Android into Cars - Hardware Hacking General

After trying several Android tablets, i am developing a board for DIY in-dash system which supports GPS, Music, Video, FM and maybe DVD... Any feature do you like if there is one Android system in your car?
Voice call?
Camera? :laugh:
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Thanks for you guys' attention. Eventually, products are coming:
mod edit - link removed

nonstop2050 said:
After trying several Android tablet, i am developing a board for DIY in-dash system which supports GPS, Music, Video, FM and maybe DVD... Any feature do you like if there is one Android system in your car?
Voice call?
Camera? :laugh:
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That is a genious idea!! So you plan to integrate a standard Android tablet into a car so that the front passengers can listen to music, make play lists play movies, use Google Maps based GPS (obviously this would only work for SIM card enabled tablets). I cant think of any other uses unless you really wanted to make serious modifications to the car.
Seriously, if I were you I would delete this thread until your idea has a patent or two because this idea is gold dust.

Noobie Boobie said:
That is a genious idea!! So you plan to integrate a standard Android tablet into a car so that the front passengers can listen to music, make play lists play movies, use Google Maps based GPS (obviously this would only work for SIM card enabled tablets). I cant think of any other uses unless you really wanted to make serious modifications to the car.
Seriously, if I were you I would delete this thread until your idea has a patent or two because this idea is gold dust.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes. That is what i want to do.
Basically, i developed a board and it works. Now, im thinking new features and going to complete the work. One day it may come as an open design for Android fans.
Internet on the way is possible as 3G connection(USB dongle) is ready. Google street view is an interesting app for driving.

# feature is a quality wifi antenna.. reasoning being if its parked near my house it can connect and sync media, etc. External USB ports and Host mode.
Outside of that it all really falls on software I think. One would be the ability to mount MTP devices, and find media on them to play.
I have been thinking about this for years, and originally I was just going to use a browser based UI on top of a very minimalistic linux install. At this point just a tablet minus the form factor and some of the performance (has to be snappy but no need to play angry birds at 200fps), for a bit less $ could make a killer head unit.

I love the idea of android in the car. But don't waste your time re-inventing the wheel, essentially building a custom tablet that will surely be out of date(both in hardware and in software) long before the product makes it out the door.
Compared to technology, cars last forever. *The only way to keep car electronics from feeling dated by the time the car pulls out of the lot is to have a "Dumb" car which can seamlessly integrate with user-replaceable off-the-shelf electronics.
Focus your resources on creating a device that does nothing other than act as an interface between an off-the-shelf tablet and the car. Then all that is left is a one-size-fits all frame for the console that permits you to drop in any (or a wide range) tablet the user wants. Inside the frame you could provide either both power & data over USB or power over usb and data/control over Bluetooth. Spend all of your effort in making the interface compatible with as many makes / models of cars as possible and working out how to get as much data and control over the car as possible. Don't waste your time on anything else..
Make this data/control available via a openly published API and let other developers build apps to display/use/control things and let Samsung/Asus/Apple/whoever build the actual tablets.
This approach is best for everyone. Less work for you on so many levels. And for customers it is great because it is future proof. In a 5 years (or 5 months) all you have to do to upgrade to the latest and greatest hardware is stop by best buy and pick out a tablet.

cypho said:
I love the idea of android in the car. But don't waste your time re-inventing the wheel, essentially building a custom tablet that will surely be out of date(both in hardware and in software) long before the product makes it out the door.
Compared to technology, cars last forever. *The only way to keep car electronics from feeling dated by the time the car pulls out of the lot is to have a "Dumb" car which can seamlessly integrate with user-replaceable off-the-shelf electronics.
Focus your resources on creating a device that does nothing other than act as an interface between an off-the-shelf tablet and the car. Then all that is left is a one-size-fits all frame for the console that permits you to drop in any (or a wide range) tablet the user wants. Inside the frame you could provide either both power & data over USB or power over usb and data/control over Bluetooth. Spend all of your effort in making the interface compatible with as many makes / models of cars as possible and working out how to get as much data and control over the car as possible. Don't waste your time on anything else..
Make this data/control available via a openly published API and let other developers build apps to display/use/control things and let Samsung/Asus/Apple/whoever build the actual tablets.
This approach is best for everyone. Less work for you on so many levels. And for customers it is great because it is future proof. In a 5 years (or 5 months) all you have to do to upgrade to the latest and greatest hardware is stop by best buy and pick out a tablet.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
hi, cypho
Thanks for your advice.
Due to variety of cars(and tablets), I guess most difficult part is "a device that does nothing other than act as an interface between an off-the-shelf tablet and the car". Beside audio, power ..interfaces fitting to tablet, mounting and installation are blocking issues to make this kind of device.
There is another interface which has been widely applied in after market car head unit: standard 2DIN/1DIN stereo. Unfortunately, we have to put tablet into 2DIN/1DIN shield by this way.

