Well this is my first time working with Bluetooth, so it's kind of been an 'interesting' experience to say the least.  I'm going to first plug Centrafuse (CF) again because honestly it's the best front end (GUI) I've used for the carPC environment.  Recently the CF guys have released RC3.1 and with it came a bunch of fixes and additions.

Finally!  With this new kick ass front end, Centrafuse and its built in navigation system, I finally bought a GPS receiver (pictured above).  Well it's not exactly a built in navigation system, more like intergrated.  Centrafuse intergrades Destinator maps.  So it's just a matter of getting the correct maps and a GPS receiver.

Yea!  Another frontend for me to figure out.  Seriously though this frontend looks to be the frontend to end all other frontends.  It's called Centrafuse and it absolutely rocks!  This is probably my third or fourth frontend that I've gone through since I build my carPC.  The problem is that most of the frontends are created by dudes in their home for free.  So the quality isn't always there.  But Centrafuse looks and acts like a completely professional frontend for my carPC control needs.  But then again, Centrafuse is not going to be free.

Well I got all the parts ordered for my carPC from MP3Car.com. Here's a list of items that I ordered:

• VIA EPIA M10000 Mini-ITX MB
• Panasonic Slot Load DVD-ROM/CD-RW Combo Drive
• M1-ATX 90 Watt - Smart Automotive Power Supply
• Lilliput 8" VGA Touch Screen TFT LCD Display
• 512MB DDR RAM PC2700 184-Pin DIMM Memory

UPDATE 1: All the parts arrived the other day. Prior to building the console and installing it in my truck I decided to test all the parts. I put together the PC and installed WinXP on it.

Haha!  I almost forgot, I can use my smartphone as a wireless modem for my carPC.  Sweet!

It's simple really....well...sort of.  First, I have unlimited Internet access through my cell phone.  That means, anywhere I get a digital signal from my carrier (Cingular), I can connect and access the Internet through Pocket Internet Explorer.  Now my carPC does have a wireless card installed, but I have to be within range of a wireless network in order to access the Internet.  And since my cell phone carrier has vast coverage over any open wireless networks, I can now let my carPC access the Internet from virtually anywhere.

I finally found a free front end for my carPC that I really like.  Since I built the PC I've been using a front end called MediaCar to play music and videos.  Unfortunately though, MediaCar is old and no longer supported.

I've been getting a few inquiries about my carPC. People have been wondering more and more about it - like how it was done, what I'm doing with it now, and what I plan to do with it. Well, the sad thing is, it's in the exact same situation that it was in when I first started putting it together.

I'm going to put a computer in my truck. A full functioning computer running Windows XP.

With this computer I can listen to all my music with a push of a button. No more swapping CDs in and out. Also, I can watch DVDs, videos, and play some video games (while not driving of course).