I'm a big fan of HUD systems. I'm not necessarily keen on enabling people to read text messages while they drive, as this device apparently can do, but I really like the HUD for navigation and vehicle speed. One thing I've always liked about General Motors is they were, at least at one time, a believer in this technology. My brother used to own a '99 C5 with the HUD, and it was wonderful. The only time I would ever look down at the dashboard was WOT shifting because the actual tachometer had more resolution than the digital HUD one did. If driving an automatic, I'd probably never look down at the dash.
Chrysler took one step in this direction about 10 years ago, and I liked the concept. In their first generation Pacifica, the optional navigation screen was embedded in the instrument cluster, in the center of the speedometer. I thought that was smart from a driver perspective, so the driver had only one place on the dash to look instead of two.
Edit: after looking closer at the image, it appears that the screen wasn't embedded into the cluster -- rather it was at the top in the hood, and projected an image down on to the plastic lens. Either way, similar concept. And, actually, tantalizingly close to what ROAV is doing. If Chrysler would have projected the map image into the windshield rather than onto the instrument cluster, they'd have had it.
