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Irish Times

Carluex Pro+ review: turning your in-car system into an entertainment hub

Tech review: Carleux Pro+ Carluex Pro+      Price : €222 Website : Where To Buy : Carluex There was a time when every car had a CD player (and if you are old enough to remember before that, a tape deck). But in recent years, there has been a shift to streaming music and these days you are more likely to buy a car that comes with an oversized infotainment screen so your smartphone content can take pride of place in some way. Exactly how it does that, though, can vary from car to car. More often than not it taps into your smartphone's content in some way. Apple has CarPlay, while Google has developed Android Auto so your phone is essentially mirrored on your in-car entertainment system. Most cars built after a certain date will include at least wired access to this software, meaning you need to connect it to the car via a USB cable. READ MORE But there are limitations to what you can do with it. Only certain apps can be accessed, in some cases with good reason – video streaming while driving is an obvious dangerous practice, as is gaming, but when the car is parked, why not allow it? And there are other apps that just don't seem to make it on to the in-car systems, because they aren't relevant to driving or because the developer hasn't made a version that will work on the systems. Step in the Carluex Pro+, a small box that will turn that display into a full extension of your smartphone, without (many) limitations. All it needs is a decent-sized display and an existing compatible wired connection. Before we go to deep into this, it is worth noting that there are cheaper wireless CarPlay and Android Auto adaptors out there. But the Carluex Pro+ is not simply a wireless accessory that allows you to mirror your phone on the car's screen. Iit is more of a mini computer in its own right. It just happens to use your car's screen as the display via a USB cable, and adds voice control. On the inside, the Carluex is powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon processor and runs on Android 13. It is relatively easy to set up too. It connects to your smartphone via Bluetooth. Instead of plugging your phone to your car's USB port when you get into the car, you simply plug in the Carluex Pro+. It takes a few minutes to connect properly and sync, but once it does, you have access to the full suite of applications via the Play Store, plus your Android Auto or CarPlay interface. So how do you access all the apps? It works best if you have a touchscreen in the car – something that is fairly standard for many new cars – but if you have a simple screen, you can buy an optional remote control. For this review, the car had a touchscreen so it was easy to access the on-screen menu. [ Are car touchscreens safe? Safety regulator lays down the law Opens in new window ] The device itself worked pretty well for the most part. There was an occasional lag, which may have had more to do with the data connection than anything else. There is a bit of a learning curve to start with, especially if Android is not your usual mobile platform. There are some apps pre-installed, such as Disney+ and Netflix, but to access more you will need a Google account for the Play Store, or the technical know-how to get around that. Most people will choose the former option, so best to have those details to hand rather than trying to set an account up from scratch on your in-car screen. There is 64 GB of storage on board but you can expand that with a micro SD card. Why do you need extra storage? Because you can download extra apps or load up video content to watch while you are stuck on the side of a rainy football pitch without internet connection. And that is another element you have to consider. A lot of the apps on the device will need an internet connection of some sort at some stage, either to download them or set them up, if not an ongoing connection to access content. You have two options here: you can have a separate sim card for data that you can insert into the Carluex device; or you can use your phone's data connection as a hotspot. One involves extra expense, obviously, but both will work. [ MyFirst Fone S3 review: A child-friendly watch that delays the inevitable smartphone Opens in new window ] I mentioned at the start of the review there weren't many restrictions. There is one that people should be aware of – or at least certain people. The Carluex Pro+ is not compatible with BMW s, although there is a separate version that is specifically built for the German cars. Good For a reasonably small sum of money, this device will bring new functionality to your car. It will also broaden what you can do with your in-car facilities, turning the touchscreen into an entertainment hub – when the engine is off. Bad It doesn't work with every car – BMW requires a different Carluex model, for example. There is also the safety aspect that comes into play; there is a reason why certain features and apps are locked out from in-car systems when driving. Everything else The expandable storage gives you space to download Netflix episodes so you don't always need an internet connection, which is especially handy for rainy mornings sitting at the side of a pitch with other children to keep entertained. It is also another way to move your favoured settings between different cars as easily as plugging in a USB cable. Verdict An easy way to turn your in-car system into an entertainment hub. Just use it sensibly.