I will be the first to admit that I am a gadget geek and proud of it! I am also a car nut, and enjoy driving around in anything with six cylinders or more! Being a gadget geek and a car nut, I often find ways of combining my two main passions in life.
If you buy a brand new car, you will be able to enjoy the latest technology and gadgets within it. But what if you drive around in an older car? The good news is that you can bring your car into the 21st century!
Image Credit: Thraxil
Don’t worry; you don’t need to fit a giant speaker to the roof of your car like the one in the photograph above! Here are some awesome ideas for unleashing some geek into your car.
DAB Head Unit
DAB stands for “Digital Audio Broadcasting.” You know how your existing car stereo picks up radio stations using analogue FM transmissions? DAB radio aims to make those standards obsolete.
The great thing about DAB radio is that all transmissions are digital. In other words, you are less likely to hear crackling audio. You can also listen to national radio transmissions whereas FM ones are usually local stations.
DAB head units don’t cost more than traditional FM head units, and they are quite simple to swap out in your car.
Apple iPad Mini
You might be wondering why I am suggesting you get an Apple iPad mini for your car. These popular tablet devices can also work as satellite navigation systems.
Once you have finished playing Angry Birds and want to plot a route to your next destination, you can do so using the same device!
And because they are smaller and lighter than the standard iPad, they will fit onto your dashboard or windscreen with ease.
I would recommend taking your iPad mini out of the car when it’s not in use. An opportunist thief might feel that it would be better in their ownership instead of yours!
4G Wi-Fi Router
Now we are getting geeky! Today’s modern smartphones and tablets have mobile data capabilities. But what if you want everyone’s devices in your car to use a single Internet connection?
These days, it is now possible to buy a 4G Wi-Fi router for use with the car. Some are even available in 12-volt format, so that you can use your car’s cigar lighting circuit without the need for an inverter.
4G Wi-Fi routers are “unlocked,” so you can use a SIM card from any network provider.
LCD Screens in Headrests
Many luxury cars have LCD screens built into car seat headrests. It enables rear passengers to enjoy watching their favourite films or even television programmes.
My friend Mark works at Inchcape Toyota. He recently saw a customer’s car with retrofitted LCD screens in the headrests. When he talked to the owner about them, the guy said they were quite easy to make, and that all he did was follow a tutorial on the Internet!