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Did some googleing and didn't find much except for some maybes and some oddities that i'm not too sure about so I thought I might come to the experts. I would love to have a small 7" double din head unit in my car running gingerbread or better android on it and tether it to my phone. That way I could add pandora/youtube/siriusxm/navigation/market/fruitslice whatever...
Anyone know of anything out there?
There's a couple on the market I've seen. Many are out there as concepts. In the Barnes &Noble nook forums there is guy who did a write up on how he installed a nook in the dash of his jeep. It's a 7 inch screen and fits with a little Modding. I'm surprised you didn't find any on your search.
- this sig is just so I don't have to write 10char when on my phone -
Shinare said:
Did some googleing and didn't find much except for some maybes and some oddities that i'm not too sure about so I thought I might come to the experts. I would love to have a small 7" double din head unit in my car running gingerbread or better android on it and tether it to my phone. That way I could add pandora/youtube/siriusxm/navigation/market/fruitslice whatever...
Anyone know of anything out there?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Dynavin
Ca-fi
Bybyte
Those are the main ones people have been "keeping an eye on" since last year.
After talking with some friends that are in to car audio, I've deemed them all to be subpar for my needs so i just got a 32gb sammy tab plus, 64gb microsd card, and a $30 dash kit that i will mod for mounting. I think the three key things that a real head unit has over mounting a tablet are: 1) easy back up camera solution 2) satellite radio 3) built in bluetooth handsfree. 1 and 3 are possible, just not the easiest, and i have no use for number 2 since i dont subscribe.
*edit* - just realized i had subscribed to the thread boborone is referencing Nook Color in Jeep Wrangler
There is also the more mainstream AppRadio from Pioneer. Search it since I can't post links yet.
I have the Erisin 777A for the past 4 months, generally quite happy about it but wants better sound quality.
Clarion has announced an android head unit, the mirage, http://www.engadget.com/2012/03/28/clarions-android-running-mirage-ivi/
This one has potential, maybe upgrade is in the works for me.
I have been search and I have decided on mounting a tablet as well I just wish there were companies who make custom mounts to make it look OEM
gpmg762 said:
I have the Erisin 777A for the past 4 months, generally quite happy about it but wants better sound quality.
Clarion has announced an android head unit, the mirage, http://www.engadget.com/2012/03/28/clarions-android-running-mirage-ivi/
This one has potential, maybe upgrade is in the works for me.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Nice. That's what I want. Too bad its release is in q4. :-(
Sent from my DROID RAZR using XDA
Has anyone tried any of these or know if they would be any good hardware wise?
How about the possibility of custom roms or even rooting them?
This one seems the better choice in the fact it's a removable tablet. Not because I want a tablet but because it would be easier to bring into the house for flashing purposes. Never heard of it's CPU mind?
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/321013490466
This one is quite a nice looking one with non removable screen. Has a Cortex A8 which I've heard of at least
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/121016519547
So what's your views and opinions?
So no comments then? I'm really hankering for an Android unit in the car. Will beat the socks off the crappy 2din wince unit i have. The software on that is so cumbersome and doesn't match throughout the different modes.
Ok just found this Parrot Asteroid 2DIN. Looks very good but not available yet.
http://www.slashgear.com/parrot-asteroid-in-car-nav-entertainment-systems-revealed-09207612/
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dH3-VAfqjEw
Also after watching some video's of the unit with pad I posted previously it seems that most of the main functions are handled by an internal process in the unit (maybe wince?) which then outputs video and control via the tablet. This has kind of put me off a little bit.
So after watching some other video's of the Ca-Fi I think I am going to go with one of these. The new one is upgraded to 2.3 Android, capacitive touchscreen and a 1ghz processor. So saving my pennies now!!!!!
http://ca-fi.com/en/archives/1027
Okay all this talk of android double din, well I have a double din unit in my car, all self fitted, it has 2 sd slots, 1 for GPS and the other for sd card for media, but was wondering if any of these slots can be used to "install" new os onto the unit.
How does the Os get installed onto these, there must be a way.
CueballUK said:
Ok just found this Parrot Asteroid 2DIN. Looks very good but not available yet.
Also after watching some video's of the unit with pad I posted previously it seems that most of the main functions are handled by an internal process in the unit (maybe wince?) which then outputs video and control via the tablet. This has kind of put me off a little bit.
