Screen grabs: KITT the chatty car somehow still needs an Apple Bluetooth keyboard
By Ryan Block 
posted Mar 21st 2008 12:20PM
posted Mar 21st 2008 12:20PM
Our latest micro-series, Screen grabs chronicles the uses (and misuses) of real-world gadgets in today's movies and TV. Send in your sightings (with screen grab!) to screengrabs at engadget dt com.
You'd think a car with AI sophisticated enough to carry on a lengthy conversation with its driver would kind of obviate the need for a keyboard, but hey, maybe that's why we're not in the TV business.
[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]
[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]
very cool!
do people actually watch this lame Ford infomercial?
What...no mouse?
That'll come in the next generation of KITT announced at MW 2009. Cars don't need mice...until Apple invents the car mouse.
soon to be replaced by the car mouse extreme. :P
with only one button.
One button?
-.-
Ah, being educated, it's not for everyone.
I find it far more frightening that people are watching the new 'Knight Rider' at all, let alone intently enough to pick up product placements.
I'm aware that Mac mouses have more than one now :P
Isn't it like five?
I don't know how many times I've had to scream "CUSTOMER SERVICE" into my phone while I'm supposedly talking to a "sophisticated" online operator (you hear that AT&T!).
Sometimes you'd just like to push buttons to get something done.
http://www.gethuman.com/
They should tell you how to push the right buttons anywhere you go. Great site.
Thank you for calling Amazon, my name is Mike and yes I'm actually in India as you can tell by my thick accent and ridiculous phone delay but we like to give ourselves anglo names so as not to offend, please, how may I help you today?
Too bad the actual people aren't much better than the machine. Almost all of them have no idea what they are doing, they are sitting in front of a PC with a flow chart of problems and solutions.
I was once transferred to an overseas representative by my bank's automated phone system. I asked the rep for "someone in America" and they actually transferred me back to someone in the US!
I don't mind talking to people in India or Ireland or where ever. I like it, in fact. Once you get them to admit that they're not in the US (which is sometimes difficult) it's usually a pleasant chat.
In fact, I find that the worst service I get is often from people in the US (sorry, South, but I frequently find people in your part of the world manning the phone to be rude, unintelligible or downright slow).
"KITT, What did you just call me?"
CTRL-ALT-DEL
Format c:
i think kit runs on OSX :P
na na na naaa!
:D
So then you cant crash KITT?
i will bet you a million dollars that some fanboy trashes both microsoft and apple somtime during this thread
not just use
sudo rm /
sudo rm -r /
It just means that if you crash one part of the car, the other parts will keep running.
@Pradster
Kitt is running a windows OS.How do i kno that?If you watched the crappy movie thing,you would have realized that he gets hacked in under 2 minutes.
Deff not a mac.
@Zak
Pot calling the kettle black...
Zargon: Please have your sense of humor upgraded ASAP. I was making a joke based on OS X's preemptive multitasking.
you could always let it go by the side of a cliff, or snap the batteries out,dont worry dude...revenge shall be yours!
Isn't it a Mustang? It should be using Microsoft Sync.
Good thing it has airbags to shield you from the crashes.
But this is Engadet and there clear Apple bias has led them to point out... yet another Apple product for their Screen grab series.
Oh Dear... I've become "that guy"
@rndmnme:
first of all, it's "their"
second of all, shutup.
@ Jeff
First of all.... this is not English class. I have just started reading engadget and I have noticed that all you do is shoot down people for their spelling/grammar.
It’s really getting old. Could you please stop? We are not getting graded on this…. Or did I miss that memo?
@Jeff
"shutup" is not a word.
Extra homework for you.
I hear it comes with a 64g SSD for $1299.
probably just some small form of advertising
that's totally what I thought when I saw it - even though it was only in frame for a second or two, it was enough for anybody that has seen that keyboard before to regonise it... and I think with their budget they could afford a mockup fancy-looking sci-fi keyboard or whatever... also later in the same episode there's a giant apple logo at the back of a casino...
Well, if the car gets uppity or goes crazy he can just do a quick rm -rf.
you could always let it go by the side of a cliff, or snap the batteries out,dont worry dude...revenge shall be yours!
People can actually use those things?
I always thought they were just for show, like iMacs.
Well... if it comes with Microsoft sync, I bet they installed OSX86.
I think they just added the support
the iMac is the best computer I've ever owned, and I've owned many, so STFU!
Troll much?
It's incredibly stupid to tie a machine to a monitor. Monitors can be good for years and years, but people usually upgrade their PC's within a year or two.
I cannot respect anyone who ever buys something like an XPS One or iMac.
And, so what if I was trolling a little? Those keyboards are ergonomic nightmares...Do people actually sacrifice their wrists to show off or buy something from Apple?