nonstop2050 said:
hi, cypho
Thanks for your advice.
Due to variety of cars(and tablets), I guess most difficult part is "a device that does nothing other than act as an interface between an off-the-shelf tablet and the car". Beside audio, power ..interfaces fitting to tablet, mounting and installation are blocking issues to make this kind of device.
There is another interface which has been widely applied in after market car head unit: standard 2DIN/1DIN stereo. Unfortunately, we have to put tablet into 2DIN/1DIN shield by this way.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I agree that is the hard part. Unfortunately that hard part cannot be avoided, weather you use an off the shelf tablet or build your own - it still has to interface with the car.
Really the ones who should be providing that open interface is the car manufactures. But they will never do it. They want to charge you $10,000 for an upgraded electronics package and then rely on those electronics feeling dated after 3 years to persuade people into buying a whole new car. How can they do any of that if it was easy to upgrade/replace the built in electronics for the cost of a cheep tablet.
The good news for you is because of the overpriced nature of manufacturers options if done right(sufficient polish and access to sufficient data and control over the car) you should be able to sell your interface device for big $$$. If the manufactures electronics option costs $10,000 and people are willing to pay for that, why would they not be willing to forgo the manufactures package pay twice that much or more for an aftermarket one that will never get old. Or better yet, imagine how much it is worth to someone considering spending buying a whole new car because their current car feels old.

Guys look here.
this dude build his streak 7 into his car. Just a idea

user_error said:
# feature is a quality wifi antenna.. reasoning being if its parked near my house it can connect and sync media, etc. External USB ports and Host mode.
Outside of that it all really falls on software I think. One would be the ability to mount MTP devices, and find media on them to play.
I have been thinking about this for years, and originally I was just going to use a browser based UI on top of a very minimalistic linux install. At this point just a tablet minus the form factor and some of the performance (has to be snappy but no need to play angry birds at 200fps), for a bit less $ could make a killer head unit.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hi,
Media Sync is a killer application comparing current head unit. :laugh: WIFI is working easily on Android. As you mentioned, quality antenna is a must. Thanks for your information.

exebreez said:
Guys look here.
this dude build his streak 7 into his car. Just a idea
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
thats something i'd do if i had the time and money

nice idea
voice controls would be really nice and an option to let it read out mails/messages you are getting while driving

There are some good voice control apps in google play. Hardware should link to an internal or external mic for the apps.
Here I put an external one for better performance.

nonstop2050 said:
After trying several Android tablets, i am developing a board for DIY in-dash system which supports GPS, Music, Video, FM and maybe DVD... Any feature do you like if there is one Android system in your car?
Voice call?
Camera? :laugh:
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
multiple cameras and external storage to store video streams from cameras
---------- Post added at 04:42 PM ---------- Previous post was at 04:33 PM ----------
user_error said:
# feature is a quality wifi antenna.. reasoning being if its parked near my house it can connect and sync media, etc. External USB ports and Host mode.
Outside of that it all really falls on software I think. One would be the ability to mount MTP devices, and find media on them to play.
I have been thinking about this for years, and originally I was just going to use a browser based UI on top of a very minimalistic linux install. At this point just a tablet minus the form factor and some of the performance (has to be snappy but no need to play angry birds at 200fps), for a bit less $ could make a killer head unit.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You will stay in the car listening music instead of going back home to listen on our Sofa?

FocusVideo said:
multiple cameras and external storage to store video streams from cameras
USB camera and USB storage have been applied in the design.
USB camera can be standard PC web camera.
Full function samples will be done in several weeks. :laugh:
Click to expand...
Click to collapse

hands free bluetooth profile would be good to have also.

JoelZracer said:
hands free bluetooth profile would be good to have also.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
hands free bluetooth profile would be good to have also.

