The i3 Team has launched an “Intelligent Integrated Interface for your Mac and your car.”
Ever wished you could have a Mac in your car? We did, so we got to work and installed a mac in the car. We soon found out that the beautiful interface of Mac OS X was not the ideal solution for the car environment. Dragging a mouse about was simply too time consuming and extremely dangerous if done while driving. “Wouldn’t it be great if we had an interface to get things working instead of having to double click all over the place?” we asked ourselves. Well, we got to work again and i3 was born. The intelligent integrated interface. Basically it’s an application launcher, but it’s so much more than that when you start to use it.
You assign applications to buttons and so opening up stuff becomes a single click operation (touch if you,ve got a touch screen). That’s basically it! Simple and useful. It’s now 90% customisable so you can add your own skin designs and add your own button placement. Download the application and test it out… it’s fully functional except for a few red letters accross the screen. If you like it and think that it works, $25 isn’t too much to ask for the work we’ve had so far. We are commited to continue developing the application (we are already are!!) and we also comit to help you wherever you need. This is why we’ve created the forums… grab a beer (non-alcoholic… don’t drink and drive!) and give us your feedback, leave your comments or just chat to us. Remember, however, that constructive comments are more helpfull than 2 word statements. We want this to be a comunity effort. The direction i3 goes is truly dependent on your reactions and comments.
More info, screenshots, and download link here.
And, I thought cell phones were a mindless distraction to drivers. Now we are developing a way people can work on spreadsheets as they rear-end the car in front.
Isn’t it illegal to have a screen that is visible to the driver? Note that built-in DVD player screens are always behind the driver. Have you ever seen one for the front seat passenger. GPS displays, unless they have voice directions, are also a hazard. It’s just like trying to read a paper map and drive at the same time. Cell phones are bad enough, this is an accident waiting to happen.
Maybe police cars will use it – I certainly don’t see it in my life
In most states in the U.S. it’s illegal, which is why BMWs and Porches (and others? I don’t know) with navigation systems come with firmware that disables the viewing of broadcast television and DVDs on that screen – which is apparently enabled in European versions of firmware.
It is also, however, something like a $15 fine if you’re caught.
I won’t get started on driving in the United States and how it should be changed.
The Dude will have to check this out for his iTunes car project. Route66 with a Tripnav works great… except having the laptop on the seat next to you. Have a built-in display on the dash (that does not obscure view of road) will make it safer.
Your safety concerns are slightly over-zealous. I bet you are the same people that ARE on the cell phone and eating a big mac dropping food all over and trying to clean up while doing 90. So don’t get all richeous. Ever turn the radio on while driving? Change the radio station? Put a CD in the cars CD player? All these actions until perfected with use take your eyes off the road, and make it equally dangerous.
There is danger in misuse of everything. If you try and tune your radio in your car (think fade front .. rear… left.. right, bass, treble) while driving that would be bad news too.
They are trying to make it safer with this software then what it currently is. Less mousing, make it easy to hit what you want and focus on the road.
As for against the law…. there are many laws…. some are good… some are dumb. Here is a site with some dumb ones…. pick your state and see if you agree with all the laws that some consider dumb. http://www.dumblaws.com/laws.php?site=laws&cid=184
Hey, the Dude abides.
$25 for a community effort. Please don’t say stuff like that. This is shareware pure and simple. If you want a community effort, open source it.
If you want a real community based project for running your Mac in your car, check out http://idash.sourceforge.net/
While it may be against the law to have a screen the driver can see, go to any car a/v website and look under DVD receivers. Almost every car audio manufacturer makes a receiver that has a pop-out screen for viewing DVD’s.
On BMWs you can only watch TV front when the car is on “Park”.
1st place, thanks for the positive words to those who were positive.
Which is more dangerous: using a mouse while driving or tapping a screen just like it was your car radio? Sure everything can be misused. It’s up to you. Apparently the laws are needed to defend you from yourself if you can’t be responsible enough. Whatever you do is your responsibility. Not the cars, not the software, not the cellphones… you. This is something most people have trouble understandins: you are responsible for whatever you do.
Jeff: The comunity effort I’m asking for is “tell us what you want and we’ll do it.” That’s it. I’m not asking you spend nights working on this as we have. All I’m asking for is you (and all others interested) to tell us what you want i3 to do. What I mean by community is that we’re just 2 guys. Not a big @$$ company trying to make millions. Our motivation is that we’re using it. We want feedback, thats it.