So I had this idea a while ago and thought I would share since it is something that I really would love to have and am surprised it hasn't been created yet. The basic idea is that, instead of having an in-dash GPS and stuff in your car AND a smartphone, integrate the two! I love the form factor of stock GPS systems with touchscreen controls for audio and such, but static information (I'll be damned if I'm going to pay over $100 just to update my maps from last year) is a major bummer. I love the functionality I get with my phone, but even in the car dock, it just isn't as nice to interact with. I want to use all my phone's snazzy functionality but still have my dash look something like this. I really thought this would be a fairly simple idea, so I did some digging and there are some strides to make it happen. This unit is basically an in-dash dock for your phone. While that is cool, it really isn't that much different that what I have with my car dock and my tape adapter (yeah, I'm old school haha). What I would really like is my phone's screen to essentially be mirrored to the larger in-dash screen. Toyota has done some work in this direction, but it is looking more like an external display for your phone, not 2-way communication (I hope I'm wrong). So my ideal scenario would be an in-dash unit that, while connected to your phone, basically behaves exactly like a larger version of your phone, touchscreen and all. That would sure make road trips more fun (and GPS always up-to-date). I would think this would be a fairly simple mapping of touches and display and thus, not too difficult to implement. It could even be designed to have basic radio functionality and stuff when there isn't a phone connected so a smartphone wouldn't necessarily be a requirement for use. Sounds easy enough, yes? So get on it car unit manufacturers! :-)
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