When we were first contacted by Mio about their Knight Rider device, we couldn't wait till the day that we could finally tell you. An officially licensed GPS unit with the original voice of KITT behind it, how could you lose?
Thankfully, you can't! We have been very fortunate to get this exclusive extensive look at the Mio Knight Rider GPS. No longer will you have a boring list of computerized voices telling you directions on your GPS - now you can have KITT himself!
It's the first time since the TV Movie Knight Rider 2000 - has William Daniels been involved in anything officially Knight Rider. In fact it had been rumored for quite some time that Daniels wanted nothing to do with the series. We are thrilled that this was not the case, and now we have this device here, complete with newly recorded dialog by Mr. Daniels (this isn't reused TV clipings, it's 100% original recordings!)
One of the great unique features with this concept, is that KITT will address the driver by their first name. Simply set your name from the pre-recorded list of hundreds, and off you go. You can be Michael if you want to be a purist, but if your name is Aaron, Joe or David, you can have that personalized experience. (Unfortunately Devon, Bonnie, Wilton are missing from the list, but Mio hopes to address this error)
They've also taken several design cues from the Knight 2000. The device has dual nose type designs on the left and right, complete with a red type of scanner insert. However, the actual use of this scanners LEDs is to be KITTs voice box. It's a pretty neat effect, and initially we were bummed that it wasn't more accurate to the voice box to the series, but in the end the effect still felt the same.
The device is going to be for Canada and the US, however additional maps are available for purchase (for our global fans) via Mio's website for their other devices, so we imagine this unit would be the same.
We must admit it was pretty enjoyable driving around with KITT, that we kept getting lost on purpose, just so we could hear him make more announcements. Which was probably the only annoyance - we wish KITT would talk more. Have KITT nag me when I get lost, have him keep his scanners peeled and determine the best course to our destination - keep him vocal, keep him fun. Michael always told KITT to shadup, we love to be at the place to do that too.
MSRP is about $270, and we expect the final product to be released in the fall. Check out KITTRules for more information.
