A K.I.T.T. of one's own: Knight Rider GPS arrives

Sat Jun 21, 2008 12:44PM EDT

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As a teenager in the '80s, a 1982 Pontiac Trans Am modified by Knight Industries, better known as K.I.T.T., was the epitome of cool.

"Knight Rider" was a phenomenal hit back in the day (launching the career of one David Hasselhoff) and its popularity has strangely endured. A TV movie version was released earlier this year with a revamped series to follow this fall. Val Kilmer now provides the voice of the car.

But enough about history. What if you—yes you—could upgrade your car to compete with K.I.T.T.? Thanks to GPS maker Mio, now you can, at least the tiniest, little bit.

The Mio Knight Rider GPS is a standard full-color GPS unit that mounts on your dash, tricked-out like the '80s classic. I got a little hands-on time with the device last week, and it's even cooler than a Hasselhoff solo album.

First, it's not just some cheap tie-in sporting a glossy black frame and the "Knight Rider" logo. Check the lights on the sides: They don't sweep back and forth like the original's (Mio said the effect was too distracting to drivers) but they light up periodically and during startup, giving you some K.I.T.T. flavor.

Oh, and K.I.T.T. wouldn't be K.I.T.T. without a human voice: Here's where the Mio's geek cred gets five stars: The voice of the Knight Rider GPS is the original voice of K.I.T.T.: William Daniels, who voiced the car during the original series.

The unit is personalized, too: K.I.T.T. greets you by name every time you turn it on, with a variety of different recorded intros. I gotta say, it's a thrill (if a totally nerdy one) to hear Daniels say "Hello Christopher..." at bootup, which Mio had set up for me during a hands-on demo. (Check out my photos above.)

Pricing: About $270, set for release later this year.

Comments on A K.I.T.T. of one's own: Knight Rider GPS arrives

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  • 1 Posted by gooddayz39 on Thu Sep 3, 2009 4:11PM EDT Report Abuse

    What a great conversation piece for a road trip!

  • 2 Posted by angelo_queen on Thu Sep 3, 2009 2:54PM EDT Report Abuse

    NEXT WE WILL BE GOING BACK TO THE GUNSMOKE AND HORSE AND BUGGEY DAYS THEN THEY WILL NOT GET NO MONEY,AND HAVE TO COME DOWN OFF THERE HIGH PRICEST PATTY B

  • 3 Posted by rogueist on Thu Sep 3, 2009 8:49PM EDT Report Abuse

    Cool beans! I'm getting one for myself as soon as I can!

  • 4 Posted by willowchal on Thu Sep 3, 2009 10:47PM EDT Report Abuse

    heck if i could afford a car and gas i would definitely get that.... that beats out eddie izzards tomtom voice!

  • 6 Posted by alan_r_cam on Thu Sep 3, 2009 2:49PM EDT Report Abuse

    Ooh! The perfect after-market product for GPS is - Celebrity Voices ! I'll take the voice from the "Scream" franchise. As an Australian driver, there's something appealing about a sinister "Hello, Sydney" when you enter the city.

  • 7 Posted by rorbincalendar on Thu Sep 3, 2009 8:51PM EDT Report Abuse

    Personally I would love to hear festus say "Hold yer taters" when I make a wrong turn. Sign me up for the Gunsmoke model!

  • 8 Posted by aaronwyllie on Thu Sep 3, 2009 2:43PM EDT Report Abuse

    This is great. I only wi----- didn't have the words "Knight Rider" across the top. I would have preferred if it said, "K.I.T.T."

  • 9 Posted by ashesbynow01 on Thu Sep 3, 2009 2:58PM EDT Report Abuse

    Oh how cool! I may consider getting a GPS system now, just to have a little piece of KITT for myself...lol

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