Mio's Knight Rider GPS speaks with the voice of KITT -- we're in love

Move over, Dash Express. Take a seat, Garmin and Tom Tom. As of right now there's only one GPS unit worth buying, and it's this trick Knight Rider unit from Mio that issues directions in the voice of KITT. Yep, Mr. Feeney William Daniels is gonna be right there with you, although we doubt he'll be as tolerant of your skin-tight pants and unkempt chest hair this time around. Underneath the hood it's basically the same Mio kit as you'd expect, only it boots up by saying "Hello Michael, where do you want to go today?" uses a cartoon Trans-Am to represent your car, and features dual LED scanner lights on each side. Yes, we're in love. $270 is all it'll take when this thing hits in a few months -- 10 points to the first reader to get a picture of it inside a KITT replica.

[Via Autoblog]

[RCL1221 @ Jun 20th 2008 4:40PM]

Hell yes...HELL YES!!!!!!

[bohsocks @ Jun 20th 2008 4:42PM]

Thank god.... I had been praying for a device that would help me not get laid..... and my prayers have been answers

[phanbouy @ Jun 20th 2008 4:46PM]

that's funny, i didn't know ya needed help with that. you're just being modest!

[Dave @ Jun 20th 2008 4:49PM]

Agreed...This could have won best of CES

[Dave @ Jun 20th 2008 4:49PM]

Agreed...this could have won best of CES!

[Kaiser-Machead @ Jun 20th 2008 4:51PM]

Too bad it says Knight Rider on it. That's like wearing a polyester Superman costume with his face on the smock.

[Ace b @ Jun 20th 2008 4:52PM]

Holy Sh*T!!!

This is downright orgasmic!!!

I'm soo getting one!

[bohsocks @ Jun 20th 2008 6:04PM]

Nice quip, phanbouy, looks like the combined wit of you and your entire comic book league is far superior to my feeble ability to come up with one-liners. Good show......

[Steffen Jobbs @ Jun 20th 2008 7:28PM]

What is so darn great about Knight Rider, anyway. One of the worst shows that ever hit the airwaves. The show was just one long commercial to promote Pontiac TransAm cars for General Motors. I'm sure G.M. workers were the biggest fans since all the cars on the show were supplied by G.M. (The TransAm, the Cadillac Eldorado, the Cad Seville and the stretch Cad DeVille). I sure hope they don't bring the show back because FLAG would be bankrupted by just buying gas for KITT. What an unrealistic kiddie show. Right up there with "My Mother the Car".

"Okay Michael, let's go cruising on Sunset Boulevard so I can pick up a pink Cadillac and exchange some hydraulic fluids."

Knight Rider = LAME TV FAIL

[Ace b @ Jun 20th 2008 8:07PM]

@Steffen Jobbs

Why ya gotta be a hater of the K-Rida?

[Twitchy @ Jun 20th 2008 8:24PM]

Video or it's vapourware.

[Blackstar @ Jun 21st 2008 4:43AM]

But does it play the show opening sequence every time you turn it on?

[Dr Gonzo @ Jun 21st 2008 11:55PM]

@Kaiser-Machead

That was funny. Couldn't breathe at one point. Funny shit.

[Kaiser-Machead @ Jun 20th 2008 4:40PM]

"Activate Pursuit Mode!"

*I'm sorry Michael, my hooptie-transformation utility is currently not functioning*

[ishism @ Jun 20th 2008 7:26PM]

I think it's Super Pursuit Mode.
Thank you very much

[phanbouy @ Jun 20th 2008 4:41PM]

glue-on chest hair not included

[ddub @ Jun 20th 2008 6:39PM]

How much you need? My native Kahzakstan's #1 export is human pubice.

P.S. Glue not included.

[muddyh2o @ Jun 20th 2008 4:41PM]

i just wet my pants i'm so excited about this

[Ed @ Jun 26th 2008 10:14PM]

And you're still here typing?

[Engadgetluvsappl @ Jun 20th 2008 4:43PM]

Oh boy!

[chris fredette @ Jun 20th 2008 4:45PM]

Now I need to change my name to Michael?
This is going to be more expensive than $270.

[sracer @ Jun 20th 2008 4:58PM]

It'll be better and less dorkier than changing it to "Microsoft Zune". ;-)

[Bill @ Jun 20th 2008 4:45PM]

Hell yes!!! I am sooooo buying one of these. Way to go Mio! Although a Back to The Future one would be even better!

[sdl @ Jun 20th 2008 5:25PM]

But it would only work up to 88 mph...

[Eli @ Jun 20th 2008 5:38PM]

Then the clock would start to get all wonky.

[Low Ranked @ Jun 20th 2008 4:46PM]

I've been holding out for a GPS nav unit. Hopefully this one works well because it would look dorky and sexy as hell in my Trans Am.

[phanbouy @ Jun 20th 2008 4:49PM]

Trans Am is a great band.

By the way, why'd you change your name back? That other dude proved Lowest still exists

[Lowest Ranked @ Jun 20th 2008 5:01PM]

Just for you.

Yeah, I saw that after I had changed it lol.

[Todd @ Jun 20th 2008 4:49PM]

Michael: Plot me the most direct route!
KITT: Really, Michael, it's right there on the monitor. All you have to do is look.