So after watching some other video's of the Ca-Fi I think I am going to go with one of these. The new one is upgraded to 2.3 Android, capacitive touchscreen and a 1ghz processor. So saving my pennies now!!!!!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Try Componentality Celebrity, it might be what you need. Do you need 2-DIN?
http://www.aliexpress.com/item/2015...VD-player-GPS-Stereo-Wifi-3G/32297415686.html
http://www.aliexpress.com/store/pro...al-dual-system-carpad/1422130_2034998210.html
any good?
m.r.davies said:
http://www.aliexpress.com/item/2015...VD-player-GPS-Stereo-Wifi-3G/32297415686.html
http://www.aliexpress.com/store/pro...al-dual-system-carpad/1422130_2034998210.html
any good?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
There's a whole thread about the Newsmy CarPad2 here http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2865525
Hey guys,
There's a bunch of Android-based devices out there in the market. I'm looking for the best one that's available - are you able to recommend some unit?
I was hoping to buy the Parrot RNB6, but it seems it's an abandoned project.
Has anyone ever seen any specs on pre out voltage on any of these units? Or even better a digital out? They seem to be all about software on the specs minus the 55w x 4 channel spec, the biggest gripe I have the with main manufacturers of hu out there right now is you either get a nice ui and imo poor pre out voltage or a really terrible ui that is almost unbearable but high voltage, which in turn leads to higher volume and clearer audio. This is what I have found at my price range anyways and am not really willing to drop $2k on a head unit at this point. Anyways i am trying to look through all the links on this page but any help would be appreciated
Edit: guess it's 2/2 pages and not 22 pages haha, guess I did check them all
Sent from my SM-N910W8 using XDA Free mobile app
Also depends on what car you have.
Erisin have a whole range of Android units with good reviews.
I have this one for Audi A3
http://www.erisin.com/erisin-es9783...-sat-nav-1080p-autoradio-audi-a3-s3_p517.html
Or one with a removeable Pad
http://www.erisin.com/erisin-es8035a-2-in-1-car-pad-unit-android-tablet-gps-3g-wifi_p389.html
Plus a whole lot of posts on similar.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2660662&page=1101
Baz
I have Audi S6 C5 and just need a regular 2DIN unit - it will fit. However, the chinese stuff I'm looking at other threads in this forum seem very crappy and of low quality.
Is there something that can be really reliable, working fast and with good audio quality?
headunit 4.4.4 quad core 3188
I have had mine for more than 6 months
Sound is great ram is only 1gb so app installs stop after pandora and waze, and one or 2 other items
I use a wifi hotspot, on tmobile, $10/month no limits.
pandora now works no matter who drives car, and NAV youtube etc
Not sure newer version of android would help, more ram would help more
Hi All,
I'm after a new headunit for my Mazda MPV 2004. I currently have a Parrot Asteroid Smart in my old car which I did like, but also had it's flaws (old version of android, low spec hardware, no physical buttons/dials). I did however love the bluetooth and voice command options.
I've since been looking for a (cheap-ish) Android unit that I can install in the Mazda and honestly I'm overwhelmed! There are so many options now compared to a few years ago when I got the Parrot. I was looking at units like these and was almost convinced to take a gamble and accept that the bluetooth calling would not be as good as the Parrot (I've owned some Eonon units before):
Eonon - http://eonon.com/Car-GPS/Android-Car-GPS/G2110F.html
Pumpkin - http://www.autopumpkin.com/car-dvd-...s-navigation-system-support-3g-wifi-obd2.html
Then I found this:
Avin - https://avinusa.com/7-universal-dou...android-multimedia-navigation-system-159.html
Which got me thinking, are there any other 'no name' units that use the Parrot bluetooth technology that anyone would recommend? Or at least have decent quality bluetooth audio otherwise and preferably voice command? Any hands on experience and reviews would be much appreciated!!
That's the only one I've found listed with parrot. I passed on it becase of the 800 x 480 resolution. Seems people like the Newsmy for Bluetooth calls and Google now works (Newsmy owners, correct me if I am wrong).
Thanks, I'll check out the Newsmy, hadn't heard of them. What did you end up going with twokidsandaphone?
glenb83 said:
What did you end up going with twokidsandaphone?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I actually first ordered a lower cost unit from a seller called "Umecity". I changed my mind and even though the order was officially shipped, it had not been given to DHL yet and they let me cancel, which was awesome of them. That unit has an Allwinnertech chip, not the RK3188. It was less than $300 CDN, shipped, but I was concerned about BT and radio quality (and since it was for my wife I decided to err on the side of caution). All of their units get very good reviews though, still tempted... maybe for my car.
