The technology that we rely upon when we drive our cars, trucks and other vehicles these days is impressive compared to just 20 or 30 years ago.
Our vehicles have digitally controlled engine management systems, our car alarms employ advanced motion detection and even the air conditioning in some cars employs microchip technology.
We even rely on space-age technology to ensure we find our destination in the form of satellite navigation or Sat-Nav, as it is usually called.
Most of us use a Sat-Nav app on our cellphones as we are driving and while it is useful in terms of getting you to where you want to go, it is not without its problems.
First, there is the issue of where you position your cellphone to see the screen properly, which often means taking your hand off the steering wheel to adjust it.
Also, as you look at your cellphone's screen to check directions, you are actually taking your eyes and attention away from the road in front of you which as you know is extremely dangerous.
This issue also applies to those cars where the Sat-Nav screen is built-in to the dashboard, as even here, you are still averting your eyes away from watch you should be looking at.
Thanks to a genius solution called VIZR, now you can keep your eyes on the road and easily see your GPS directions from your phone.
With VIZR you have a product which solves both the problems we have just highlighted, as it allows you to see your cellphone display and therefore the Sat-Nav directions, without having to take your eyes off the road, or your hands off the steering wheel.
The concept of how it does so is very simple, but as we frequently discover, the best solutions are nearly always the simplest ones.
There are two parts to VIZR, and these are the cellphone holder and the 'Heads Up Display' or HUD as it is more commonly called.
To set it up, you need to position and affix VIZR to a point on your dashboard that is directly in front of you.
Now you want to switch on the Sat-Nav app on your cellphone, and key in your destination.
Once your Sat-Nav is functioning, lift up the hinged HUD, and place your cellphone flat, with the screen facing upwards, on to VIZR's cellphone holder.
Now when you look directly ahead you can see the road ahead of you, but you will also be able to see your cellphone's display reflected on to the HUD of VIZR.
Now you can follow the directions safely, with no need to take your hands off the steering wheel, and more importantly, you will not be taking your eyes off the road.
You might think that anything that is going to be used in conjunction with your smartphone and a Sat-Nav app is going to be high-tech, and a pain to set up.
With some products, that is true, but not with VIZR. It can be installed (and by installed we mean stuck to your dashboard) in seconds, and then all you do is place your phone in the phone holder.
The primary reason for using VIZR is to provide you with a safe way to look at Sat-Nav directions and other journey data while keeping your eyes on the road. It does so by reflecting your phone's display back to you using what is called 'Heads Up Display.'
HUD is used in all kinds of ways and is even one of the technologies used by fighter pilots. This makes VIZR fun to use as you can now drive along the road in fighter pilot mode … just don't try to go at the same speed though.
While VIZR is primarily used for Sat-Nav, it will work with all kinds of apps that you can download to your smartphone. These can display data relating to your journey and there are even apps, such as FIXD which provide you real-time data on your car's performance and remind you when your vehicle is due servicing and maintenance.
VIZR can be used in most vehicle types, including trucks, vans, SUVs, and campers, and it is also compatible with all Android or iOS smartphones, provided their dimensions fit the holder.
VIZR also makes for a great gift for friends and family, especially as it will make any journey they take by car, safer.
Brian S. was concerned that his son never seemed to want to use a phone holder will he was driving and using Sat-Nav. He decided to buy him a VIZR in the hope that it would be safer, not knowing if his son would like it. Thankfully, he does and now drives safely at all times. 'He loves it for its futuristic design and technology.'
Tom B. has an older car, and although he has tried to use Sat-Nav, the holder that he had tried would not hold his cellphone securely and kept falling off the dashboard. Now with VIZR, his phone does not move or fall on the floor anymore. 'I like VIZR for its sticky feet and rubber bumpers which hold VIZR and my phone in place while going around sharp turns.'
Tammy P. is a parent with young children so obviously she is concerned about their safety when she is driving. Thanks to VIZR she can do so as it keeps her eyes on the road as she drives her children around town. She says: 'VIZR is a must-have for any parent.'
Jim L. is thankful to VIZR for ensuring he avoided a ticket from the cops when they stopped him. With his state's laws requiring cellphones to be in a phone holder while driving he had purchased VIZR just days before. 'The cops even thought it was the coolest phone holder they had seen.'
One of the biggest complaints is that users sometimes have difficulty seeing the display. More often than not this is due to the display settings on the user's phone not being set correctly.
Another thing you should try if the display isn't 100%, is adjusting the angle of the reflective glass. Even moving it a few degrees can make a huge difference to the clarity of the display.
VIZR is a very clever solution to the problem of using Sat-Nav on your cellphone while driving, and yet it uses one of the simplest ways to do so: reflection.
It is super-easy to set up, and when in use it ensures that not only are your eyes on the road, you are also not going to be distracted or take your hands off the steering wheel to adjust or move your phone. Best of all you can follow the directions to your destination safely.
The answer is no. Due to the way in which your cellphone screen is reflected, VIZR is designed to work with navigation apps which have a HUD option.
The HUD option allows the orientation of the display to be flipped 180° so that when it is reflected back to the person viewing it, they can see the display the correct way up.
Depending on whether you use an Android phone or an iPhone, you should check out the appropriate app store for navigation apps that support HUD.
One of the most popular amongst VIZR users is Hudway Go which has versions for both iPhones and Android phones. While this is popular and recommended for navigation there are other apps for navigation that are compatible such as Navmii and Sygic.
Some apps which you might find useful as they provide data displays other than navigation are, Speedometer, HUD widgets and FIXD.
While there is nothing to stop you taking VIZR from one car, and then use it another, it could create one serious issue.
If you keep moving it, eventually the sticky pads which keep VIZR secure and in place on your dashboard will lose their adhesiveness. For this reason, we recommend keeping VIZR in one car only.
In terms of the technology or the operating system, it makes no difference in terms of being able to use VIZR provided any apps you use are HUD compatible. What you do need to check though is the size of your phone, and its display.
For a start, it will not work with tablet phones as these are almost certainly going to be too big. The phone holder on VIZR is 6 3/8 inches long so provided your phone is not much longer than that it should be fine.
The display dimensions of your phone should be no more than 5 5/6" x 2 5/8" as this matches the size of VIZR's HUD reflective glass.
This often gets asked by those who are having some difficulty in seeing their phone screen with VIZR. First, you want to ensure that you have the brightness set at its maximum.
Most phones now have an auto-brightness feature, but when using VIZR it is important that you switch auto-brightness off. Otherwise, it will dim your display whenever you drive in bright sunshine, for example, and make it difficult to see.
VIZR is available from the official website through the link below.
