They are starting to use notebook hard drives in MP3 devices in car radios. So, the right notebook hard drives can be used in vehicles for normal use.
IBM notebooks have a protocol that parks the hard drive if it detects a falling notebook or other harsh movement.
With that said, you should just get on the list for the upcoming Lexus RX330h (hybrid) which will have more horsepower than a non-hybrid RX330 (270hp) and which has a navigation screen mounted where it should be (in the console and a suitable size and viewing angle) without distracting the driver or promoting accidents.
Note that Lexus has pushed back the introduction of this vehicle until December to insure some stock as there have already been over 20,000 pre-orders for this vehicle.
I like having a GPS to refer to while driving. Currently I have a Garmin GPS V. Unfortunately GPS screens are very small. An example is the GPS V has a screen that is 2.2 inches by 1.5 inches.
Ideally I would like to have a screen that is about 10 inches diagonal is size. Vehicle PCs are available but fairly permanently mounted in one specific vehicle. Ruggedized laptops are about three to four times more expensive then lower end laptops.
What would be ideal would be to use my current laptop, maybe get a 7 or 10 inch lcd television mounted on the console between the seats and get a feed from the video signal of the laptop. Problem with this idea is the computer manufacturer says that using a laptop in a vehicle is just to hard on the hard drive.
I guess I'm looking for someone to say, "No problem, as long as you aren't participating in an off-road race the little bit of bumping you find of today's roads won't be a problem." Or "No problem, what you can do is set the power miser switch to hard drive off in one minute. There should be enough memory to use the GPS program for driving without having to have the hard drive running at all.
Or someone to have another solution, which I haven't been able to think of.
FYI, I have no intentions of punching buttons or keys. Just want a moving map that shows current position.
Have a Great Day,
Jim

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