I know tablets in the navpod have been discussed before, but this particular combo seems to be the best fit - for price and functionality. $200 for a super capable tablet in the navpod is an exciting prospect. I looked at the dimensions and the micro USB slot may be the the only hurdle to overcome. What do you guys think?
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Google Nexus 7 tablet in Navpod?
- Thread starter LS1toNSX
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The nexus 7 will fit in the navpod. My original intentions for buying my navpod were to wire up a lcd screen with an hdmi input and mirror my android onto the screen for navigation and possibly other apps, but after looking at the cost of some of the lcd screens (lilliput, xenarc, etc) it seemed more sensible to buy a nexus 7 instead. The nexus was cheaper in some cases and it can do so much more than just the screen would have been able to do. I recently purchased a nexus 7 and once the little tabs on the inside of the navpod were trimmed down the tablet fit very well. Here are some pics I took with my phone camera:
After that I decided that I wanted the tablet to be removable so I split the navpod at the seam and JB welded in some 90 degree brackets to hold the tablet in place on the back half of the navpod so the faceplate is removable. This way the tablet sits on the tabs attached to the back half and the faceplate can just slide on over it. I haven't had any issues so far, the faceplate fits snugly into the dash so it doesn't fall off or anything.
I use my phone as a mobile hotspot and connect the tablet to that so I can use the navigation and whatnot. It accomplished my goals (mainly navigation), especially when compared to buying a lcd and mirroring my phone. With the tablet I can touch the screen directly and it's very easy to move the map around. If I had used the mirroring app then I would've had to look down to the phone to navigate menus and maps which seems more cumbersome. When the tablet is connected to wifi it has speech recognition which makes searching for and entering addresses very simple.
One issue for me was that the lock/unlock button is on the side of the tablet, so turning the screen on and off was an issue. I didn't want to cut up the navpod to fit any levers or buttons to hit the lock/unlock since I thought it would look bad and the navpod cost twice as much as the tablet! I settled on using an app that locks the screen which is accessible from the drop down notifications. In order to turn on the screen i use a magnet. The nexus 7 has a magnet sensor which is supposed to be for sleeves and cases for the device and it is supposed to turn the screen on and off depending on whether the case is opened or closed. I just use a regular magnet to trick the tablet into thinking that I'm opening its case so the screen will turn on. The magnet trick wouldn't work for turning it off because that would require the magnet to stay pressed up against the screen. Once the magnet is pulled away the screen will turn on again.
I currently don't have a usb plugged into it for power but I ordered a grom audio unit so I'll be able to connect the tablet to my stereo via bluetooth and the grom unit comes with a 5v usb out so hopefully that will do the trick for charging the tablet while it is mounted in the car. Its a tight fit but a 90 degree micro usb plug fits for me but I had to trim the rubber on the plug to slim it down.
It's also great for netflix'ing if you have time to kill, like waiting in line for some of those popular M&M blueberry donuts.
After that I decided that I wanted the tablet to be removable so I split the navpod at the seam and JB welded in some 90 degree brackets to hold the tablet in place on the back half of the navpod so the faceplate is removable. This way the tablet sits on the tabs attached to the back half and the faceplate can just slide on over it. I haven't had any issues so far, the faceplate fits snugly into the dash so it doesn't fall off or anything.
I use my phone as a mobile hotspot and connect the tablet to that so I can use the navigation and whatnot. It accomplished my goals (mainly navigation), especially when compared to buying a lcd and mirroring my phone. With the tablet I can touch the screen directly and it's very easy to move the map around. If I had used the mirroring app then I would've had to look down to the phone to navigate menus and maps which seems more cumbersome. When the tablet is connected to wifi it has speech recognition which makes searching for and entering addresses very simple.
One issue for me was that the lock/unlock button is on the side of the tablet, so turning the screen on and off was an issue. I didn't want to cut up the navpod to fit any levers or buttons to hit the lock/unlock since I thought it would look bad and the navpod cost twice as much as the tablet! I settled on using an app that locks the screen which is accessible from the drop down notifications. In order to turn on the screen i use a magnet. The nexus 7 has a magnet sensor which is supposed to be for sleeves and cases for the device and it is supposed to turn the screen on and off depending on whether the case is opened or closed. I just use a regular magnet to trick the tablet into thinking that I'm opening its case so the screen will turn on. The magnet trick wouldn't work for turning it off because that would require the magnet to stay pressed up against the screen. Once the magnet is pulled away the screen will turn on again.
I currently don't have a usb plugged into it for power but I ordered a grom audio unit so I'll be able to connect the tablet to my stereo via bluetooth and the grom unit comes with a 5v usb out so hopefully that will do the trick for charging the tablet while it is mounted in the car. Its a tight fit but a 90 degree micro usb plug fits for me but I had to trim the rubber on the plug to slim it down.
It's also great for netflix'ing if you have time to kill, like waiting in line for some of those popular M&M blueberry donuts.
Frumpy, this is fantastic. Nice work man!
How's the visibility under direct sunlight?