At any rate my requirements were:
Universal 7" 2 Din
Steering wheel controls (resistive type)
Support large external drive (for FLAC files)
1024 x 600, quad core
Joying units don't support large external drives (most list 32 gb as max), and I saw quite a few complaints about the Bluetooth quality even after mic fix.
Ownice units do support the large drive, but the later posts in the thread suggest quality issues and lack of support from the seller
2nd gen Tonghai units - couldn't find one I liked, can't remember everything that took it off the list
So that only left Newsmy; seems a high quality unit with good radio reception (SiLabs chip), dual Bluetooth (one for calls, one for android), and lots of xda support.
I ordered the NR3001 this morning. Downside was it was over double the cost of the first one that I cancelled (~$600 CDN, of which $131 was shipping). Hope it's worth it! Note the CDN dollar sucks now, so not nearly as bad in US$.
Jeff
P.S. I currently have a PAS in my car - still mostly like it.
twokidsandaphone said:
I actually first ordered a lower cost unit from a seller called "Umecity". I changed my mind and even though the order was officially shipped, it had not been given to DHL yet and they let me cancel, which was awesome of them. That unit has an Allwinnertech chip, not the RK3188. It was less than $300 CDN, shipped, but I was concerned about BT and radio quality (and since it was for my wife I decided to err on the side of caution). All of their units get very good reviews though, still tempted... maybe for my car.
At any rate my requirements were:
Universal 7" 2 Din
Steering wheel controls (resistive type)
Support large external drive (for FLAC files)
1024 x 600, quad core
Joying units don't support large external drives (most list 32 gb as max), and I saw quite a few complaints about the Bluetooth quality even after mic fix.
Ownice units do support the large drive, but the later posts in the thread suggest quality issues and lack of support from the seller
2nd gen Tonghai units - couldn't find one I liked, can't remember everything that took it off the list
So that only left Newsmy; seems a high quality unit with good radio reception (SiLabs chip), dual Bluetooth (one for calls, one for android), and lots of xda support.
I ordered the NR3001 this morning. Downside was it was over double the cost of the first one that I cancelled (~$600 CDN, of which $131 was shipping). Hope it's worth it! Note the CDN dollar sucks now, so not nearly as bad in US$.
Jeff
P.S. I currently have a PAS in my car - still mostly like it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for the info Jeff, when your unit arrives and is installed I'd love to hear your thoughts and experiences.
This new unit will also be for my wife's car, she has basically the same requirements as you except there is no need for large storage expansion, ipod compatibility and a physical dial for volume (she hates the touch screen volume of the PAS, although if steering wheel controls work I wouldn't think that would be an issue, just have no idea how to wire them up...)
Cost is also an issue, I'm in Australia so those cheap US prices get high really quick for Australia!
twokidsandaphone said:
I actually first ordered a lower cost unit from a seller called "Umecity".
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hi Jeff,
I had a google and couldn't find this unit. Can you send me a link for comparison, and perhaps to the reviews too?
Thanks!
I couldn't find it on Google either. The reviews are just those of the customers of the seller. They sell the same unit in a few different vehicle specific versions. Their universal version is linked below. No buttons or knobs though...
In Dash Universal Quad Core 2 Din Android 4.4 Car Audio Stereo GPS 3G Wifi Bluetooth Radio (No) CD Player automotivo
http://s.aliexpress.com/yyqIfqi6
(from AliExpress Android)
Jeff
P.S. The Newsmy arrived today. In the middle of a bathroom reno so will be a little while before I can try it out.
twokidsandaphone said:
I couldn't find it on Google either. The reviews are just those of the customers of the seller. They sell the same unit in a few different vehicle specific versions. Their universal version is linked below. No buttons or knobs though...
In Dash Universal Quad Core 2 Din Android 4.4 Car Audio Stereo GPS 3G Wifi Bluetooth Radio (No) CD Player automotivo
http://s.aliexpress.com/yyqIfqi6
(from AliExpress Android)
Jeff
P.S. The Newsmy arrived today. In the middle of a bathroom reno so will be a little while before I can try it out.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for the link and looking forward to the newsmy review when you get around to it!
