TV with DVR & Internet: $89.90/mo
The new digital owners guide pictured with the old paper manuals
(Credit: Chrysler Group LLC)As cars become more complex, the accompanying user manuals have become proportionally thicker. These days, your average luxury sedan or SUV will often come with a vehicle manual, a navigation manual, separate safety systems manuals and pamphlets, and--in the case of hybrids--a final manual to explain how the powertrain works. That's a good deal of paper that will most likely only be referenced once or twice (if at all).
For its 2010 model Chrysler, Jeep, and, Dodge vehicles, Chrysler Group LLC will be ditching the bulk of its paper manuals and replacing them with digital DVD manuals. The automaker will be the first to do so. According to Chryler's press release:
"The DVD includes the owners' manual, vehicle and tire warranty information, navigation and entertainment system guides, as well as information on 24-hour towing assistance. Video tutorials also are available for commonly used features, such as folding down a Jeep Wrangler soft-top, operating the video entertainment system and setting electronic speed control. In addition, owners may search by topic rather than sifting through a 500-page book."
"The printed user guide includes photos and diagrams allowing customers to quickly find assistance for emergency situations, such as changing tires, jump-starting a battery or assessing warning lights. The printed guide also covers basic operating procedures for temperature control, windshield wipers, seat adjustment and navigation systems."
Luddites and your grandparents can request a traditional printed manual by contacting their dealer or calling customer service. The switch will save 930 tons of paper, the equivalent of 20,000 trees, on an annual basis and save about 4 pounds of paper per vehicle.
So, loyal readers, what do you think about the jump to digital manuals? Is this something you'd like to see more automakers emulate?
(Credit:
CNET)
When we last saw JVC's El Kameleon car audio receiver, we awarded it our Editors' Choice award for its innovative interface and expandability. However, we wished that the unit featured a touch screen instead of a touch pad.
With the new El Kameleon KD-AVX77, we get our wish. The new El Kameleon features a superwide touch screen that fills up its entire single-DIN faceplate. But is a bigger screen always better?
I like my wide-screen movies as much as the next guy, but the new El Kameleon's super Cinemascope screen means that most movies will be stretched wide but will only be about as tall as a business card, making it less than ideal for prolonged DVD viewing.
We'd need to see a much bigger screen before we could recommended the new El Kameleon as a standalone multimedia solution. However, the El Kameleon's plethora of inputs and outputs, as well as its customizable interface make it a great starting point for controlling more complex multimedia systems with rear seat entertainment and external amplifiers.
Check out our review and installation of the Vizualogic Road Trip.
(Credit: Antuan Goodwin/CNET)Adding rear-seat entertainment to a car used to involve cutting up your headliner or gutting the headrests to make room for an LCD display or two, but not anymore. The Vizualogic Road Trip Universal Dual Headrest DVD System is a kit that ships with a pair of touch-screen LCD monitors preinstalled in a set of replacement adjustable headrests. The system is self-contained and includes a DVD player hidden behind one of the monitors and an SD card slot for digital media playback.
Simply pop your headrests off, pop the new ones in, make your connections for power, and you're done. If you've ever installed a car stereo before, you should be able to tackle this installation in an afternoon, and--because no permanent changes are made--you can just pop your stock headrests back on and transfer the system to a new vehicle on when it's time to sell the car.
Check out the full review of the Eclipse AVN726e.
(Credit: Corinne Schulze/CNET)The AVN726e, Eclipse's newest double-DIN DVD/navigation receiver, was making a name for itself even before it was released to the public, as it was named Best of Innovations at CES 2009 in the In-Vehicle Navigation/Telematics/ITS product category. We were too busy being wowed by its sibling, the Eclipse AVN4430, to take notice.
However, after spending time with the AVN726e, we find there's a lot to love about this navigation receiver, including its bright LCD, snappy response times, and particularly its beautiful 3D navigation maps. The maps feature elevation data--so if you go over an overpass, you'll see the road rise on the map--and 3D buildings and landmarks for some major cities. This additional visual data, along with lane guidance, makes the AVN726e a great navigator for drivers who rely on landmarks to get around.
On Sale Now:
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Audiovox, PlayStation 2 roll out
(Credit:
Gizmodo)
The immortal PlayStation 2 undergoes yet another transformation, this time courtesy of Audiovox. This almost 9-year-old system is now officially going on the road. You may have seen a PlayStation 2 in a car before, but not like this.
The premier model is an all-in-one overhead unit that appears to look like an in-car DVD system but with the inner working of a PS2. Additional features include accessories ...
Read the full post at CNET's CES 2009 blog.
Read the full JVC KW-NX7000 review.
(Credit: Corinne Schulze/CBS Interactive)The JVC KW-NX7000 isn't cleverly named like its sibling, the El Kameleon, but it is just as cleverly designed. With its smart features, such as the proximity-based interface or the flash-memory-based navigation data, we found the KW-NX7000 extremely easy to use. We didn't like the sluggish iPod navigation or the omission of Bluetooth technology. However, the solid performance and fun little touches, like the custom greeting messages, ultimately made us fall in love with this receiver.
(Credit:
CNET Networks, Inc.)
The simple, blank faceplate of the JVC El Kameleon KD-AVX44 belies a plethora of features, including in-dash DVD/DivX playback, Bluetooth connectivity, and USB digital-audio playback, and that's just the beginning of this receiver's abilities.
(Credit:
Chinavasion)
As impressive as the GPS Bluetooth rear-view mirror may be, its functions are pretty boring for the most part. At least, that's how it looks when compared with something like this multimedia visor.
Other visors with built-in TVs and DVD players have been around for awhile, but this one is out of control--which, by the way, is exactly what the driver would be if he gets distracted by it. Even though it's on the passenger side, there's no way to completely ignore a visor that lets you play games on its 7-inch LCD and comes with two gamepad controllers with an assortment of retro titles, according to Newlaunches.
It also plays DVDs and CDs, of course, as well as MP3s and MP4 videos, all for $100. But remember, the cost will escalate in a hurry when you throw in traffic tickets, let alone the fender damage.
Click the image to read the full review.
When we got the JVC KD-NX5000 in for review earlier this year, we were so impressed with the single-DIN navigation/multimedia device that we slapped a CNET Editors' Choice on it. Now JVC Mobile is following the release of this year's "hero" product with a couple of other in-dash devices that make use of the same design. With its bright, 3.5-inch color LCD display, the KD-AVX33 boasts many of the same multimedia capabilities as its navigation-enabled cousin. While it doesn't have a built-in hard drive a la the KD-NX5000, the KD-AVX33 comes with a range of media playback options including an as-standard USB port, support for Bluetooth audio streaming as well as the ability to play compressed audio codecs such as MP3, WMA, and WAV. Read our full review here.
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