Focus on fidelity
Your early adopters would definitely be those who are already putting in custom stereos. The main thing is that you want quality audio connections via RCA connectors, and avoid ground-loop noise like the plague. Even if what you created was just a a Bluetooth transceiver in the trunk...
-Charles
FoneFill

Boll*cks I had this idea the other day.... then seen this. Guess I'll leave it to you good luck lad. :thumbup:
Sent from the moon on the back of a Yamaha

You mean something like This ?
This would be great, if you could only make a dock for ANY tablet. The tablet that comes with this isnt probably too good. Having a nexus 7 in would make things MUNCH more intersting

Related

[Q] Android Tablet Question

Sorry Guys not a specific X10 question, but as an X10 owner I thought this would be a good place to pick your brains on Android tablets.
I'm Looking at getting an android Tablet to mount in the dash of my car for using as a sat nav, music player etc, There are alot of cheap 2.2 Android tablets for sale such as this Flat Pad one.
http://pcvision.co.uk/shop/product_...ium=product_search&utm_campaign=google-simple
Alot of them have USB ports for web cams etc, do any of you know if there are there any aps that would display the camera output so it could be used as a rear-view camera?
Can you plug in external HDD to the USB port so the memory could be expanded above 32GB supported limit for SD cards? (necessary if to be used as an in-car media center)
It also states "GPS Capabilities (when connected to wifi)" why would GPS not work without wifi?
Also listed is Skype. Is the android market different for Tablets. I know that skype mobile is coming soon for all android devices, but it seems that a version of skype is already out on Android Tablets.
Thanks in advance for your replies.
I didn't know such pad existed until you pointed out, so thx
From what I can tell from the description;
1. You can plug in external hdd
2. Android 2.1 not 2.2
3. The reason you need wifi for gps to work is because gps on android uses data, so you need wifi or it says you can hook up a 3g dongle, which makes more sense for using gps in car
If somehow you get this android tablet entertainment setup to work let us know and post some pics, would love to see them
Good luck!
If you are going to buy one, research it first. There are some very cheapo dodgy looking ones around, make sure it has good support and supports apps you need.
tris1979 said:
Sorry Guys not a specific X10 question, but as an X10 owner I thought this would be a good place to pick your brains on Android tablets.
I'm Looking at getting an android Tablet to mount in the dash of my car for using as a sat nav, music player etc, There are alot of cheap 2.2 Android tablets for sale such as this Flat Pad one.
http://pcvision.co.uk/shop/product_...ium=product_search&utm_campaign=google-simple
Alot of them have USB ports for web cams etc, do any of you know if there are there any aps that would display the camera output so it could be used as a rear-view camera?
Can you plug in external HDD to the USB port so the memory could be expanded above 32GB supported limit for SD cards? (necessary if to be used as an in-car media center)
It also states "GPS Capabilities (when connected to wifi)" why would GPS not work without wifi?
Also listed is Skype. Is the android market different for Tablets. I know that skype mobile is coming soon for all android devices, but it seems that a version of skype is already out on Android Tablets.
Thanks in advance for your replies.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I know I have seen cameras that can connect to Android devices via bluetooth. Can't find them now, so might want to make sure they are available before getting the tablet.
You would need Wi-Fi with apps like Google Maps because it downloads the map as you're driving. Check in the market, there are apps such as Co-Pilot where all of the maps are pre-loaded, so you don't need an internet connection for navigation.
I'd wait for something like the Galaxy Tablet.
I bought a $110 7" Tablet (EKEN) out of curiousity Even with a lot of people customs rom to improve efficiency, they just suck. They're slow, poor battery life, tons of market issues and the screen response is poor. I'd wait for somethign reputable before throwing any money down.
I bought one made by Archos, its a 5 inch screen tablet. Cost me about $200 on Ebay but it has 1.6, Though it is a good product. it uses WIFI and is great for an internet tablet. I also think it has GPS built in, but cost money for the service.
Edit: I remember, not all archos 5 tablets are android. You have to make sure it says 'andriod'.
Imagine the idea of an xperia pad..........
Na hope not
Sent from my X10i using XDA App
Is that real? Or just a big iPhone 4?
Sent from my X10a whom rapes the iPhone 4!
Chinese pads are made with low quality and tend to die young and unexpected, i suggest to wait a pad from a etablished brand. Look for reviews.
Sent from my X10a using XDA App
i miss my nexus one :'(
Wait for the Notion Ink Adam, coming out Dec this year. The Pixel Qi display even allows reading in direct sunlight, which could be useful in a car.
I guess I need to do quite a bit of research first, prob best to wait untill they have been out for a while and there is a bit more info available. Battery wouldnt be an issue in car as it would be plugged in. When I do eventually get round to it I will be sure to post some pics.
Something that would be good for a tablet is an app that would let you run more than one app in split screen as there is plenty of screen space.