Sent from my C6903 using Tapatalk
Just so you know, Pumpkin have just released a new product that uses a Parrot module, the links below
http://www.autopumpkin.com/pumpkin-...t-dab-mirrorlink-aux-output-obd2-wifi-3g.html
Regs
I am torn between the Pumpkin with Parrot Bluetooth and the Newsmy NR-3001.
Pumpkin works out cheaper because of Free Shipping vs AUD$133 for the Newsmy, but the Newsmy's already active ROM development is appealing.
Decisions, decisions........
I'm curious about the Pumpkin unit now too, I have heard reasonable things about Pumpkin in the past when they were WinCE units. I still haven't decided on anything for the wife's car yet but I need to soon. When I get something I'll be sure to post a review for anyone else in future.
I'd be interested in what everyone else here chooses and their experiences with their chosen unit too.
Look forward to hearing your thoughts Glen.
Having read through some of the Newsmy thread and the xdAuto ROM thread, I am leaning towards the Newsmy.
*UPDATE*
So in the end I went with price above all and purchased an Eonon G2110F Android headunit. I have to say I have been quite happy with the unit, it is much more responsive than the Parrot Asteroid Smart and runs apps natively, without any drop in audio quality like the smart. One issue which was sort of expected, is the sub-par bluetooth microphone quality. I expected the quality to not be too great, especially compared to the Parrot Smart, but it is so bad that most of the time I have to tell my wife to call me when she gets home because I can't hear her!
I am going to try to find an aftermarket bluetooth microphone to try instead, does anyone recommend anything that has good quality for a unit like this one?
glenb83 said:
*UPDATE*
So in the end I went with price above all and purchased an Eonon G2110F Android headunit. I have to say I have been quite happy with the unit, it is much more responsive than the Parrot Asteroid Smart and runs apps natively, without any drop in audio quality like the smart. One issue which was sort of expected, is the sub-par bluetooth microphone quality. I expected the quality to not be too great, especially compared to the Parrot Smart, but it is so bad that most of the time I have to tell my wife to call me when she gets home because I can't hear her!
I am going to try to find an aftermarket bluetooth microphone to try instead, does anyone recommend anything that has good quality for a unit like this one?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Haven't you read about the BT problems we all have? The only way to fix it is the mod of the motherboard.
halloj said:
Haven't you read about the BT problems we all have? The only way to fix it is the mod of the motherboard.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I wasn't aware of the Bluetooth issues, is it just with the eonon unit or all units with a particular chipset?
Sent from my LG-H815 using Tapatalk
glenb83 said:
I wasn't aware of the Bluetooth issues, is it just with the eonon unit or all units with a particular chipset?
Sent from my LG-H815 using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Basically all units that I'm aware of. Even the new Pumpkin claiming Parrot BT suffers from the same problem. I've have the new Pumpkin too.
The main problem is the two microphones (internal-external) are connected in parallel. I've done the mod on my four units and after that it's okay.
You still need a better mic since the Chinese mic is crap. I'm using a Parrot mic and the mod.
halloj said:
Basically all units that I'm aware of. Even the new Pumpkin claiming Parrot BT suffers from the same problem. I've have the new Pumpkin too.
The main problem is the two microphones (internal-external) are connected in parallel. I've done the mod on my four units and after that it's okay.
You still need a better mic since the Chinese mic is crap. I'm using a Parrot mic and the mod.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for the info, could you be so kind as to link to the mod? Thanks!
twokidsandaphone said:
I actually first ordered a lower cost unit from a seller called "Umecity". I changed my mind and even though the order was officially shipped, it had not been given to DHL yet and they let me cancel, which was awesome of them. That unit has an Allwinnertech chip, not the RK3188. It was less than $300 CDN, shipped, but I was concerned about BT and radio quality (and since it was for my wife I decided to err on the side of caution). All of their units get very good reviews though, still tempted... maybe for my car.
At any rate my requirements were:
Universal 7" 2 Din
Steering wheel controls (resistive type)
Support large external drive (for FLAC files)
1024 x 600, quad core
Joying units don't support large external drives (most list 32 gb as max), and I saw quite a few complaints about the Bluetooth quality even after mic fix.
