The problems I have with the AVIC have been upsetting me since I have the unit, not only does the bluetooth software has me the most upset, but trying to get Pioneer to do anything has pretty much left the nastiest taste in my mouth especially when I paid full price for the unit when I first caught my eye on it.

1. Does anyone know of some third party software to run on the AVIC and replace it's current firmware with something more stable, IE some kind of Linux distro centric to running on a ARM processor with VLC (VideoLAN) as the central platform for music and video?

2. Can anything be done to upgrade the bluetooth software on the AVIC? Is parrot the client running or do they also make the hardware for the AVIC? If so can it be compatible with maybe some of their models currently available, and if so can that bluetooth software be used to run on the AVIC?

3. Has anyone opened their AVIC and can the built in flash disk be upgraded or is there enough space to install a 2.5 SSD disk where a simple bootloader can be ran in the flashdisk bypassing the Pioneer firmware and loading a Linux or Windows installation on that said disk?

My biggest thing is the bluetooth and start time of the AVIC, those two things where not there I would be a happy camper as long as I get yearly map updates which somehow I don't even know if Pioneer will do that either.

Not only is it frustrating when I receive a call but sometimes I would pull to the side of the road to troubleshoot my AVIC, I refuse to believe that my phone is the culprit because any handsfree handset I use will clearly work with every phone that has bluetooth, so why can't the AVIC do this right?

The only upgrade that fixes a lot of these issues is to get the 3.0 firmware. It also comes with updated maps. There is no thirdparty firmware. The slow boot times are associated with WinCE. It is a slower OS but it is totally capable of being modded as you can see in the completed mods section. I have NEVER had a hiccup with bluetooth and it works great. The problem could also be associated with the item that you are pairing it with, and NOT with the AVIC. As far as your question about the flash memory goes, the answer is 'NO', it is not upgradeable. The 2GB of flash is part of the MB, I already looked at the schematics when I first purchased the system as I would have loved to have 4GB for my modding purposes

I would definitely suggest upgrading to the 3.0 firmware, it is well worth it and boots the system up a little faster and makes the system more responsive.

Im already on 3.0 but the map updates I have are for 2008/2009 and although it's a big improvement from 2.6 I still feel like the bluetooth portion of the unit has been extremely lacking, like there is no option for contact list view, you simply have a grid mode with generic color icons. I would like to have some kind of list view, same way when a iPod is hooked up I can view the list to the left, and select the first starting letter on the right. I think this will make the phonebook more user friendly and also load up faster since it has no icons to load in a list view.

I also tried my phone (Sony Ericsson TM717) with a Clarion unit and Kenwood unit and both worked flawlessly with those systems when I was trying them out, but the unit I currently own takes time to pick up the phone when it's ringing, takes about 3-5 seconds till the AVIC starts the ringing tone and another 2-3 seconds till the panel becomes available to pick up the call, that's if it even comes up.

Have you contacted Pioneer is the unit is still supported and if we will still see updates? I currently saw that they upgraded to 2.8 now, but what about users who are on 3.0 already, and what about the bluetooth software that hasn't been updated since 2008? The Kenwood unit I saw has the capability to even see SMS messages, of course the unit itself was more expensive and the navigation had to be bought seperately, but I don't see why can't the bluetooth software be updated, I remember reading someone said the firmware is over 17 months old, many changes to current and old phones have been received.

Also if you have seen schematics can you point me in the right direction because I remember seeing a service repair manual on here but I can't seem to locate it even after searching. I want to see what I can do to improve upon the AVIC since I feel like Pioneer has discontinued support for this unit altogether.

Unfortunately at this point you are going to have to live with the issues you are having with your unit or consider getting a different unit altogether. Although the 3.0 software is much more stable then the previous versions, there are still problems with it that probably will not get fixed. The BT in particular. Some people don't have any problems where others do and it has always been very inconsistent with these units. Also there will likely be no more software updates for this unit to address any further problems. There will be map upgrades once a year but they will always be a year behind. As far as your phone issue is concerned, regardless weather your phone works fine with other devices, that doesn't mean its going to work fine with all devices. Try another phone and see if the problem goes away. Also the SMS function is a limitation of the phone not the unit. Few phones support the SMS BT feature.

I think I will just be getting this unit then: http://www.clarion.com/us/en/products/2010/multimedia/navigation/NX500/us-en-product-pf_1259394334521.html

I tried the bluetooth on this device at a local store today and it was superb, not only is the system super quick to respond but it's pretty much a AVIC on steroids for 649.99 at the local store. It also has bluetooth stereo so if I want to pair a phone that contains plenty of music it will appear in the bluetooth menu which I found pretty cool.

I am really upset though because my entire car is Pioneer brand excluding the cap, I have a 12" sub and 720amp from Pioneer as well replaced the stock speakers. I wanted to add a little Pioneer sticker on the fender as well, I was a big fan of Pioneer products since I was a kid, so I always saw as Pioneer as quality but over the years I heard their products moved overseas amongst every other company and their quality suffered.

I was told by many to try Eclipse or Clarion, and so far something within my price range is the Clarion.