Centrino-equipped Chrysler 300C Roadster

By Staff writers, CNET.com on 07 March 2005
Intel helps Chrysler pimp a ride

At the Intel Developer Conference in San Francisco, Mad Mike of MTV's "Pimp My Ride," shows off a custom Chrysler loaded with Centrino wireless technology and a PDA remote control. See the video here.


The Wintel/Chrysler convergence
At the recent Intel Developers Forum, West Coast Customs showed how it used Intel Centrino technology and the Windows Media platform to create the first Chrysler 300C Roadster. Aside from chopping the top, slamming the suspension, and spraying new paint, West Coast gave this car lots of digital audio and video, all controlled from a Wi-Fi PDA.


Inside the 300C
The interior of the 300C Roadster retains its stock instrument panel, but just to the right of it sprouts a 10-inch LCD monitor in the center console and three 8-inch LCDs arrayed in front of the passenger seat. Talk about driver distraction!


The big screen
The main display in the center console shows West Coast Customs' implementation of Rudeo Control software to manage the Windows Media assets of the 300C Roadster and to allow wireless control of them via PDA. This main display is also a touch screen: Pressing anywhere on it toggles between control mode (shown) and full-screen video playback.


Seeing triple
These three 8-inch LCD monitors in front of the passenger are angled toward the driver so that they can also be used as a panoramic backup aid: Each monitor can be switched to one of three rear-facing mini video cameras embedded in the rear bumper (see inset). The three monitors can also be switched to display whatever video is being played in the car.


Driving the 300C Roadster
You drive the multimedia of this car using a Dell Axim PDA with Wi-Fi that is also running Rudeo Control software. It can control most aspects of the car's A/V system, including volume, audio or video-clip selection, and real-time scrolling through a track by dragging the percentage bar at the top. This slim control application does not actually display the media being played.


The guts of it all
Under the driver seat, things aren't very pretty, but this is where all this media comes from. A Centrino-based Panasonic ToughBook laptop functions as the 300C Roadster's server, connected to a Wi-Fi router seen sitting on top of it. USB 2.0 jacks are also built into this car to get files on or off of the laptop.


The 300C Roadster is Sirius about sports
West Coast Customs chose the Sirius satellite radio service and the Sportster receiver. This model has special features for the sports fan, including prompting you when your favourite NFL team is playing a game that is broadcast on Sirius and offering text listings of scores from the major sports leagues.


The space formerly known as the backseat
In classic pimp ride fashion, the backseat of the 300C Roadster has been sacrificed for the installation of subwoofers and two more video displays. Behind them are some of the WCC Orion amplifiers that rise up out of the car's body on a motorised panel. Two more amps are mounted on the other side of that panel. West Coast Customs will start offering 300C Roadsters equipped like this one later this spring for about US$150,000.

Topics: intel, centrino, pimp my ride, chrysler, 300c, roadster, west coast customs, idf, mtv

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