Ownice units do support the large drive, but the later posts in the thread suggest quality issues and lack of support from the seller
2nd gen Tonghai units - couldn't find one I liked, can't remember everything that took it off the list
So that only left Newsmy; seems a high quality unit with good radio reception (SiLabs chip), dual Bluetooth (one for calls, one for android), and lots of xda support.
I ordered the NR3001 this morning. Downside was it was over double the cost of the first one that I cancelled (~$600 CDN, of which $131 was shipping). Hope it's worth it! Note the CDN dollar sucks now, so not nearly as bad in US$.
Jeff
P.S. I currently have a PAS in my car - still mostly like it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hi Jeff, just curious about your experience with the Newsmy after using it for a while? Whilst I like the Eonon generally, the bluetooth call issues and their lack of support has been a deal breaker, and I'm ready to replace it already!
Zelig said:
I am torn between the Pumpkin with Parrot Bluetooth and the Newsmy NR-3001.
Pumpkin works out cheaper because of Free Shipping vs AUD$133 for the Newsmy, but the Newsmy's already active ROM development is appealing.
Decisions, decisions........
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hi Zelig, did you end up ordering a unit? What were your experiences?
halloj said:
Basically all units that I'm aware of. Even the new Pumpkin claiming Parrot BT suffers from the same problem. I've have the new Pumpkin too.
The main problem is the two microphones (internal-external) are connected in parallel. I've done the mod on my four units and after that it's okay.
You still need a better mic since the Chinese mic is crap. I'm using a Parrot mic and the mod.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hi halloj, Eonon sent me this link to a video replacing the internal mic - https://drive.google.com/a/eonon.com/file/d/0B4MwM-4-7u6TbkxkcnByN0thMjA/view?usp=drive_web
I'm wondering if I removed the mic completely if it would default to the external mic, or if simply desoldering it would not be enough? Perhaps replacing it with a better quality mic like the video would be sufficient? Any thoughts, you seem to have done this a few times!
glenb83 said:
Hi Jeff, just curious about your experience with the Newsmy after using it for a while? Whilst I like the Eonon generally, the bluetooth call issues and their lack of support has been a deal breaker, and I'm ready to replace it already!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I can say that I am pretty happy with the Newsmy. I installed xdAuto on it (source code for the Newsmy leaked and XDA developers built a great ROM). With xdAuto the user interface is pretty good; there are a set of icons along the bottom of the screen that allow you to switch quickly between different apps without first going to the launcher home screen. Audio focus works properly, meaning that when you, say, start a song on Spotify, the audio from the radio app (or whatever other source) stops.
I find the sound quality quite good even without equalizer running (xdAuto has viper included) . There are occasional background noises (most apparent with silent sections of a track when at a light) but practically speaking they are not noticeable when driving.
the Bluetooth for hands free calling while not nearly as good as the Parrot is quite useable.
OBD2 Bluetooth reader/Torque works flawlessly.
Steering wheel controls work on every app I've used which can be an issue with other units.
Radio reception is good, but the radio app does not have RDS implemented. Apparently the silabs tuner chip is of high quality and has RDS support but the Newsmy programmers/subcontractors could not figure out how to implement it. XDA developers offered to help but were given the run around with promises of MCU source code that was never provided.
I can use Google Now voice commands to start Spotify, navigation, make calls, etc. Again not as good as the voice recognition implementation on the Parrot in terms of accuracy but a reasonable success rate.
Complaints I or other users have had:
Google maps is choppy when starting to navigate. I mostly use Waze which works very well.
Screen washes out in direct sun.
Audio control is abysmal. No control over sub out level or crossover. No native eq. All you get is a screen for balance/fade that is implemented by providing four separate volume controls for FL/FR/RL/RR.
USB DVR camera kills internal/external mics for Android (not Bluetooth calls), not an issue if you don't need/want to run a dashcam or don't care about voice commands
USB devices do not go into standby properly. If you are short of boring material to read you can see my posts on the xdAuto thread on it. This problem led to my music app often rescanning my large music collection when coming out of standby. I found a work around by modifying a USB hub to provide power all the time.
Don't expect much/any support from Newsmy on technical or warranty issues, but not many have had quality issues, and it always boots in both the extreme heat and bitter cold of Canadian summers/winters. I've had the unit apart and the PC board quality/assembly seems better than pics I've see of other Chinese units.
