The very same auto manufacturers you are thinking of are the ones working on a concept device that nearly does it all. It starts with an MP3 player and then adds on Wi-Fi, 3G via UMTS, and so much more.

It doubles as a cellular phone too, thus the addition of the 3G connectivity. It also does navigation, controls the functions of your Audi, and so much more.

There is even a camera built in. Sure, it has a some functionality, okay, it has a lot of functionality, but its not really all that attractive. I saw an A8 over the weekend, and it was, as it is every time I see one, a true work of automobile manufacturing art, and that’s just an A8, the R8, well that’s a whole other story, all I am saying is, maybe they should just package all the hardware for the device up and then send this device over to their auto department for some heavy redesigning.

Audi’s Concept Instrument Does Everything, Looks Like a Slab of Granite [via gizmodo]