MacVroom - Mac your ride

The Mac mini Rides On!

Tue, 7 Aug 2007 17:28:44 -0400

Contrary to some reports of the Mac mini's demise, Apple updated our little buddy with 1.83 GHz and 2.0 GHz Core 2 Duo processors. The upgraded Mac mini includes up to 2GB of RAM, integrated GMA 950 graphics, gigabit ethernet, 802.11g wireless and bluetooth 2.0. You can also upgrade to a 160GB hard drive for all your music and video needs.

RouteBuddy 1.3 Released - Now Includes Turn-by-Turn Routing, Spoken Instructions, and More!

Wed, 18 Jul 2007 10:55:49 -0400

Our buddies over at RouteBuddy Ltd. have just released an major upgrade to RouteBuddy. Here's what they have to say about the 1.3 update...

RouteBuddy Ltd is pleased to announce the release of RouteBuddy 1.3, a major update to their powerful GPS mapping program for Mac OS X.

RouteBuddy provides native Mac OS X support for Garmin and NMEA GPS devices, and allows users to manage and display their GPS data using high-precision vector-based road maps.

This release provides turn-by-turn routing, and visual navigation to waypoints or points of interest. Navigation support includes off-route recovery, and spoken turn instructions using Mac OS X's built-in speech synthesis.

Apple Car Navigation System?

Mon, 30 Jul 2007 18:01:45 -0400

German magazine Focus is claiming that Apple is working with Mercedes on a car navigation and sound system that will be introduced in 2009.

The system is reported to include navigation, communication and maintenance. Mercedes will exclusively offer the new Apple system for six months (presumably followed by other auto manufacturers). The article also mentions the possibility of Google maps being the source of navigation data.

Mac'd Ride: Mercedes CLS with iMac Integrated in the Back Seats

Mon, 7 Aug 2006 12:33:00 -0400

German car customizer, Mattes Interieurtechnik, has created a customized Mercedes CLS with a nicely integrated iMac personal computer in the rear seats.

The iMac's compact all-in-one design lends itself to such an installation, and the firm makes sure the integration is complete with slick leather covering around the machine.

A wireless mouse and keyboard mean there are no exposed wires to contend with. Of course, the customized CLS also gets a completely revised interior, with some pretty fancy upholstery and trimmings.

RouteBuddy - Now Available!

Tue, 25 Jul 2006 13:07:32 -0400

The new GPS-enabled mapping application, that we mentioned a couple days ago is now available.

RouteBuddy is a GPS mapping application for OS X. All the essential functions of your GPS device are supported; all you need is a Mac, a GPS, and of course RouteBuddy.

RouteBuddy - GPS enabled mapping for the Mac finally comes of age

Tue, 25 Jul 2006 13:04:36 -0400

It looks like us Mac users are finally getting a robust GPS-enabled navigation solution for our Mac'd rides! The new application is called RouteBuddy and has many of the features that you would expect from a navigation application like live tracking of GPS data, instant recognition of GPS devices, and the personalization of waypoints with notes and custom icons.

RouteBuddy also imports GoogleMaps® and Yahoo Maps® GeoTagged URLs as well as instantly viewing your location in Google Earth® or Google Maps®.

Mac'd Ride: 2005 Mazda 3

Sat, 10 Jun 2006 16:12:06 -0400

Matt Burriola installed a Mac mini into his 2005 Mazda 3 sedan and documented the entire installation process. His goal for his project was to create a system with better than stock sound and capability, while maintaining a clean, stock appearance.

Despite not using an Apple since high school, Matt was inspired while doing other mods to the car (adding window tint and an alarm), and decided to go for it.

First, Matt took apart his cupholder assembly, cigarette lighter panel, and the center console. Once in there, he thought that the Mac mini was too big too fit in there without a bunch of hacks, and decided on a glove box install instead.

Mac'd Ride: 2006 BMW 325

Tue, 11 Apr 2006 21:49:00 -0400

Check out this sweet Mac mini install inside a 2006 BMW 325. Hal Fitzgerald spent four months hunting for the right installer to complete his project and the results are impressive.