With all those pros/cons I did decide to buy two NR3001s and don't regret it. They are not perfect but I still believe the best option there is from my reading here on XDA. It might be that if I was buying now/next couple of months I might try the indash.net octacore but it seems there are still issues to work out, maybe wait and see..
so who are the best units out there.
something that works with minimum work to make it "nice" or functional.
I do not mind some tinkering with software, but do not want to root, or do any sort of hardware mods.
lets start with money no object. as it needs to be
responsive to the touch, and fast to react
quick to boot,
reliable future proof,
sat nav (happy with google maps, or here maps)
DAB
High Res Screen
nice to have
TV built in? not a must but why not.
USB, or Aux input (could do with audio streaming alone?)
reverse camera
Wifi, or means to transfer without using data from my phone
btw, I have VW touran 2005, in case it makes a difference in fitting etc
I'm trying to decide myself which to get. I like the Joying stuff but their new model for my car had no disc drive. If you find anything out as to which is best let me know and I'll do the same
I've bought a XRROSS unit. I haven't plugged it in as I need to find a working interface to retain wheel control buttons and able to start the amp.
I have an outlander 2007 with Rockford Fosgate system.
I have been using an Erisin Android 4.2 model for the last few years in my BMW X5, and found it decent but not great. Underneath the Erisin is one of the many, many Hui Fei units that get sold under a bunch of different badges and used one of the Rockchip CPUs that are found in the majority of these units. In my case it was the RK3066.
Overall impressions - I loved the convenience of having a full android tablet instead of the stupid stereo interface originally on my car, but as time went on I found I used it less and less and tended to just use my phone. The interface on the unit was not great as there were a number of apps (particularly their settings) where the controls were outside the edges of the screen and therefore unreachable. This seemed to be in large part a problem with the low-res (800x480) screen and the fact that it is always in landscape mode (obviously). I've recently tried out some of the 3rd party roms found here on XDA which are noticeably better than the stock rom that came with it.
The unit started having problems after about 3 years as the bottom half and the top half inch (1cm) of the touchscreen no longer respond to touch. This has rendered the unit basically useless.
I'm now in the market for a replacement and I would be interested to hear impressions and complaints from anyone that has an Android 5 or 6 unit.
right so my turn to provide information I collected...
I had a chat with a friend who owns car head units \ bluetooth etc fitting company, circa about 6 cars and more private contractors to fit through out the UK, his opinion is
"chinese head units are rabbish, stay away from them and buy decent manufacturer units like ken wood pioneer etc.
for each 10 units of those cheaper ones, (he admits that it have much more functionality for the price). about 6 have issue.
its not well thought of, and different problems comes up, starting with many software issues, to hardware combination as those cheaper companies hardware is whatever cheapest, and very little thought about segmenting
thier own producs, which causes issues with firmware updates later. and make it hardware to control quality.
provided an example, of heating up units, or battery just dies, or the unit just bricks"
so as you see from earlier he is totally against it, however I would presume if you are reading this, then you are willing to open your own dash and debugging issues yourself, and will to throw away hardware if it bricks etc.
long life time is not something you always expect, its a luck of the draw.
he goes further and says:
"even good company, if you want navigation, then you need to go top of the range £1000+, as cheaper units are not great at that"
but then he is used to all the top stuff, so he might say that.
however the think I agree with him most on:
"get something that mirror your phone, this way you can get cheaper units, and you rely on your phone which is smart and feature rich to start with, even the £200 ones that mirror your phone is good enough"
now, my thoughts are, there are other things (I forgot to ask him) about viewing angle, what sort of resolution will look good enough etc. (I agree with the guy above about the resolution)
Oh, mmmalas comment does remind me: If you are driving a BMW X5, 5 series, or any other model of car where the stereo panel curves upward into the dashboard, the Chinese Android units are going to be a problem. Even though the units I've looked at fit beautifully into the panel space, and have perfectly fitted curved fascia, the screen ends up pointing at an angle that makes it unreadable in sunlight. The units that have the screen standing up at a tangent from the curve of the case might be better, although I do think they look somewhat awkward.
Like this unit for example: http://www.ebay.ca/itm/9-BMW-X5-E39...ash=item360f37eb54:g:jF4AAOSwol5Y2hSi&vxp=mtr
the pioneer or maybe the kenwood ones, allow you to adjust the angle on the unit (motorised).
