<!DOCTYPE HTML PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.0 Transitional//EN">
<HTML><HEAD>
<META http-equiv=Content-Type content="text/html; charset=iso-8859-1">
<META content="MSHTML 6.00.2900.3268" name=GENERATOR>
<STYLE></STYLE>
</HEAD>
<BODY bgColor=#ffffff>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Here is some more info on the CarPC.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Traditionally CarPC's were dominated by Mini ITX
motherboards.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Their low power consumation and cool running
(fanless) with PCMCIA</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>slot were ideal </FONT><FONT face=Arial size=2>for
harsh auto environments.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Intel has produced a MB in the same form factor
that is about $75</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>and had good success. </FONT>Intel
D201GLY2A Both are still popular.</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>The hard drive is usually the item that could go
first. I have never lost one.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Some folks are using a compact flash on linux or
modify XP or 98 to</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>limit write cycles to the memory.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Having a broadband card in the system makes the
CarPC really special.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Besides, media playback and GPS, once you get
online then weather radar,</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>talking email, web, webcam, echolink
- just about anything can happen in the car.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Wifi is cool for obvious reasons but people have
written programs that when</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>you pull in the driveway it will autoconnect your
CarPC and download any</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>podcasts etc that may have come in on your home pc.
</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>I would remote desktop to my shack and with Skype
listen to dx on the road.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>In the winter when the LCD screen starts it will be
a little dark and slow till</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>it warms up. The LCD is a touchscreen but I
also have a trackball and mini keyboard</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>on the center console.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>There are a lot of "frontends" that people build
that turn the PC into a enterntainment</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>center with buttons for all the possible things you
would want to run in the car.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>If your interested</FONT> <FONT face=Arial
size=2>- go for it - it is a very rewarding project.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Jeff</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV></BODY></HTML>