Why Aren’t There More In-Dash Satnav Solutions?
Pioneer’s just announced their latest AVIC in-dash satnav system, and considering it’s got an RRP of just $1,199, it made me wonder why we aren’t seeing more companies getting behind the in-dash satnav option.
Look at it this way – TomTom’s top-of-the-line Go 930 satnav launched with an RRP of $849. Sure it had maps for the entire world inside, but the Pioneer AVIC system – for just a few hundred dollars extra – adds a proper Bluetooth car kit solution and iPod/iPhone music controls to your car. It includes an AM/FM radio tuner and will also offer you comprehensive reports on your fuel consumption, CO2 emissions and acceleration and brake data.
Sure, you need a car with a couple of spare slots in the dash and you’ll have to pay for installation on top of the hardware, but for the convenience of an all-in-one unit, this is a pretty enticing product.
Pioneer releases a new in-dash multimedia solution with GPS for the car
Celebrating 35 years of world-firsts in both car audio and navigation, Pioneer unveils a new in-dash multimedia solution with advanced GPS for the car. Combining an intuitive 4.3 inch touch screen navigation system with hands-free Bluetooth mobile phone control, MOSFET 50W x 4 amplification power and leading iPod/iPhone connectivity, all at a suggested price of $1,199, Pioneer’s AVIC-F310BT addresses three major concerns of motorists today:
1. How do I navigate to where I want to go?
2. How do I maintain hands-free mobile phone communication whilst driving?
3. How do I continue to listen to and control my music?A sleek, stylish in-dash solution, the AVIC-F310BT not only avoids the dashboard clutter we are now seeing in cars courtesy of portable GPS units, Bluetooth carkits and iPod cables, but also enables navigation, communication and entertainment features to be operated simultaneously and seamlessly.
The AVIC-F310BT builds upon Pioneer’s in-car navigation experience with a powerful processor that offers performance and features beyond those found on typical navigation systems, said Paul Baddeley, product planning at Pioneer Electronics Australia Pty Ltd.”
How do I navigate where I want to go?
Utilising a full-colour 4.3 inch WQVGA detachable touch screen display, 2GB of flash memory and 2D or 3D mapping, the fast and easy-to-use AVIC-F310BT features voice guidance of directions and text-to-speech technology that enables the unit to provide verbal prompts to specific street names.By detaching the screen and connecting it via a USB cable to your PC, users can personalise their AVIC-F310BT, find and add Points of Interest to the maps well as analyse their journeys and driving.
The Pioneer-exclusive AVIC Feeds PC application, enables users to import local information and contacts directly from your computer to the AVIC-F310BT.
Enjoy the flexibility of being able to create your own Point Of Interest’s (POI).
Virtually any location, such as camping grounds, ski resorts, stadiums or tourist destinations, can be created as points of interest. You can simply browse Google Maps or Whereis® mapping and push a search result through to AVIC Feeds, which automatically converts the data into a new POI on the AVIC-F310BT. Create driving reports, particularly useful if you need to calculate your travel expenses in a given period, this application will keep track and provide you with an overview of all the journeys you’ve made and the number of kilometres travelled.You can also see how economically you have been driving. ‘Eco Report’ and ‘fuel consumption’ gives you an evaluation of your acceleration and brake data and also calculates your CO 2 emissions. You can then view a graphical representation of this data on your PC.
How do I maintain hands-free mobile phone communication?
The AVIC-F310BT is equipped with built-in Bluetooth for convenient and safe wireless connection, using a Parrot Bluetooth phone interface. After pairing a compatible Bluetooth enabled cell phone and using the “phone book transfer” function to transfer a cell phone’s contacts/phone-book into the navigation system users can have quick touch-screen access to their contacts/phone-book. All conversations are clearly relayed through your car’s speakers. Three phones can be registered in the system with 400 contacts available per user.How do I listen and control my digital music collection?
The AVIC-F310BT fulfils the high-quality audio and convenience expected from Pioneer with enhanced playback of MP3, WMA and iTunes AAC music files. The USB interface located at the rear of the unit provides a connection to compatible portable media devices including thumb drives, flash memory devices, and iPod/iPhone music players.Music files on compatible iPods/iPhones can be accessed quickly using various methods including:
• Alphabetical Speed Search – users can scroll through their music lists by the first letter in the name.
• Link Search – users can recall similar content to what is currently playing by artist, album and genre.
• Passenger Control – allows passengers to directly control the iPod/iPhone device.The AVIC-F310BT fits into a large number of vehicles with a 2-DIN dash opening, and with 32,768 customisable illumination colours available users can find a colour match for virtually any interior. The unit is also loaded with Pioneer’s legendary Supertuner IIID AM/FM tuner,
two RCA pre-outs, a built-in 50 watt X 4 high-power amplifier and an auxiliary input.The AVIC-F310BT will be available in August 09 for a suggested price of $1,199.
