avic d3 vs. kenwood dnx7100

[cpt97m3]

One thing that has me concerned about the D3 is that while is has 12 million POI, when you put in a name, the output list is not sorted by distance. So when I put in Starbucks, or BurgerKing, or whatever, they are sorted by the street name. Most of the other Nav systems I have seen sort by distance, which seems a lot more useful. Not sure what the Kenwood does.

[DrPhantum]

I have an N2 (w/ N3 software), and I have circumvented that problem by first putting in the city, then the name of the POI... or searching the "vicinity" through the various pre-sorted groups (gas station, bank, etc).

 

I'd be nearly sure that all the Pioneer NAVs work in this way.

 

Hope that helps at least a little.

[cpt97m3]

That does help some. Part of the problem though is that I am in Orange County, CA, which is very dense, and has a huge number of cities very close together. So it's not unusual for the closest whatever to be in another city. The by vicinity pick does exactly what we need, but it doesn't let you filter by name. If I get the D3, I would end up using that. It's just too bad they don't do that same ordering in the POI pick. My Honda Nav even has an arrow pointing the direction of the POI in addition to the distance in case you don't want to backtrack. You can also constrain to "Along the Route" if you are taking a trip. I'm looking for something like that for my Mazda. Otherwise, the D3 would be an easy choice for me. And I may still end up getting one.

[GnatGoSplat]

Not sorting by distance annoys me too, and I'm glad to see someone else say they hate the ABCDE keyboard!!! I was just thinking how I wish Pioneer gave the option of a QWERTY keyboard, especially after getting a PDA phone and realizing I can input text with the onscreen QWERTY keyboard (which is very tiny) at maybe 10x the speed of the ABCDE keyboard.

 

IMO, flash memory would be more reliable and faster than DVD. You never have to worry about moving parts or optical pickups wearing out. With the Garmin-based navigation, is it possible to copy extremely detailed maps of just the places I plan to travel to, or is it pretty much what they give you is all you have? I guess what I'm getting at, is the 6M POI's, is that just how many you can fit on an SD card at a time, or is that ALL that's available to you ever? I have never used a handheld navigation so I have no idea how they work. Also, does Garmin have the option of a QWERTY onscreen keyboard?

 

Also, I have heard the iPod interface on this and also the DDX7019 is hugely improved from last year. They are now USB iPod control, and I believe it's no longer even limited to iPods. I read one review that says if you want to get to about 2/3 through a huge list, just click in the 2/3 position on the scroll bar and instantly you're there. Unfortunately, I don't think it's compatible with old 3rd and 4th gen iPods, but since the USB works with anything, I'd probably just get a USB hard drive for a quarter the cost per GB.

[cpt97m3]

The Garmin handhelds I have used only have ABCD keyboard layouts also. I use QWERTY on my Honda Nav.

[whtcrxghst]

The Z1/2 are switchable to QWERTY

[DrPhantum]

The Z1/2 are switchable to QWERTY

 

Yet another reason that I'm considering spending twice as much on more features I don't need.

 

Too bad the Z1/Z2 don't use upgrade disks, or else you could flash an N- or D- series radio w/ the QWERTY-friendly software.

[Taz]

One thing that has me concerned about the D3 is that while is has 12 million POI, when you put in a name, the output list is not sorted by distance. So when I put in Starbucks, or BurgerKing, or whatever, they are sorted by the street name. Most of the other Nav systems I have seen sort by distance, which seems a lot more useful. Not sure what the Kenwood does.

 

OMG, I didn't know that it wouldn't sort by distance. This is a MAJOR problem for me. What were they thinking? So no arrow or nothing to indicate where the POI is relative to your position? This makes POIs worthless on the interstate as you don't know if you are coming toward them or you would have to backtrack to get to them.

 

Nobody had a D3 in stock to play with when I ordered. Anybody know if the Kenwood has this issue as well? I can't deal with a non QWERTY keyboard as well as no POI sort by distance. How they hell can I know which street is closer to me in a city I am not familiar with????

[whtcrxghst]

I use vicinity search when on the highway or in an unfamiliar area. Looks for stuff within like five miles and tells you the distance. If you hit the little map button next to it, it shows you on a map where it is.

 

And not that its really important, but I have Starbucks selected as a POI overlay so there is a little starbucks coffee cup wherever they are. I just touch the starbucks logo, hit the checkered flag, and it takes me there. Most nav systems will not find starbucks anywhere near that easily. I do the same thing with my bank, a couple different gas station companies, and a few restaurants. Makes it really easy to navigate to businesses I frequent when traveling for work, which is alot

[GnatGoSplat]

Yeah, vicinity search works fine if you're traveling and not looking for any place specific, just wanting to find a fast food restaurant or hotel for example.

 

What kills a lot of time for me is if I'm looking for a specific address or specific place in the city I'm currently in. I have to dig through a list that's NOT sorted by distance. You can narrow it down by city before entering the POI, but that's an extra step which is time consuming thanks to the non-QWERTY keyboard. It should definitely sort by distance which sounds like it would be really, really simple for their programmers to do.

 

Maybe if we all write to Pioneer, they'll listen? Anyone happen to know an email address for someone in charge of software development of the nav systems? I would like to ask for POI's sorted by distance (or configurable sort that is remembered until you change it), QWERTY keyboard, and a less important feature I would like is adjustable clock size. I envision it being something like the clock has 3 sizes: Small (what it is now), Medium, Large. Tapping on the clock cycles through the sizes.

[Guest]

yeah, and while you're at it, get Tony Bennett's email, and tell him what songs you 'd like him to sing.

[zoomzoom]

I'm considering returning my D3 for the DNX7100 to crutchfield.....

 

The things that make me unhappy with the D3 are:

 

1. It doesn't play MPEGs and is picky with what files it will play (must be avi with DX50 attribute from what I've found personally).

 

2. Doesn't list the files on a DVD data CD like Kenwoods do which make it easier to pick a music video rather than view each one.

 

3. 6.1 inch screen

 

This is my first navigation device and it totally impressed me with how accurate it was in finding addresses and directions. I haven't used a garmin product before so I hope I'm not taking a step down in that department.

 

Other than that, I love the D3 for what it is and the value. I'm waiting for a local dealer to get the DNX7100 so I can play with the interface. I still have about 2 1/2 weeks to figure it out.

[zride]

zoomzoom:

 

If you return the D3, do you know if you have to also return the "free" stuff that came with it such as the camera, cables, etc?

 

I am also considering making this move. I got the camera, install kits, and other pioneer stuff with the deal and I am wondering how this will work.

 

Any idea before I call CF?

[zoomzoom]

Yeah, you'd have to return it all.

[silkjones]

I've been happy with my DNX7100. I don't have bluetooth or XM so I couldn't give you any info on that. I plan to get bluetooth soon. I hear the call quality is good.