Building your own android "head unit"

Hi,
I am sorry if this is the wrong forum, I don't know enough to put it else where. I have a GMC full sized van. My DIN opening is actually larger than 7", I could fit an 8" screen in there if I wanted. I also have other options and tons of room. I could cut the dash, go as big as 15, or even 19". I could have a console where a large screen lifts up with some servo or mechanical assembly. Or just simply a flip.
I bought a Hui Fie (sp?) head unit that matches the van. I like it, the colors match perfect, it's the higher res, with a quad core. However there are few things I'd like to improve. I could almost lose the buttons and relocate key ones, like the "home", "return", "navi" etc for a larger screen. Also, I find the buttons feel rather cheap compared to even the GM ones. And the GM ones are nothing high end, but they feel right.
Is it feasible to build a carputer and run android in it? SW controls possible? Are the keys I mention above possible? Canbus? Or would there be another route available by using the head unit I have and attaching to it to a larger screen? One thing I wish these units had was hdmi in and out, and an RJ45 connector for hardwiring a network.
I have a lot of projects on the go, money I should be spending elsewhere, and time that just doesn't... seem to leave me with the right energy and mindset, but I'd like to know if these things are possible. Of course with money and time, but for an average or a bit over average determined person, can they set all this up hardware wise? Is there other directions to find these means? I could literally do anything, it's just time and resources of learning to code new languages and source parts, etc. that limit me. If we were all rich and retired, many of us could do amazing things.
For me, it's a distraction, a hobby and a way to improve my work life. As long as I get the project done. That's the other downfall, you start on a path of perpetual upgrades that never end. But it's enjoyable.
Some head units (the NU3001 for example) are nothing more than an android box attached to a double din screen and buttons. If you can find a monitor that will fit you can pretty much plug in the android box anywhere.
Hi,
Well, I kind of figured that much. I guess you're the only person I've communicated with that confirmed it. However, how would you manage hooking up a larger LCD? You'll most likely have a ribbon cable to connect and you will be limited to the same resolution right? Some of my ideas envision the box much further from the LCD screen. So even if the ribbon cable and drivers work with the larger LCD, it's a physical problem.
The buttons, I don't think they'd be too difficult. You could either solder a tacky solution with wires to extend the location, or you could use SW controls to a button layout with the same resistance values. Seems simple enough. I'd like to know if a car computer is possible in any highly simple way. I can't deal too much with software and drivers right now, too involved for my head with all the other things. But it would be nice to drop in add ons, have an rj45 connector, hdmi in and out.
Maybe my plans are too excessive. Actually, I know they are as of Friday, some priorities have changed and need to reduce things for the time being. This is just an exercise for thought and a potential path in the future.
I do like that radio. I actually wished I bought it after using mine for a little while. Same specs I believe, but the layout actually suited my desires better. Knobs are good, for the size of mine, I'd rather either have one larger, or none. The home and return are necessities to me now.
dberladyn said:
Is it feasible to build a carputer and run android in it? SW controls possible? Are the keys I mention above possible? Canbus? Or would there be another route available by using the head unit I have and attaching to it to a larger screen? One thing I wish these units had was hdmi in and out, and an RJ45 connector for hardwiring a network.
I have a lot of projects on the go, money I should be spending elsewhere, and time that just doesn't... seem to leave me with the right energy and mindset, but I'd like to know if these things are possible. Of course with money and time, but for an average or a bit over average determined person, can they set all this up hardware wise? Is there other directions to find these means? I could literally do anything, it's just time and resources of learning to code new languages and source parts, etc. that limit me. If we were all rich and retired, many of us could do amazing things.
For me, it's a distraction, a hobby and a way to improve my work life. As long as I get the project done. That's the other downfall, you start on a path of perpetual upgrades that never end. But it's enjoyable.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
With limited time available, I think the answer is no.
Maybe within 1-2 years, with more "community experience" and threads etc., it may be more feasible for people with limited time.
I think the closest you can get right now is to install an Android tablet. This won't, in and of itself, provide hardware buttons, nor other things you desire.
All you want is technically possible of course (with lots of time/work), and I'm sure several home-built Android HU projects that go beyond installing a tablet will arise over the next few years.
For anyone who disagrees, note that OP does not have time to "mess around". If you still disagree, point me to a project thread or blog etc. where somebody has already done all that OP asks about and which won't require too much time to duplicate. Lets say,... 16 hours maximum.

