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Hands-On With Alpine's iLX-007 In-Dash CarPlay Entertainment System

So is there a list of what cars are compatible with this? I bought a 2015 Hyundai Sonata a few months ago, but no one at the dealership knew anything about what cars would have CarPay support. No idea if my car can handle it, but i got the lower end stereo/infotainment system since i figured I'd get an aftermarket CarPlay system down the road.
 
gbc204 said:
So is there a list of what cars are compatible with this? I bought a 2015 Hyundai Sonata a few months ago, but no one at the dealership knew anything about what cars would have CarPay support. No idea if my car can handle it, but i got the lower end stereo/infotainment system since i figured I'd get an aftermarket CarPlay system down the road.
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If you car can have an aftermarket Double DIN system fitted, it will support it.
 
rolsskk said:
As much as I want to love it, Car Play seems to be another Apple TV - something that was a neat idea and has great potential, but is never taken seriously by Apple.
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I must admin that Android Auto is looking more impressive to me than CarPlay. And the poor performance seen in some review videos is utterly unacceptable, especially for a unit costing several hundred dollars. These things should be certified by Apple before hitting the market.
 
cdmoore74 said:
It's called phone holder plus phone. I have a motorcycle, 2 cars and a truck. My phone works in all 4 just fine with no ridiculous increase in cost.
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Same here. The only reason I'm even looking to upgrade to a CarPlay unit is because I actually just want to put in a backup camera and have bluetooth, and figured I might as well go all-out if I'm paying for the unit and labor anyways.
 
coolfactor said:
I must admin that Android Auto is looking more impressive to me than CarPlay. And the poor performance seen in some review videos is utterly unacceptable, especially for a unit costing several hundred dollars. These things should be certified by Apple before hitting the market.
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I have not had any performance problems with my Alpine unit. CarPlay is very responsive. The only time I get any sort of lag is in the Alpine setup menus, which can be sluggish. You don't need to go into those often, though, and CarPlay itself is very quick and fluid.

Remember, all the processing is happening on your phone. This to me is one of the big advantages of CarPlay or Android Auto. It doesn't rely on the car manufacturers to update the units or add new functionality. Hyundai just announced they are going to be supporting CarPlay and Android Auto in the new models for just this reason.
 
I don't really want to have a non-functioning head unit when my phone isn't with me, but an iOS UI is ideal. I'd rather buy something like an iPad mini in a double-DIN form factor that can play what's on my phone via AirPlay.
 
Someyoungguy said:
I don't really want to have a non-functioning head unit when my phone isn't with me, but an iOS UI is ideal. I'd rather buy something like an iPad mini in a double-DIN form factor that can play what's on my phone via AirPlay.
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An iPad won't give you the physical controls this unit has. That's one of the best things about it. There are dedicated physical Siri, navigation, home, and volume control buttons. It makes all the difference when driving. Plus the UI for each app has been altered to make it easier to use when driving. It's not the same as just airplaying to a different screen.
 
I like these receivers because my car only came with stereo and cassette tape. I was looking at a new stereo with bluetooth to stream music and audio books. I think Apline's design is better than Pioneer, but the iLX 007 doesn't have bluetooth. Especially for short trips, it is nice connecting bluetooth so you don't have to bother taking your phone out and plugging it in.

I'm really glad to see more manufacturers releasing receivers with more options. Hopefully I'll find something I like soon 🙂
 
Not terrible for an intro device. I want one, but I want to wait to see how this evolves. I'd be far more interested if I could use Waze thru this device. When more 3rd party apps like Waze become useable I'll consider a purchase.
 
Music Ratings?

Does anybody know if you can rate (stars) songs as they play? Can you tap on the song title and have stars appear like on the phone?

I've been trying to find out for almost a year but every hands-on video I watch just shows the song playing and doesn't mention it or try tapping on the song to see if rating is revealed.
 
Tankmaze said:
For 600 dollars I rather use ipad air 2 and put it on the dash connect it with the 3.5 mm jack. But thats just me 😀
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that wont hook up to your reverse-camera, now will it? nor play AM/FM radio. nor have a car-optimized UI.

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mattopotamus said:
for phone calls....not music. It sounds much better than speaker phone.
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huh? if youre holding your phone to your head, why would you need BT? otherwise it's speaker phone time, and that works fine w/ it docked and plugged in.

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gpspad said:
I was originally all over this, but after working a part time job in delivery recently, I have come to see the problems of a simple car interface for my iPhone.

After only a few full days of deliveries I found that the phones battery died quickly when you use it for directions. I also found that when you absolutely need directions, you can suddenly loose your signal. That happened a few times when I really needed to know where I was.

Conclusion, a carplay head unit would be great, but make sure you have a backup. Either an old fashion gps or a head unit with gps unit built in. I don't see getting a head unit unless I can switch between carpal and built in GPS if needed.

I'd never go on a long trip without some type of back up that doesn't need a cellular signal.
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how would your phone die when its plugged into the head unit?

Maps uses a GPS chip in your phone, not cell. cellular is used only to download map data if you dont have it already.

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duffman9000 said:
An aftermarket unit may not be fully compatible with all of your cars sensors/cameras. That's the sticking point for me.
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perhaps, but for most people in older vehicles its not an issue. these units support a backup camera and steering wheel controls.

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cdmoore74 said:
It's called phone holder plus phone. I have a motorcycle, 2 cars and a truck. My phone works in all 4 just fine with no ridiculous increase in cost.
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too small. ill take a 7" display in my car any day of the week, thanks.

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poe diddley said:
Not terrible for an intro device. I want one, but I want to wait to see how this evolves. I'd be far more interested if I could use Waze thru this device. When more 3rd party apps like Waze become useable I'll consider a purchase.
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pioneer's AppRadio head units have supported Waze for years. youre late.
 
Joz3d said:
Does anybody know if you can rate (stars) songs as they play? Can you tap on the song title and have stars appear like on the phone?

I've been trying to find out for almost a year but every hands-on video I watch just shows the song playing and doesn't mention it or try tapping on the song to see if rating is revealed.
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I gave it a try on my Alpine unit just now and could not see a way to rate a song. Tapping the Now Playing screen doesn't do anything. Guess that's not deemed a "car appropriate" task. 🙂
 
mdelvecchio said:
that wont hook up to your reverse-camera, now will it? nor play AM/FM radio. nor have a car-optimized UI.

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huh? if youre holding your phone to your head, why would you need BT? otherwise it's speaker phone time, and that works fine w/ it docked and plugged in.

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how would your phone die when its plugged into the head unit?

Maps uses a GPS chip in your phone, not cell. cellular is used only to download map data if you dont have it already.

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perhaps, but for most people in older vehicles its not an issue. these units support a backup camera and steering wheel controls.

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too small. ill take a 7" display in my car any day of the week, thanks.

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pioneer's AppRadio head units have supported Waze for years. youre late.
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I was referring specifically to CarPlay devices, but excuuuuuuuuuse me for not properly explaining.
 
At that price range those radios are not appealing at all. Better to get a nice car mount iPad Mini and all set.
 
I actually just installed one of these into my vehicle last night, which is a nice step up from the basic CD player/radio that it came with. I haven't had a chance to dive too deep into it yet, but so far I'm liking it.
 
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