Asus announced a "revolutionary" Windows CE PND (personal navigation device) that projects directions, speed, and other information onto a car windshield. In addition to its HUD (heads up display), the "R710" includes a five-inch touchscreen display, Bluetooth, a microSD expansion slot, plus A/V playback,...
Touting the R710 as the "world's first PND with PathFinder HUD technology," Asus says that the R710 makes an important contribution to safety, since drivers no longer need look away from the road to get navigational information. With traditional PNDs, it can take between one and two seconds for a driver's field of vision to adjust as their eyes move back and forth, the company claims.
Asus provided no information on how the R710 needs to be mounted, but the device apparently comes with dual displays, one on the front of the device and one on the back. The primary display measures five inches, and works much like the display in any PND with 3D mapping capabilities. The back-mounted secondary display, meanwhile, shows the directions and distance to the next turn in a bright, monochrome amber color, which apparently can be viewed as a reflection on the vehicle's windshield. A YouTube video here -- from which the image below was taken -- shows how it works. Just don't try to follow the amber arrow without looking at it in a mirror first, or you may get all turned around!
The R710's secondary display reflects amber images off a car's windshield
Meanwhile, the device's main five-inch touchscreen display, with an automatic ambient light sensor, is used similarly to that on any other PND. Apart from its HUD, in fact, the R710 offers pretty much standard fare. For example, it runs the Windows CE 5.0 core operating system, has a 400MHz Samsung S3C2443 CPU, features 64MB or 128MB of RAM, and has 2GB of flash memory, according to Asus.
The R710's GPS capabilities are provided via the ubiquitous SiRF starIII chipset. The device can also play audio and video in a variety of formats, and accepts up to 8GB of media or supplemental maps via a microSD expansion slot, Asus says.
Features and specifications listed by Asus for the R710 include:
Processor -- Samsung SC2443, clocked at 400MHz
Memory -- 64MB or 128MB of RAM, and 2GB of flash storage
Display -- 5-inch touchscreen display with 480 x 272 pixel resolution, plus amber secondary display (details not provided)
Wireless:
GPS
Bluetooth 2.0
Other I/O: USB 1.1
Expansion -- microSD slot
Battery type -- 1530mAH
Dimensions (main unit) -- 5.23 x 3.39 x 0.66 inches (133 x 86.2 x 16.8mm)
Weight (main unit) -- 8.46 ounces (240g)
A demonstration of the R710's HUD. The image on the windshield is projected by an R710 not shown in this video. Source: Navigadget (Click to play)
Further information
Asus provided no pricing or availability information on the R710. It did say that the device will be available in "worldwide," Russian, Chinese, and Taiwanese editions, however.
