Originally I said that I would cover some articles from the past but I couldn't look past a recent article regarding Audi and their upgrades to the navigation hardware they use. Here is the gist:

Nvidia Corp., of Santa Clara, Calif., and Audi AG have developed a navigation system that displays Google Earth images. The companies say it is a first for the industry.

            

This is definately a step in the right direction regarding navigation. The computer is already making its way into the automotive industry with systems such as Sync and Ford Work Solutions so it only seems fitting to bring in some graphical upgrades to a very stale and basic system.

There is one thing that disappoints me regarding this article, and that is the absense of the widely used Google Street View. If the system is being upgraded to bring in a better quality product why pass up such a gem? And what better place to be using the feature than in the exact location of the photographs? What better way to find your location than to see it's picture from where your car will actually be? I think Audi really missed the full potential of this upgrade and hopefully they will tack that feature on soon.

But will it even matter?

Smart phones such as the Iphone and Droid are becoming the standard now and as this article explains, companies like Google and Nokia are pushing navigation into these devices for little to no cost. Even if you purchase an application that costs $100, its still nowhere near the cost of a $1000-$3000 in-car navigation system. The smart phone navigation programs are even killing the market for the Garmin type portable navigation devices. Cell phones are becoming more and more the do-all device and have already eliminated common items like the wrist watch and calendar. As these devices move into the auto realm will we see them take control of items like your car key?

Obviously the cell phone has a good chance of destroying the in-car navigation market unless a distinction can be made to warrant the huge price tag for the small screen in your dash. And that just brings me back to Audi dropping the ball on Google Street View. That is definately an option that wouldn't fare well on a tiny cellphone screen.

Another option that will keep navigation directly in the car is the heads up display (HUD). I personally can't stand a mechanical voice blaring through the car stereo telling me that my turn is 500 feet away. And the cell phone navigation systems sound just as bad. So what better than to have the direction displayed on the windshield? As you can see below, the HUD is showing the direction to turn, the name of the road to look for and also the distance with what looks to be a count down bar. If someone had this system in their car and still got lost, I dont know what could be done to save them other than having them hire a chauffeur...