![]() As a result, most HUDs offer a restricted set of information or have a user-selected feature set showing two or three at a time, which the driver can switch. In practice, a screen with that much detail would be too confusing. In theory, you could have access to any of the information your car's onboard computer manages. Particularly useful is an alarm for speeding. Plug into engine: The HUD that plugs into your car's engine management and diagnostic system gives you feedback on speed, water temperature, fuel consumption, distance traveled, and other data. To compensate for the difference between daytime and nighttime driving, brightness may be adjusted manually or automatically. The screen is a little darker than the windshield glass, so it’s more obvious when the device isn’t in use, but manufacturers claim it gives better clarity. The information received is then projected either directly onto the windshield or onto a flexible, translucent screen. A cable runs from a small unit mounted between the steering wheel and the windshield to the onboard diagnostics. More durable models, some of which come with apps, cost anywhere from $25 to $50. Price: The cheapest display cradles for your smartphone can be found for under $10, but these aren't of great quality. If your car doesn't have built-in GPS and you don't already own a separate GPS unit, it has have its uses, but it can't tell you what's going on with your engine. The downside is that this type of HUD ties up your phone. These HUDs reflect rather then project, so visibility largely comes down to your phone, and you might have to adjust the brightness settings. Good ones enlarge the image up to 20%, making detail that might be small on your phone easier to read. The biggest benefit of this type of HUD is that any kind of app can be shown on the screen. Smartphone HUDsĪ HUD for your smartphone is simple: a plastic cradle for the smartphone and an angled piece of glass that displays the phone’s screen. ![]() There are two quite different products being sold as heads-up displays: stand-alone HUDs and smartphone HUDs. Some people are happy with the kind of at-a-glance information you’d normally get when you look down at your instruments – speed and engine temperature, for instance. It's important to check the range of an HUD’s features before you buy. Realizing this, a number of aftermarket companies started producing competitive alternatives. Although widely available on new cars today, these are usually only found on top-of-the-line models, and are frequently an expensive option. A decade or so later, numerous automobile manufacturers were offering heads-up displays. General Motors introduced the first automotive HUD (also called HUD or auto-HUD) in 1988 on Indianapolis 500 pace cars. The core technology behind many heads-up displays has been around for well over a century, though it wasn't until the 1940s and 1950s that it started to make its appearance in military aircraft in the U.S. Some HUDs are a small additional screen attached to your dash – a lot like a GPS. The term “heads-up display” doesn't always mean there is a clear panel you can see through.
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