Rydeen said it will launch a test market in April of the Android car radio it unveiled at CES earlier this month.
The test will include about 100 to 200 units of an in-dash navigation/radio that runs on Android 2.2 and that is designed to bring the same look and feel of your Android phone to the car radio.
The Rydeen model DV621 has a 6.2 inch color screen and you can connect your USB Internet dongle to it for Internet email. You also get Bluetooth with audio streaming and other AV/navigation features. Rydeen said it may upgrade to a newer version of Android by the time the radio reaches the market around summer. Pricing will be announced.
Rydeen is also bringing Android into its replacement mirrors and using the platform to add driver safety features to your rear view mirror. Later this year and early next year it plans to offer features including lane departure warnings, crash detection, traffic updates and voice recognition for email and texts. Users can also get vehicle health reports.
The company will include a camera in the mirror (or separately) that uses visual sensing and algorithms to offer the above features.
Rydeen is also including a proprietary Android based OS in a new navigation mirror that ships in April. The MN312S can work with Guidepoint Systems for OnStar-like features such as car tracking, concierge services and emergency response. The mirror has a dedicated Guidepoint button. A quick press on the button connects to the Guidepoint call center via your cellphone over Bluetooth for concierge services (an optional feature). A long press activates a separate, optional Guidepoint blackbox that can send your location to a call center in the case of an accident.
The MN312S navigation mirror also now includes a temperature sensor on the mirror and it has louder audio. It will have a suggested retail price of $449 (Guidepoint box not included). A version with 3-year warranty will cost about $499.
Source: Rydeen
The promotion began Monday, only 2-months since the mirror first entered retail stores, and will run through October 31.
As a Rydeen distributor I think this is very interesting and I look forward to the day that I have all the functionality that a Android device has to offer at my fingertips while in the car.