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wallydogking · 12-09-2007, 04:48 PM

Hansi - an iPaq is one of the best PDA (personal digital assistant). Its made by HP and has been around for years and years.

I used to have an iPaq installed in an old car and used it as a MP3/movie player. But the one I had was a bit under powered. The latest models have some serious grunt to them and you can easily run most DiVx movies off of them. You can even get software to rip DVDs straight to them.

The down side to an iPaq (for me) was that there was no (inexpensive) way to output the video to an external screen. The cheapest I found a few years ago was almost as much as the PDA itself.

The up shot to the iPaq is that you can browse the folders and stuff right on the touch screen. with an iPod you can't. you still have to access the main unit to control it - which means you can't hide it.

I decided to go with an iPod as it was an easy solution for me. I've got a Vauxall Vectra and the location of the ash tray is perfect for the iPod dock and it gives easy access to the underside of the dash. Also with the spare panels in the roof (not sure what's meant to be there) there is room for a fold down screen.

Its the best solution for me, but its certainly not for everyone.

a good place to start for iPaq ideas is here: http://www.hp.com/country/us/en/prodserv/handheld.html

however! for the ultimate in car PC mod... the apple mini mac is just about the exact same size as an in dash stereo. they fit in the dash perfectly. This is an awesome installation:
http://www.macvroom.com/Macd-Ride-2006-BMW-325

food for thought?

12-09-2007, 04:48 PM	#13 (permalink)
wallydogking Junior Member Wrench Kid Join Date: Sep 2007 Location: Devon Posts: 6	Hansi - an iPaq is one of the best PDA (personal digital assistant). Its made by HP and has been around for years and years. I used to have an iPaq installed in an old car and used it as a MP3/movie player. But the one I had was a bit under powered. The latest models have some serious grunt to them and you can easily run most DiVx movies off of them. You can even get software to rip DVDs straight to them. The down side to an iPaq (for me) was that there was no (inexpensive) way to output the video to an external screen. The cheapest I found a few years ago was almost as much as the PDA itself. The up shot to the iPaq is that you can browse the folders and stuff right on the touch screen. with an iPod you can't. you still have to access the main unit to control it - which means you can't hide it. I decided to go with an iPod as it was an easy solution for me. I've got a Vauxall Vectra and the location of the ash tray is perfect for the iPod dock and it gives easy access to the underside of the dash. Also with the spare panels in the roof (not sure what's meant to be there) there is room for a fold down screen. Its the best solution for me, but its certainly not for everyone. a good place to start for iPaq ideas is here: http://www.hp.com/country/us/en/prodserv/handheld.html however! for the ultimate in car PC mod... the apple mini mac is just about the exact same size as an in dash stereo. they fit in the dash perfectly. This is an awesome installation: http://www.macvroom.com/Macd-Ride-2006-BMW-325 food for thought?