Nexus 7 in car project

Gaygle said:
However, it doesn't look THAT bad at all, and i think people have been unduly harsh.
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Not really IMO. It looked like it had promise in the first (mockup) pic, before the tablet was securely fixed, before it had "sponge" to stop it vibrating and to close the gap that was already slightly too large for the tablet's screen.

QuickLink said:
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Then it was fitted, some things were changed, and the foam/sponge added, which is blatently obvious. Not to mention the fact that since you can't use the thing without palming it all the time, it's always going to look a grubby mess. Matt screens are used in cars for a reason ;)

QuickLink said:
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It looks utter crud here, even excusing the fingerprints (which will come back within minutes of cleaning it, unless you intend on never touching the thing?).
 
I had a car PC in my Mondeo ST24...lasted about 6 months before I decided to change back to the standard unit and lost a fair bit of cash :P

As a project it is fun, but I do think it is a gimmick which you will grow to hate...the fit and finish is annoying (why spoil the Audi interior) rattles will begin to annoy you from the poor fit facia, the bugs in the app will get very annoying etc etc.

Fair play on what you have done, but I do think it would look more fitting in an old Corsa or Fiesta where gaps and poor fitting facias come with the package...just not in the Audi.

I am looking at the ICE in my A4, you have helped make my mind up that if I do change unit I must stay with OEM nav.

Sorry but I am out.
 
That foam does need sorting but it was described as a trial fit not a finished install. Those finger prints will look ten times better without the camera flash picking them up and the op has already said that he is considering screen protectors with a matte finish.

I think an integrated tablet is a different entity to a car PC. It solves a lot of the issues with an almost instant start up, solid state storage etc. and the right apps will avoide issues with it crashing (never had a problem with Sygic for example)

Let's face it, the forum would be pretty dull if everyone liked the same thing.
 
We're a computer based forum after all guys - I personally think "why not?". It's his car, and it's a fun little project for him to do. So good on him.

I don't know if it'll be more / less functional than the OEM bit - though the OEM bit is designed and integrated into the car better I'd have thought.

Still, if he can get it working with all the controls and interfaces of the car - then each to his own. :)

Whilst I wouldn't do this... I personally like a bit of geekery like this.
 
I like it, I want to do something similar just need people like you to iron out all the niggles and make a fool proof guide. Sure beats the crappy nav options oem gives you.
 
I think it could work but it needs better designed apps + a custom rom that supports hiding the nav bar.

Would love to try the same thing myself as soon as I can afford a car worth doing it to.
 
Can't you just fit the newer RNS-E system?

I can't think of anything worse than a touchscreen in a car. Whenever I adjust the stereo in mine I keep my eyes on the road and just feel my way around the buttons, and it's the same with the fancy MMI Remote Touch/iDrive in parents cars. Having to actually look at where I'm pressing would just be soo annoying.
 
Firestar_3x said:
It must have traffic data without an internet connection,
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I agree with you about proper integration etc... but how does this work exactly?

Bearing in mind that traffic delays are often the cause of an unpredictable event (crash etc.), wouldn't an offline traffic data system be utterly useless at informing you of anything other than regularly occurring patterns such as rush hour?
 
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asim18 said:
I agree with you about proper integration etc... but how does this work exactly?

Bearing in mind that traffic delays are often the cause of an unpredictable event (crash etc.), wouldn't an offline traffic data system be utterly useless at informing you of anything other than regularly occurring patterns such as rush hour?
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It uses the TMC system to download the information, it's very good actually, I end up with various icons and traffic patterns on my maps, along with delay length, speed the traffics moving and a description of the problem.
 
Firestar_3x said:
It uses the TMC system to download the information, it's very good actually, I end up with various icons and traffic patterns on my maps, along with delay length, speed the traffics moving and a description of the problem.
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Exactly this. It's fantastic how good it is - highlights areas of the map with traffic problems, calculates expected journey delays, uses this information to re-route and all using the TMC service which is broadcast over FM radio. Even works in Europe.

You also usually get a seperate menu system showing a summary of traffic events to browse through, like with mine:

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Note the event at the top - Roadworks on the M5. Below you can see a small Roadworks icon in the top corner with a '+0.11' indicating that traffic problems on the route are expected to add 11 minutes to the journey. The expected arrival time on most nav systems will take this into account:

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It's great! And you don't need internet access for it.
 
Ahh TMC... I heard about traffic information being broadcast over FM but didn't know exactly what it was called and didn't research it.
 
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