MPCpro Offers Hands-Free Access While Driving

The MPCpro (Mobile Productivity Center Pro) is now available. This mobile docking station allows drivers to access their Palm while keeping their eyes on the road and their hands on the wheel. It houses both a Palm V/Vx and an Ericsson R280/1228 mobile phone. The MPCpro’s speech recognition and text-to-speech system allows users to interact with their Palm using voice commands. Users can also use the onboard text-to-speech system to have stored data read to them. The system is $350, which doesn't include the Palm or the phone.

Delphi's MPCpro is one of the first mobile systems on the market to use a continuous voice recognition engine that recognizes a series of alphanumeric digits as opposed to single digits. Special electronics inside the cradle allow users to access the information in the handheld via voice recognition and text-to-speech. Through its text-to-speech capabilities, the MPCpro can read information from the Palm's To Do list, Memo Pad and Date Book.

The MPC can also retrieve telephone numbers from the Palm's address book and dial them automatically by voice commands. No voice training is required. It will understand a variety of words for each Palm application. For example, it knows that "Calendar" and "Date Book" are synonymous and will open the Date Book.

The MPCpro loads text from the Palm V/Vx and uses advanced voice synthesis software to read it aloud. Every time the Palm V/Vx gets placed in the MPCpro cradle, it looks for new or changed data.

Audio can be heard with headphones or it can broadcast a weak FM signal to the car's radio, allowing it to use the car's speaker system.

The MPCpro plugs into the vehicle's auxiliary power outlet, like the cigarette lighter port. While it will charge the phone, it does not charge the Palm.

The unit features one-button activation with all other functions performed hands-free. As a safety precaution, the Palm display is inactive while driving.

Delphi has no plans at this point to release versions for any other phone or handheld models.

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First comment!! w00t

I.M. Anonymous @ 7/10/2001 10:43:43 AM #
not sure how useful this would be.. i can imagine people yelling at their palm while driving

RE: First comment!! w00t
I.M. Anonymous @ 7/10/2001 12:08:24 PM #
This is called......what is the word....STUPID!! What use is a Palm sitting on your dash...what am I going to do, read my e-book. I know, I can yell "FORE" while playing Tiger Woods. Cmon, this is taking this whole "Mobile Professional" thing to far! I hope they come out with a holder for my PC, so that I can always have while I am driving!!!

RE: Car Mounts
I.M. Anonymous @ 7/10/2001 12:54:53 PM #
> I hope they come out with a holder for my PC, so that I can always have while I am driving!!!

There are quite a few laptop holders for cars. My personal favorite is the one that attaches to the steering wheel. I'm waiting for news report on the first person who is using it during a head-on collision and gives himself an instant hemicorporectomy without benefit of anesthesia.

Truth be told, I approve of this. You sound like someone who doesn't spend hours everyday working from his car. Salespeople spend a good percentage of their time driving from customer to customer and need help to use this as anything but down time. I'd rather this than some guy holding his cell phone in one hand, his Palm in the other, and driving with his knees at 90 MPH.

RE: First comment!! w00t
I.M. Anonymous @ 7/10/2001 1:38:29 PM #
"Open calendar"
*memopad opens*
"Done"
*closes memopad, goes back to applications*
"Open CALENDAR"
*to-do opens*
"Done"
*address book opens*
"DONE"
*back to applications*
"CALENDAR"
*to-do opens*
"I SAID CALENDAR YOU STUPID (*&(#@$"
*faithfuly creates a to do item stating "Eye staid cylinder you stupid &$#@@*
"CLOSE TO DO"
*goes back to applications*
"CALENDAR CALENDAR CALENDAR"
*opens memo and writes "cylinder cylinder"*
"NO YOU STUPID @(#*#@)($ PIECE OF #$%&"
[smacks PDA which goes flying]
[car crashes because driver isn't looking at the road]

RE: First comment!! w00t
I.M. Anonymous @ 7/10/2001 1:49:17 PM #
None of you actually READ do you? While the device is in use, the screen is OFF, so there is NO POINT IN LOOKING AT THE PALM!
Secondly it is HANDS-FREE so there is nothing to hold in your hands.
Last of all, without anyone ACTUALLY testing the product how do you know it won't Work?
You guys all in a bad mood today or what??

