Clarion Mirage puts Android in your dashboard

Clarion has taken the wraps off a new, Android-powered in-car head unit, the Clarion Mirage, a 6.5-inch touchscreen running Android 2.2 Froyo with a custom UI from Intel owned Wind River. The double-DIN player lacks support for physical media like CDs or DVDs, Paul Tan reports, but does have USB ports and an SD card slot along with Bluetooth for streaming.

Although Android is the OS, the USB ports will play nicely with iOS devices and other PMP hardware, allowing owners to pipe through audio from their iPhones and other kit. A Navigon AG powered PND system complete with Garmin data is also on-board.

The company is targeting the Mirage at vehicle OEMs – in fact it claims that, while other vendors have offered Android-based head units, such as Parrot’s Asteroid, the Mirage is the first “automotive grade” option – who’ll be able to add various extras in according to buyer whims. That could include telematics data from the car, a reversing camera, extra displays such as for rear-seat passengers, more controls – such as on the steering wheel – and a DVD player.

Clarion’s last in-car tablet push, the MiND MID of 2009, was hardly a rousing success. Poor battery life and underwhelming performance saw huge price cuts and then the tablet promptly axed. The company isn’t saying how much the Mirage will cost, but has confirmed that it’s in talks with Proton, Perodua and various Nissan divisions, and expects retail availability in Q4 this year.

[via Android Community]