[bullock-Car]

Looking at The iPad, looking at the specs, it has 3G,Touchscreen,ipod + Apps,storage, Games,freshness (in terms of newer apps)
Looking at the specs, if adopted for the Car, It has got everything that one looks in PC (ICE) at 500 $
There will issues with vibration, power supply etc.But What best can we get
Kindly give your opinions

[Xehaust]

Not too much worry for vibrations as it uses Flash Memory & not hard disks. So that is taken care of.

[Gurpartap Singh]

You would need a portable Mac OS X machine (MacBooks) to sync content.

[ibcool]

wont you need some custom dash to setup the 10 inch screen ?!
I think it will be quite a good machine for media consumption in the car !!

[Pri2]

Wow! I was about start a new topic on the iPad to be used a carputer, but it is already here.

I had a lot of expectations from the iPad, the hardware part is awesome! but the user interface was a disappointment.

The iPad looks like it will be a great Carputer. It has a LED backlit 9.7" screen. GPS and Music. I am positive that a lot of app developers will develop car specific apps just for the iPad that controls the GPS and entertainment and maybe a dashboard with a instrument cluster. This will be a perfect device for cars as it comes with an amazing touch screen, flash memory, No need of a separate power adapter as you can charge this from your cigarette lighter, no wires to mess around with. You also don't have to keep this fixed in your car, you can carry it around. The iPad will be an inexpensive alternate to a regular PC!

I give the Apple iPad a big !

[Xehaust]

Originally Posted by Pri2

I had a lot of expectations from the iPad, the hardware part is awesome! but the user interface was a disappointment.

You also don't have to keep this fixed in your car, you can carry it around.

I give the Apple iPad a big

Your right, on the software part, they could have just put in a modified version of OS X (The Apple Operating System) hence making it a full fledged touch screen mac.

By putting an iPhone like user interface, i feel they have just crippled its capabilities. Its just a bigger iPhone now if you ask me. Also you have to now bother yourself to sync it with a computer & hence, you now require a computer as well if you buy this.

As for the carputer part, yup, just make a custom stand or a dock like structure fixed into your car & you can use it as a carputer & just undock to carry around

[narry]

hi
i think this is going good future product
ARCHOS
it got windows 7 multimedia hd
u can check website
regards
narry

[Sn1p3r]

I might be the only party pooper. iPad I donot think will be a great carputer as it has limited range of task it can do. iPod Touch currently has all the same features then why wait for iPad? Doesn't make sense to me.

Had they made it more of a mac and less of an ipod this would have been a huge success. Mr. Jobs wanted to make a monkey of netbooks but he himself got it all wrong. Its only a ipod for seniors for easy on eyes experience.

[mmmjgm]

Check the "operating conditions" as stated by the manufacturer, it depends on where you stay and what will be the ambient temperature in the car.

Delhites may need to take it along if the car is going to be parked in the open during summers, so would Bombayites, Puneites and so forth who suffer a parked car in the summers.

[Xehaust]

Originally Posted by Sn1p3r

I might be the only party pooper. iPad I donot think will be a great carputer as it has limited range of task it can do. iPod Touch currently has all the same features then why wait for iPad? Doesn't make sense to me.

Had they made it more of a mac and less of an ipod this would have been a huge success. Mr. Jobs wanted to make a monkey of netbooks but he himself got it all wrong. Its only a ipod for seniors for easy on eyes experience.

Completely agree. Have mentioned the same in my posts above.
Am sure, they will launch one which runs the Mac OS soon.
Its something like the iPod touch & iPhone. Same product, just a minor difference.

[Gurpartap Singh]

Originally Posted by Xehaust

Completely agree. Have mentioned the same in my posts above.
Am sure, they will launch one which runs the Mac OS soon.
Its something like the iPod touch & iPhone. Same product, just a minor difference.

There'll be no desktop Mac OS X powered tablet by Apple. So, look at the features it's current OS has for carputer needs.

[DerAlte]

The OS on iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad is still Mac OS X, albeit condensed to suit the smaller footprint needed for these devices - that is where the original multi-tasking went out of the window. The UI is totally different between desktop / laptop version and the small devices version.

For a carputer one does not need to look at the OS features, rather whether there are applications that are needed for the carputer. Media player, Navigation, Vehicle diagnostics, ... At the moment, the Apple world has only the media player, not the other applications. Also, absence of USB will prevent hooking on to diagnostics.

The other distinctive thing needed for a carputer is a UI that will minimize the interaction methods to a few buttons / panels, so that the user is able to reach what he wants with minimum interaction with OS, i.e. no need to use the Finder app to find the songs to play. Haven't seen any popular one at the moment, but then it is a hop-skip-jump if one adapts RoadRunner for MacOS.

At the moment, an iPad can only replace an iPhone if one wants to use it in the car. IMHO one cannot think of using it as a carputer. An iMac Mini (with a conventional touchscreen monitor) is more suited for the purpose, as long as one doesn't think of it as a portable computer.