I presume those android units are mainly TN panels, rather than IPS. which makes the viewing angles worse.
it would be nice if my son in the middle of back seat can watch a movie. but I am unsure if the screens are that good. will be nice to know
I have an xtrons unit, the Andriod 6 with 8 core. I really like it, there is virtually no boot time, its instant. Backup camera is great, I run spotify which is great, and a few other apps like google maps and here maps, and gmail. So far everything looks great, had it about a month now. Only thing I have yet to do is get a reliable alternative to hotspotting my phone every time i get in the car.
semaj4712 said:
I have an xtrons unit, the Andriod 6 with 8 core. I really like it, there is virtually no boot time, its instant. Backup camera is great, I run spotify which is great, and a few other apps like google maps and here maps, and gmail. So far everything looks great, had it about a month now. Only thing I have yet to do is get a reliable alternative to hotspotting my phone every time i get in the car.
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You can connect it via NFC.
georgebest said:
You can connect it via NFC.
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What I meant was I am trying to find a dongle solution here in the US for it. So I dont have to use my phone.
I have an ownice c500 unit. I think it is the best unit available. It is not perfect and some people have some problems like with DAB+ etc. but for me, it works perfectly.
https://forum.xda-developers.com/wiki/Ownice_C500
is the screen view-able from sides perfectly, or does it suffer from viewing angles, or sun reflection in your face.
and does the screen color look good, or its one of those things that either look crap in daylight, or night
Hello
Could you please give me a short rationg from https://liamscar.com/best-android-auto-head-unit/
Is it possibe to find best of the android unit
Sure, if it was with low budget.
I used Pumpkin, but I want to replace it
I currently own a AVH2800BS from pioneer, it's really nice has great audio and I have been overall very impressed with it. However, I took my truck into the shop to get a leveling kit and unfortunately I believe my rear view camera cord got tugged on a little too hard and ended up splitting at the male radio connector. This obviously made matters pretty bad and without knowing about the camera having open live cords I shifted into reverse and my audio shut off, I'm assuming the amp blew because the screen still is on and has full functionality just no audio. Anyways, I really enjoyed that head unit but, I'm looking into trying something more advanced with more uses and overall coolness.
Some things I would like to have:
$250, Unfortunately, I do have a price limit.
Good Audio, coming from that amazing sounding pioneer, I would like to have another good amp.
Snappy Speeds, is a quad core with 2gb of ram good enough for most general use, or should I upgrade to the octacore with 4gb of ram?
I strongly dislike bulky buttons and knobs, so a flat touch screen with volume up/down buttons would be nice.
Lastly, a 7in screen or larger is a must.
Does anybody have a head unit that somewhat follows these guidelines and could recommend it to me?
Also, I noted it before but, I think I should ask it down here also, is a quad core with 2gb of ram plenty fast enough or should I upgrade to more ram and an octocore?
Thanks,
Murf.
I am no stranger to Android in a car, I have done custom tablet installs in cars, (back in 2012 with Timur's custom cyanogenmod rom), custom car computers (roadrunner, centrafuse), etc.
Last year, I decided to give one of these neat looking Chinese head units a shot, I went with the Eonon double-din model with the PX5 processor, 4gb ram, 32gb rom with DSP audio chip. Out of the box and installing, the software wasn't terrible but borderline silly. The DSP audio control app was new to these units so I forgave some of the funky terminology and adjustments that were available in there, it was a far cry from adjustments one would find on a cheaper dedicated DSP unit. The performance was okay until summer rolled around and I had to tear the head unit apart and install my own heatsink and fan to the processing module board, this resolved that. The cheap mmc memory was a limiting factor of its performance in heavier apps like Google Maps, otherwise. Wifi performance was borderline trash. The extremely cheap and laughable wifi chipset barely handled 1.5-2Mbps of data transfer when downloading a Spotify library to the SD card. I even attempted to unsolder and replace the cheap antenna with my own higher end antenna but this was no solution to the very cheap and barely functional wireless module. Digging into the rom to find out that it's only been compiled for two equally bad wireless adapters, I gave up trying to make the wifi work any better. My unit also always produced processor noise out of the speakers when it was quiet in the car, sounded like onboard audio from cheap PC motherboards; this happened out of the amplified speaker outputs and the RCA outputs. I have since sold that car, I have a new car and would love to try again if it's even worth it.