Best Android Units

so who are the best units out there.
something that works with minimum work to make it "nice" or functional.
I do not mind some tinkering with software, but do not want to root, or do any sort of hardware mods.
lets start with money no object. as it needs to be
responsive to the touch, and fast to react
quick to boot,
reliable future proof,
sat nav (happy with google maps, or here maps)
DAB
High Res Screen
nice to have
TV built in? not a must but why not.
USB, or Aux input (could do with audio streaming alone?)
reverse camera
Wifi, or means to transfer without using data from my phone
btw, I have VW touran 2005, in case it makes a difference in fitting etc
I'm trying to decide myself which to get. I like the Joying stuff but their new model for my car had no disc drive. If you find anything out as to which is best let me know and I'll do the same
I've bought a XRROSS unit. I haven't plugged it in as I need to find a working interface to retain wheel control buttons and able to start the amp.
I have an outlander 2007 with Rockford Fosgate system.
I have been using an Erisin Android 4.2 model for the last few years in my BMW X5, and found it decent but not great. Underneath the Erisin is one of the many, many Hui Fei units that get sold under a bunch of different badges and used one of the Rockchip CPUs that are found in the majority of these units. In my case it was the RK3066.
Overall impressions - I loved the convenience of having a full android tablet instead of the stupid stereo interface originally on my car, but as time went on I found I used it less and less and tended to just use my phone. The interface on the unit was not great as there were a number of apps (particularly their settings) where the controls were outside the edges of the screen and therefore unreachable. This seemed to be in large part a problem with the low-res (800x480) screen and the fact that it is always in landscape mode (obviously). I've recently tried out some of the 3rd party roms found here on XDA which are noticeably better than the stock rom that came with it.
The unit started having problems after about 3 years as the bottom half and the top half inch (1cm) of the touchscreen no longer respond to touch. This has rendered the unit basically useless.
I'm now in the market for a replacement and I would be interested to hear impressions and complaints from anyone that has an Android 5 or 6 unit.
right so my turn to provide information I collected...
I had a chat with a friend who owns car head units \ bluetooth etc fitting company, circa about 6 cars and more private contractors to fit through out the UK, his opinion is
"chinese head units are rabbish, stay away from them and buy decent manufacturer units like ken wood pioneer etc.
for each 10 units of those cheaper ones, (he admits that it have much more functionality for the price). about 6 have issue.
its not well thought of, and different problems comes up, starting with many software issues, to hardware combination as those cheaper companies hardware is whatever cheapest, and very little thought about segmenting
thier own producs, which causes issues with firmware updates later. and make it hardware to control quality.
provided an example, of heating up units, or battery just dies, or the unit just bricks"
so as you see from earlier he is totally against it, however I would presume if you are reading this, then you are willing to open your own dash and debugging issues yourself, and will to throw away hardware if it bricks etc.
long life time is not something you always expect, its a luck of the draw.
he goes further and says:
"even good company, if you want navigation, then you need to go top of the range £1000+, as cheaper units are not great at that"
but then he is used to all the top stuff, so he might say that.
however the think I agree with him most on:
"get something that mirror your phone, this way you can get cheaper units, and you rely on your phone which is smart and feature rich to start with, even the £200 ones that mirror your phone is good enough"
now, my thoughts are, there are other things (I forgot to ask him) about viewing angle, what sort of resolution will look good enough etc. (I agree with the guy above about the resolution)
Oh, mmmalas comment does remind me: If you are driving a BMW X5, 5 series, or any other model of car where the stereo panel curves upward into the dashboard, the Chinese Android units are going to be a problem. Even though the units I've looked at fit beautifully into the panel space, and have perfectly fitted curved fascia, the screen ends up pointing at an angle that makes it unreadable in sunlight. The units that have the screen standing up at a tangent from the curve of the case might be better, although I do think they look somewhat awkward.
Like this unit for example: http://www.ebay.ca/itm/9-BMW-X5-E39...ash=item360f37eb54:g:jF4AAOSwol5Y2hSi&vxp=mtr
the pioneer or maybe the kenwood ones, allow you to adjust the angle on the unit (motorised).
I presume those android units are mainly TN panels, rather than IPS. which makes the viewing angles worse.
it would be nice if my son in the middle of back seat can watch a movie. but I am unsure if the screens are that good. will be nice to know
I have an xtrons unit, the Andriod 6 with 8 core. I really like it, there is virtually no boot time, its instant. Backup camera is great, I run spotify which is great, and a few other apps like google maps and here maps, and gmail. So far everything looks great, had it about a month now. Only thing I have yet to do is get a reliable alternative to hotspotting my phone every time i get in the car.
semaj4712 said:
I have an xtrons unit, the Andriod 6 with 8 core. I really like it, there is virtually no boot time, its instant. Backup camera is great, I run spotify which is great, and a few other apps like google maps and here maps, and gmail. So far everything looks great, had it about a month now. Only thing I have yet to do is get a reliable alternative to hotspotting my phone every time i get in the car.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You can connect it via NFC.
georgebest said:
You can connect it via NFC.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
What I meant was I am trying to find a dongle solution here in the US for it. So I dont have to use my phone.
I have an ownice c500 unit. I think it is the best unit available. It is not perfect and some people have some problems like with DAB+ etc. but for me, it works perfectly.
https://forum.xda-developers.com/wiki/Ownice_C500
is the screen view-able from sides perfectly, or does it suffer from viewing angles, or sun reflection in your face.
and does the screen color look good, or its one of those things that either look crap in daylight, or night
Hello
Could you please give me a short rationg from https://liamscar.com/best-android-auto-head-unit/
Is it possibe to find best of the android unit
Sure, if it was with low budget.
I used Pumpkin, but I want to replace it

