Re: your car-puter...
I'm still looking at doing the same. Now that the Android (Linux) operating system can be installed on desktops and laptops, it may be worth a look. It's seriously looking to be THE next big platform. Even some OEMs are looking at using it as the basis for their vehicle's entertainment and navigation systems.
It's got a MUCH simpler, less "computer" interface that may work better in an automotive application. I've just started to explore the idea, but found several forum threads in a Google search about this very subject.
Oh yeah... Android's Nav software ROCKS compared to the Sprint-branded navigation app included with my new Evo phone. I have the Android app, Sprint Nav and Google maps (with GPS support) on the phone. The Android Nav wins hands-down, it does turn-by-turn with a computerized voice, just like a stand-alone GPS does, and has the smoothest motion I've seen on a GPS. I think I like it better than my stand-alone Sony GPS (which I chose after seeing the Tom Tom and Garmin offerings).
And, of course, being that this is a Linux-based smartphone platform, it multi-tasks well. You could be listening to music while running the GPS, or surfing the web, viewing pics or movies, etc... Very nice.
I plan to dual-boot my netbook soon with Android to test out its feasibility for this application, but I think we may have a winner here. I just searched this thread, and realized it's been almost a year since the subject was discussed. A lot's happened since then.
I'll put up some links when I get more info. In the meantime, keep it in the back of your mind...
