MP3 Players

[Big-Al]

Originally Posted by Al

I know bro.

but you're an amazing lover

[BillyBadAss]

Originally Posted by DarkED

If you really wanted to get serious with this and turn it into a project, you could always do what I'm planning to eventually do; build a mini-ITX system to go in your car. Then, you mount a 7" touchscreen on your dash, install Linux on the system, load it with MP3's, plug the soundcard line-out into your stereo line-in, and voila! Bob's your uncle.

This also opens you up to some nice extras, like cheap GPS (all you need is a GPS antenna and some open-source software) and on-dash DVD playback.

Or you could just by a mount for your smart phone and connect it to your stereo. It does everything you just mentioned here and won't get stolen since you can walk away with it in your pocket.

[Kyllian]

Originally Posted by Al

I'm going to do this. I just bought a new car, but I don't get to pick it up till today and I didn't know you could do that.

Just make sure the stereo can do that as some brands have the USB port just so you can plug in an iPod/iPhone

Originally Posted by IronMonkey

Too big!

Try this: http://wiki.xbmc.org/index.php?title=Raspberry_Pi

I've been semi-following those little beasties and I can't help but wonder why they're not using mini-USB ports, tho it wouldn't surprise me if the mini-USB cost more per piece than standard size

[Al]

Originally Posted by Kyllian

Just make sure the stereo can do that as some brands have the USB port just so you can plug in an iPod/iPhone

I made sure. Thanks for saving me from buying an expensive mp3 player when all I needed was a flash drive

Originally Posted by Big-Al

but you're an amazing lover

Likewise!

[Kyllian]

Gar. Mine still runs great even though on occasion it won't recognize that the thumbdrive is in it, which is fixed by yanking and reinserting
I don't blame the tech as the deck is 7-8 years old

[DarkED]

Originally Posted by IronMonkey

Too big!

Try this: http://wiki.xbmc.org/index.php?title=Raspberry_Pi

I know about the Raspberry Pi, but I'm not sure it's powerful enough for what I'd want to use it for. For my mini-ITX build I was going to go with a dual Atom board or an AMD Fusion board, which would far exceed anything the Pi can do.

Originally Posted by BillyBadAss

Or you could just by a mount for your smart phone and connect it to your stereo. It does everything you just mentioned here and won't get stolen since you can walk away with it in your pocket.

I already have one, do that, and it works fine. But it's not enough. The screen is too small to be relevant while driving and there's not nearly enough storage. I could buy and mount an iPad instead, but **** that.

Also, all you have to do to keep someone from stealing your CarPC is to use a case made of cold-rolled steel (i.e. they'd have to use a plasma torch to get it out) and mount it with security bolts (the kind that require a special tool to drill out.) Sure, they might still be able to get it out, but the amount of trouble would not make the end result (a mangled, broken bit of hardware) worth it. The touchscreen is a problem, but I've seen steel casings with mounts for those too. The whole point in theft-proofing your car is to make it a lot harder to steal from than the car parked next to it.

[zynthetic]

Originally Posted by Kyllian

I like my stereo. Has a USB port built in so just dump music on a thumbdrive and plug it in

This. I've got one of these which also lets passengers waste their phone batteries.