Grand Am Car Computer

Don't waste time asking me "why did you put a computer in your car?" There are a number of reasons, which I will share with you now. A lot of cars nowadays come with DVD players and screens for entertainment. Or some have navigation functions built it. Well, this does all that, and more. The specs for the whole system are below, and the pics, use the button to the left for that.

Computer Specs:

• Compaq Evo P4 1.8ghz - I chose this pc because its case was small and fit well for this application.

• Toshiba DVD ROM/CDRW - I can watch DVD's, or burn cd's. Its the best of both worlds.

• 1Gig of ram, PC133 - Lots of ram is great for fast bootups and load times of programs.

• ATI Radeon 7000VE Video Card - This has s-video and composite out, which was needed to hook up to the screen.

• SoundBlaster Live 5.1 - I started with onboard sound, but the quality was lacking. This external sound card is far superior, quality and clarity are great.

• 120 Gig Hard Drive - I need a big hard drive for movies, games, emulators, and all the other essentials.

• Bluetooth - Very handy for hooking to my cell phone (for internet access), docking a digital camera, pda, or my headset.

• Onboard Lan - great for hooking up to the home network to grab big files, or use a crossover cable to hook up my laptop.

• Netgear 802.11b wifi adapter - Good for getting on the home network, or wardriving.

• BU- 303 GPS Reciever -  This could be my favorite part, and most useful. Paired with my software, I can get to anywhere, without getting lost!

• Glidepoint Easycat Touchpad - I had a gyromouse, but this is better. I recessed it into the center console, makes it look like it was always there.

• Thumbpad Keyboard - This was actually for a Playstation 2, but its usb, so it plugs right it. Ultra compact!

• InfraRed - I can hook up diff computer peripherals to this.

• ATI Remote Wonder - Very handy for out of car use. I can control the mouse, change tracks, mute, volume. All the conveniences of a remote, IN THE CAR! And of course, Frodo has a plug-in for it!

The Rest Of The System:

• Dual Independent Tv Tuner - Has 3 inputs, plus an input for a rear view camera. I use the second output to my trunk monitor, and I can view a whole different source!

• 7" Xenarc Wide Screen TFT Flip Down Monitor - I wanted a screen that could be put out of the way, and still keep my overall stock look. This fits great, and the picture quality is better than my monitors in the house!

• 5" TFT Monitor - This monitor is in my trunk, is great for showing off what all this pc can do, mostly used for car shows.

• Magnavox VCP - I had so many tapes sitting around, I thought I would add in a VCP to play em all.

• 750watt/8amp Power Inverter - Very handy for powering the computer and all accessories

• SS2000CA - Color rear view camera. Handy for backing up, even has decent night vision!a

Software:

• Windows XP Professional - The core OS. I barely ever see the desktop, Frodoplayer always runs on top of it.

• Microsoft Office 2003 - I use it basically for e-mail, and a PowerPoint presentation now and then.

• Microsoft Streets & Trips 2005 - This software gets me wherever I need to go, without getting lost. I will upgrade to Routis eventually.

• Frodoplayer - The dashboard software I use to play music, video's and such.

• Netstumbler - War driving software. Turn it on, drive around, and see how many wifi access points you can find.

• Emulators - Atari 2600, Nintendo, Super Nintendo, Sega Genesis, Sega Masters System, Neo Geo, Nintendo 64, Gameboy, Gameboy Advance.