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What Computer for GPSS ?

PC in car

Most users will run GPSS in a sound-capable Notebook PC, such as the Texas Instruments Travelmate 4000M, or the many alternatives such as those from IBM, Toshiba, and countless other companies.

Scan the pages of your favorite PC magazine to find one within your budget. You will be surprised that the maps do not look too bad on a VGA grey-scale display - but they obviously look more impressive on a TFT colour screen. It does not need a CD-ROM to run GPSS, but it should have sound - to enable you to hear the spoken information. You may need to add amplified speakers (about £10) to make it loud enough - unless you are within a Lexus or a Rolls with the Windows closed !

Speed is not a major issue unless you intend to use voice recognition software - in which case the faster the better. GPSS has been run on a 286 with 3MB RAM and 20MB hard disk - but that is not to be reccomended ! It will probably now be difficult to buy a new Notebook PC that cannot cope with both GPSS and voice recognition - they just don't make them that slow !

Car Computer

The first Windows-compatible car computer known to be available in the UK, is that from Advanced Systems Solutions (A2S). This featured on Page 27 of the April BBC 'Top Gear' magazine, following the Press Conference organised by Sunninghill Systems at Windlesham Golf Club on 18th December 1995. It includes touch sensitive colour TFT screen, GPS receiver and sound as standard configuration options. More information is available from A2S on 01922 57380.

Lexus Computer

You may opt to hide the computer away somewhere such as the boot. It does not have to be as compact (I even know people who have even used a desktop unit - without the monitor - with a sound card and invertor to provide mains power from the car's 12 volt supply !).

This is similar to the approach pioneered by the Japanese in cars such as the Lexus Soarer. This was our first Television publicity, back on 5th May 1995, when Meridian Television featured an early version of GPSS running in a Lexus Soarer. The 'Japanese only' computer/gps had been replaced by a standard NMEA GPS and Notebook PC. The picture from the PC was converted to NTSC video and piped, with the sound, into the display monitor and speakers at the front of the car.