What's the appeal of these units?

So I was reading the how can China manufacturer make you happy thread and mjdoom mentioned he'd like to see Apple CarPlay or Android Auto. That got me wondering, what's the appeal of these units? Why not just buy one of the many mainstream headunits on the market that have those features? Is it the price? OEM(ish) fitment? etc?
For me it was price and the ability to do multiple things (Dashcam/DVR is a plus).
dummptyhummpty said:
So I was reading the how can China manufacturer make you happy thread and mjdoom mentioned he'd like to see Apple CarPlay or Android Auto. That got me wondering, what's the appeal of these units? Why not just buy one of the many mainstream headunits on the market that have those features? Is it the price? OEM(ish) fitment? etc?
For me it was price and the ability to do multiple things (Dashcam/DVR is a plus).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Simple, the appeal is that if you have android running your radio, then you can actually use it to do things.
Unlike those mainstream junk boxes that do nothing at all.
Unfortunate downside of this is the extreme buggyness of the chinese units.
luciusfox said:
Simple, the appeal is that if you have android running your radio, then you can actually use it to do things.
Unlike those mainstream junk boxes that do nothing at all.
Unfortunate downside of this is the extreme buggyness of the chinese units.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
For basic GPS maps and Streaming Music the unit I have works great out of the box. Far from what I would call "buggy". Most of the complaints or bugs I see here are with functionality that isn't even remotely possible on most head units. Bugs such as pairing an ODBII can be a pain, but it's not even possible to anything that isn't full android.
Just having google maps in the dash with a couple of real streaming music apps is a superior experience than anything a car manufacture is putting in their new cars. The big appeal for me is it is android and can be customized to do far more than most typical head units. It also helps that I am a very technical person and hacking with android is a hobby of mine.
We have 2 newer cars, a work truck with 'ford sync', and my wife just got a car with 'Nissan Connect' with GPS. A passenger can't even enter a destination in the units without the driver pulling over and stopping. She still ends up dash mounting her phone for google maps and just streaming music from it. Both are quite useless and overly restricted compared to a $300 Chinese head unit.
I prefer to drive my 6 year old car, just because the cheap Chinese head unit is far superior to anything shipping from the factory today in most cars.
gustden said:
For basic GPS maps and Streaming Music the unit I have works great out of the box. Far from what I would call "buggy". Most of the complaints or bugs I see here are with functionality that isn't even remotely possible on most head units. Bugs such as pairing an ODBII can be a pain, but it's not even possible to anything that isn't full android.
Just having google maps in the dash with a couple of real streaming music apps is a superior experience than anything a car manufacture is putting in their new cars. The big appeal for me is it is android and can be customized to do far more than most typical head units. It also helps that I am a very technical person and hacking with android is a hobby of mine.
We have 2 newer cars, a work truck with 'ford sync', and my wife just got a car with 'Nissan Connect' with GPS. A passenger can't even enter a destination in the units without the driver pulling over and stopping. She still ends up dash mounting her phone for google maps and just streaming music from it. Both are quite useless and overly restricted compared to a $300 Chinese head unit.
I prefer to drive my 6 year old car, just because the cheap Chinese head unit is far superior to anything shipping from the factory today in most cars.
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Yeah, because the "usually fails to connect the SCO stream" isn't a really important bug.
luciusfox said:
Yeah, because the "usually fails to connect the SCO stream" isn't a really important bug.
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I agree if basic BT functionality isn't working, that is a big problem. Guess I am lucky as I haven't seen that issue. BT really hasn't been much of an issue with my Joying, once I figured out how to pair my ODBII.
gustden said:
I agree if basic BT functionality isn't working, that is a big problem. Guess I am lucky as I haven't seen that issue. BT really hasn't been much of an issue with my Joying, once I figured out how to pair my ODBII.
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It usually works ok for a little while, then after some time stops working. So if you're only doing really short drives, then you might not notice it. If you're doing hour or longer drives, then you'll start to see it happen.
luciusfox said:
It usually works ok for a little while, then after some time stops working. So if you're only doing really short drives, then you might not notice it. If you're doing hour or longer drives, then you'll start to see it happen.
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I drove about 4 hours over the weekend with the headunit tethered to my phone via BT, and didn't have any issues. This is on the Sept 1 ROM. Perhaps the problem is heat related since it only happens on longer drives?
gustden said:
I drove about 4 hours over the weekend with the headunit tethered to my phone via BT, and didn't have any issues. This is on the Sept 1 ROM. Perhaps the problem is heat related since it only happens on longer drives?
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No, heat related would be impossible, heatsink and fan keeps it at a nice cool 40 degrees. Something mungs up in the software after a while -- turning the bluetooth off and then back on manually temporarily corrects the problem. Could be working for you because of a change in the sept build, everything earlier exhibits the problem. Two separate units in two cars. One running may, one running july, both with heatsink and fan.
I have a DPF in my car and I run the Torque app to show status so that I can extend it's life. I also have displays for battery condition, actual speed (not the speedo adjusted one), and engine temps. Things that help me look after the car and keep it running reliably.
The great thing is that I can customise to suit my needs or if there are more things to monitor.
Being able to play any format music without having to convert it to work in the car.
Better GPS navigation with a 8" screen, dedicated up to date maps with street speeds and speed camera locations, connection to the traffic network (no data plan needed).
The only downside would be I wish bluetooth A2DP streaming was better. For me the pros outweigh the cons of the 2" monochrome screen I had before.
I've only just bought my unit but the reasons for me are the price and the greater capabilities!

Which of these head units don't suck?

