One of the biggest challenges to “mobile computing” (besides battery life) is outdoor readability. (If you’ve ever squinted through your sunglasses trying to dial on your windows mobile phone, you know what I’m talking about).
Recently I had an old EO 72xx UMPC upgraded to a transflective screen. It cost a few hundred dollars for them to treat the LCD with some sort of new surface and then replace the touch panel with another type with some sort of glare reduction. You can get these transflectivized screens and conversions from http://www.mp3car.com (Disclaimer: I used to work there . I then brought up google maps on both units and took them outside to get a comparative.

In the picture you can see the top, washed out picture is the normal LCD, and the bottom picture is the transflectivized unit. Here are a few more pictures of the two units….

transflective unit in sunlight

unmodified unit – you can see the camera’s reflection, but the map is very washed out.

worst conditions – direct sunlight, bad off-angle, no shade.

Another pathologically bad angle – you can still see the transflective unit.

(thank you http://tabletpc2.com/ !)

http://www.makerfaire.com/

Technorati Tags: AMC, car pc, carputer, cars, damienstolarz, emerging technology, in-car computing, nash, nash ambassador, navigation, make, makersfaire, streetdeck, telematics

I commute a lot in Los Angeles, and I have noticed an intriguing but literally disturbing trend: Mobile epitaphs.

No kidding, these are short dedications to the deceased on the rear windows of my co-commuters.

I have to say, as an observer and writer on emerging media trends, the mere fact of this emerging medium for paying respect does not bother me. If someone can propose over IM or a text message, I see no reason why someone else can’t honor their loved ones on their hatchback, minivan, or SUV.

What I do question is the wisdom of presenting reminders of death to other drivers. Most of the dedications I have seen were, sadly, of people who died young – perhaps early to mid 20′s. One I saw showed someone who must have died as a teenager. I also question whether having a daily reminder of someone’s passing is a good way to deal with the event and move on – usually, you want to find things that don’t remind you of the person who left your life. You wouldn’t have a tombstone in your front yard would you?

I remember I used to get a bit sad when I walked through the University of Oregon campus – which had an old graveyard in the middle – and I would see the children who only lasted a few months back in the 19th century.

If an accident on the side of the road can slow down traffic – even just a car on the side – I wonder if these kind but oddly mobile sentiments have an adverse effect on drivers other than me.

It’s not like I veer off into the shoulder when I see them – but I can’t help but think about who they are. And I don’t think I should be contemplating death while driving.

Technorati Tags: cars, emerging media, epitaph

I’m happy to report that I’ve had an article published in Popular Science on installing a car PC, in the How 2.0 section!
If you like cars and new technology, I strongly recommend you read the current issue (May 2007), and not just because of my article
With a readership of 7 million, I think we’ll see a lot more people putting PC’s in their cars.

Technorati Tags: car pc, carputer, cars, damienstolarz, emerging technology, in-car computing, infotainment, navigation, podcast, stolarz