Now, this is an interesting idea.  Mercedes Benz and developing this technology whereby a single screen is capable of presenting different images to each of the front seat passengers, allowing the drive to see, for example, the SatNav display, whilst allowing the passenger to watch a DVD (in most European countries it’s not allowed for the driver to watch moving images, such as DVD or TV programs whilst driving).  This should become available on the S-Class around Summer 2009.

The screen is an 8″ Active Matrix TFT screen with special filters built into the screen that control at what angle each picture can be viewed.

More detail at eMercedesBenz [via Engadget].

Mercedes Benz and Garmin have linked together to produce the “Streetpilot III”, which is actually a Nuvi 760 on a custom mount designed for the Mercedes A-Class, B-Class and C-Class. It will retail for approximately €550 and be available soon across Europe (it should also be available in the UK too). The custom mount links into the car’s system, so all spoken directions are through the car’s speakers (with other sources muted), and there are no visible wires as everything goes via the mount. As a Nuvi 760, it offers Bluetooth Handsfree calling, a 4.3″ widescreen, and traffic information. It has also been loaded with all the latest Mercedes Benz dealerships

This isn’t the first time Garmin have worked with a car manufacturer, having already announced a solution with BMW, but it’s nice to see other manufacturers looking into custom solutions using portable SatNav devices.

Some content courtesy of NaviGadget.