I am no stranger to Android in a car, I have done custom tablet installs in cars, (back in 2012 with Timur's custom cyanogenmod rom), custom car computers (roadrunner, centrafuse), etc.
Last year, I decided to give one of these neat looking Chinese head units a shot, I went with the Eonon double-din model with the PX5 processor, 4gb ram, 32gb rom with DSP audio chip. Out of the box and installing, the software wasn't terrible but borderline silly. The DSP audio control app was new to these units so I forgave some of the funky terminology and adjustments that were available in there, it was a far cry from adjustments one would find on a cheaper dedicated DSP unit. The performance was okay until summer rolled around and I had to tear the head unit apart and install my own heatsink and fan to the processing module board, this resolved that. The cheap mmc memory was a limiting factor of its performance in heavier apps like Google Maps, otherwise. Wifi performance was borderline trash. The extremely cheap and laughable wifi chipset barely handled 1.5-2Mbps of data transfer when downloading a Spotify library to the SD card. I even attempted to unsolder and replace the cheap antenna with my own higher end antenna but this was no solution to the very cheap and barely functional wireless module. Digging into the rom to find out that it's only been compiled for two equally bad wireless adapters, I gave up trying to make the wifi work any better. My unit also always produced processor noise out of the speakers when it was quiet in the car, sounded like onboard audio from cheap PC motherboards; this happened out of the amplified speaker outputs and the RCA outputs. I have since sold that car, I have a new car and would love to try again if it's even worth it.
I am not here to bash on these head units, I really WANT to see them improve. I would love to get my hands on one with more premium hardware, better working networking, worked out bugs, smarter display dimming control (maybe even a few extra cents of an ambient light sensor), audio DSP controls that are actually awesome, proper heatsink for included processor, etc. Do these exist? It's hard to find them in the sea of different brand names and Engrish website listings.
Any input on this would be so helpful to myself and many others.
I think you’ll find that they all suck in one way or another. If they were to be of total quality they would be $1500 or more. Think about the use case though, NO ONE else is making custom canbus integrated units that fit inside modern cars which no longer conform to single/double DIN form factors. I don’t think at the price points most of these units are that quality and functionality will be improved.
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I've been using Android head units since around 2013 or so, when they had resistive touchscreens lol. While they still have a lot to improve on, I must say that they've come a long, long way. There's only really three features that I want to see, and one of those the 2013 ones all had:
1) For the love of God, there was no need to take away iPod support. Some of us still have an iPod. It's great to have in a car to play your music. Much better than putting it on SD cards, because I like the playlists. Bring it back!
2) Resolution. 800x480 is roughly as best at it gets for these guys. Although I'm greedy and want 4k, at least give me 1080p!
3) Blu-ray support. Come on already, it's been out for 14 years!
I am also interested in this question, I had the atoto a6 pro before I sold the car. For a quad core it felt slow.
Is there any unit out there besides joying with proper lte support? Joying does not support att/Rogers/Fido lte frequencies. Except band 7.
