.KEYWORD autopcown
.FLYINGHEAD AUTO PC POWER
.TITLE A survey of resources for Auto PC owners
.OTHER
.SUMMARY Wow! Bet you had no idea there were so many cool goodies for the Auto PC. One of our favorite is the program that adjusts the volume of your radio automatically based on the speed (and thereby ambient noise level) of your car. For a complete overview of some of the coolest of the cool resources for Auto PC owners, read this article by contributing editor and Auto PC guru Mark Moeller. If you don’t own an Auto PC, by the time you’re done reading, you’ll have a "Jones" for one of your own.
.AUTHOR Mark Moeller
If you’re one of the pioneers buying new technology such as the Auto PC, it can be a rewarding and simultaneously a frustrating experience. Initially, the relative lack of support for a new purchase of this kind can leave those who are not dyed-in-the-wool technophiles wondering if they made a good choice. On one hand, you are guaranteed that something better and less expensive will come around. However, it’s also true that it’s the early adopters that end up shaping the future of the product. There’s perhaps no better time to shape the future of a product than in the version 1.0 time frame. Also, being able to show your new toy to your buddies can be lots of fun.
If you were involved in the computer world when the original IBM PC came out, perhaps you or one of your friends were one of the pioneers that then purchased IBM’s initial PC offering. [My PC XT with 10MB hard drive and 640K RAM cost over $6,500 back in the early 80s! – DG] The owners of those early PC’s found themselves in much the same position as those of us who have purchased this first version of the Auto PC. Like the original PC, the Auto PC was designed to be an open, expandable platform for which software developers can freely develop and create software.
History has clearly shown the world-changing impact that ensued after the original IBM PC was released. I believe that the Auto PC will have a similar impact in the world of motor vehicles. I’m not alone in the belief. Beside the many individuals who are committing hard earned cash to purchasing Auto PC’s and/or developing software for them, the multitude of automotive manufacturers who have publicly announced support for the platform speaks loudly. These manufacturers include Alpine Japan, Clarion, Daewoo Telecom Ltd., Delphi Delco, Harman Kardon, Hyundai Electronics, Infinity Systems, Intel, JBL, Inc., MD-Co., Nissan USA, PSA – Citroen, United Technologies Automotive (UTA), Visteon, Volkswagen. Visit the Microsoft site for the latest list at http://www.microsoft.com/windowsce/Products/apc/manufacturers.asp.
The success of the principles on which the Auto PC was designed have been clearly demonstrated and nobody wants to be left out of the next major innovation based on those principles.
Like the IBM PC, the initial third party software and support for the Auto PC comes largely from enthusiasts. However, there are some companies who have recently come out with products for the Auto PC. There is also a growing number of Auto PC enthusiast Web sites where you can learn more about your Auto PC.
.H1 Software
Third party applications are starting to pop up for the Auto PC. Microsoft has repeatedly stated at Windows CE developer conferences that the applications that come with the Auto PC were intended to be "Notepad" versions of the applications, referring to the Notepad application the comes with Windows. Their point is that these applications do nothing more than the minimum in the area that they are addressing. One of the stated reasons for doing this was to encourage third party software vendors to write full-featured applications to replace those that come with the Auto PC. This, in turn, would help stimulate growth in the Auto PC development community. The jury is still out as to whether this approach has worked, but one company in particular has stepped up with a winning replacement for the Directions application.
.H2 Infogation’s Odyssey
Infogation (at http://www.infogation.com) has recently released their Auto PC Navigation System called Odyssey. It is a full-featured navigation system with turn-by-turn directions, moving map display, speech user interface, spoken and visual directions, off-route detection, and an array of ways to select and specify a destination. I have been using this product for some time now, since I was part of the beta test. I am quite impressed by it and have successfully used it on trips to visit clients located in places I had never before visited. Odyssey uses a map database from NavTech that must be purchased separately from NavTech. The NavTech map database has limited coverage of areas outside of major metropolitan areas. This limited coverage cripples Odyssey when navigating in smaller cities or rural areas. It would be good to see Odyssey use map data from multiple companies, such as TravRoute, which has more complete coverage.
