Garmin announces a Bluetooth HUD accessory
I love accessories, and light up every time someone comes up with something new. Garmin definitely fits that bill today, having just announced one of the coolest accessories I’ve seen in a while: a Bluetooth HUD accessory for smartphones.
The HUD, or Head-Up Display, is a Bluetooth unit that is designed to sit on your car’s dashboard and project information from the connected phone to an included translucent film that you plan on the windshield, or alternatively onto a reflector lens you attach to the unit itself. We’re not talking Facebook updates here, but rather useful navigation information such as speed and turn by turn navigation symbols. It’s basically a way to keep your eyes on the road while using a navigation app, and as such it’s designed to work with Garmin- and Navigon-branded apps, both for Android, iPhone, and Windows Phone 8.
The unit will retail for $130 and be available later this summer. It comes with both the windshield film and the reflector lens, and also has pass through power so that it doesn’t hog the only power cable in the car.
I think this is a great idea, and compatibility with multiple platforms is great for future compatibility. The price might be a bit high for some, but the coolness factor itself has to count for something. I don’t have a car myself, but this would be hard to resist if I did.
[Garmin via Android Central]
