By Tan Weizhen

IN-CAR MP3 or DVD players are so yesterday.

Car buffs who also happen to be fans of all things tech are spiffing up their wheels with multimedia players, in-car computers on either the PC or Mac platforms and even game consoles.

These "carputers" can cost a pretty penny -tens of thousands of dollars in some cases.

But price tags are not stopping a small but growing band of motorists from installing car-ready small PCs or Mac Minis, complete with touchscreen monitors, in their vehicles. These enable motorists to store and play thousands of songs, surf the Internet, check e-mail, work on documents and even print them out in the car.

One such group of local "carputer" enthusiasts even meets regularly to create a wireless network and swop music files.

Bluetooth-enabled multimedia devices which come with USB ports are getting popular. Drivers use them to play DVDs or music with their iPods and to transfer songs using portable disks or Bluetooth.

Some watch television in their cars by planting tuners to receive channels such as MobileTV and Channels 5 and 8.
A check with six local workshops has found that sales of these devices have grown at least 30 per cent from last year.

One such workshop, MobyCar, which customises car computers running on Windows Mobile or Mac OS, said its business has doubled from a year ago. It has also seen more customers buying parts and assembling them.

Another company, Innovasia, said sales of its car multimedia devices have climbed 20 per cent since it started selling them just six months ago.

For some, traditional MP3 or DVD players are not selling as well any more.

Mr Jackson Tan of Pin Liang Enterprises said that with more car-makers already kitting their cars with DVD players and iPod docks, customers hardly need to buy those devices now.Sellers of the new lines of gadgets offer several reasons for the increased demand.

Mr Eric Sim of Innovasia said the pervasiveness of media such as iPods, USB drives, Bluetooth and broadband in people's everyday lives is spilling over into demand for them on the go. The fact that more wireless points and mobile broadband are now available has also helped.

Mr Franklin Tang of MobyCar said technology has evolved to be more car-friendly and attractive. Even car-makers are cottoning on to the demand for car-ready devices. Next year, Performance Motors will launch a BMW 7-series that comes equipped with a hard disk to store thousands of songs; new models of this German car will also come fitted with massage chairs.

Kah Motors will be offering Hondas wired with USB ports.

Mr Eugene Ng, 28, has blown close to $10,000 on souping up his BMW 3-series. Besides revving up the sound system with three amplifiers and seven speakers, he has installed a powerful car PC; 11 USB ports are scattered throughout the cabin.

He uses the system to listen to his 2,000 songs, play games and check e-mail. He accesses the Internet by connecting his phone and using its 3G function.

Mr Ng, who works in his family's business, said: "When I need to access documents, which I can't do on my phone, it saves me from running back to the office. My car has become my mobile entertainment and office all at once."

Another motorist, Mr Paul Cheong, 31, installed digital television in his car four months ago.The civil servant said: "It is one of my best purchases - my wife catches her fave dramas while on the move and I can watch the news as well."

Mr Edwin Swee, 26, has gone further - gaming with his in-car PlayStation 2.

"About 15 minutes each time, three times a week, I will play Street Fighter while waiting for my wife," said the IT specialist, who hastens to give the assurance that he never plays while driving.

This article was first published in The Straits Times on Nov 11, 2008.

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