Automotive--a hackable car stereo?

[1clue]

Hi,

Not sure if this should be kernel and hardware or multimedia or other things gentoo or OTW. I think multimedia crowd is more likely to be interested so I'll ask here.

Just got a 2006 Toyota. Everything's relatively perfect except the stereo ... has an extremely low pressure zone in it. (Is that PG enough? It doesn't even have USB!!)

So I started thinking about double-din car stereos. Then I started thinking about GPS, and wireless internet, and before you know it I'm thinking about a 6-core AMD processor, a handful of SSDs and a laser printer.

So I started googling around, and I found dashpc.com, and a few other likely candidates for whittling a computer out of a stick. Not really opposed to that idea, but those sites all seem to be missing a few critical pieces, which might be because they're kinda dated. One of which is a decent conditioned power supply without inverting to regular AC and back.

Another thing that comes to mind is that somebody somewhere MUST have started this whole thing and developed it into a commercial product that I could buy and then throw my own favorite gender-confused spotted critter on it. That way I don't have to figure out what hardware works.

Finally, I decided that I neither need nor want all the features to be available on the dashboard. I don't want the thing to be a huge distraction to whoever is driving. We both have dual core smart phones running Android. We both use them for just about everything already. We could put more obscure controls onto a webmin-style setup and then control it through the web browser, or from a laptop. Or make a smartphone app, which I'm about to start getting into anyway. I could almost go with a "standard" car amplifier and radio, and then use one of the many storage compartments to hook up the little bit of interface I would need for the computer. The computer could be in the trunk or the engine compartment, and I could run USB to the dash. I could have a basic status screen or no screen at all, I would be happy with just a light. I could use a webmin-style interface for configuration, or an android-style interface maybe, or mythtv for that matter.

That said, vehicle navigation, car audio, trip computer, that sort of thing I would want to be available on screen. I would like to have a nice big touch screen, just that I don't particularly have to run everything from it. Our music is on our phones, we don't need to store it in the car. My phone has an ssh client if I need it.

So here's what I have in mind, in order of priority, for the entire system:

1. Music (AM/FM/DVD/CD/MP3/USB/satellite/whatever) -- not necessarily all of those but the ability to add modules for the money-oriented variants.
   
2. Video (USB/DVD/Blu-Ray/YouTube/whatever) -- again, not necessarily all of those, but basically what the radio already has or what I can get working on Linux.
   
3. GPS/navigation
   
4. Touch screen
   
5. OBDII automotive computer reader (they can be bought for cheap, just need a serial or usb)
   
6. Several USB ports. Between me and my woman, we can fill up 4 ports just by sitting in the car. Usually just for charging but also for music.
   
7. Wireless N, both to hook into my home network when in the driveway, and to provide a local hotspot in the car for the people who are passengers. And to hook into other hardware that might be in a different location in the car without wiring.
   
8. An Android emulator would be really nice, so I can use Android mobile apps.
   
9. The ability to write software to do all sorts of mobile things that I've wanted for years but nobody has thought to make available yet.
   
10. It would be neat to get into the door locking/engine starting too, and a wireless security key for access. Not necessary, just something to nerd out on.
    

So I guess what I'm asking is, has anybody else done this and NOT put it on a web site? What sort of ideas do you guys have?
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Intel i7 920 (2.67 ghz), 12g RAM, 4xWD750gx10000rpm (WD7500AADS) as RAID (mostly mode 1), nVidia GT200 video card, monitors: LG Flatron W2453V, LG Flatron M237WD.

[Marginal]

www.mp3car.com

Check out their forum it is full of people doing exactly what you want.

I installed a mac mini in my car with a touch screen. The Mac mini fit into a DIN perfectly with a homemade dock. Plus the power supply is external so all I needed to do was get a DC to DC regulator. All of the info I needed I found on that website. Wardrive all day!