Rand McNally unveils OverDryve, a dashboard tablet for low-tech cars starting at $299

By Jason Hahn February 14, 2016

OverDryve

Rand McNally is letting consumers know that it’s about much more than maps and atlases these days. Earlier this week at the Chicago Auto Show, the mapmaker unveiled the OverDryve, a tablet starting at $299 that acts as a multifunctional dashboard for automobiles that aren’t equipped with high-tech bells and whistles.

“The vast majority of the 250 million U.S. cars and light trucks on the road today don’t have sophisticated electronics — features such as voice recognition and control, hands-free texting, and forward collision detection, just to name a few,” said Stephen Fletcher, CEO of Rand McNally. The OverDryve aims to provide those and other features in the form of an affordable tablet.

Recommended Videos

The dashboard device, which has a GPS antenna, provides the features Fletcher mentioned in addition to audible news, weather, traffic and sports updates; a dash camera and connectivity to a high-resolution wireless backup camera; tire pressure monitoring; trip planning and navigation; an FM radio; and optional roadside assistance and accident notification, among others.

The OverDryve also comes with a magnetic mount. When it’s taken off the mount, Rand McNally says the device acts as a leisure device to entertain passengers with typical tablet functionalities.

Best Buy will begin selling the OverDryve in June, according to Car and Driver. The device will be sold at three price points: $299 for a 7-inch tablet, $399 for an 8-inch tablet, and $499 for a 10-inch tablet.

Some features like the tire pressure monitoring system the backup camera, and onboard diagnostics will require drivers to purchase additional equipment

Topics

Former Digital Trends Contributor

Jason Hahn is a part-time freelance writer based in New Jersey. He earned his master's degree in journalism at Northwestern…

Cars

A plug-in hybrid upgrade makes the Bentley Continental GT Speed even better

2025 Bentley Continental GT Speed front quarter view.

Every car brand is navigating a course to an electrified future, but that brings unique challenges if you have to convince wealthy people to buy a car with a plug due to something as pedestrian as emissions standards.

Bentley has sold plug-in hybrids for a few years now, but the century-old British automaker is now shifting that effort into a higher gear. The 2025 Bentley Continental GT Speed (and its GTC Speed convertible sibling) isn’t just an addition to the lineup; it replaces the non-hybrid GT Speed as the sportiest regular production version of Bentley’s signature model.

Cars

Best electric car charger deals: $100 off home charging stations

The handle of the Grizzl-E EV charger plugged into a vehicle.

There are a lot of electric vehicle options out there these days, and if you've been considering buying one or have already bought one for yourself, then one of the most important bits of kit you'll need is a home charger. While charging at a station can be a lot faster, it's often more expensive compared to charging at home, where you can just leave it overnight. Of course, even that has a lot of variability depending on the type of car charger you end up going for, with some chargers being able to charge faster than others at a higher upfront cost. Either way, we've gone out and collected some of our favorite electric car charger deals for you and listed them below.
Seguma 16Amp Level 1/2 EV Charger -- $115, was $150

If you need a more basic charger, this Level one and two charger from Seguma is a solid option and can deliver 16 amps and 3.84kW, which is pretty substantial. It also comes with a NEMA 6-20 plug and a standardized J1772 connector, which should work on most EV vehicles out there except for Tesla, which has its own connector. There are also some intelligent charging features, which include things such as protection against things like under and over voltage, leakage, and lighting, and it has an automatic cut-off when your EV is fully charged.

Cars

2025 Chevrolet Blazer vs. 2024 Blazer: everything new this year

Chevy Blazer EV on a street

It seems like Chevrolet is ready to take the electric Blazer to the next level. The company has announced the 2025 model of its midsize EV, and it represents a helpful upgrade over the 2024 model.

The Chevy Blazer EV is one of Chevy's cheaper EV models, though not quite as cheap as the Equinox EV. Previously, the Bolt EV was the company's cheapest electric car; however, that car is currently on hiatus, with a redesign expected in the not-too-distant future.