RE: First comment!! w00t
I.M. Anonymous @ 7/10/2001 2:45:57 PM #
This is really dangerous and should be outlawed. The greatest danger caused by using cell phones, etc, while driving comes from the loss of conentration about the most important task at hand.

RE: First comment!! w00t
I.M. Anonymous @ 7/10/2001 3:09:48 PM #
be sure to outlaw stereos while you're at it.


RE: First comment!! w00t
I.M. Anonymous @ 7/10/2001 3:39:13 PM #
Good idea!

RE: First comment!! w00t
I.M. Anonymous @ 7/10/2001 4:26:00 PM #
Seriously, it's one thing to be listening to a radio and occasionally changing a channel. It's another thing to be listening to a radio, eating a big mack, tying a tie, makeing a cell phone call, talking to a palm, etc.

A friend of mine and her baby were nearly killed last week by a cell phone user who was not paying attention to pedestrians while she was making a cell phone call.

Let's be careful out there!

RE: First comment!! w00t
I.M. Anonymous @ 7/10/2001 4:28:14 PM #
and eating or drinking in a car
or talking to someone next to you
or reading a newspaper
or looking at directions
or admiring the car next to you

RE: First comment!! w00t
I.M. Anonymous @ 7/10/2001 4:43:03 PM #
Okay, a cell phone is different....if you are able to have a hands free kit, you are able to drive while talking. The same as singin' "Achy Breaky" while driving. However this MPC or MPK (Mobile Professional Killer) as I call it, is something different. First of all as mentioned to me earlier, the screen is blank. So i guess you are using to take dictation. There is something called a tape recorder for that, that doesn't require, a $500 piece of equipment....cmon!

Please someone give me some reasons that you would truly need to use this for!?!?!?

RE: First comment!! w00t
Raishe_werk @ 7/10/2001 7:01:44 PM #
in response to Posted by: I.M. Anonymous @ 7/10/2001 4:28:14 PM . you forgot checking out the hottie driving next to you in rush hour, then trying to get her #, then finding a piece of paper to write the number on. then making sure her name is lisa, not liz, or marisa.
what was this post about? big up to Ed for giving us the latest news and latest place to start a flame war.

-Raishe
"Monster Pig kills Jesus
More at 11"
How DANGEROUS, really?
CKMOOSE @ 7/10/2001 9:39:17 PM #
Just an interesting little tid-bit from Car & Driver.

Each year an estimated 284,000 distracted drivers are involved in serious crashes, according to a new study by the University of North Carolina Highway Safety Research Center funded by the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety.

The study found that drivers were most often distracted by something outside their vehicle (29.4 percent) followed by adjusting a radio or CD player (11.4 percent). Other specific distractions included talking with other occupants (10.9 percent), adjusting vehicle or climate controls (2.8 percent), eating or drinking (1.7 percent), [b]cell-phone use (1.5 percent)[/b] and smoking (0.9 percent).

I wonder where "talking to your Palm" would fall into this equation?

RE: First comment!! w00t
I.M. Anonymous @ 7/11/2001 6:21:29 AM #
Just be sure to have the address of your undertaker and insurance company stored.

do we really need this?

simpson @ 7/11/2001 8:59:39 AM #
I mean why not just park the car man!

Hands-free for PC

The ad"VISOR" @ 7/11/2001 3:37:52 PM #
This already exists, patrol cars already have laptops mounted to their center consoles. Obviously, it isn't going to be outlawed (in response to someone else's comment), if police have it. They are just smart enough to not use it while driving solo. Wouldn't a HUD device be better. I mean, hey, not many things require more concentration than flying a combat aircraft, so it can't be called an excessive distraction ;-)
Hmmm...

shouting @ palm

I.M. Anonymous @ 7/11/2001 10:30:42 PM #
cursing at the palm is more likely. As a "safety feature" they should make sure that the phase **uk you does not result in a hard reset.

Great idea . . . but

adam @ 7/13/2001 5:14:44 PM #
It needs to work with other phones (nokia). Re-charge the Palm battery & keep the Palm screen on. Otherwise I will continue to change the CD, while talking on the phone with the sat nav & the radio traffic report cutting in. All of this with the laptop open on the passenger seat. Which is the situation right now!
Don't worry folks
I'm stationary in a traffic jam, this time.
Seriously though, this sounds like a great idea.
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