Knight Rider satnav spied in the wild

The Knight Rider satnav won global acclaim after being spotted earlier this week. But anyone doubting its authenticity can now rest easy, as maker Mio has confirmed it's existence. And a demo video has surfaced. Can't see the video? Download Flash Player from Adobe.com A video posted onto YouTube shows the KITT-inspired …

[Adrian Jackson]

Not buying this...

...unless it also comes with a Turbo Boost button. Otherwise, what's the point?

[dervheid]

Not buying this...

wouldn't want it even if they paid ME. The most embarrassing car accessory ever. Okay, second then, after 'musical' air horns.

[Simon]

Knight rider lights

If anyone is interested there is an IC to generate the sweeping lights thing done on the front of KITT.

The IC is a five stage Johnson counter (HEF4017B) connected to a 555 to generate the clock. I had a go at making the KITT thing on a breadboard (No, not that kind, sheesh!) and it looked rather funky.

I also have a Knight Rider lights effect on my website (Using Javascript, it speeds up and down as well), but i'm sure someone would accuse me of promoting my (Crappy) website if i posted the link on here ;-P

[Eponymous Cowherd]

Excellent device!

Excellent.

Going to buy one. Not to use myself, you understand, but for all of the annoying people who know I've got a satnav and keep asking to borrow it.

[Anonymous Coward]

The real thing

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LbJDP0kzhtg

I wonder how many Trans Ams they wrecked making this series?

[amanfromMars]

On the Cards.?!

Just imagine if SatNav started providing Games Co-Ordinates/Destinations for Great Games Players.

Technology Directing AIResearch & dDevelopment Players/Programmers/Systems Analysts.

PipeXXXX Virtual Chunnels? ..... with Swiss Army knife Flexibility and Facility.

[Kenny Millar]

It's a NavMan

It's a junked up navman.

[Anonymous Coward]

re: Turbo Boost

I'd much rather it has the ability to driver the car so you can sleep - mind you given the number of car drivers turning into rivers because their sat nav told them, I think maybe not after all

[Anonymous Coward]

Time wasting exercise

I heard the voice, being a KR fan, this thing just destroyed all KITT's creditbility.

[Bo Pedersen]

Just waiting for....

The HAL9000 version that will no doubt do the whole, sending me into the river or off a cliff scenario! :)

I think I will stick with AA routeplanner :)

[Tim]

Not good enough

Couldn't they have replicated the hardware? I don't remember Kitt ever displaying a splash screen of the hoff. It just looks like a SatNav with a theme :-( although I can think of a few better themes! It looked really slow too, how could it possibly catch up with me?

[Warhelmet]

Speedbuggy

I was trying to remember other talking cars, seeing if I could spot a gap in the market.

Speedbuggy, I remember that, but that's about all. And I'm not sure he said that much. Herbie didn't say anything at all. But there was always something very disturbing about Herbie. Cars DO NOT have sex. They CAN NOT reproduce. So perhapss it's good that he did not talk. Imagine the indignity of having people in your vehicle and your sat nav gets the horn over a Micra.

[John Robson]

Good plan

"Going to buy one. Not to use myself, you understand, but for all of the annoying people who know I've got a satnav and keep asking to borrow it."

Ah, the smell of sweet revenge

[Johnny FireBlade]

Is it me...

...or does that thing sounds like Lloyd Grossman?

Looks pretty rubbish to me and actually made me shudder uncomfortably!

[Adrian]

Do you get

a complementary pair of tight leather jeans to wear whilst using it ?

[Mike Dyne]

Hello Michael

Where do you want to go today?

Sounds like they've been ripping off old MS lines...

I always thought that KITT would have been a Linux fan.

[Ian McNee]

But does it play...

...Jump In My Car when you cruise past attractive young women in your chavved-up Vauxhall Nova?

[Anonymous Coward]

SmartST ??

The "SmartST shop demonstration" on the YouTube video is a bit of a giveaway.....I've had different voices on my Navman/iPaq combo (that uses SmartST) for about 5 years....best one's are the "naughty" voices that say:

"in 400 metres, turn left and then take me big boy.....!"

Trouble is, the phrases haven't been put together that well and sound like three or four different women taking it in turns (sic) to speak the directions....

PH, coz I'd love her voice to be on my SatNav...!

[Anonymous Coward]

@Adrian

"Do you get a complementary pair of tight leather jeans to wear whilst using it ?"

I wouldn't want to see anyone who would buy this thing wearing tight leather jeans!

[pctechxp]

impvoe the voice, get rid of the hoff and give it auto cruise

and I'll take it

[Anonymous Coward]

disappointing

I was really looking forward to getting one, but as pctech pointed out, the voice sounds really crap and just doesn't flow... i'll wait for Kitt v1.01

[John]

Majel Barrett

would be a much better voice. That KITT sounded horrific.

I wonder if Gates McFadden has done a Sat-Nav voice-over? That would be even better than Charlotte Green. Fi Glover would always win though.

[Anonymous Coward]

Greats?

> the GPS gadget greats you with “Hello, Michael,

> where would you like to go today?” when

> you turn it on.

Shouldn't that be 'greets'? Or, seeing as how it sounds like it would be *really annoying*, how about 'grates'?

Icon? Bill Grates ...

[Anonymous Coward]

@simon

an IC? pah... I just bought the kit from Maplins - granted the lights only go one way, but when you miss out the last few led's and put the wires to the middle ones, it goes back and forth ;-)

*sigh* I've just realised how sad I am :-( Still not sad enough to own this though, no matter how good the program was. At the time.

[TeeCee]

@Simon

Even though you clarified the word "breadboard", I now cannot rid myself of the mental picture of a loaf of Mother's Pride with flashing red lights at one end.

Must be Friday.

[Benjamin Ford]

Circumstances

At the next set of unlikely Circumstances turn left.

Or

At the next good looking woman in trouble you have arrived at your destination.

[Anonymous Coward]

@Michael by default

http://www.mio.com/us/mio-technology-press-releases-17833.htm

"The device’s integrated randomized greetings and 300 custom names will welcome you to your navigation experience"

Nope, looks like the name is changable.

I wonder if it takes generic maps. I'd definitely like to get one off eBay and load it with local maps.

Now all they need is to include a USB host-capable device connector and I could just rig up an interface to hook it up to my junk of a Proton Gen-2, and let the device control it. Instant autocruise. And for kicks, hook it up to the car alarm as well and program it to make the alarm go off if someone decides to let his/her pooch take a piss on my car tires (@#!$#@ neighbour kids, trying to be funny/clever).