JohnnyDepp

Yeah...I'm a little surprised VBLUE would say "clearly no one can touch the AVIC interface" ??

Dude...we've had this discussion before. I thought you had agreed with me that the new Sonys are pretty damn sweet with regard to the interface??

And there's still a TON of stuff about the AVICs that make no sense....just look at that long list of weird choices they made in how they laid things out in themenus that we all compiled in here six months or so ago.

Anyway, to get back on topic:

Where the !*@&^# are the 2011 map updates??? It's deep into 2011 and my buddy can't even find a Starbucks that still exists because the ones in the AVIC POI database have all moved or gone under a year ago....

Okay guys...the SiriusXM lineup, channel numbers, and logos are changing again on May 4th....will Pioneer be releasing a software update to take care of everyone?

Recommend moving this thread to the appropriate forum.

** The Bluetooth add-on used for the D-Series was the CD-BTB200, and is notoriously unreliable and partly- or wholle-incompatible with MANY Bluetooth-capable phones on the market. **

Just go look at the D-Series forum to see what I'm talking about. Moreover, the firmware in that Bluetooth add-on is not updatable.

Also, the GUI is just nowhere NEAR as slick as the newer units. I would shy away from that older D3 unit...especially with all the newer units available on eBay. The price of the X920's and Z120's will probably start dropping even MORE now that Pioneer's announced the X930 and Z130...**

* bump *

This is interesting....can't tell which Pioneer head unit that is in the demo video...

http://www.engadget.com/2011/01/22/motionx-gps-drive-exports-full-screen-nav-on-pioneer-and-jvc-hea/

Wait a minute....does this mean no more VOICE DIALING OF PHONE CALLS???

That can't be right....it would make no sense whatsoever to take a huge step backwards in both capability and safety while driving.

Tell me I'm misinterpreting this part. I simply CANNOT believe people won't be able to dial phone contacts by voice in the new units. This would be the most idiotic decision possible....

Here's what I'd guess is going on with this at this point...

The Pioneer people on their Facebook page said the new firmware would be backwards-compatible and released for the X920 and Z120. They also (initially) said the new traffic tuner would work with those units.

It then occurred to them "Oh shit...how will we be able to sell the new units if we don't hold something back from the older ones??"

So their business development and marketing people are trying to roll back the admission that the new stuff WOULD work with the old stuff.

I wouldn't be surprised if they go so far as to deliberately handicap the firmware to detect when it's running on older units and disable the ability to drive/use the new traffic tuner accessory.

Luckily, there are GOOD hackers on this site... ;O)

Not sure if it will 'integrate' with nav on the new system or not, but I played with Aha traffic on my phone on the way home last night and you are correct, it's just someone reading traffic information, as if they were reading directly off a state Department of Transportation website. It lists ongoing construction projects, lane closures, and gives occasional warnings of congestion - but this was in rush hour traffic in downtown Seattle, so it was not surprising to hear that the roads I drive daily had areas of congestion this time of day. It might be handy to use for a minute at a time, but I will be extremely disappointed if this is expected to be an alternative to the ND-TMC10 traffic tuner for Z110 and Z120 owners. It in no way compares to a true nav traffic option.

+1 !!!!!!!!!!!

Is it pronounced "EY VIC" or "AH VIC" ???

* IF TRUE...*

Then Pioneer has ONCE AGAIN abandoned thousands of existing users in favor of promoting the newer products.

They did it when they refused to release a fix or replacement unit for the critically-flawed Bluetooth unit for the D-Series, instead dumping remaining product at a discount in advance of the F-Series announcement.

They're now leaving X- and Z-Series owners without a live traffic or integrated traffic solution after Jan 2011 unless one somehow uses this Aha thing, buys an iPhone and data plan, and maybe even some sort of special cradle??

Not to mention the fact that the value of the existing units just took a nose dive.

Unless there's SOME sort of replacement traffic option on the horizon for these expensive units (e.g., HD traffic-ready tuner, XM NavTraffic tuner?) then this is maor major bad juju @ Pioneer and represents yet another abandonment of existing customers in favor of newer more expensive units.

Go Kenwood!

"Let's see...I'll just tweet here on my iPhone to reply to a tweet on screen..."

@FRIENDS Crashing into tree now b/c read Twitter while driving. Look for me on local news 2night...OMG. Owwww...

Actually, it READS it to you using TTS, right? Okay...maybe this is better than people looking at their cell phones while driving...Aha may have a point.

 

Oops, forgot I turned image stabilization off...oh well lol

Holy crap!!! THE VOICE OF THE LEGENDARY JASON IS HEARD!!!! *trumpets sound* *clouds parting....doves flocking overhead*

Just to add more confirmation that the new TMC traffic unit IS compatible with our devices, here is the word straight from Pioneer's Facebook guys. Now I don't know if they are engineers but they are certainly qualified to say what their products will and will not due. Based on this and the pioneer engineers who are using this right now I think it is a sure bet this will be backwards compatible. I am very pleased that Pioneer took care to ensure this.

 

Ha...you got it in writing! Hold them to this, baby!

Once again to Android and other phone owners, lack of support on aftermarket units is not because of the unit but because of the phones OS. All of these cool features that can be used with iOS devices is because Apple built the proper remote control protocol into the dock connector to be able to do the things we can do now. These other phone clowns have not implemented any type of control into the USB ports of their phones so until they do, its not gonna happen. If you want the features of an iPhone you need to get an iPhone. There is a reason the iPhone is the most popular device ever made and you cant get that with a wannabe.

I may disagree with my esteemed colleague, VBLUE here...

