GPS with Mobile TV, a step too far?
Date: Thursday, March 06 @ 10:41:45 UTC
Topic:
With Garmin's announcement of the Nuvi 900, a DVB-H equipped (mobile TV) satnav it brings safety issues sharply into focus. Garmin have chosen to launch the Nuvi 900 in partnership with cellphone carrier 3 Italia. Italians are of course famous for their skilled driving!. Equipped with a DVB-H receiver the 900 can receive a variety of channels provided by the carrier.
Doubtless all very clever but the safety implications are worrying. Garmin are not alone in developing devices with integrated DVB-H, Siemens showcased a unit last year and mobile TV is already very popular in Asian markets. But do we really want in-car devices with the ability to watch TV? Safety mechanisms can be easily bypassed and as evidenced by the availability of solutions to defeat the safety systems on factory fit in-car TV systems, there are drivers on the road who think it is perfectly safe to watch TV whilst driving. It isn't. If safety campaigners are concerned about the issues surrounding use of a satnav whilst driving then surely they will have s field day when they discover this new development!
Instead of adding ever more features to our navigation devices, MP3, Video, Photo Viewers and now TV, perhaps it is time manufacturers concentrated on further improving the actual navigation platform and maps?
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