F90BT questions, bypass, etc.

[CatchMeIfYouCan631]

Actually, Pioneers top-of-line is still the Z.

 

you really think the z3 will still be better than the f90bt, even after the FW update and everything is fixed?

 

i mean aside from a music library, motorized face, multiple map views, dynamics, and voice commands for nav, what else does it have on the f90bt?

 

the music library IMO is useless if you use an iPod, the motorized face is cool, but after a while its another few seconds you have to wait to change discs, multiple maps are a nice feature but does anyone here constantly switch between views that itd be a drawback? the only thing it really has is nav voice commands..

 

...but the f90bt has an sd card, usb input, changeable illumi colors, splash screen without the watermarks (z3 has em if you dont do the whole computer process), DivX support, voice commands for ipod, much better resolution, smart zoom, built in bluetooth, 4v preouts, phone book transfer, msn direct, goog-411, plus any i missed. plus i feel the menus are alot more organized....for example to make a call thru the z, its menu, information, phone menu. the F its phone, dial.

 

again thats just my opinion, not lookin to turn this thread into a z3 vs. f90bt debate.

[HiFiSi]

I hear so many people say that. I agree that it's a terrible idea to be typing in addresses or searching POI's while moving. However, pretty much everyone here bypassed their system to be able to do just that. Who REALLY pulls over and stops EVERY time they need to do a search for the nearest In-N-Out? I think its naive to believe that people will really do that. Heck, people are already violating California's law to use hands-free headsets with their cell phones (which has been shown to only marginally reduce the risk of distracted driving anyway).

Our ability to bypass the motion lock out has no bearing on it... If the unit wasn't designed to have nav commands entered while the vehicle is in motion, there's no point to making voice recognition capability work with the nav functions. Because you don't need to use VR if the car is parked. It's the same reason VR doesn't work with video, just with audio. Because it was never designed to play it while the car is moving. Could Pioneer have added this feature? Yeah, of course. But as you can plainly see, they were in quite a rush to get the units out... There's a good deal of stuff they skipped to make that happen. That and when planning out what features did and how they worked, they weren't designing it based off the assumption that the unit would be bypassed. They planned it around it being used as intended/designed, with the motion lockout in place.

And what about the times when you have a passenger that can very safely operate your nav?

That doesn't really have anything to do with voice recognition... without the bypass, a passenger can't operate the nav or watch videos while the car is moving in the first place. That's how every nav unit Pioneer has made works without bypassing.

Most of the top-end NAV systems (except the F) have voice nav now. I think it's much safer to press the multi-switch and say "Find 123 Elm Street" or "Take me to the nearest Hooters" than messing with the display.

If you compare prices... you'll see that the F-series is in no way in comparable with "top end" nav systems... You 're lucky it's got all the features it already has for the price. It was made to provide you with a lot of features that the higher end units have, but without costing as much, just like the D series units it replaced. If it could do everything a high end unit could, it would cost more... and basically be the same as the Z series and it's competitors.

 

I think Pioneer needs to seriously consider how difficult it would be to add this into a firmware upgrade (understanding that the RAM in the radio is obviously limited).

I completely agree... but they've got much more important things to worry about fixing/adding at this point IMO...

[bobsyouruncle]

you really think the z3 will still be better than the f90bt, even after the FW update and everything is fixed?

 

Wasn't really making a "which is better" argument. Just a statement. The Z is the current top of the line pioneer nav. The question of which is better is more like which is better suited to your needs. Sure, the f's have a lot of features not in the Z(yet), but that goes both ways. The HDD library is also a nice feature for many, the majority of people as a whole don't own an ipod. Lack of vice controlled nav was almost a deal breaker when I was looking at the f's. The z also has dual zone capability, wireless remotes, and more expandability. you can't add a changer to the f's. For quite a few folks, the z is a MUCH better choice than an f.

 

Now, if Pioneer would just go ahead and finally refresh the z line and use the best of the z's and f's, that would be something.

[CatchMeIfYouCan631]

yeah, your right. i think the Z would be "the best" on the entire market if it kept its features and simply added everything the F has that it doesnt. higher resolution, ipod vid playback, voice commands for everything etc etc.

 

but ?? for HiFiSi, you said the F doesnt have voice commands for nav because the nav wasnt meant to be used while in motion, so why does the Z have it??? it jus seems like a contradiction on pioneer's part to have it in one and not the other..

[HiFiSi]

The F series has it because it's the top of the line (or flagship if you will) model. It's got all the fancy bells and whistles, and should, to justify the price tag. Yes, it doesn't have some of the things that the F series has, but if you look at it, the Z series is rather outdated design wise. If they revamped it to bring it up current with today's technology, it would be perfect.

 

The Z series is more of a "bargain" model. That requires features that are present in more expensive models to be left out. And the first things that would be scrapped are the unnecessary ones. Like voice recognition for a feature that can only be used while the car isn't moving.

 

Comparing the Z to the F is like comparing different models of a car. Like the Z series is an Acura RL, where as the F series is an Acura TSX... The RL is all out luxury with just about every feature you can think of, some of which aren't even necessary, but they put them in there anyway because the damn thing costs so much. Where as the TSX which lacks a lot of the bells and whistles that the RL has, is still a very nice car in of itself. And to boot, it's almost half the price.