The video-addicted youth of today can now look forward to satisfying their need for pixels from the front seat of their cars.
At the Detroit car show in January, Nissan unveiled its "Urge" concept car. As in -- whenever you get that uncontrollable "urge" to play video games, simply flip your rear-view mirror over so that it becomes a 7-inch LED screen, turn on an Xbox console from your dashboard, then play Microsoft's "Project Gotham Racing 3" using the car's actual steering wheel, gas and brake pedals as controls.
(Hopefully it's apparent you'd have to pull over and park first.)
Boy, am I a lightweight. I was impressed with my car's six-disc CD changer.
A Mercedes listed on eBay features oxygen masks in the side arm rests, four video monitors, a midconsole refrigerator, and a handy dandy "touch screen security system" that allows you to spew an oil slick, create a smoke screen, drop nail tacks or control your machine gun firing system - all without leaving the comfort of the driver's seat.
As of May 28, no one had ponied up the required minimum bid, though. I can see how that midconsole refrigerator might make it a bit of a tough sell.
If the accessories on the "James Bond" Mercedes are a little out of your price range, you might be interested in some of the lower-tech gadgets available for today's driver.
If you don't find the concept of getting a rubdown while driving a tad bit disturbing, for just under $35 the Majestic Car Seat Cushion will give you an electronic massage while you whiz down the road.
If there's an odor in your car you'd rather not continue to experience, Ionic Breeze offers a dashboard version of its air purifying system for just under $40. This could come in handy if you have an especially fragrant car-pool buddy.
And if you can't get enough of the Internet at home and at work, and you're tired of scouring the streets looking for a potential coffee shop/wireless hot spot, in July MSN and KVH will give you the ability to turn your vehicle into a broadband Internet haven.
You'll be able to insert a Verizon wireless modem card into MSN's in-car broadband router, then have the system wired into the monitors in your vehicle. Before you know it, everyone in the vehicle will be surfing the Web with the wireless keyboard that comes with the package.
The system is so sophisticated that sis can be checking her e-mail on one monitor while baby brother is streaming music videos on another. The router also will allow you to access the Internet from any laptop in or near your vehicle. All this convenient in-car connectivity will be available for just under $1,000.
Stay tuned for a future column; "In-car gadgets: Cool contraptions or dangerous distractions?"
Michelle Groh-Gordy is the owner of InterActive! Traffic School Online atwww.trafficinteractive.com , and writes a syndicated weekly column on driving for the publications of the Los Angeles Newspaper Group.
