Well I guess it wouldn’t have made any difference if the ClarionMiND (yes, one-word due to legalities) had turned up for my 5-country day-trip; there’s no flippin Euro maps on it!
Despite that, I’ve quite enjoyed familiarising myself with it because in terms of finger-friendly user interface, it’s a real gem. Carrousel style menu system and a UI that appears to run through the whole system. Only some sub-menus within applications such as the browser and email client escaped the skinning and overall it has been fun to test out.
The ClarionMiND is more a desk-to-car PC than a mobile internet device. At least in the form i’ve got it here. With the base model having a tiny 6W battery (good for about an hour) and no 3G, it’s a case of having to teather it to a phone via a Bluetooth ‘DUN’ profile if you want to get Internet access. Fortunately the Clarion software is set up with that in mind and there’s a section of the settings menu just for that.
The navigation is top-notch with fast routing calculation, a relatively smooth and stylish interface and what I would say is going to be a feature that many people are going to want, live Google location search. When you’re in the navigation system and connected to the net, you’re just a few clicks away from searching for the nearest restaurant or museum and you can almost guarantee that the info is going to be up-to-date as a result. Add in the ability to transfer locations directly from a google map viewed on a browser to the Clarion portal for later syncing and you’ve got some key features that sets it apart from many other ‘stock’ PNDs. Easy access to MP3’s, videos (i’m wondering if the docking connector supports an external/rear monitor) weather and regularly updated news are also useful features. Add in the live traffic info and you’ve got yourself a a high-end bit of kit. If only it had been black instead of white ;-)
The video is also available as a higher quality WMV and H.264 version. At YouTube too.
Great info thanks. Does the web browser support Java Applets? You can check quickly by going to
http://www.w3.org/People/mimasa/test/object/java/clock
if it works you will see some clocks.
Please let me know as I have an application this would be great for if it works.
Thanks, John
New article: ClarionMiND MID / CarPC, 10-minute overview http://bit.ly/de7kNz