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Comments
You would need a double DIN. Not all cars have that to spare. But also, it’s a pain in the arse. Who has the time now days. In car sounds systems are usually quite good these days so why screw with it? Also, when you want to update your maps, what do you do? DO you have to burn a CD or something or update it with a flash drive? This type of tech is moving forward so quickly I wouldn’t want to get stuck with something in my dash that two years from now will be shite. After all, I’ll hopefully be hanging on to my car for up to 10 years.
Better yet, why don’t more car companies put sat nav in dash?
I’ve got a Mazda 3 SP25 with a beautiful integrated sat nav system.
Only thing that shits me is the screen is a bit small, but the back end of it works perfectly. Everything is easily controllable by the steering wheel mounted buttons, turn by turn is through the audio system, as well as the bluetooth handsfree.
Because
a) Most are invariably garbage compared to stand alone modules.
b) Car manufacturers in-dash solutions usually have massive cost overhead for map upgrades compared to stand alone modules.
c) A GPS is great, but one of their benefits of portable units is use anywhere (take with you when traveling interstate and hire a car, trying to walk to find a meeting)
d) The best alternative is the TomTom DUB1 – but really we need an industry standard dock connector so I am not tied to one manufacturer.
Chucking data on an SD card in the dash of my Mazda doesn’t require any overhead at all lol. I’d agree to that with older systems like the one in my dad’s Honda that have a dedicated DVD drive in the boot! how archaic is that?!?!
Best thing about inbuilt satnav is that the sat nav itself can’t be stolen. Seriously, if you can buy a decent portable unit for under $400 RETAIL then it shouldn’t cost that much to put a unit in a vehicle.
Portability? use google maps on ur phone, be it Jesus or otherwise. Can’t say I’ve spotted too many people hooking around a GPS unit while wandering around any CBD.
Better yet, while not provide “GPS”/bluetooth/Ipod capabilities and provide a “open” solution to implementing it.
I won’t buy a car with a already inbuilt GPS solution cause what happens if i don’t like it? Do I then have to go out a buy another one (GPS unit)??
I’d prefer a car that had full bluetooth capability, not just the phone, but the stereo to and simply play my iphone through it…
And with most new cars now coming with some kind of ipod/bluetooth connectivity, it would probably only be useful for those people wanting to hold onto there existing cars anyway…
Just hack a mini-mac in to it and be done with…download what ever you want, get ITunes direct support and anything else you like…
We should be able to “skin” our dashes by now (and lock out our wifes from playing with the radio while we’re driving)…
Brilliant question.
I bought an SUV recently with a double din. I wanted a reverse camera and a GPS but didn’t want appliances all over my dash.
Turns out to get that all built in is prohibitively expensive, so I’ve bought neither.
I would see one of the major reasons for not having in-dash sat navs being that it takes the eyes too far off the road. When looking down at your dash you can’t see much of the road.
Now a transparent HUD over the window screen. That would be sweet.
I can only assume that manufacturer installed units are more expensive because cost includes a warranty that co-exists with the car’s warranty, unlike most portable devices. And yeah, agreed.. they’re generally more useless. On the other hand, if it was standard, it’s a cost that’s soon soaked up by loan paymentsm so it’s not a huge after market cost for most of us. In which instance, Ipod? Bluetooth? Don’t use ‘em, so don’t want to pay for them. That’s a personal preference though. I don’t even use the radio anymore. I’d rather have nothing in dash, but the more options to have different aftermarket options factory installed. Maybe manufaturers could approach aftermarket developers and work out costings then offer deals to the purchasers. It’s win win. Sort of…. the only downside is the “bulk buy” issue which helps keep costs down for standard accessories. Id still prefer that option than having an expensive unit I didn’t want, only to have to rip it out and pay more again for something I’d use.
This has been out for a good week or so.
The next model up has a bigger screen and also plays DVD’s and you could probably pick one up for about $1700
There are plenty of good reasons why these units aren’t more popular:
1. The customer outlay is prohibitively expensive, considering nearly everyone already has a CD player in the car. Buying a $400 standalone GPS device and sticking it to the windscreen will give you nearly all the same features, for less than half the price.
2. Double DIN spaces are hard to come buy these days. Most new cars have climate and stereo controls integrated into a single unit, so there’s literally nowhere to mount a device like this.
3. If you buy a standalone GPS unit instead, you use it in your friend’s or spouse’s car, or take it walking. You can also remove it from the car as a security measure.
4. A standalone GPS unit is easily replaceable if it’s broken, lost or stolen, and maps are easily updated.
5. The increasing popularity of GPS-eqipped phones make GPS-enabled head units less viable.