I came home and started noodling on my ASUS Eee netbook, and got to wondering why, with a netbook so cheap, they don't just build the equivalent into the dashboard of cars, and let it control the sound/entertainment and navigation system. (Which would make it much easier for hams to operate mobile, too, especially using digital modes...)
The CD/radio in my truck takes up a space of dash that is about 4 inches by 6 inches, so there's plenty of space there for a small screen. A standard graphical interface would not work well when driving--build the mouse/trackball/touchpad into the steering wheel?--so maybe have it default to a menu, and probably make it a touch screen. The option for an external screen, for ease of programming, would be good...
Give it a couple of USB ports for external devices, including a small keyboard. (I would like to see a serial port in back, since the amateur radio manufacturers don't seem to have heard of USB...) Give it Bluetooth, and a Bluetooth remote that can be attached to the steering wheel, with just a few (6 seems right) options, so as to avoid being too great a distraction. Or, this might really put voice control into the mainstream--if they can make it work right. (I've never been able to get voice dialing to work with a cell phone.)
This will probably happen anyway, and they may even be working on it.
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