7 top road-trip tech gadgets

In theory, head-up displays are supposed to prevent distraction. Instead of making you look down at your gauges, information is displayed right in front of you as you look out the windshield. The projected words and numbers appear to float magically over the road ahead.

But it doesn't really take that long to check your speedometer. The one time a head-up display is really great is when you're using a navigation system, especially with other people in the car.

Instead of having to keep glancing down at a computer screen as you approach a turn, you can keep staring straight ahead. Arrows tell you where to turn and the name of the road, and a bar appears that shows how close you're getting to the turn

Perhaps the best thing is that you needn't to subject other occupants to the insistent voice of your computerized guide. You can navigate in silence, and on long trips, that can be golden.

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