Plans for a future Mac Mini mod...

[WhiteEagle]

Hey all,

I'm planning for a future mod, where I'm going to be using a Mac Mini in my future car. Popular Science has already done it, and it looks better than using one of those GPS packages out there (Bigger screen for one thing!). This won't be cheap for me - anywhere from ~$1,200 to ~$2,400 it will cost me, but I think it'll be worth it in the long run, because if I ever go camping where there is no internet, I'll have brought it along in my car, so I could keep in contact. What do you think?

WhiteEagle

[Hitman]

What car are you planing on getting. Almost all of the new cars here in Europe come with GPS built in. We rented a van several weeks ago to go to Amsterdam and Paris, and having GPS was very handy.

[WhiteEagle]

A cherry-red BMW is what I'm currently looking at.

[Hitman]

Originally Posted by WhiteEagle

A cherry-red BMW is what I'm currently looking at.

McDonald's must be paying a lot better then I thought they did. Either that or you're looking at a very old cherry red BMW.

[wtcnbrwndo4u]

OK, this isn't as costly as you're thinking.

The easiest way is to just get a Windows based laptop and get Microsoft Street and Trips 2007, which comes with a USB GPS adapter. You just need a custom molded dash to accomodate a 7" or bigger LCD.

Depending on the price of your laptop (or better yet, a mini-PC), this can run anywhere from $1100 to $2500.

A Mac lacks compatibility with Streets and Trips as well as most other things... No doubt, you can emulate the app. You just gotta be good at Mac stuff....

[gvblake22]

There are mini-mac clones that are based on PC hardware. I think AOpen has something like it, Shuttle also has some fairly small form factor PC systems as well.

As far as putting it in your car, it would be cool for watching movies or listening to music. But I can't see using it for internet whenever and wherever, you still need some kind of an internet signal or connection (which isn't possible to get everywhere). I would use it more for media use than anything else. You can easily hook it up so that the audio out goes through the car's speaker system. Check out the VIA stuff too, they make a lot of systems specifically designed for use in a vehicle.

[wtcnbrwndo4u]

Originally Posted by gvblake22

There are mini-mac clones that are based on PC hardware. I think AOpen has something like it, Shuttle also has some fairly small form factor PC systems as well.

As far as putting it in your car, it would be cool for watching movies or listening to music. But I can't see using it for internet whenever and wherever, you still need some kind of an internet signal or connection (which isn't possible to get everywhere). I would use it more for media use than anything else. You can easily hook it up so that the audio out goes through the car's speaker system. Check out the VIA stuff too, they make a lot of systems specifically designed for use in a vehicle.

There's something called Sprint EVDO Blake. It costs $70 a month and you're able to use the internet just about any major city in the nation. You just need to use a PCMCIA card, which may be a little trouble.

EDIT: Only problem is that it's virtually useless to use outside of a city.

DOUBLE-EDIT: This is what Blake was talking about:
AOpen miniPC

Stylish too.

[wtcnbrwndo4u]

OK, screw a triple edit.
Ajump : Product: 'Cubid 2699 Mini-ITX Case w/ Slim CD & FDD Bay & Front Access Ports - Black'

Check out mini-ITX products. Here's some mobos from NewEgg:
Albatron S754 ITX board - $299.99
Newegg.com - Albatron KI51PV-754 Socket 754 NVIDIA GeForce 6150 Mini ITX AMD Motherboard - Retail
iGoLogic Core 2 Duo ITX board - $319.99
Newegg.com - iGoLogic Inc MBI3899-F Socket 478 Intel 945GM Mini ITX Intel Motherboard - Retail

You can go hella cheap though and get VIA. They even come with CPUs.
VIA 800MHz CPU + board - $99.99
Newegg.com - VIA EPIA-800A VIA C3 800MHz Processor VIA PLE133 Mini ITX Motherboard/CPU Set - Retail
VIA 1.2GHZ CPU + board - $234.99

That 800MHz one is the best bet... Seriously, when will you use that much power for playing music + vids? Intel board is most feature packed though.

This Silverstone case is sleek as hell... comes with PSU (120W) and riser boards too!:
Newegg.com - SILVERSTONE LC19B-R Black Aluminum front panel, 1.0mm SECC body MicroATX Desktop Computer Case - Retail

Get the drift?

[WhiteEagle]

Apparently none of you read the article at Popular Science. I am going to use software called "Street Deck", which is a great navigational tool, plus it'll give me info about my car's performance via a USB-pluggable tool I can get from ScanTool.net - Home - Welcome to ScanTool.net. I am using the Mac Mini because it can run both Mac OS X and Windows Vista(beat that with a custom PC!), or I can build a PC from parts available from Mp3Car.com Custom car computers and parts!.

WhiteEagle

PS. McDonalds isn't my primary workplace anymore. That honor goes to my own company, which pays me a salary of CAN$5,000/month before taxes and deductions (about ~3,300 afterwards).

[Hitman]

Originally Posted by WhiteEagle

PS. McDonalds isn't my primary workplace anymore. That honor goes to my own company, which pays me a salary of CAN$5,000/month before taxes and deductions (about ~3,300 afterwards).

<<<<Insert rude private business comment here>>>>