Other companies that have introduced software for the Auto PC that offer completely new functionality include:
.H2 OmegaOne
OmegaOne (at http://www.omegaone.com) has a number of offerings for the Auto PC, including a freeware package that synchronizes the Auto PC clock with the GPS clock for super-accurate time. OmegaOne’s software offerings include a program called Active Volume, which dynamically adjusts the volume of the Auto PC’s audio output based on the speed that the vehicle is traveling. This compensates for road noise as you speed up and slow down. [Oh, now that is very cool! – DG] OmegaOne also sells two games for the Auto PC, Dominos and Mind Melt. Both have full speech control of the game to keep the players eyes on the road.
.H2 Mecel’s freeware
Mecel (at http://www.mecel.se) has three downloadable freeware programs for the Auto PC. One is Mecaclulator, a speech based calculator program for the Auto PC. It has some unit conversion features such as Kilometers per Hour to Miles per Hour in addition to all the basic features you would expect in a simple calculator. They offer a James Brown sound scheme for the Auto PC as well as a new clock screensaver that uses the GPS to display your vehicles current longitude and latitude.
.H2 Mobile Visions sound schemes
Mobile Visions Software (at http://www.mobilevisionssoftware.com) has a number of downloadable sound schemes for the Auto PC that add a fun dimension to operating the Auto PC. One of my favorites is the Knight Rider sound scheme, which uses the voice and sounds of KITT from the popular 80’s show. The company also has several software projects in the works including a program called Speed Trap, which is used, in part, to remind you when you are exceeding the speed limit while driving. According to the company’s web site, Speed Trap will be available Q3-99 and is free.
.H1 Hardware
At this point in time, there are only two vendors shipping add-ons specifically for the Auto PC. There are another two that have products that may be released by the time you read this but not at the time of this writing. Of course there are a number of vendors of CF+ (Compact Flash Plus) Type II cards that fit into the Auto PC’s CF+ slot.
.H2 Our old friends at Clarion
Clarion (at http://www.autopc.com) not only sells the Clarion AutoPC 310C but also a GPS add-on that includes a 16 megabyte Compact Flash Card. They also sell a 6 disc CD Changer that interfaces to the Auto PC’s universal serial bus.
.H2 Cue up the CUE Network
CUE Network (at http://www.cue.com) sells a wireless data receiver that works with the Auto PC by plugging into the Auto PC’s universal serial bus. With this receiver you can receive traffic alerts, news and pages on your Auto PC that are tailored to your region. I have read both good and bad reports about the unit’s functionality. Most people are having success with the CUE service but it appears that others have either installation problems or coverage issues.
Since CUE uses FM radio signals to transmit their data, all the pros and cons of FM’s signal broadcast attributes are inherited by their network. Of course, this usually means that if your car is parked deep underground in a garage you can forget receiving any data during that time. On the other hand, CUE has perhaps the widest national coverage of any paging company due to the fact that they piggyback onto the FM signals that are broadcast by radio stations nationwide, so when you are on the road you will be getting your data.
.H2 Vetronix
Vetronix Corporation (at http://www.vetronix.com) is reported be near shipping a product they call CarPort that’s a bridge between the Auto PC and your vehicle’s on-board diagnostic computer. This will enable a host of new features with the Auto PC if your vehicle is model year 1996 or newer. Four new software products will be available from Vetronix along with the availablity of CarPort. They include Driver Monitor, which gives Speed and Trouble Code information; MobilePro, which is an expense tracking and maintenance recorder/reminder; CarSecure, which is a vehicle recovery, anti-theft program that also includes remote door locking and window rollup. And lastly, TeleComm, which allows you to locate your car via a telephone and remotely unlock your doors if you have locked your keys in the car. I will personally be trading in my ’93 Honda Civic for a ’96 or newer vehicle as soon as this product becomes available.
.H2 ORA Electronics
ORA Electronics (at http://www.orausa.com) has a cellular phone interface kit for the Auto PC called "TelCar". TelCar plugs into the Auto PC’s universal serial bus to provide a completely hands-free interface to Motorola MicroTAC and several models of Nokia phone. This interface allows the Auto PC to dial your phone by voice command from the Auto PC’s address book. Audio from your conversation comes through the speakers in your car that are connected to the Auto PC.
