Mobile Electronics Senior Editor Ted Goslin is visited by an installation tech who installs the latest in heads-up display technology.

1-3-2017 -- As a journalist getting ready for CES, one of the largest trade shows of the year, this time of year brings a great deal of prepping. Companies send you information on their latest product releases. Some do not pertain to your area of focus. Some appear not to relate, but may impact the future of your area. That's where Navdy comes in—the latest in installable heads-up display technology—recently made available to the aftermarket by way of a partnership with Harman.

The device, available for purchase through Navdy on its website (www.navdy.com), costs a total of $799 and has one- ($66 per month) and two-year ($33 per month) payment plans available. The company also offers an added option of home installation for those who'd prefer not to install the device themselves. For the sake of getting a thorough tutorial for this blog, I opted to have the installer pay me a visit.

While the installation is logical enough, I'm not fully confident I could have stumbled through it without the knowledge I've acquired from working on this publication. I could see the average person who is unfamiliar with the inner workings of their vehicle needing a professional installer to walk them through how the device works and make sure it is set up within the vehicle in a way that best suits their needs.

Nuts and Bolts

The device comes in a black box and includes different mounting options (short, medium and tall) to fit a variety of vehicles dashboards. The device's mount sticks to the dash directly behind the steering wheel with a special gummy adhesive that can be reused different vehicles if needed.

The next step involved connecting the device via cable to the OBDII port. The cable is long enough to travel down the left side of the vehicle while being tucked into the side of the dash by the driver's side pillar. For my 2006 Scion XB, the cable fit neatly beneath the dash, tucking inside an open slot. This will vary for other vehicles where an opening may need to be created by an installer to hide the cable.

Once the mount and cable are installed, the device can be mounted, which requires you to place it on with the back end first, lining up the sensors and pressing the front end down until you hear a click. You then lift and rotate the clear, plastic screen to face you, press the small black button on the right side of the device and adjust until you see the word, "Navdy" appear in front of you.

Connecting the Dots

Before you can test out the features, you need to set up the device with your Bluetooth head unit via your Smartphone. To do this, you have to download the Navdy app, which walks you through the setup options that include pairing the Navdy device with your Smartphone, and selecting which phone functions you want to appear on the Navdy screen, including text messages, emails and social media (while the last two may clog up your screen, which contradicts the purpose of the device). I set mine to include only text messages and phone calls for simplicity.

In addition to communication, the Navdy allows you to control music, navigation and vehicle diagnostic information, which varies based on what information your vehicle can convey to the device. The navigation map can be triggered through use of Siri, which also has a button on the Main Menu display panel. The whole screen is accessed through a dial that attaches to your steering wheel. The dial rotates in both directions and once the option you want appears on the screen you click the center button to select.

Ready to Roll

Once set up with all functions I wanted, I set the Navdy to navigate to the local Starbucks through my Smartphone app. Through the app, you can set the Navdy to navigate to new locations, saved locations or favorites. I was informed that, just to be safe in case you lose your phone or the device itself, not to enter the exact address of your home, but just the street name. Hopefully security updates eliminate such a concern in the future, but for now, I heeded the advice.

As I took my first drive, I was impressed by how, not only did the device not distract me while driving, but improved my drive because it removed my urge to reach for my phone or head unit to check a message or change to a different song in my playlist. The only thing to note is that the playlist needs to be selected prior to driving, as the device only changes songs, not playlists or music apps. But once you choose a list from an app, you can change songs at will, with the selection option appearing on the right while the navigation remains steady on the left, separated by a single white line.

The navigation also has some fun items like ETA, colored lines to indicate traffic delays (yellow and red for slow and stopped traffic, respectively), similar to the Waze navigation app I use regularly. The voice commands are also helpful, not just for turn-by-turn navigation, but to read text messages aloud, which can be set in the app, either alone or in conjunction with the visual text message on screen.

Thinking Out Loud

As a consumer, I've wanted to up my in-car tech game for a while to allow me to remove all urges to reach for my Smartphone. Not only is it dangerous to operate a Smartphone while driving, it's illegal to touch your phone at all thanks to a new law that takes effect in 2017. Not to mention, my wife threatens me whenever I think about it.

Needless to say, this device fills a great number of voids for the average person's driving experience. There's a good reason why Harman has decided to bring the device to its customers. But there are potential issues I can foresee with it as well.

If the device is sold at big box retailers, 12-volt retailers may not want to carry it due to the competition. If the device were easy to install for every person on earth, that might also be a concern, but luckily, I can think of plenty of people, including my 70-year-old father, who would need help installing it—not to mention, needing a tutorial that any installation tech would be happy to provide.

As a consumer, I'm excited that this device is coming to market. There have been HUD (Heads Up Displays) on the market in the past, but they have largely been only for luxury vehicles and have not included Blutooth compatibility until now. They have also not had the level of navigation capabilities that we currently enjoy. With all of its functionality, and the affordability the device provides for average people, I can see Navdy making a huge splash for the aftermarket in 2017. All 12-volt retailers need to do is educate, sell and install the product as a must-have for any demographic interested in law abidance and common sense safety. 

A functional heads-up display (HUD) may be close to being a reality in the aftermarket. IRIS: Your Car and Network Combined, is a new HUD that attaches to the overhead visor in any vehicle and syncs to the user's mobile device via Bluetooth. The device is transparent and displays notifications such as upcoming directional suggestions like turns and road traffic, as well as text message and email notifications. The device also accepts phone calls.

Inspired by the same technology that fighter pilots use, IRIS is completely hands-free, relying on gesture controls for functionality while driving. The campaign has a goal of $50,000 and has [at this time] achieved $17,384 in just seven days.

The following is straight from the company's Facebook page:

"Iris is a new heads-up display (HUD) system that projects incoming phone calls, text messages, emails and more through a new laser technology that makes the messages appear to be floating out in front of your vehicle. Compatible with iPhone, Android and BlackBerry, Iris connects via Bluetooth using the latest display technology and clever software powered by a free App on your phone. And because Dallas and Dino, the developers behind Iris, do not want this driving evolution to stop, they have made their App an Open Source Software so that it can continue to evolve for the people by the people with unlimited possibilities."

To visit the Indigogo campaign, visit: https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/iris-your-car-and-network-combined#/story