Endless Possibilities
November 6th, 2006Drew Technologies took the wraps off their new high-tech do-it-all device at the SEMA Show 06. Being that it received a best new international product award from SEMA, it is obviously much more than a simple LCD display to watch movies or navigate you around town. After looking over the product specs, this becomes evident; DrewTech calls it a “cross between a data acquisition system, diagnostic tool, automotive gauge display, and a handheld computer”. It is basically a dash mountable computer running Linux, with various ports to interface with your vehicle and other expansion devices. This allows the unit to communicate with the car’s OBD-II system, sensors, and other devices. Some of the capabilities of the unit include: data acquisition, virtual gauge display, vehicle diagnostics, and GPS. Additionally, a software toolset and impressive connectivity options allow for endless possibilities. Drew Tech is already working with 3rd parties for the development of various add-ons. The unit features a 480×272 TFT LCD 4″ display, a 200 MHz processor, USB and serial ports, and a MMC/SD memory card slot. It has support for Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, and cellular. It is not in production as of yet, and is expected to be available in the early part of 2007 for a retail price of $595.