Computers in the car with Internet connectability is not a new thing. Do-It-Yourselfers with a lot of installation skills and the evolution of technology has made such vehicles possible for many years now.
Such vehicles as the 2001 Jeep Wrangler owned by Bill Rigby, director of online account services for Computerworld Magazine, is a good example.
Rigby started installing the various systems himself in 2005. His hi-tech Jeep is equipped with a laptop computer and a power supply that supports a touchscreen monitor mounted on the dash. There is also a GPS navigation system, broadband or Wi-Fi internet connection, and automatic synchronization with his home network.
And there is more, a whole geekful more. Rigby has included not only a Bluetooth headset that let's him answer voice-over-IP calls through the laptop but, with the speech-to-text software, he can control the car computer applications. Currently he's planning to connect his system to the car's diagnostics computer so that he can monitor gas consumption, horsepower, and receive error codes so he knows why when his Jeep breaks down.
Our take? Rigby needs to get more practical with his system. Forget GPS and car diagnostics. Let's see the car that drives by itself, man!