Electronics on Wheels

It wasn't all that long ago that a CD player in a car was an add-on option. Now when you buy a new car, you have an electronic house on wheels. "Vehicle Electronics" is a separate category at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES), with its special awards and honors.

Among these products is the GPS navigation system which is becoming the norm in new cars. Now, drivers don't have to admit they're lost and can avoid that dreaded service station stop to ask for directions. Instead, the driver indicates the starting point and destination, and a very patient voice guides them through every turn. My husband got one of these in his new car. If we decide to go off course to get a bite to eat or fill the tank with gas, we are gently reminded to make a U-turn or get back on track some other way at the earliest opportunity. We imagine our electronic co-pilot biting her tongue ready to scream out, "What are you thinking?!!" To be sure we didn't miss her admonitions, the music volume turns itself down and she continues redirecting us.

In addition to his own personal navigator, there are so many electronic options available at the touch of a button, that the car has become my husband's new playground. Every day after work I hear about a new discovery, from audio programming options to keyless ignition and beyond.

Besides new electronic devices for the driver, the back seat passengers are also being accommodated. Individualized entertainment systems are one such feature. Choices available are TV tuners or a satellite antenna and TV receiver, flip down or swivel screens, and DVD players.

If your "wheels" are in the form of a motor coach, you have some more viewing options. Lift-Tech manufactures a motorized, remote controlled ceiling pivot lift to reveal and conceal a plasma or LCD screen.

For the enjoyment of all aboard, stereo systems in vehicles are rivaling the sound of some in-home systems. This is a far cry from the optional AM dial-in radios of the past. Now, major speaker companies advertise their "superior automotive audio performance." As either factory equipped or after-purchase add-ons, depth and clarity of sound surround the vehicle's occupants.

So as far as automotive audio and video electronics, we've come a long way in a relatively short time.