There are many manufacturers working on Auto PC's including Clarion, Delphi Delco, Harman Kardon, Infinity Systems and Intel. Currently, only Clarion (at http://www.autopc.com) has a product available to consumers. They can be purchased on-line at Cruchfield's Web site (at http://www.crutchfield.com) for $1,299.95 to $1,599.95, depending on the options.

I run a consulting business for Auto PC developers and Auto PC manufacturers. I often get these three questions:

• Where do I get the software developers kit for writing software for the Auto PC?
• How do I develop for the Auto PC?
• How do I build an Auto PC?

In this article I want to answer the first two questions and give a few pointers to address the third.

Development process overview
As with any embedded system product, developing for the Auto PC involves a host and target machine. Software for the Auto PC is developed using the Visual C++ development environment running under Windows NT (the host). Once the code is ready for testing, you can then choose to run it under the Auto PC emulator (which runs under NT) or the program can be downloaded to the Auto PC (the target) via a serial port where it can then be executed and debugged.

The emulation environment will likely be the preferred option for initial testing and evaluation because it allows you to make and test quick changes to the software versus using the download method. For final testing you'll want to use the download method as there are important differences between the emulation environment and the actual Auto PC platform.

Once the software is finished and ready for deployment, you'll need to build an installation tool for your software using the Auto PC CEI builder. The files generated by the CEI builder can then go onto a Compact Flash card or a writeable Compact Disc for installation on the Auto PC. When the Auto PC sees that a Compact Flash card or Compact Disc is inserted that contains a CEI builder package on it, it automatically offers the user the option to install the software.