Great report, Bones. What about expected travel times? I suppose that should get better wit the better routing and addresses, but I wonder if you discussed it with them.

$200. for a Z1 to Z2 upgrade is very reasonable, especially if the new maps are as good as they claim. So let's not talk about pirating the upgrade and discourage them from releasing it. The new maps cost Pioneer money, so it's only fair to pay an upgrade charge.

I have a 2004 Touareg with the stock NAV system (terrible maps) and they released new maps a year later that were only a minor improvement. Cost was about $250.

I bought my AVIC-Z1 back in August 2006 and I have everything that you guys are describing above. How is that possible? I have restaurant icons when I drive by McDonalds, Subway, Uno, Pizza Hut, etc. I see the icon/logo for Exxon, Chevron, Shell, etc. I have 3-D, I see water, grass, buildings and ATMs on my map.

Sorry,

I was just giving an example. I have the gas station logos too, but they added to the overall POI icon database.

To answer another question, yes routing times/estimates should be improved as well, but I believe they still use the preliminary average speeds the user sets in the settings screen for the road types.

The D3 also has a random function, which the Z series still doesn't have.

 

You mean functions just show up when ever and you don't know what they will be? Or when you put in a destination you can select random and it will route you to some random location...

Man, that's funny! I laughed VERY out loud at that. "I want to go to.....ah hell, I dunno where I want to go. You tell me!" [he pushes the Random button]

...I met with the Pioneer folks at CES and the 2-DVD upgrade to make the Z1 EXACTLY the same as the Z2 will be $200. I also met with the Tele Atlas Reps at CES (they do the maps for the AVIC, and they claim the routing algorithms and the route-learning algorithms are supposed to be a lot better than before.....

That's great, Bones. Thanks for giving us some solid information, straight from the source.

With the expected release of the Z2 in April, has anyone heard if the Z1 will be any cheaper?

Man, that's funny! I laughed VERY out loud at that. "I want to go to.....ah hell, I dunno where I want to go. You tell me!" [he pushes the Random button]

Thanks.... I would use that button. I don't know where I'm going most of the time anyway.

Down to $2200 so far

With the expected release of the Z2 in April, has anyone heard if the Z1 will be any cheaper?

Did you guys see the Cnet video?

http://reviews.cnet.com/Pioneer_Avic_Z2 ... ml?tag=vid

Looks like the ipod is no faster than the Z1.

Did you guys see the Cnet video?

http://reviews.cnet.com/Pioneer_Avic_Z2 ... ml?tag=vid

 

Looks like the ipod is no faster than the Z1.

If you follow Pioneers history at all, you would know that they only make changes to their Nav systems every two generations. The D1 didn't improve drastically until the D3. The N1 didn't improve until the ipod/XM fix in the N3. Just how they are...First a software update, then the fixes the following year

Judging from that demo the Z2 appears to only be a software update and nothing else. Same HDD, same buttons, same defects and nothing fixed. Yeaaaaa Gooooo Pioneeeeeeer way to fix all the things that suck about the Z1

Why can't Pioneer put a bigger hard drive in the thing? 10GB fills up way to quickly. I'd buy a new 50GB Z2 hard drive and pop it in my Z1.

Why can't Pioneer put a bigger hard drive in the thing? 10GB fills up way to quickly. I'd buy a new 50GB Z2 hard drive and pop it in my Z1.

Ha, that's weird, I still have 90% free space and I've had this thing since May. You must have a lot of CDs!

Because they would have to raise the price

Why can't Pioneer put a bigger hard drive in the thing? 10GB fills up way to quickly. I'd buy a new 50GB Z2 hard drive and pop it in my Z1.

probably will be some used z1 owners selling to buy the z2 i would guess, doesnt sound worth it, but the public can be funny that way

The new POI icons are nice (you actually see a McDonalds logo on the map as it comes into proximity, for example.

Hey I dont get a McDonald's logo. I just get a generic hamburger indicating fast food restaurant. I think I just get Subway and Arby's.

I did see that McDonalds logo on the cnet review.

Ha, that's weird, I still have 90% free space and I've had this thing since May. You must have a lot of CDs!

Not that many. Just about 500. I know people with thousands of the damn things.

That depends a lot on the number of songs per disc and the length of the songs. If you have 1 cd with 10 songs that are 7 minutes long that'll take up a lot more space than a cd with 15 songs that are 3 minutes long.

wait a minute, i bought mine in November 2006 and i only got mine for 1400.00, i didn't know it was that high......

 

It used to be. Yah, some of us even pre-ordered it for that price But as whtcrxghst said, everything keeps getting cheaper. Just the law of the land. I remember paying $3000 for my 286 PC. No one would pay that anymore

I bet you bought the same shitty Radio Shack 286 I did...

Pioneer is releasing a new ipod cable that works with the D3 so I assume it works with 5900 as well. It transfers video and it is supposed to be "full speed" similar to the alpine cable. The Z2 is only a software update from the Z1 so it will not use this cable, it will use the CDIB100 or 100II

 

Anybody notice the different iPod layout on the 5900? They use a picture similar to the iPod click wheel. If that works for the Z2 that's great and all, but considering that Pioneer is still saying iPod connection is through the CD-IB100II I'm assuming it's still going to be slow as hell..? Yea and the only thing they could've possibly done to an existing "learning" feature is improve it.

Seeing as the IPBus appears to be a USB type interface I don't see why a new iPod adapter + software upgrade can't integrate video and faster iPod navi. Same goes for MP3 on DVD. Unfortunately it might just come down to the bottom line. If the firmware on this thing were hackable this thing has loads of potential...

Because they would have to raise the price

 

Why can't Pioneer put a bigger hard drive in the thing? 10GB fills up way to quickly. I'd buy a new 50GB Z2 hard drive and pop it in my Z1.

Just bought a 320gig Seagate SATA for $99. That's my retail cost. To put an 80gig drive in, they'd have to raise the price ten whole dollars!! But as someone else said ......... I've put 50 CDs in already and haven't dented the space on the drive. The average users won't ever fill the existing drive.

Dennis -==- Philly

The new POI icons are nice (you actually see a McDonalds logo on the map as it comes into proximity, for example.

 

Hey I dont get a McDonald's logo. I just get a generic hamburger indicating fast food restaurant. I think I just get Subway and Arby's.

 

I did see that McDonalds logo on the cnet review.

Hmmmmm ....... on mine, every time I pass a fast food restaurant I get an icon that looks like the international trans-fat logo

Dennis -==- Philly

Thats not a laptop size drive is it? Thought they were more expensive than that

 

Just bought a 320gig Seagate SATA for $99. That's my retail cost. To put an 80gig drive in, they'd have to raise the price ten whole dollars!! But as someone else said ......... I've put 50 CDs in already and haven't dented the space on the drive. The average users won't ever fill the existing drive.

 

Dennis -==- Philly

Thats not a laptop size drive is it? Thought they were more expensive than that

 

 

Just bought a 320gig Seagate SATA for $99. That's my retail cost. To put an 80gig drive in, they'd have to raise the price ten whole dollars!! But as someone else said ......... I've put 50 CDs in already and haven't dented the space on the drive. The average users won't ever fill the existing drive.

 

Dennis -==- Philly

No, it is a desktop drive ........ so a little less expensive ........ but still retail and about three times the size that would be reasonable. OK ..... they'd have to bump it $20.

Dennis -==- Philly