F-90BT to X920BT: Worth the upgrade?

[f5snopro]

I currently have the F-90BT and have been relatively happy with it. I'm considering upgrading to the X920BT for a couple of features, including PandoraLink. I've read the marketing material, but I wondered from "real world folks" if you think it would be worth it? My current F-90BT is modded quite a bit and from what I understand I will loose that option with the new unit. My hope is that the voice recongnition will be better (I find mine unusuable right now), quicker boot time, better integration with my iPhone4. Thoughts?

[kenpachi]

I very recently upgraded from a modded f90 to an x920. I haven't had the x920 long enough to know all quirks that you discover over time, but I can offer some feedback.

 

- Boot and response time are WAY better on the x920. If you hated the slow boot time and the slow response for the next few minutes after boot, then you'll be very happy with the x920. If you've ever tried to calc a route or make a BT call right after bootup, you know what I'm talking about.

 

- No relief for the intermittent iPod album art issue. If you bought all of your music on iTunes, this probably isn't an issue. If you attached your own album art to CDs that you ripped, the x920 is still picky about the art.

 

- Still no MP3 album art on SD or USB.

 

- You can still tell that the programmers don't use their FM radios much as the radio interface remains feeble. It's no worse than the f90, but not much better either.

 

- The x920 has a bunch of new features that I'm sure you're aware of.

 

- As you mentioned, no mod love for the x920. If you love to mod, you'll have to live with the f90 or try to find an x910.

 

- Nav looks nice, but the new interface takes some getting used to. It likes to route you through surface streets with lights vs. highways, but I'm thinking you can modify that behavior by changing the avg speed values it uses for calculations. That experiment is one of my weekend projects.

 

- Eco function = LOL. I can't believe anyone needs an electronic nanny to help them eek another half MPG out of a car. If you're not smart enough to drive economically on your own, you're not smart enough to use a nav system.

 

Overall, I like the x920 better. I hope to figure out a way to tweak the nav route selection, but even if I can't I'll still take the x920 over my modded f90. Overall, the x920 is a better system (IMO).