Jensen NVX3000PC, a car/boat computer?

... written for Panbo by Ben Ellison and posted on Apr 18, 2008

Jensen_NVX3000PC

Smaller, faster, cheaper! I’m wondering if some of the new automobile computers, like this Jensen NVX3000PC, wouldn’t work pretty nicely on a boat. You got your built-in GPS, 7” touch screen, 30 gig drive, Windows XP, SD card slot, dual USB ports, 12v and li-ion power supplies…even WiFi and a remote control. There’s also the Azentek Atlas CPC-1000, which apparently adds AM/FM/Satellite/HD audio, a CDRW/DVD/MP3/WMA drive, Bluetooth, and CANbus integration. And no doubt there are others, at least concepts. I don’t know if any of these things are actually shipping, and I’ve heard that states like California are clamping down on how much computing you can do, or visual entertainment enjoy, while driving…which might impede developments. But isn’t some sort of inexpensive, mass market computer going to make sense afloat?

Posted by Ben E on April 18, 2008 10:15 AM

Comments

Makes way more than sense! Problem is that once the Marine Biz gets to a product like these it becomes more expensive and less handy. ... Followed by the marketing arm that will then really screw it up.

Maybe the way to make a product like this REALLY happen is simply for someone to do a hack on something like this and make it more marine friendly rather than reinventing the wheel.

Posted by: Bob at April 18, 2008 11:27 AM | Reply

Cheap, reliable, and, most importantly, ubiquitous internet access is going to change a lot in how we equip our boats.

Using a cellular broadband card, that seems to work everywhere in Puget Sound, I have access to weather radar, radio and television shows, communication, etc.

How about a "whiteboard" sort of web app that showed all nearby marine traffic and let you draw out your intended route through the area? Click on a target and send a text message. All displayed via a real-time satellite image overlayed on a chart with weather info over that.

We're getting close. A lot of these parts already exist. Bring it on.

Posted by: John Williams at April 18, 2008 1:57 PM | Reply

Any idea of MSRP on these?

Posted by: yachtvalhalla at April 18, 2008 8:01 PM | Reply

Twelve to fifteen hundred for the Jenson, @ $3,000 for the second. Some 6" to 8" diagonal screen PCs go for $400 and up on Ebay, but readability in daylight (much less sunlight) is a NOT....
I see over in SSCA that some cruisers are now using small cheap laptops for communicating from internet cafe's ashore, much as they used something of a similar size for netmail (over a 300 baud modem!) several years ago. Its hard to keep up without Panbo.

Posted by: Sandy at April 18, 2008 9:10 PM | Reply

Not just taking computers to internet cafes these days...I'm writing this at anchor in St Martin and getting good WIFI. Most of the islands in the Caribbean have reasonable coverage these days.

Posted by: Bob at April 18, 2008 11:01 PM | Reply

Trouble is the PC and carputer crowd generally doesn't put any effort into power conservation. Most chart plotters draw considerably less power than even a laptop. That's a critical factor on boats, sailboats especially.

At $2k+ they're certainly pricing themselves in the marine market price range (and that's not a compliment).

Still, it'd be good to see mass market volumes have a spillover effect on the marine market.

Posted by: Bill Kearney at May 12, 2008 9:41 AM | Reply

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