Just watched Pimp My Ride on MTV and the guys Escort was unpimpable...so they bought him a Scion. They should've bought him an Element but anyway...they put in a system called Drivesoft that is basically a computer with email, internet, mp3, etc... It Had It ALL! Anyone know who makes this or where to get it? Searched but can't find a thing. Thanks

http://www.drivesoft.net

For what it's worth. No pictures, mostly rambling marketing-speak, dead links to anything promising pictures. My guess with not seeing the show is whatever they put in the Scion must have been a prototype or a test buck.

I've seen this before. They are not ready to sell anything. I'll conjecture they have nothing in serious production or it's too far away to be meaningful.

If they are smart (like others before them have not been), they will "Mea culpa!" and admit to the publicity being premature. However, judging from the text on the website, they're going to try to bluff their way through this. The next "scheduled appearance" is at the SEMA show in November. We'll see...

:?

http://www.drivesoft.net/Index_files/Images/Screens/index.htm

GUI - these pix looks like crap.

http://www.drivesoft.net/Index_files/Images/Vehicles/index.htm

installed

Shen, those links were good links... to pages with nothing but missing pictures. Their server/site/whatever is busted.

[quote:05cab36dd6=" "]Shen, those links were good links... to pages with nothing but missing pictures. Their server/site/whatever is busted.[/quote:05cab36dd6]

weird... i can access it just fine.

in any case, anyone considering this shoud go with a mini-itx computer installed under their passenger seat. you can build one for less than $300 (the touchscreen LCD will cost a lot though), but with it you'll be able to run windows xp in your car and have all those cool things like mp3, dvd's, video files, games, etc!

[quote:6a95879f3e=" "]Shen, those links were good links... to pages with nothing but missing pictures. Their server/site/whatever is busted.[/quote:6a95879f3e]

server/site/WEBMASTER

The links would work, but someone got the slash between the directory and the filename reversed ("\\"). DUMBDONKEYS.

...and they're developing the next best carputer???

schyeah.

Now I need a jscript applet to automagically fix slashes in URLs found on a page....

-brendan

>the slash between the directory and the filename reversed ("\\").

Yep. I didn't bother checking the source. Idiots.

>...and they're developing the next best carputer???

Hoo, boy! I certainly understand kitchen-table operations (such as my own!), but this sounds like somebody's brother-in-law said "Yeah, I can do your site for you! Save yourself some bucks. Don't worry about it!"

:roll:

I am currently working on installing a kiosk computer(like out of a color atm) in my E. It is kinda half way beteen a touch screen laptop and a mini itx. Im going to do a write up when i am finished. The greatest thing about useing a kiosk computer is that it only cost me $220 for the computer WITH the 10.2" touchsceen! Also it was very easy to get it to run on 12V. However it is takeing a LOT of hacking to extend the wires that go from the comuter to the lcd/touchscreen part.

Heh, yeah... Their site only works in IE. If you check it out, it was created using Microsoft Word. They've been talking to people from the mp3car forums... They sound like bull to me, but they're supposedly going to sell the software on its own soon. Doesn't have any skinning or a lot of the other features that carputer users take for granted, but since we haven't seen it much yet... Maybe it's cool.

But yeah, they should have pimped an Element! Dammit, just owning a honda makes me want to get a huge wing for the back, and a fart-pipe to wake the neighbors! What is it about that H logo that does this to people?

I use Digital Dash now and again on the car pc in my E which seems similar to the interface in the pics:
http://www.gnetcanada.com/

But does will a "mini-itx" do internet, email, navigation, theft recovery gps etc? Does anyone know of a different system that you can get internet email etc in addition to all the functions of a computer? I know trackm8.com has a system but I don't think they are in the U.S. yet. (just U.K. last time I checked)

[quote:d6830c8256=" "]But does will a "mini-itx" do internet, email, navigation, theft recovery gps etc? Does anyone know of a different system that you can get internet email etc in addition to all the functions of a computer? I know trackm8.com has a system but I don't think they are in the U.S. yet. (just U.K. last time I checked)[/quote:d6830c8256]

The system I have (from Xenarc) will do all that (except theft recovery - not sure what that is). The link in my sig has photos. It does everything a pc does in a smaller frame. DVD, GPS, email/web, etc.

This site is a great source of info:
http://www.mp3car.com

How fast is your internet with the sony usb bluetooth device?
Theft recovery is when your ride gets stolen and they can locate it via gps/satellite.

[quote:dace7b660c=" "]How fast is your internet with the sony usb bluetooth device?
Theft recovery is when your ride gets stolen and they can locate it via gps/satellite.[/quote:dace7b660c]

I have an 80211G wireless card (56mbps max) for hot spots and for loading files from my home wireless network.

The bluetooth dial up through my T610 is 56k through a $20 a month T-Mobile unlimited account.

Budman-

Knowing I'm going to be travelling rural for a bit this summer, I just ordered an GSM antenna system for the E. The way the T610 cradles works, the cradle itself is required to secure the antenna to the phone.

So, I got the S/E HCH-33 cradle/mount (w/ locking antenna hole), a model-specific antenna adapter and a Wilson Dual Band mag-mount antenna that's 6dBi in the 1900MHz range and 5dBi in the 800-900MHz range.

Antenna:
http://www.malcomwireless.com/wireless/store/accessorydetail.asp?id=22345&phoneid=308

[Note: I think that the "System Gain" of 10-15 dB assumes worse case using a phone with a low quality antenna in a near-Faraday-Cage vehicle...]

All this for better data coverage using my T-610 over bluetooth. Should arrive while I'm away on vacation, will install it (...and a note to myself on the dash to remove the antenna when going into garages...) the week after.

Might also grab one of Wilson's 3-watt dual-band amps as well. We'll see.

Then pics!

-brendan

Sweet! Never thought about that. Let me know how it works.