Tested: Blaupunkt BP RSE AD 10.1

Rs 34,999
www.blaupunkt.com

Just how smart are you? There was a time when the answer to this question may have been a witty repartee or the result of an IQ test. In today’s day and age, the question is usually answered by the number of smart gadgets you carry around. And your smartness doesn’t end with you, it extends to other areas of your life, including your car. You’re unlikely to choose a car that doesn’t give you Android Auto or Apple CarPlay as part of standard kit. But all of that is for the front passengers.

What about the people at the back? They usually end up being deprived. Not if you have Blaupunkt’s new add-on entertainment system fitted in your vehicle though. We have been using the new Android enabled BP RSE AD 10.1 touchscreen entertainment for a while now and here’s what we think of it.

Syncing up your phone allows you to access your mobile’s media files that you can play on the screen. You can also play your music or videos from a pen drive by plugging it in to the USB port, or use an SD-card for that matter. The system houses two speakers as well as has a 3.5mm headphone jack to plug in your ear-phones. But if you want to use the car’s speakers then you need to sync the system’s frequency with that on the radio of the vehicle’s infotainment system.

The Blaupunkt system’s Android 4.4.4 technology allows you to download your favourite apps from the Google Play Store such as Facebook and Twitter which you can enjoy on the go. You can even check emails, thanks to the availability of Google Chrome as long as you have access to Wi-Fi.

The 10.1-inch TFT LED has a capacitive touchscreen that may not dazzle with its 4K display resolution, but it does manage to play 720p videos with ease. The colours too feel mildly subdued as well but it doesn’t detract too much from the viewing pleasure. The only other down side to this device is that it doesn’t come with a battery inside and therefore needs a constant power supply, which means you will need to keep it plugged into the car’s 12V power socket at all times. I would have liked it to have at least an 1100mAh battery so that you can have uninterrupted usage even if the car is turned off.

It’s easy to use, does a whole bunch of things and is super entertaining. Now Rs 35k might feel a bit steep for something that essentially does only as much as a tab, fact is Blaupunkt’s new device does significantly up the amount of time you wouldn’t mind spending in the backseat of your car.