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Ca-Fi Dashlinq upsizes in-car Android infotainment, arrives in January
There may be a size war brewing among Android-based infotainment system builders. Ca-Fi thought it was sitting pretty with its 6.2-inch unit earlier this year, but we're starting to think it was rankled by similarly-sized devices like Parrot's Asteroid Smart -- that would help explain its upcoming, 7-inch Dashlinq. Along with one-upping a nemesis, the double-DIN system brings multitouch zoom to a heavily customized (if slightly creaky) Android 2.3 interface. Otherwise, we're looking at a familiar, if fairly sophisticated approach: there's a dedicated media DSP, GPS navigation, an SD card slot for local content and internet access through 3G or WiFi. Ca-Fi expects the Dashlinq to arrive in January for €499 ($657), at which point we hope there's at least a momentary truce in the battle for the car's center stack.
Ca-Fi 621000 brings infotainment to cars with double DIN / without Connect or Sync
Shenzhen-based Innotrends has been pushing infotainment systems for a while now, and though standalone solutions like the Ca-Fi seem rather clunky when you can buy a Focus with Sync baked in, not everyone can count a flashy new "connected" model as their set of wheels. Today the company announced the latest version of its Android-powered infotainment system. The new Ca-Fi 621000 Universal runs Android Gingerbread and packs a 1GHz CPU with 512MB of RAM. It also sports a capacitive touchscreen rather than the resistive display of versions past, and there's an OBD2-USB cable, plus the pre-loaded Torque app for keeping tabs on your vehicle's health. If sprucing up your sedan is more in line with your budget than the 2013 BMW 7 Series with iDrive Touch and 3D maps, you can nab the Ca-Fi 621000 for $999 starting at the end of August -- just make sure your car has the requisite double-DIN slot first.
Ca-Fi is an aftermarket Android car stereo that won't fit in your dashboard
Aftermarket infotainment and stereo solutions for cars have largely died off here in the US. Innotrends has cooked up an Android-powered box, called Ca-Fi, that might have you wishing this little in-dash computer could find a home in your vinyl-covered panel. The 1.2GHz chip inside pushes Gingerbread to the 6.2-inch touch screen for pulling up directions, playing tunes and performing searches using the integrated 3G radio. Of course, as ExtremeTech points out, the double-DIN slot used by the Ca-Fi has been largely abandoned by car makers (particularly in America). But hey, if you've been looking for a way to spruce up that Nova rusting away in your garage, this could be it. We just hope you're the patient type -- Ca-Fi isn't expected to launch until Spring of 2012 and will be a Europe only affair at first. Head on after the break for one more pic and some PR.