.H1 CF+ Type II
There are a number of manufacturers of Compact Flash and Compact Flash + Type II cards. These cards slip into the CF+ slot on the Auto PC. In my last article I mentioned Socket I/O. I use the ATA Compact Flash cards to install software on my Auto PC that I download from the Internet as well as for backing up my Auto PC. [OK, so this could get confusing. You’re backing up your car, which means putting it in reverse, or you’re backing up your car, which means copying your Auto PC data to a CF card. Fun! – DG]
.H1 Clubs, bulletin boards, and general information
Unlike the original IBM PC, there’s an actual Microsoft sponsored Auto PC club intended to give its members special perks and benefits and to receive feedback on the Auto PC. Find it at http://www.clubautopc.com. There’s a bulletin board there where registered Auto PC users and guests can exchange information about the Auto PC. Microsoft monitors this board and there are frequent postings from the software developers and testers on the Auto PC team. Certainly, the product designers watch and read these boards to learn what the users are looking for. This is the place to post your suggestions and feature requests to help shape the future of the Auto PC. There is also some free software to download for your Auto PC including a calculator program from Infogation.
Another site that I recommend looking at is Enjoy The Music (at http://www.enjoythemusic.com/autopc) . They have lots of information on the Auto PC including breaking news, links to software and hardware vendors, editorial comment and reviews.
Of course Microsoft has a solid base of information available on the Auto PC (at http://www.microsoft.com/windowsce/autopc) and some articles on the Microsoft Developers Network.
Using Lycos, Webcrawler, or other Internet search engines you’ll find various links to other Auto PC sites and message boards. There are a number of Auto PC retailers online and you can purchase the product at a great price through some of them. There are a number of magazines online that have articles on the Auto PC (of course Windows CE Power does the best job!) and the two search engines I mention seem to do a better job a gleaning these from the vast amount of information on the Internet.
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.H1 Summary
There are clearly some exciting add-ons available for the Auto PC. You can begin to see the power of the product showing through as vendors introduce such products as the CarPort interface. Companies such as Infogation who have dedicated themselves to exclusively developing software for the Auto PC are going to be the big name leaders in the years to come as the Auto PC becomes standard equipment from automotive manufacturers and as the aftermarket heats up. I encourage you to participate in Club Auto PC and make your voice heard.
And, if you are a software developer, commit some resources to building great software for the Auto PC. You have an opportunity to get in on the ground floor. Yes, it is sometimes true that the only thing that pioneers get are arrows in their backs — but there are many more pioneers that go on to reap the benefits of being on the leading edge and taking a risk. One of those successful pioneers in the software industry has created an opportunity for others to pioneer – go for it!
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.H1 Product availability and resources
Visit these sites for information about the resources available for AutoPC user.
.H2 Software
Odyssey is available from Infogation at http://www.infogation.com.
Active Volume, Dominos and Mind Melt are available from OmegaOne at http://www.omegaone.com.
Mecaclulator and other freeware is available from Mecel at http://www.mecel.se.
Downloadable sound schemes, including Knight Rider, are available from Mobile Visions Software at http://www.mobilevisionssoftware.com.
.H2 Hardware
For great pictures of some of the hardware mentioned in this article, visit http://www.clarionmultimedia.com/clarion/ClarionMMProd.Nsf/files/AutoPC.pdf/$File/AutoPC.pdf.
The AutoPC and GPS add-on by Clarion is available at http://www.autopc.com.
The wireless data receiver that works with the Auto PC is available from CUE Network at http://www.cue.com.
CarPort will reportedly be available soon from Vetronix Corporation at http://www.vetronix.com.
A cellular phone interface kit for the Auto PC called TelCar is available from ORA Electronics at http://www.orausa.com.
.H2 Clubs, bulletin boards, and general information
The Auto PC club is available at http://www.clubautopc.com.
Enjoy The Music is available at http://www.enjoythemusic.com/autopc.
Microsoft has a solid base of information available on the Auto PC at http://www.microsoft.com/windowsce/autopc.
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