Motorola M990 Smart Rider: A Car Phone Born Too Late

In 2008, Motorola announced the M990 Smart Rider, a hands-free car phone that bundled GPS navigation, Bluetooth, voice activation, an email app, a web browser, and music storage into a single 2.8-inch display unit. The device was aimed at professional drivers like chauffeurs and delivery drivers, and it required professional installation.

As Jalopnik reports, the Smart Rider's problem wasn't its concept—it was its timing. The iPhone had launched a year earlier, and the smartphone revolution was already underway. By 2008, drivers could simply mount a smartphone to their dashboard and connect it to their car's Bluetooth system, no professional installation required.

The Smart Rider's built-in GPS could reroute based on real-time traffic, its 2-gigabyte SD card stored hundreds of songs, and its speakerphone let you call your spouse while checking NBA scores. But all of that was already available—and more portable—in an iPhone. The Smart Rider was a relic of a bygone era, a device that solved a problem the smartphone had already solved better.

• 2008
• car phone
• Infotainment
• iPhone
• M990 Smart Rider
• Motorola