When we were little, to keep ourselves busy during the holiday journeys, we could count on reading (without the car sickness, of course), playing little car games with our brother or sister next to us (too bad for only children), or else… Spending our time watching the landscape go by through the window.
Of course, we didn’t die from it, but I can’t count the times we spent wondering “When are we getting there”, without asking too much, because I was a nice little boy, I didn’t bother my parents too much in the car (or in life for that matter).
10 years ago on the road to vacation
With my first (who is 11 this year), we were already innovating with a car DVD player. The dual-screen thing, portable player aside, was the must of the must at the time. Enough to keep him going, then his brother when he arrived, the time to go North/South for half the day driving on the motorways of France.
Rest assured, it wasn’t continuous, but it was an undeniable help in managing.
Since then, the system has been dead (the battery has swollen), and it has never been replaced!
And why? Because technology is constantly developing and since then high-tech products and services have evolved enormously.
5 years ago in the car
Just 4 years ago, the essential was the portable educational tablet for children like Storio or Leapad, the pioneers of the genre, which have since spawned many offspring (more or less interesting).
The latest versions of theStory allow to insertion of videos in various formats that are more or less easy to encode, although the latest version accepts .mp3 audio and .mp4 video formats (finally)!
But what do children dream of these days? Parents use more advanced technology, smartphones, and tablets for adults.
Today, how can we keep children occupied in the car in a connected way?
So the fashion for children’s products is going nuts! Kids are more and more demanding and demanding as they grow up. Tablets for “little ones” do not offer enough options, possibilities, autonomy, games, and so on (hi Jean!).
Otherwise, for the most connected, they can also watch their favorite cartoons, series, and films live via a 3G key or the Orange AirBox Auto, which offers almost all roads a Wi-Fi service for several simultaneous “stations” in the car by capturing the neighboring Orange networks. Remember, I had already written an article about it, it’s this way.
Not to mention the free games on Android or IStore, the SMS/MMS of teenagers, the surfing quite simply. The car becomes an extension of the house where everything becomes possible in solo mode or for a whole group of siblings.
And tomorrow?
Car manufacturers plan self-driving cars without a driver. Everyone will be able to spend time together, the driver’s seat could turn around, and the journey would be just family time, rest time, or solitary time with augmented reality headsets.
