OK... So I'm toying with the idea of updating my D3 to the 900bt or the 90bt... I'm on pioneers site and the only difference I can find in the models is the preout voltage and the warranty

Besides that... what are your thoughts? I really use my D3 for the ipod features (did they get any better in the F series?) and the bluetooth for my cellphone (I have a Treo 700p pre MR that still works with the BTB-200, did the F series BT get any better?) although I'm pretty sure I'll be getting a Palm PRE when it comes out so it shouldnt be an issue

Thanks to all for any info you can provide

I have had the D2, D3, and now the F90bt. The D3 had the worst navigation out of all 3. It was constantly off, even though all my wires were hooked up including the VSS. It would get lost, tell me bad routes and constantly be ahead or behind where i actually was. The F90 works alot better. As far as the bluetook, i liked the d3 better. quicker connection. Also i'm maxed out on volume in the f90 as where i could keep turning up the volume on the d3. i feel the ipod for the f90 is a little better. Easier to search for a specific artist and while in map mod, it keeps what songs are playing at the bottom of the screen. After it all i def recommend the f90 over the d3

Bluetooth, ipod, and nav are definitely improved over the D3. That being said, I miss how fast the D3 was at doing everything and my D3 sounded better

A thief made off with my D3 christmas eve, the insurance company replaced it with the 900BT.

To answer your first question, the differences between the 90BT and the 900BT:

90BT has 4V rca output

90BT includes the ipod composite cable ($50 separately)

90BT has a 2 year warranty instead of the standard 1 year.

Those are the only differences.

Now....would I choose to upgrade from the D3 to the 900BT? No. My out of the box thoughts:

1. 900BT bluetooth sucks compared to the D3. Takes forever to connect, and calls sound like crap on both ends.

2. 900BT maps LOOK nicer, but without modding, they aren't anything different in the way of data.

3. 900BT takes FOREVER to boot up. And unlike the D3, the steering wheel controls don't work until the unit is fully booted. (can't hit mute or volume down for example)

4. 900BT lacks all of the "staging" options the D3 had, and thus doesn't have nearly the sound of the D3.

5. The voice activation stuff is pretty much a gimmick in my opinion. I was born and raised in the US, I have no accent, and I speak proper English. But the 900BT understands me 60% of the time at best. And the "Activation" button can't be assigned through the PAC interface, so you still have to hit the button on the unit just to get it to listen for a command.

On the other hand, the 90BT/900BT is winCE based, so it's moddable. And I always like things I can make changes to. Spend some time browsing through the different things people on the forum have done to get an idea of whats possible.

If I were faced with a choice of the D3 or the 900BT, it would be a toss up. But I certainly wouldn't buy a 900BT if I still had the D3.

OK... So I'm toying with the idea of updating my D3 to the 900bt or the 90bt... I'm on pioneers site and the only difference I can find in the models is the preout voltage and the warranty

 

Besides that... what are your thoughts? I really use my D3 for the ipod features (did they get any better in the F series?) and the bluetooth for my cellphone (I have a Treo 700p pre MR that still works with the BTB-200, did the F series BT get any better?) although I'm pretty sure I'll be getting a Palm PRE when it comes out so it shouldnt be an issue

 

Thanks to all for any info you can provide

@ scrupul()us...

I had a Palm Pre for a month and tried using it with the D3 and the BTB200. It mostly did NOT work correctly.

What worked:

- Pre did the basic connection to the D3/BTB200 combo (after some trial and error) and did pass the name of the phone (e.g., "John's Phone") to the D3/BTB

- Directly-dialing a number with the D3 touch screen worked for basic calling

What didn't work:

- There is currently NO WAY to transfer contacts from the Pre to the D3/BTB200 since the Pre does not support PUSHING of contacts via Bluetooth (i.e., the Pre does not currently support the Object Push Profile in Bluetooth). Same problem for the iPhone, by the way.

- Call Waiting did NOT work. In fact, it was a total disaster between the Palm Pre and the D3/BTB200. When I was on a call and someone else called me, the D3/BTB would not display the Call Waiting message or let you toggle between calls. Instead, it would just ring CONTINUALLY -- even after the new caller had given up or the Pre started taking a message from the new caller. The D3/BTB would continue ringing throughout the rest of my call with the first caller. Sometimes the ringing would continue even after the first call had ended!! I would have to switch to the radio or XM to get it to stop...

I returned my Pre to Sprint for other reasons. However, if I change my mind and buy another Pre, I will NOT use it with the D3/BTB because of all this. Instead, I will keep my Motorola while hoping for some Pre updates to add OPP and better Bluetooth support with older devices like the AVIC D3/BTB.

I'm dumping my D3 anyway. The Pre is known to work well with the new nav system I'm considering.

- JD