After all, apps like EasyTether allow Android users to use their phones as modems to let their laptops access the internet. The USB and TCPIP transport protocols they had to program for that is probably at LEAST as complicated as anything going on between the iPhone and the AVICs for AVIC Feeds, Pandora Link, Aha, etc.

There's nothing in the standard USB 2.0 cabling to all Android phones -- nor anything in Android itself that I'm aware of -- that would prevent Aha from porting their app to Android. And the new AVICs include USB ports, no?

Ok I've done some reading about the ND-TMC10 traffic tuner that will be optional for the 930 and it is stated several times that this tuner will be "included" with the Z130. So if this is not a typo, it indicates that it is still an external add on but is included with the unit. If this is the case then this should be the 110/120/920 owners traffic solution once you upgrade to the 130/930 software. Jason, is there anyway you can confirm this with anyone from Pioneer?

+1 !!!!!!

What would you like to see? I'll run it by them.

1. Guarantee that the new ND-TMC10 traffic tuner will work with the X920BT and Z120BT (with any needed firmware updates, of course).

2. HD traffic and XM NavTraffic-ready tuners for more traffic options.

3. Aha traffic *integrated* into the navigation -- not just read aloud to use with TTS while you drive -- for those who don't want to buy new traffic tuners, but who DO have iPhones or whatever you need to use Aha.

4. Fix all the GUI bugs we pointed out in our GUI bug thread on this forum (e.g., cutting off XM song names, etc.).

I totally agree. This is another flashy gimmick that they added in there to sell units instead of fixing other things like the navi software.

Crap....I'm back to my original fury, then.

It's inexcusable that existing Z120BT and X920BT users will lose any and all traffic capability on 1 Feb 2011 unless they have an iPhone, Aha service/app, and (maybe?) some sort of dock?

WTF? They need to add HD traffic to the HD tuner, add XM NavTraffic back to the XM tuner, or sell an add-on FM or ClearChannel traffic accessory for X920, Z120, and even new X930 users!

My buddy isn't going to buy an iPhone and a contract just to get Aha traffic on his existing X920BT.

And by the way, does anyone know if the Aha traffic even INTEGRATES with the navigation the way the current MSN does -- and the old XM NavTraffic did on the D3? From what I'm reading in the press releases and the Aha website, it just READS TRAFFIC INFORMATION ALOUD to you while driving. There's nothing to indicate Pioneer is integrating any Aha traffic info into the navigation itself....

This is looking less good by the minute...

Is it legal for us to ask JasonH to place bets for us?

If so, I'd like to put $10 on Red 5 at the roulette wheel....

That iPhone accessory thing "Smart Cradle" is a stand alone product, not related to the AVIC.

All the aha stuff is done over the dock connector just like pandora.

 

Does this mean an existing X920 or Z120 user who wants to use Aha (when it comes to those units as a firmware update) will need an iPhone and/or a cradle and/or the existing iPod Pioneer cable?

Also, what about the iPod Touch?

 

 

Best viewed in HD.

 

Note: It's not my camera losing focus, they used a blur transition in the video.

 

Aha website is HERE...

YouTube video is

A bit nervous about people listening to their Facebook and Twitter updates while driving.

I notice Pioneer is their FIRST industry partner. I hope you're not in for another MSN Direct fiasco two years from now. Aha better survive and prosper!

Find out about an Aha app for ANDROID, Jason. Not everyone has iPhones, darn it...not sure if one needs the app to use Aha on the AVICs, though. Looks like no, but?

 

 

Best viewed in HD.

 

Note: It's not my camera losing focus, they used a blur transition in the video.

 

Holy crap...the Aha service includes reading one's Twitter and other social media posts to you in the car???

I anticipate a lot of airbags deploying in 2011...lol.

We need to be clear here. There are TWO different traffic sources; The on-map ClearChannel and Text To Speech Aha. The Aha will work on any of the older units once the software update is released. The ClearChannel is ONLY on the new Z130 and X930.

 

Gotcha...integrated ClearChannel traffic solution is ONLY on new units. Thanks! Not clear if that means BOTH the new Z AND the new X will have it, or just the new Z. The website they're starting to load makes it look like only the new Z has the integrated traffic tuner, but I'm sure you'll verify this.

Also, when you play with the new units, be sure to test the extent to which each different type of replacement traffic solution (integrated ClearChannel on the new Z vs. the TTS Aha) integrates with the navigation, yes? e.g, speed bubbles on route? colored traffic speed lines next to roads on screen? re-routing? traffic event browsing? Etc...

We'll have more instructions for you later! They'll come in the form of a self-destructing DVD LOL

Does that mean that the Z110/120 users are out if luck with the traffic?

 

Read the rest of the thread....we just got word from Pioneer that the new AHa capability (which includes traffic, I think?) WILL be made available to Z120 and X920 users with a firmware update this year. Some guy bugged them about it on their Facebook page...

JasonH is reporting that the built-in traffic tuner on the new Z picks up ClearChannel traffic. Not clear on whether this is an alternative to the AHa-provided traffic, or if it will also be in the new X. Also, not clear to what extend the new traffic options will be integrated into the navigation and map. Hopefully JasonH (aka user's Avic god?) will determine this tomorrow hands-on.

By the way, check out the new units on their website. Detachable faceplate in the new X! Built-in HD tuner in the new Z! Holy crap...they're moving forward...

http://www.pioneerelectronics.com/PUSA/Car/GPS-Navigation/AVIC-X930BT (Wasn't yet listed but the link works)

 

http://www.pioneerelectronics.com/PUSA/Car/GPS-Navigation/AVIC-Z130BT

 

THE KNOB IS BACK! THE KNOB IS BACK!!!!