(KITT plays heavy metal)
Michael: KITT, you never liked heavy metal.
KITT: Everyone's entitled to a change of taste, Michael.
Michael: Yeah, but not at the expense of others. Contact Bonnie for me.
KITT: You can dial direct, Michael.

Something just not right about The Hoff and a slightly effeminate voice over actor acting like an old married couple...

[Todd @ Jun 20th 2008 4:50PM]

Michael: Plot me the most direct route!
KITT: Really, Michael, it's right there on the monitor. All you have to do is look.

(KITT plays heavy metal)
Michael: KITT, you never liked heavy metal.
KITT: Everyone's entitled to a change of taste, Michael.
Michael: Yeah, but not at the expense of others. Contact Bonnie for me.
KITT: You can dial direct, Michael.

Something just not right about The Hoff and a slightly effeminate voice over actor acting like an old married couple...

[Cassini @ Jun 20th 2008 4:50PM]

LOL, now that's funny.

OK, I'm not diggin' on the "Knight Rider" stamp on top; maybe the red LED's on the side need to go, too, unless they move back and forth and make that "wah-wah" sound, lol... It's got some '80's tackiness goin' on, no question... but the rest of it I like.

Now we just need to know how it performs.

[monkfishbandana @ Jun 20th 2008 6:57PM]

"OK, I'm not diggin' on the "Knight Rider" stamp on top; maybe the red LED's on the side need to go, too, unless they move back and forth and make that "wah-wah" sound, lol... It's got some '80's tackiness goin' on, no question... but the rest of it I like."


Right...so what you're saying is; you want a normal GPS unit?

[Cassini @ Jun 22nd 2008 9:44AM]

LOL, I guess so! Apparently, gimmicks don't impress me much.

But I have to break the mold to some degree and say I like the Trans-Am on-screen icon and the idea of KITT's voice giving directions (that is, if they managed to get it right and didn't use some cheap vocal replica that sounds like some horrible digitized version compared to the real thing).

So those two things are clever to a small degree, but stamping "Knight Rider" on the top is really tacky to say the least, unless you're twelve years old, and trust me, every woman and most men who ride in your car and see the words "Knight Rider", are going to think you're a complete dork.

Like I said, the LED's might work, but only if they move back and forth. If not, then they're completely worthless and fail to replicate in a similar fashion what was on the front of KITT. Frankly, they should've just forgone the LED's on the side, and placed one single horizontal strip of LED's near the bottom and had them move from side to side - something more like what the car had, since that's what they were trying to emulate.

When I consider designing things, I'm mindful of the details. To me, Mio's efforts were OK, but they could've done much better.

[nobi125 @ Jun 20th 2008 4:52PM]

Kitt from Knight Rider is a downloadable voice for TomTom, at least for Windows Mobile.

[EskimoPie @ Jun 20th 2008 5:39PM]

Yeah, but it's not a very good impersonation

[MastrCake @ Jun 20th 2008 4:53PM]

Oh HELL YES!!! My name IS Michael!!!

Okay, okay, so I go by my middle name (Chris), but my first name REALLY is Michael!!!

Maybe it's time for a change...

[Grant @ Jun 20th 2008 10:05PM]

Sweet. Good to know.

*Steals Identity*

[JAmerican @ Jun 20th 2008 4:53PM]

BTW Engadget, its Mr. Feeny. There is no e between n and y. Look at Wikipedia and IMDB if you don't believe me.

Anyway, I can't believe Mr. Feeny was the voice of KITT. I never heard the similarity before but now I do.

I like how they call it Knight Rider so they don't get sued :).

[phanbouy @ Jun 20th 2008 4:55PM]

y'know what's confusing? that there's a press outfit called Knight Ridder. always throws me for a loop

[JAmerican @ Jun 20th 2008 4:54PM]

Engadget... its Mr. Feeny. There is no e between n and y.

Also can't believe Mr. Feeny was the voice of KITT. Pretty cool.

[Geoffrey Sperl @ Jun 20th 2008 6:09PM]

He also played John Adams in "1776" which was... a musical. Check it out - it's cute. Not great, but cute.

[JAmerican @ Jun 20th 2008 4:55PM]

Wow this comment system is really slow for me today.

[Danakin @ Jun 20th 2008 4:58PM]

try hitting F5 like 4 or 5 times after you post something, if it doesn't come up on one of them, you know it didn't work :)

[Reader @ Jun 20th 2008 6:14PM]

Or check back in an hour...

[Ace b @ Jun 20th 2008 4:56PM]

Dude,does this have mp3 abilities cause I am soo putting the theme song on this baby.

[apeguero @ Jun 20th 2008 4:57PM]

Can it be programmed to say my name? It's not Michael.

[phanbouy @ Jun 20th 2008 4:57PM]

i'm sorry, Dave. I can't do that.

[Boarderwoot @ Jun 20th 2008 5:10PM]

HAHA don't make me remove your holographic memory HAL...

[Nicholas @ Jun 20th 2008 5:07PM]

http://img247.imageshack.us/my.php?image=homemadekittcargc8.jpg

Do I win 10 points?

[Nicholas @ Jun 20th 2008 5:14PM]

http://img61.imageshack.us/my.php?image=homemadekittcarzk5.jpg
I think this one came out better