ClarionMind integrates the Internet and GPS.
(Credit: Clarion)
At the Intel Developer Forum, Clarion launched the production version of ClarionMind, a portable GPS device with full Internet connectivity that runs on Linux. Clarion showed off a concept of the device at last January's CES. The full product launch reveals a device that looks similar to current GPS devices, featuring a 4.8-inch 800x480-pixel touch screen. And, like some current GPS devices, the ClarionMind offers media playback and Bluetooth for hands-free calling.
What sets it apart is Wi-Fi and software for various Internet applications, including a Web browser and e-mail. It includes viewers for YouTube, Google Maps, MySpace, and weather. According to the news release, Clarion integrated Internet search and GPS functions, so that you can search for local businesses and feed the addresses into the destination entry. Along with in-vehicle navigation and Internet use, the device is also designed to work as a portable Internet appliance in the home or anywhere else.
The ClarionMind runs on an Intel Atom processor and includes 512 MB of DRAM along with 4 gigabytes of flash memory. There are two USB ports and an SD card slot. According to Clarion, a vehicle dock will also be available, and that the device has an "Automobile Mode for safe access behind the wheels." We hope this last feature isn't too restrictive, although from the devices description, it can easily be defeated.
ClarionMind will ship in the fourth quarter.
(Credit:
Akihabara News)
Even in the face of monumental change in the automotive industry, it's amazing how conservative automakers can be sometimes. While they've focused increasingly on electronics and entertainment systems to differentiate their products, built-in stereo receivers still look pretty much the same as they have for the last decade.
Not the latest line from Clarion. The car electronics veteran is in some ways breaking its own mold with boxes that look more appropriate in the kitchen than the dashboard. Not only are they departing from the standard black and silver, as is made plain by the photos on Akihabara News, but one model is actually white with peach accents (gasp and double-gasp).
Some have suggested that the system even has an '80s look to it, which might make sense coming from Clarion. This is, after all, the same manufacturer that's peddling something of a retro CD player for a scooter.
(Credit:
Akihabara News)
In the hypercompetitive business of on-board vehicle electronics, Clarion is apparently trying to carve out a niche for itself in two-wheeled transportation. A few months ago it introduced a "Drip-Proof" CD player for Japan's scooter market, for example, and now it's come up with a waterproofed version of its "DrivTrax" GPS unit suitable for handlebar mounting as well.
The device, which costs about $172, can be removed so it can be carried around (and not stolen) while running on AA batteries. Akihabara News says it also includes a speaker, though we have no idea how anyone would be able to hear it above the din of Tokyo traffic.
(Credit:
Clarion)
It may be a sad commentary on modern society, but we fully understand why people would want to install cameras in their cars specifically to document what exactly might happen in an accident. We just don't think the ideal solution is a model so big that it could obstruct a driver's view and possibly cause the very accident it's trying to monitor--no matter what Paris Hilton's parents have to say about it.
Clarion's "DriveEye" may be a good compromise, though Technabob says it's available only in Japan at present for about $412. It's small enough to be mounted on the windshield without blocking the main line of sight and doesn't look like a bank's security camera as other models do.
As do other automotive black boxes, the DriveEye automatically starts to digitally record the action upon detecting sudden braking and, if a crash does occur, saves up to 15 seconds of video before it happens and 5 seconds after. But be careful not to confuse it for other cameras installed overhead, or you may inadvertently cause the crash you're so worried about.
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