All the computer hardware including the Mac mini CPU, a Newertech MiniStack 250GB drive with USB and Firewire hub, and a Carnetix P1900 power supply are mounted in the trunk where the CD changer would normally go. The audio is fed out of the Mac mini right into the factory 1/8" changer input. Hal had a custom mount built to support the 7" Lilliput touchscreen.

iTripping With A Mac mini

Thu, 2 Mar 2006 21:39:17 -0500

Joshua Driggs, aka ZapWizard has a great Flickr photo set that shows how he installed a Mac mini along with a Griffin iTrip into his Mazda.

He was taking a 4,000 mile trip and wanted to Mac his ride – and he did it in 3 days! He explained that he didn’t have the cash or the time to replace his head unit, so he integrated an iTrip FM transmitter directly into the Mini.

Apple Unveils Mac mini with Intel Core Duo

Tue, 28 Feb 2006 22:56:20 -0500

Today Apple unveiled two new Intel-based Mac mini systems that are up to four times faster than previous G4 models. The high-end model sports a 1.66 GHz Intel Core Duo processor and the lower-end model comes with a 1.5 GHz Intel Core Solo processor. Both systems now include built-in 10/100/1000 BASE-T Gigabit Ethernet, built-in AirPort Extreme WiFi, built-in Bluetooth, four USB 2.0 ports (up from two in previous models), one FireWire 400 port, an optical digital and analog audio in/out, and built-in mono speaker.

Mac'd Ride: 1994 Chevrolet 4x4 S-10 Blazer

Mon, 27 Feb 2006 17:55:19 -0500

With over 12,000 songs and over 200 music videos in iTunes, Zach Ducker's 1994 Chevrolet 4x4 S-10 4 door "Blazer Beast" is a Mac'd entertainment machine.

He removed the original center console and fabricated a custom one with plywood and covered it in funky pink shag. The new console houses the Mac mini, CarNetix power supply, Pyle video amplifier/distributor, 800W AC inverter with two 110V AC outlets, USB 2.0 hub, and four 12V outlets.

Hacked Prius In-dash Display

Thu, 16 Feb 2006 11:15:20 -0500

One of our forum members just posted an interesting hack to attach a Mac to their Prius in-dash touch screen...

So my goal was to get a mac working on my Prius's MFD display, and be able to use it's touch screen to control the front end (currently Front Row)

I don't have audio hooked up, figured the video would be the hardest part.

I'm going through a Can-View which normally is just used for display the car's CAN data http://hybridinterfaces.ca/, but has RGB+S in and outputs the MFD's touchscreen through a serial cable.

Garmin Announces GPS Product Support for Mac OS X

Sun, 15 Jan 2006 20:05:28 -0500

MacVroom had a chance to chat with the folks at Garmin and are happy to hear that Mac compatibility will be phased into their entire product line. This includes their GPS sensors for laptops, so we may finally get a decent GPS solution for our Mac'd rides! Both the GPS 10 and GPS 18 Deluxe will come with a Mac compatible version of their nRoute application that provides turn-by-turn directions, voice prompts, points of interest lookup and detailed mapping. By the end of 2006, Garmin intends to have made all its popular hardware and software applications Mac OS X compatible.

Macworld Auto Show

Sun, 15 Jan 2006 20:00:37 -0500

New to this years Macworld Expo is the official Macworld Auto Show, which featured our pal Matt Turner's VW Mac mini install and five other cars tricked out with various iPod integration solutions. It was great to finally see Matt's install in person, the craftsmanship of his install is amazing.

We also had the opportunity to chat with Matt about his new company 2point5 which is manufacturing the spec.dock, a collection of custom iPod docks that are easily installed (typically in the ashtray location) and provide a stealthy and factory-installed appearance. You can read more about the spec.dock and all the other various iPod solutions on our sister site TuneVroom.com.

Macworld Expo Keynote Report

Sun, 15 Jan 2006 19:59:50 -0500

The MacVroom team had a great time meeting and talking with exhibitors and visitors to the Macworld expo today. The day started with many of the Mac faithful clamoring to follow the keynote, which was not available as a live web stream this year. Thankfully MacRumors had an excellent auto-refreshing AJAX-based web page that fed everyones appetite for up-to-the-minute information.

Unfortunately, the Mac mini was not one of the new systems to be outfitted with the new Intel dual-core processor, but the performance of the newly announced iMac and MacBook Pro looks promising.