When people upgrade their computer, they usually get a new screen with it. With the deals that Dell and HP have, I'd say it's rare that someone buys a computer without a screen, no matter what they have at home. Why would you turn down a free screen?
I can't respect anyone who insults others for their computer purchases.
The keyboard is no different than using a laptop, and only slightly different than the default keyboard that come with every Dell, HP, and Gateway.
Yeah Jesse, you know what's incredibly stupid? People who think that every other person on the planet should have the same needs and values as you do. Yes, shockingly enough, there are people out there who don't have a problem with owning an all in one system. It's incredibly stupid of you not to realize that people are different and there is no "one size fits all".
And laptop keyboards are also horrible nightmares, why use one when you're sitting at a desk?
I have a 24" screen that I got two years ago, and it is good. Why would I get another one when I build a new pc or upgrade my current one, unless 30" screens shoot down in price?
I will say it again, it is monumentally stupid to tie your monitor to your computer (unless it's something like a laptop or UMPC, in which you have no choice). Hell, it's also stupid to buy a pre-built computer in almost every case, considering how much money you can save using sites to find the best prices on parts. (Surprisingly, not much money can be saved when considering a Mac Pro vs. building your own with the same specs.) Not to mention you aren't limited in how you want to house or cool it.
And don't cop out and say it takes too long to build a PC...It takes, at most, half an our to shop for parts, and another half an hour to build the PC, and then you can do a nice unattended install of XP or a Linux distro (I don't know if you can do Hackintosh installs unattended, I haven't personally looked into it).
There is no one-size-fits-all, Zak, which is why everyone with the ability (I would think everyone reading Engadget) should build their own computer. Then you get exactly what you need, at a good price.
So, what niche does an all-in-one fill with tech-oriented Engadget readers?
oohh, jesse, i get it.
you're one of those people stuck in 1998. "It's sooo much cheaper and better to build your own box3n, that anyone who doesn't is a total newb!"
You obviously have no concept of 99.8% of the consumer market who has absolutely no interest in scrounging around for cheap parts, LEDs and glowing case fans. ...not to mention that these days, someone buying 1,000,000 sticks of RAM are definitely getting a better price-per-unit than you are at pricewatch. You apparently don't understand that nearly everyone likes things like build quality, warranties, simplicity, et all.
that "self-built is teh best, anything else is stupidz0r!" standpoint is incredibly naive.
Monitor tech is advancing about as fast as the the computer itself, and they are so cheap that I usually get a new one with the system. I just bought a new Dell and I got a 22" Samsung monitor for about $100. I have no problem purchasing an all-in-one system for some purposes, and I guess I'll just have to live with your lack of respect if I end up getting one. I don't currently have a Mac, but I know at least two who do and have the new keyboard and they like it fine, so forgive me if I accept the word of people who *actually* own and use it (new iMac with new BT keyboard) every day over your ranting.
jeff, that still doesn't change the fact that keeping a monitor for more than one computer is generally a good idea.
also, the person buying 1000000 sticks has to make a profit, while you do not.
99% of the time it is cheaper to build your own computer, mainly due to the freedom in GPU choice.
Jeff, we are on Engadget. We are NOT average consumers. We are technologically oriented, we know how to build our own PC's.
And it is always cheaper to build your own PC. In the Mac Pro's case, it's only around $200 cheaper.
Warranties? Each part in my machine has one. If one breaks, I can RMA it.
My computer is housed in a simple black, aluminum case (by Lian-Li). It sits under my desk. I have a few Mini-itx systems hidden around my abode that perform various functions, and a few old computers I've turned into servers sitting in my basement.
Good 24" monitors cost $500, and up. Why would I waste $500 when my current one is almost as good? (What's a few ms response time?)
Again, (what is this, the third time I'm saying this?), this is ENGADGET. Engadget's readers are tech oriented, and I'd gather that every single one of us can, and has, built our own PC's. I am NOT talking about Joe Consumer.
More importantly, that screenshot looks like it comes from a comcast dvr, and i'm amazed someone was actually able to pause it right where they wanted to
Yeah, it took me like 20 minutes of pure frustration, let me tell you.
What Comcast DVR do you have? I have an HD Comcast box (Scientific Atlanta Explorer 8300HD) and mine looks nothing like that. Just curious because the theme on that screenshot is a million times better than the shitty GUI on my box, lol.
Im watching K.I.T.T right now and I missed it. Just goes to show you cant beat a hard keyboard no matter how sophisticated the product is.
That thing was a month ago- friggin slow people.
Maybe KITT needs a KB because KITT is really Val Kilmer?
So much for the old adage comparing systems running Windows vs. OSX to cars, with Macs being the equivalent of cars that can only drive on 10% of roads.
