is your tablet really car-friendly? we supposed it does serve its purpose when onboard your ride but do you really need a mini TV hanging around the front of your car? perhaps not. with the Parrot ASTEROID Tablet, you can now actually own a car-focused tablet that is also your in-car multimedia system. just think of it as a portable double-DIN system, albeit being slightly scaled down, that you can pocket it around. the advantage is obvious: you will save yourself the trouble of switching out your vehicle’s stock head unit and still have all the benefits, and features of a modern in-car entertainment system. powered by Google’s Android OS, you will have access to apps for navigation and points of interest, traffic updates, Internet radio, as well as handsfree calling via Bluetooth connectivity (through your Bluetooth-enabled smartphone) – all accessible via its 5-inch touchscreen display. though referred to as a tablet, the ASTEROID Tablet isn’t truly a tablet per say if you want to get it working with your car’s existing amplifier and speakers.
interfacing between this handy tablet and your ride’s system and anything in between is a control box that also offers a 3.5mm auxiliary jack, RCA outputs and three USB ports (of which one is dedicated to your iPhone) for external storage devices or 3G radio dongle. a steering wheel-mountable wireless remote control is included for control and navigating the tablet but you can also choose to go the vocal route with its built-in voice recognition functionality. other features include a SD card slot on the device for playing back tunes while on the go (not in the car, obviously), paired up to 10 Bluetooth devices, manage calls from two devices simultaneously and on the audio department, it boasts seven-band parametric equalizer, virtual superbass and sound spatializer effects. you can pre-order the Parrot ASTEROID Tablet for $399.99. though, it is worthy to note that ship date is still a mystery. strange indeed cos’ this baby was formally introduced to the world last October. anyhow, it is definitely worth the consideration if you dig the idea of a portable in-car entertainment system and tablet hybrid.
PS: it should be hitting the stores soon cos’ we just received an email from Parrot with the headline “New Parrot Asteroid Tablet! Coming soon” or is it?
