This isn’t the first time I’ve seen a computer designed to fit inside your car, but it’s definitely the first one I’ve seen which can fit entirely in the space of your old car stereo.
The Navisurfer II occupies a single DIN slot in your car’s dashboard, and manages to cram in an entire PC with a flip-out touchscreen 7-inch color display. The LCD monitor has a nice 800 x 480 resolution, and can be adjusted on both horizontal and vertical axes. Since it fits neatly into a standard radio slot, all you need to do is connect the computer just like you would with a car stereo, and you’re all set.
The system can run Windows XP or Linux (no OS is pre-installed, though) and can serve as a media player, GPS navigator, rear view camera, gaming console, or used to display vehicle diagnostic information, among other things. To enable these features, you’ll need to purchase additional USB or Bluetooth devices such as a GPS receiver or a video camera (only supported on the 120GB model).
It’s all packaged in a shock-resistant enclosure, and is designed to hold up to the voltage irregularities of cranking your car’s battery. The Navisurfer II is available in configurations ranging from 40GB to 120GB of hard-disk based storage, and from 256MB to 512MB RAM. Prices range from $578 to $656 USD.
