What have you known about head-up displays (HUD) so far?

The advancements that come with modern life are undeniable. We encounter so many tech innovations that it’s hard not to notice them. In fact, a lot of these modern inventions are present in almost every home and in every street. For example, the mobile phones that were originally used for calling and texting can do so much more today.

The standard refrigerator that was just meant to keep food and beverages cold is now available in models with voice-command capability. Even the vehicles we know today now have HUDs that some have never even heard of before.

1. What is HUD?

Vehicles today are equipped with more features that are focused on basically three things: comfort, safety, and convenience. HUD falls under convenience and safety.

This feature is currently present in the latest vehicle models and is designed to help drivers keep their focus on the road. Vehicles with this feature are typically expensive. The question of whether it’s really worth it or not will depend solely on the user.

The HUD feature is currently present in some of the latest vehicles

In the simplest terms, a HUD is a transparent digital image that’s projected onto your car’s windshield. The term HUD actually means “head-up display.” This can project the same information that’s displayed on your dashboard.

A few examples of the info you can find here is the current speed of your car and if you are violating the speed limit law along with some of its basic gauges.

A HUD is a translucent digital image that’s projected onto your car’s windshield

2. The concept

The head-up display seeks to help drivers keep their eyes on the road more. HUDs are designed to lessen the amount of time that the driver glances at the instrument cluster. With a HUD, the driver has more time to focus on the road. This will mean a smaller chance of getting into an accident.

Some experts even say that HUDs will eventually become a requirement in some countries. This is because the number of distractions that could bother drivers are growing in numbers every day. One of the present distractions today is beeping phones from text messages.

>>> Read more: 6 things you should know about Anti Distracted Driving Act in the Philippines

The head-up display seeks to help drivers keep their eyes on the road more

Another is the GPS that often tells the driver which way to go. Thanks to HUDs, you can get all the benefits of those screens (and more) right in one place. This way, you read emails and text messages. You can even respond to them. You can also check how far you are from your destination without looking away from the road.

>>> Check out: 

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3. HUDs available today

The current HUD tech that you see today is still new. In fact, if you’re not that much into cars, you may not even have heard of it or you may not even be interested in it. But since you’re here, we might as well tell you about the different versions of HUDs. Yup! There is more than one variety of head-up displays out there. That means there’s more for curious customers like you to choose from.

4. Stock HUD Units

Have you ever been to a Mercedes-Benz dealership or an Audi dealership in the past year? If that’s a yes, then you may have already heard of the in-car head-up display. There are more of them in a variety of brands as well.

More car brands and models now feature HUD

5. Third-party HUD

These can be found in both online and physical stores. These can vary in a lot of ways from each other. Some may give you more features than others; some units may be less accurate than the rest. You will also see that there is a lot of difference between the market units when it comes to pricing.

You may also have a hard time connecting a third-party HUD unit to your dashboard, so if you ever decide to get a third-party unit for the vehicle you have right now, make sure you ask the seller all the questions you can think of about the unit. This way, you’ll avoid purchasing a HUD that isn’t compatible with your ride.

But if you still want to get a third-party HUD unit anyway, here are a few suggestions.

These can be found in both online and physical stores

>>> You might want to read: Top 3 Tips on Getting the Best Deals on Car Accessories in Banawe Street

6. HUD applications

If you want to cross out buying a new HUD-equipped car and third-party HUD unit, you can go for the third-best option. Just opt for the free version instead. You read that right.

If you don’t have the budget for any of the two options above, you can download a HUD app instead. This option also comes with its own set of benefits. For starters, you don’t have to be a mechanic or pay for one to have a HUD installed in your car.

You can opt for a free version HUD

Aside from being totally free, there are also a lot of choices for you to choose from. Whether it’s for an Android or Apple device, you can surely find dedicated apps that are compatible. Depending on the app, you can get all the functionality of a HUD without the hard wires and installation.

Unlike a third-party HUD unit, you won’t have to worry about compatibility. This works by displaying a bright but reverse image of your vehicle’s speed when mounted on the dashboard. The speed is tracked thanks to the internal GPS on your phone.