The advantage that heads-up displays (HUDs) have over tradiitional GPS devices is that, with HUDs, drivers can keep their eyes on the road while getting navigation and other useful information. But, unfortunately, it’s often just as difficult to see the information on a HUD as it is to make out the directions on a GPS device while driving in bright sunlight.
Carloudy resolves that issue by using E-Ink display technology –- the same technology that makes it easier to read on a traditional e-reader than it is to read on a tablet. Carloudy features a patent-pending design that makes it work fine whether it’s bright or dark out. When it’s night, the device’s ambient light sensor activates LED backlighting for the display. It connects automatically to Android and iOS mobile devices via Bluetooth.
The device ships in March at $259 for a Carloudy HUD and Bluetooth On-Board Diagnostics (OBD) II adapter for Android or iOS. But early bird backers can get Carloudy for a pledge that starts at $159. Its makers are looking to raise $50,000 by Feb. 14.
There are already many HUDs on the market. But the use of E-Ink seems to give Carloudy a leg up on such rival devices as Exploride.