Garmin HUD displays driving directions on your car's windshield

Jos

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Smartphones have things pretty much covered when it comes to mobile mapping and turn by turn navigation -- most of the time it won’t even cost you a dime. Looking to stay relevant and competitive, GPS navigation companies like Garmin have had to step out of their comfort zone by selling their own smartphones apps alongside dedicated devices -- or in the case of their latest product, something that combines the two.

The new Garmin HUD connects with the company’s navigation apps to project a basic set of navigation data -- current speed, speed limit, turn arrows, distance to next turn and more -- onto your vehicle’s windshield. The result mimics a similar feature found in some expensive luxury cars, only relatively inexpensive at $130.

You’ll need to factor in an additional $29.99 for Garmin’s Navigon or StreetPilot apps on Android, iPhone, or Windows Phone 8. The head-up display will then just sit on the dashboard and communicate with your smartphone via Bluetooth. By projecting only a limited, yet relevant amount of data up in the driver's line of sight, Garmin claims that the device can help increase safety by reducing distraction.

There’s no detailed map or points of interest information. But in addition to the aforementioned cues, the Garmin HUD also lets drivers know the estimated time of arrival, information about traffic delays, upcoming safety camera locations, speed limits, and gives them graphic lane guidance.

The device is powered by a 12V charging cable and has a USB port to keep your phone charged as well.

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I'd prefer a HUD display on the outside of the windshield - maybe fancy 3D from dual projectors built into the washer jets assembly- and a quick toggle button on the dash for frequently required displays:
" Hey grannie, turn off your indicator already"
"Thanks for cutting me off a__hole"
 
Cool! How's it work in the sunlight, and can I get a cross-hairs to display when I'm not using the navigation?
That would be cool especially if you have twin machine guns that can pop out of your front bumper. You can blow away the chump in front of you who ticks you off.:mad: :D
 
There's no need for this product at night because there are apps that flip the screen on your cellphone so you can lay it on the dash and it'll reflect properly off the inside of the windshield. I do not know if there is a full fledged map application though, but I have something called HUDdisplay that does speedometer and compass that cost like a buck in the App Store. No reason that the display couldn't be what Garmin is doing if some smart developer wanted to make it (might already be one?). During the day all bets are off though, and Garmin may have something? I dunno. Seems awfully redundant once you've seen what a cell phone can do by itself. Enjoy.
 
Reminds me of riding in my cousins 2002 Z06 Corvette with the on-screen display.
 
I still cant believe all instrument panels haven't been replaced with this technology. It is far easier on the eyes and considerably less distracting to watch your speed and other important information in or near your line of sight with the road. To constantly look down at your instrument panel, changing focus and taking your eyes off the road needs to go away.

Now I'm hoping they have the special film that gets placed over the windshield otherwise it will probably be useless in the bright sunshine.
 
So you're probably just like me then, you let the better half direct you from a map book. Yeah I have to agree, she's probably 10x as nice, and interactive to boot.:D
What I mean by 10x as nice, is that my cars HUD's hardware is not visible. It is blended into the dash board.
 
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