Do you think it will fit in the main center console below the CCU? If not, what if it's stood upright? Do you think that will retain functionality? Do you think direct sunlight will be an issue at that angle?
Sorry for the Q's. I actually posted a thread about this some months back so i'm very interested. Thanks for pioneering it!
How's the visibility under direct sunlight?
Do you think it will fit in the main center console below the CCU? If not, what if it's stood upright? Do you think that will retain functionality? Do you think direct sunlight will be an issue at that angle?
Sorry for the Q's. I actually posted a thread about this some months back so i'm very interested. Thanks for pioneering it!
I thought about doing this but did not like the fact that you have to turn it on and off. Does it automatically dims at night (auto brightness feature)?
If only the Navpod was cheaper...
The tablet does have a light sensor built into the front bezel next to the camera so it auto adjusts the screen brightness, but it can also be overridden in the settings and manually adjusted. I don't have problems reading the screen during the day, I'd say its as difficult as putting your cell phone at the same angle and position inside the car and reading that. The auto brightness lights up the screen so it is a little easier to read when the sun hits it.
I took a couple pics to see if it would fit below the ccu. A vertical mounting position doesn't look ideal because of how long the tablet is. It overlaps the shift boot/surround.
When the tablet is mounted horizontally it might fit but it would be a very tight squeeze on the bottom end since the center console tapers down. Maybe if the tablet were moved to the top of the console and the ccu was relocated below it then fitment would be better. You'd probably have to trim the edges of the center console to get it to fit below the ccu.
I like retaining the oem head unit so I don't have to fiddle around with wiring aftermarket amps to speakers and run it to the tablet as a dedicated sound source. This way I can still listen to the radio and I like having a physical knob for sound level.
I saw your thread about how you were looking for a tablet to use with the aem software, maybe you could run something like the splashtop app on the tablet to mirror the pc and carry a small netbook in the glovebox or behind the passenger seat so you get the aem software running on the netbook and everthing would be displayed on the tablet with mouse and keyboard gestures available on the screen? It would be an extra hassle though to have to require the netbook as well.
The tablet will auto dim the brightness so driving at night isn't a problem. Once power is connected to the tablet I wouldn't worry so much about turning it on and off as I could leave it on all the time. I think a solution would be to have it plugged into the car so every time the car starts then the charge would begin which would turn on the screen to show that the tablet is charging. From there you'd just have to swipe the tablet on and change the settings to never go to sleep when plugged into a power source, then when the car turns off it would revert to sleeping after 30 seconds or whatever it normally is.
fantastic, Creative Car Stereo (Lance - the owner has an NSX!) is working on my unit - as an aside, there is an option under developer mode to always keep the screen on when plugged in. This would mitigate the need for pressing the power button as it will turn on when the car is turned on.
Another thing to look at is to see if the upcoming asus dock will fit. It uses the 3 pins on the side to do charging and has a spot for headphone jack (so you can hook it up to your deck)
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Looks to be the most practical and economical solution for adding some technology to the NSX. This tablet is only $199 dollars. That's a steal for what it can do.
Nice job Frump!!
So what happens when the car is turned off? There is a battery there so I would assume it would stay on for a while prior to tuning off.
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Once off charging power there are options for how long the screen will stay on. Usually where from 15 seconds to a minute. It doesn't shut completely off, just the screen though. These can stay in standby for a long time usually.
I had the same idea to use the nexus 7 in the navipod. There are sensors on the side/bottom of the nexus 7 that will work with docks. There's probably a way to set the tablet into "car mode" when connected. Waiting to see those docks.
Screen turns off when the power (car ac circuit) is off. Charges and turns on when the car is turned on (accessory circuit on)
I will have pics up soon - they are working on the unit as I type.
Im sold. My head unit has 3 USB inputs, Ipod is in one and a Blue Tooth fob in the other. Am wondering if a small inverter added to the glove box would do well or if heat would become an issue. Anyone hide an inverter there yet for powering things? Hitting SOS now to order the pod. Great write up.
Yes, how do you make the Nexus 7 go into the horizontal mode at its home screen? I have the Samsung Galaxy Tab 7 in my NSX, but I would like to switch to the Nexus 7. I am running mine with a Torque connected thru a Bluetooth ODBII transmitter to pull real time gauges/statistics too. Great application.
^^^more pics^^^
Fyi, the Nexus & had an update that allows landscape mode. I do have a question. What do you do when the tablet runs out of battery? Do you chanrge it for a little and take the face plate off and turn it back on?
I have the Nexus in the dash. Drilled a hole and added a rubber grommet flush with the pod so I can turn it on and off. The cord runs inside the dash to a 12 volt plug below the double Din. It then comes out from behind the center plate to plug into a duel USB adapter. I hated to expose the wire like that but with a black interior its not an eyesore and I can run my Mac at the same time. Makes it easy if I want the same programs on each.
Do you have a pic of the hole with gromet? Also, did you use a 90 degree usb adapter to make the tablet fit in the pod? I take it you dont ever remove your tablet from the car? I'm trying to get ideas.
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