[infallible79]

Originally Posted by DerAlte

The OS on iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad is still Mac OS X, albeit condensed to suit the smaller footprint needed for these devices - that is where the original multi-tasking went out of the window. The UI is totally different between desktop / laptop version and the small devices version.

For a carputer one does not need to look at the OS features, rather whether there are applications that are needed for the carputer. Media player, Navigation, Vehicle diagnostics, ... At the moment, the Apple world has only the media player, not the other applications. Also, absence of USB will prevent hooking on to diagnostics.

The other distinctive thing needed for a carputer is a UI that will minimize the interaction methods to a few buttons / panels, so that the user is able to reach what he wants with minimum interaction with OS, i.e. no need to use the Finder app to find the songs to play. Haven't seen any popular one at the moment, but then it is a hop-skip-jump if one adapts RoadRunner for MacOS.

At the moment, an iPad can only replace an iPhone if one wants to use it in the car. IMHO one cannot think of using it as a carputer. An iMac Mini (with a conventional touchscreen monitor) is more suited for the purpose, as long as one doesn't think of it as a portable computer.

DerAlte has given a very crisp and precise explanation as to why iPad is not a good substitute for Carupter. In addition to the above, couple of more negatives:

1. Lack of sufficient disk space on the iPad. It currently supports 64GB flash drive max. I understand if someone is installing a Carputer then high disk space is a major requirement for storing your songs, videos, etc. Lack of USB also means that you cannot plug in an external Hard drive to the iPad.
2. Lack of multi-tasking. From what I read about iPad, you cannot run more than 1 application on it simultaneously. For a carputer, you will atleast want your GPS application and your Media Player running simultaneously.

[bullock-Car]

Six Reasons why Ipad is not for PCS
-------------------------------------
Six reasons iPads and cars don't mix | The Car Tech blog - CNET Reviews

It's probably not a very good GPS device
That low, low price of $499 gets you an iPad with built-in Wi-Fi, which can guess your position with limited accuracy using the location of a paired Wi-Fi hot spot. However, it will be plagued with the same issues that keep the iPod Touch from being useful for navigation. It won't be able to track your position when you lose your Internet connection--such as on an interstate. To make matters worse, the built in Maps application won't be able to access map data once its connection to the cloud is severed.
While the map data issue can be solved by downloading an app that stores maps locally, to get the always-on 3G connection and the real A-GPS tracking that comes with it, you'll need to step up to one of the iPad 3G units and pay for a monthly data plan. A standalone GPS device or that smartphone in your pocket is much cheaper at this point.
It doesn't multitask
While we're certain that the iPad will be able to access your iTunes library from within a navigation app and run the Mail app in the background (not that you want to be checking mail at 70 mph), that's about the extent of its multitasking capabilities. Anyone wanting to navigate while streaming audio from Pandora or Slacker using their fancy-pants 3G connections will be out of luck.
It doesn't make calls
For as low as $199, you can buy a portable navigation device with multimedia capabilities and a built-in cellular connection for voice and data. It's called the iPhone 3GS. For about the same price, you can get a standalone GPS device that will act as a speakerphone via Bluetooth. At $629, you can get an iPad that has a data connection, but you'll be out of luck if you try to make a call from it or through it. This is definitely a case of less is more.
It's too damn big
Seriously, where did you think you were going to put a 10-inch screen in your car? Mounting it on your windshield or at the top of the dashboard will obstruct a good deal of visibility and all but guarantee that you'll find yourself on the receiving end of a ticket. Mounting the iPad lower in the cabin will mean that you'll have to take your eyes off of the road to view the screen and, if you're using an iPad 3G, will most likely result in compromised access to the sky, limiting GPS accuracy.
It's not very modifiable.
One of the reasons that the Mac Mini makes such a cool carputer is that it is fairly easily modified with third-party software, peripherals for GPS, Bluetooth, additional storage, and custom interfaces optimized for in-car usage. The sky is the limit when it comes to a computer; however, the iPad isn't really a computer, it's a device.
You're pretty much stuck with Apple-approved applications and peripherals. Even then, the multitasking lockout prevents many of these additions from really being useful. Sure, you could get around such restrictions with a jailbreak, but that's a scary and dangerous route when you consider the possibility of making your iPad into a $500 brick.
Most importantly, it's too much of a distraction
Where I come, from we have a saying: "Sense ain't always common." Though we'd all like to believe that drivers are smart enough to keep their eyes on the road, trust me when I say that they're not. We live in a world where you have to pass a law to get people to watch the road and not their phones.
So, if you think those who text while driving are a menace, wait until you find yourself trading paint with people who are trying to read the Times in traffic, play Sudoku while waiting at a red light, or watch a video podcast at cruising speeds.

[Sn1p3r]

+1 to cnet and bullock-Car
I think apple mini or dell mini makes a nice Carputer.

I currently use iPod Touch 1st gen that is good enough for few tasks, for navigation we can always buy Garmin or Tomtom dock. I tried navigation using friend's iPhone and it was nice but I do not like the highhandedness of apple when it comes to my phone features, thus no iPhone.

I am sure Archos and Acer will be a better carputer except for the size. I am also puzzled with the space 10inchs will use near windscreen and how it will be useful.