Sanyo's In-Dash GPS Units Rely on SSDs
Wow, who woulda thunk it? Just a few years back, solid state drives were found in only a few extremely high end notebooks. Today, we're looking at an SSD within a navigation system. Crazy, right? Over in Japan, Sanyo has introduced its NVA-GS1609FT and NVA-GS1409DT in-dash navigation systems, both of which fall in the company's 'AV Gorilla' line.
Both systems are designed to fit in automobile dashboards and provide all the routing guidance and entertainment that's safe to enjoy while behind the wheel. Each system includes a QVGA (480 x 240 resolution) display and a 16GB SSD, half of which is dedicated to secure map storage and half of which can be used to hold any type of multimedia you wish. There's also a built-in DVD drive, but we suspect your vehicle will have to be in park before it activates.
The SSD here serves a few purposes. First, it's more durable than non-flash based storage, so it's better suited to withstand extreme temperatures as well as potholes and bumps that cars will obviously hit. Second, it's fast -- really fast. Users can rip CDs to the SSD up to 12 times faster than conventional drives, and of course, routes can load faster. The decks also pack a 43W x 4 audio amplifier and a USB port, and a in-car player wouldn't be an in-car player without iPod compatibility, so there's that as well. Pricing is still up in the air, but it should start shipping in Japan next month.
Both systems are designed to fit in automobile dashboards and provide all the routing guidance and entertainment that's safe to enjoy while behind the wheel. Each system includes a QVGA (480 x 240 resolution) display and a 16GB SSD, half of which is dedicated to secure map storage and half of which can be used to hold any type of multimedia you wish. There's also a built-in DVD drive, but we suspect your vehicle will have to be in park before it activates.
The SSD here serves a few purposes. First, it's more durable than non-flash based storage, so it's better suited to withstand extreme temperatures as well as potholes and bumps that cars will obviously hit. Second, it's fast -- really fast. Users can rip CDs to the SSD up to 12 times faster than conventional drives, and of course, routes can load faster. The decks also pack a 43W x 4 audio amplifier and a USB port, and a in-car player wouldn't be an in-car player without iPod compatibility, so there's that as well. Pricing is still up in the air, but it should start shipping in Japan next month.
