I've been here about 2 years looking at all kinds of setups. I worked out 3 types myself. Thank you for such an informative resource here.

I use this for driving to and during my offroad trips. So far MS Streets and Trips works out. I trying Garmin Mobile PC also, but it has less info built in and ya gotta add everything to use it.

My second setup didn't work out when I hit my head on the mount LOL








So far this is a home run that works for me. I looked for a mini notebook that let the screen flip and had a SSD drive. I found a HP mini 1101 new and cheap. I'll remove the blue inverter and add a DC cord to the laptop.

The laptop is mounted upside down. I'm using a finger track ball plus a mini keyboard (I haven't the perfect one yet) running off a USB hub with a usb extension cable. I running the MS (Pharos) GPS and I got a bluetooth GPS(still in the box). I have Garmin Topo 2010 and working on setting up National Geographic Topo.

I USB tethered my droid phone to the laptop to get internet using PDANet. As you can see at camp the wife was on FaceBook. LOL

I talking to a friend to design in cad my frame and make a cover for it at his shop.

Anyone have a MS ST converter to and from Garmin with tracks?

Obviously, you have gone to a great deal of trouble to work this in to your set up and I am impressed! However, I think there is a simpler way.

I, too, run a Jeep Wrangler from time to time and I know how limited space is. My solution for the past year or so has been a Viliv S5 UMPC that I can sucker-on to the windshield right above the instrument cluster. As it has a built-in GPS, there is almost no clutter. It has pretty good battery life but I normally power it off the cigar lighter jack, no inverter or power brick. And as the screen is right in front of me, it doesn't have to be laptop-big or even notebook-sized. I have purchased, but not tried in the Jeep yet, a USB-cabled touchpad that I can velcro somewhere convenient. I have used this in one of my other cars and it works great and I would expect the same in the Jeep.

So few people seem to use this sort of set up, that sometimes I think I must be nuts. But then I turn on my UMPC in my car and I cancel my psychiatrist appointment and wonder about you guys. And I still have use of my rear-view mirror.

I looked up your Viliv it looks great! I noticed a trend in mini touchscreen slowly arriving.

Got pics of your setup?

PS; My 35inch spare is blocking a rear view any way. Having been and former truck driver I never used a rear view any how.

Now that I have discovered the Ergonomic Touchpad, Ergo Touchpad $29.95 USB Touchpad Mouse, Laptop & Desktop Touchpad, Tablet Touchpad - Free Yourself from the Routine - The Latest in Economy in Motion, the Viliv touchscreen is a much less important feature. Of course, there is no reason why a touchpad wouldn't be a great addition to your set-up. But it is really the compact size of the Viliv S5 that wins the day for me. The ability to put a computer right up in front of my driving position is terrific.

No pictures so far; maybe this summer. I am only allowed to play with my toy just very occassionally. But if you can visualize a large Garmin on the dashboard, that's what it looks like.