New Head-Up Display App Means You Can 'Legally' Text And Drive

In the modern world it's difficult to become disconnected. Your phone is often the portal to your friends, family, colleagues and a resource for getting the information you need, when you need it.

Using your phone behind the wheel is incredibly dangerous, and pretty much guaranteed to earn you a ticket. The guys at NeXt have created this HeadsUP! app to keep you connected while driving, which gives a 'significantly reduced reaction time to urgent events'.

The way it works is that a device is placed on the dash, and users connect their phone via USB or Bluetooth. When the app is loaded, it beams the image to the windscreen. Drivers can then use voice commands and swiping actions to make phone calls, send and receive text messages and launch navigation.

Factory-fitted head-up Displays are becoming increasingly common in new cars, with manufacturers such as BMW and Mercedes displaying speed information on the windshield. While this is useful for allowing drivers to keep their eyes up, we're not convinced that using this technology for texting and making calls is a good idea - despite voice commands, you still need to take your focus away from the road.

Navigation, however, is a much better selling point, as your route can be displayed on the windshield allowing minor glances to one side. Additionally, speed-reading apps could prove a useful aftermarket modification.

The only question mark hanging over the app is its legality. Recently a driver was given a ticket for using Google Glass, with the officer citing the illegal use of the device as a monitor. GPS devices are excluded from this law, however HeadsUP! could just as easily be used to display video.

Until these questions are answered, NeXt may have a bit of trouble raising funds on their Indiegogo campaign. It has currently raised just $2215 towards its $50000 goal.

A decent idea, but we're not convinced just yet.