I am not here to bash on these head units, I really WANT to see them improve. I would love to get my hands on one with more premium hardware, better working networking, worked out bugs, smarter display dimming control (maybe even a few extra cents of an ambient light sensor), audio DSP controls that are actually awesome, proper heatsink for included processor, etc. Do these exist? It's hard to find them in the sea of different brand names and Engrish website listings.
Any input on this would be so helpful to myself and many others.
I think you’ll find that they all suck in one way or another. If they were to be of total quality they would be $1500 or more. Think about the use case though, NO ONE else is making custom canbus integrated units that fit inside modern cars which no longer conform to single/double DIN form factors. I don’t think at the price points most of these units are that quality and functionality will be improved.
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I've been using Android head units since around 2013 or so, when they had resistive touchscreens lol. While they still have a lot to improve on, I must say that they've come a long, long way. There's only really three features that I want to see, and one of those the 2013 ones all had:
1) For the love of God, there was no need to take away iPod support. Some of us still have an iPod. It's great to have in a car to play your music. Much better than putting it on SD cards, because I like the playlists. Bring it back!
2) Resolution. 800x480 is roughly as best at it gets for these guys. Although I'm greedy and want 4k, at least give me 1080p!
3) Blu-ray support. Come on already, it's been out for 14 years!
I am also interested in this question, I had the atoto a6 pro before I sold the car. For a quad core it felt slow.
Is there any unit out there besides joying with proper lte support? Joying does not support att/Rogers/Fido lte frequencies. Except band 7.
I've seen on the forums that the xtrons won't even take a 4g dongle and work in mobile connection mode and also they have an underpowered USB port, 250mA or something . Where standard is 500mA.
Anything out there with North American frequencies?
Zap! said:
I've been using Android head units since around 2013 or so, when they had resistive touchscreens lol. While they still have a lot to improve on, I must say that they've come a long, long way. There's only really three features that I want to see, and one of those the 2013 ones all had:
1) For the love of God, there was no need to take away iPod support. Some of us still have an iPod. It's great to have in a car to play your music. Much better than putting it on SD cards, because I like the playlists. Bring it back!
2) Resolution. 800x480 is roughly as best at it gets for these guys. Although I'm greedy and want 4k, at least give me 1080p!
3) Blu-ray support. Come on already, it's been out for 14 years!
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first point...fine I get it..
second point 4K???????
third point..ok you are trolling..
I appreciate the few replies here.
I for one am hoping for the most subtle and cost effective improvements that make the experience of one of these in the dash feel like a better product. Top changes I'd like to see:
Display with high NITS, defeat the bright sunlight. Ability to see the content REALLY WELL comes before ultra-high resolution. As long as I can't count the pixels from the driver seat, I'm not going to knock on the resolution.
Clean audio output, some of these produce noise like crazy when listening at quiet volumes, you can hear internal processes coming through the speakers like onboard audio of cheap PC motherboards.
DSP controls that make sense- timing controls that conform to other DSP audio controls of all other typical DSP audio products, the interface is goofy although the chip being used is quite powerful but I don't believe the writers of the software interface completely understand what it should be doing.
Automatic dimming displays. A tiny ambient light value sensor hidden in the glass or plastic fascia and android's own built in software solutions will allow automatic brightness control of the display so that when you're sitting in your car at night without the headlights turned on, the screen doesn't bake your eyeballs out or when your car has automatic headlights and they turn on early before the sun goes down and your screen goes so dark you can't see it. This is a simple solution and I hope they resolve it.
Custom fully integrated units such as the one we put in our 2013 Mini Cooper Countryman S model needs to be worked on more before shoving them out the door. $600 gets us a head unit that looks nice in the dash but the integration of retained door chimes/warning sounds/blinker signal indicator sounds is the most absolute rubbish thing, ever. Would gladly spend closer to $1000 US for something that is more refined.
A home screen that doesn't suck. Solid integration with FM tuner controls, common media player apps, etc in the home screen would be great to see. A home screen that works good enough to the point that we don't have to fish the play store to make it better would be killer.
It’s been a short while, anyone got any updates on android head units that don’t suck?
ojuniour said:
first point...fine I get it..
second point 4K????
third point..ok you are trolling..
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1) Thanks! There has to be a way to hack it back.
2) I was joking about 4k, but I want 1080p
3) Not trolling, I have quite a few Blu-ray disks and would like to be able to view them in the car.