When most of us think of heads-up displays, our brains almost immediately wander into science fiction fantasies. And lord knows I've been fantasizing about a relatively inexpensive unit that will put turn-by-turn navigation on my windshield. Goodbye, awkward smartphone mount, hello, Garmin HUD.
The new Garmin HUD sits on your dashboard, projecting navigation information at eye-level onto either a transparent film you stick to your windshield or onto an included reflector lens (so you can use it in rental, for example). The unit pairs wirelessly via Bluetooth with a smartphone running one of Garmin's navigation apps (Street Pilot or NAVIGON) from which it pulls turn-by-turn directions. Besides the obvious information the HUD projects useful details including what lane you should be in for your next move, and a constantly-updated estimated time of arrival.
OK, so this isn't exactly Tony Stark-vision, but for $130, the Garmin HUD does exactly what we need it to at a price most of us can afford. Garmin says the dashboard wart will be available this summer. [Garmin via The Verge]