I've seen on the forums that the xtrons won't even take a 4g dongle and work in mobile connection mode and also they have an underpowered USB port, 250mA or something . Where standard is 500mA.
Anything out there with North American frequencies?
Zap! said:
I've been using Android head units since around 2013 or so, when they had resistive touchscreens lol. While they still have a lot to improve on, I must say that they've come a long, long way. There's only really three features that I want to see, and one of those the 2013 ones all had:
1) For the love of God, there was no need to take away iPod support. Some of us still have an iPod. It's great to have in a car to play your music. Much better than putting it on SD cards, because I like the playlists. Bring it back!
2) Resolution. 800x480 is roughly as best at it gets for these guys. Although I'm greedy and want 4k, at least give me 1080p!
3) Blu-ray support. Come on already, it's been out for 14 years!
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first point...fine I get it..
second point 4K???????
third point..ok you are trolling..
I appreciate the few replies here.
I for one am hoping for the most subtle and cost effective improvements that make the experience of one of these in the dash feel like a better product. Top changes I'd like to see:
Display with high NITS, defeat the bright sunlight. Ability to see the content REALLY WELL comes before ultra-high resolution. As long as I can't count the pixels from the driver seat, I'm not going to knock on the resolution.
Clean audio output, some of these produce noise like crazy when listening at quiet volumes, you can hear internal processes coming through the speakers like onboard audio of cheap PC motherboards.
DSP controls that make sense- timing controls that conform to other DSP audio controls of all other typical DSP audio products, the interface is goofy although the chip being used is quite powerful but I don't believe the writers of the software interface completely understand what it should be doing.
Automatic dimming displays. A tiny ambient light value sensor hidden in the glass or plastic fascia and android's own built in software solutions will allow automatic brightness control of the display so that when you're sitting in your car at night without the headlights turned on, the screen doesn't bake your eyeballs out or when your car has automatic headlights and they turn on early before the sun goes down and your screen goes so dark you can't see it. This is a simple solution and I hope they resolve it.
Custom fully integrated units such as the one we put in our 2013 Mini Cooper Countryman S model needs to be worked on more before shoving them out the door. $600 gets us a head unit that looks nice in the dash but the integration of retained door chimes/warning sounds/blinker signal indicator sounds is the most absolute rubbish thing, ever. Would gladly spend closer to $1000 US for something that is more refined.
A home screen that doesn't suck. Solid integration with FM tuner controls, common media player apps, etc in the home screen would be great to see. A home screen that works good enough to the point that we don't have to fish the play store to make it better would be killer.
It’s been a short while, anyone got any updates on android head units that don’t suck?
ojuniour said:
first point...fine I get it..
second point 4K????
third point..ok you are trolling..
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1) Thanks! There has to be a way to hack it back.
2) I was joking about 4k, but I want 1080p
3) Not trolling, I have quite a few Blu-ray disks and would like to be able to view them in the car.

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