The ability to slide behind the wheel of your car and check your e-mail moved from dream to reality Friday.
The world's first AutoPC went on sale at some stores in Seattle, San Diego and San Francisco, where car radio maker Clarion demonstrated the device in a bright yellow, convertible Mercedes. The computer will run Microsoft's Windows CE as its operating system and slides into the car-radio slot.
A full-blown version of the device will let people use voice-activated and touch commands to check their e-mail remotely, navigate through city streets, receive weather and traffic updates, and play CDs. The device is aimed at mobile professionals, and it includes a slot for flash memory chips, so users can transfer their personal computer from AutoPC to AutoPC. The device also synchronizes with handheld devices, but only those powered by CE.
"This opens up a whole new world of uses," said Jeff Robertson, program manager of Microsoft's auto PC group. "Your car maker can call you next year and say, 'We have an upgrade to your stereo.' "
Big bucks
But the system won't be cheap. To get the full package, a user will have to spend between $US2,200 and $US2,500. That includes the stand-alone AutoPC device, GPS equipment, remote capabilities, and navigation software. The companies plan to release the AutoPC to the U.S. in mid-January.
The basic AutoPC alone costs about $US1,299 and contains voice-activated radio and mapping capabilities.
Microsoft is pushing the AutoPC as it tries to tackle new markets for its operating system. The automobile market is a potentially lucrative one, especially considering that the number of people who drive cars is exponentially greater than the number who own PCs.
Mobile monopoly?
Clarion executives said they chose Windows CE because of the platform's wide developer base. Plus, when they started collaborating with Microsoft on the project three-and-a-half years ago, CE was the only game in town. Since then Java also has made a serious attempt to target the market.
Clarion executives also said they're in negotiations with several high-end carmakers interested in buying the device, and Hertz and Avis are testing it in their rental cars. Microsoft is working with other hardware makers and plans to unveil more devices in the coming months.
Critics of the technology worry the device will cause users to take their eyes off the road, but makers said the device may actually make driving safer by providing directions when a user is lost. "It's voice-activated, so you never have to take your hands off the wheel," a Clarion executive said.
Real world problems
Voice technology also has some limitations. The technology often works well in a controlled setting like a silent parked car, but it sometimes has trouble filtering out loud ambient noise.
Microsoft officials said an updated version of the car computer software is due out next year. Future versions of the product will contain more features and probably a larger screen.
Already several independent software developers are in the process of creating unique applications for the car computer platform, since Microsoft made its developers kit available in April. Those include: Software that will monitor a car's engine; software connected to sensors on a car's bumper that will tell drivers the number of feet they have behind them; and, of course, games for those long road trips.
Microsoft developers already have created several AutoPC games that they are "testing" in their own cars. Those include a voice-activated slot machine game that reads out phrases such as "banana, banana, banana," when the user "pulls" the lever.
