ROAV by Anker Dashtop Computer: Safely Stay Connected while Driving

Do you use your phone while driving? Taking up calls, replying to messages, looking for directions to where you have to meet you friend for lunch?

You know this: You shouldn’t look down at your phone while driving. However, today’s busy lifestyle has made people make certain compromises. And compromising safety in the process.

What if you could still do all that, but in a safe, intelligent way?

ROAV by Anker will feature a portable smart driving system that promises to do just that.

Advertised as the world’s 1st portable smart driving system, the device has a dash-top computer as its centerpiece.

If you take a look at the product site, you’ll see it has only become available for pre-order this November.

So there’s still a lot of information the Chinese consumer electronic brand Anker needs to provide in the future about its product.

Here’s what we know so far:

The Main Problem It Tries to Solve

Smartphones have made it real simple for us to stay connected at all times.

It’s so simple that it has made many people disregard or try to minimize the risks of using their phones while driving. However, statistics show just how big of a problem this is.

  • 330,000 injuries occur every year from accidents caused by texting while driving.
  • 1 out of every 4 car accidents in the United States is caused by texting and driving.

There’s no way this can be denied. Distracted driving significantly drives up the risk of accidents.

ROAV by Anker is supposed to act as your phone on the road (a safe version), and reduce the time you spend with eyes off the road to zero. 

And thus make driving safer without you having to give up the accessibility offered by your smartphone.

What Are the Most Notable Features?

How exactly are ROAV’s makers going to offer a better driving experience with their product?

Judging by the images provided on the product site and the presentation video, ROAV by Anker looks like it mounts on top of a user’s car dashboard.

 

Design-wise, it’s an in-vehicle heads-up display with a transparent screen located in front of the driver.

Most probably, the product will connect to the driver’s smartphone and possibly the vehicle. 

By the looks of it, it will offer some of the same functionalities as your smartphone – without the distracting screen. 

Anker has yet to deliver an official announcement with a complete list of product specifications. However, the product image released indicate the device will offer some of these functionalities:

  • Navigation
  • Media playback information
  • Obstacle alert
  • Caller ID
  • Some sort of details about the vehicle, possibly things like the car’s speed and gas level

Anker seems to be pretty mysterious about ROAV. But surely more information will surface once the product is officially released, which is set to be sometime this November.

ROAV by Anker Looks a lot like Navdy

You can’t look at the presentation video and the product site, and not think about a similar product called Navdy.

Both products have a comparable design – both are mounted on the car’s dashboard and have a head-up display. Also, they seem to share common features and capabilities like:

  • Navigation
  • Drivers staying connected while driving
  • Pushing notifications
  • Providing car information

However, as it transpires from this article, it’s possible that ROAV by Anker will have more functions. That’s mainly thanks to its addition of cameras and cellular connectivity.

Closing Thoughts

If Anker’s goal was to make people curious about their product by not providing too much information, it’s safe to say they’ve succeeded to a certain degree.

Do you want to learn more about this product? And do you think it will  turn out to be more than what it appears to be? Or will it fail to live up to expectations?

Be sure to share your opinion in the comment section below.

Philipp Kandal