Wasn't that show canceled? I watched the pilot and wasn't impressed. Then I didn't see it on the TV listings ever again.
You watched a 2 hour made-for-tv movie.
They may put it into production though as a regular series.
I'm pretty sure it has been green-lit as a regular TV series. The ratings for the backdoor pilot were good, if not great. And I'll readily admit that the TV movie was at least as good as the old show, as-bad-as-it-was-in-the-80s plot included, apart from a lack of explosions and turbo-boosts.
I noticed that the first time it was on TV...
(Did any one else notice that NBC didn't even bother to block out the Roomba logo on the battery when that guy picked up the vacuum cleaner?)
That was a clever act of product placement...Just as the entire show is just one giant ad frakenstiened together from all the "in" mainstream companies to make a cheap half baked show to sell all of their expensive half baked crap.
You got to love capitolisim.
*Capitalism* and yes, I think it is preferable to having the government telling me what I can and cannot watch.
Indeed, CraigJ, because the void left by the absence of a capitalist system would invariably be replaced by totalitarianism. Drop the conversational terrorism and start addressing the points being made.
Oh, does engadget pay you to police the grammar in the comments, or is that on a volunteer basis? I only ask because I'm looking to supplement my income.
KITT now comes with magsafe!
is there seriously an ad for "My dad is better than your dad"?
god dammit.
Is that seriously Bill Nye, The Science Guy?
:D
"Science Rules"
so, i have comcast hd-dvr (Scientific Atlanta Box)...how would I go about getting one of these apparently better looking UI dvr's? Can i go up to comcast and ask, Hey, do you have a HD DVR that does not have a UI that looks like monkey dick? Its 2008....wtf
I knew KITT was too smug to be a PC.
KITT is a MAC. What they don't tell you is that gas for KITT is $20/gallon, tires cost $10,000 apiece. A headlamp is about $4500...
No, the original KITT was (and still partly is) a Cylon.
Thank you for confirming! I thought I noticed that the first time I watch it.
Blogged that 18 days ago: http://null.perl-hackers.net/2008/03/kitt_is_back_with_a_mac_keyboa.html
Nice... good find!
This is kinda old. it was shown multiple times.
Wait so KITT runs MacOS? What does that say about the future security of the OS when KITT was hacked into during the show?
So I'm wondering, how can you tell it's the bluetooth one and not simply the flat aluminum keyboard with a cord? Did they remove it from the tray in the episode?
Nope. The difference between the Apple Bluetooth KB and the wired KB is that the BT version does not have a number pad, however their reasons completely excape me. Stupid bloody Apple
I know! it's silly. you can either have no wires on your desk, or no number pad... it's so stupid...
Not to be pedantic but wasn't the Knight Rider sequel on months ago ? You only notice now ?
Don't know what all the waffle about ergonomics is I've set up one of the new iMacs for a customer and the keyboard was great to use, which surprised me ! best looking keyboard I've seen
@Jesse S
Whats the big deal about iMacs and all-in-one computers ? they have a good spec and you can also upgrade every year if you want as the intergrated monitor (which are very great looking screens) mean a very high resale value compared to your usual PC, admittedly they are generally out of my price range but they are very nice well spec'd machines that look nice anywhere.
But then you upgrade every year so must be a "power user" lol
Never underestimate the usefulness of a keyboard. Imagine if the only way you had to interface with your computer was with voice commands. I'm disappointed in you Engadget.
...i'm not Engadget's philosophy teacher, so i'm not "dissapointed" in them, but i agree; voice command only would be awful.
IDK, it worked fine on StarTrek...
One of my first electronics projects when I was a kid (8th grade or so) was to try to build a KITT (original model, of course). I got a few rocker switches and some wire from Radio Shack, and even a breadboard or two. Acquiring an '82 Trans Am was rough, even in '84 - but I had my eye on one and even convinced myself I could somehow acquire it for my evil plan.
It all fell apart when William Daniels' agent wouldn't let him lay down those soundboard tracks I needed.
http://gizmodo.com/358317/kitt-uses-apple-slim-wireless-keyboard-for-some-reason
My god... couldn't they have even used a keyboard that isn't so obviously from one brand? it makes even less sense when KITT is a black car (I think)
FYI people who can type (60 words a minute) can obviously type faster than they talk... Its just math. Don't be afraid.
Afterhours,fully mellowed on some primo synthetic hydrocarbons (if you know what I mean), KITT longs wistfully for his old, DVORAK-style Hasselhoff-vomit-encrusted 'supplemental hot-hands input device'...
K.I.T.T.'s brain soon to be replaced with a 16GB iPhone. Now it'll be twice as smart as it was before and totally get off on having his touchscreen stroked.
SARCASM
How come no one has commented on the Nokia N95 with the touch screen dial pad? I wish my N95 had that.