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Kenwood's Aftermarket CarPlay and Android Auto Systems Now Shipping

iBlazed said:
Lol, that slogan is funny when you think about it. Try explaining to someone 5 years ago why it doesn't just make more sense to call the person.

Reading and writing is now listening and dictating...yeah that's called a phone call. Why didn't anyone think of it sooner? :D
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I completely understand what you are saying and pretty much agree with you.

But get ready for a bumrush from people telling you that's it's not the same thing because they are so eager to just criticise someone.
 
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4jasontv said:
Which is only helpful if you drive alone, otherwise you still need to wear a headset.
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I’m not sure why – I have hands free in the car and I dictate messages all the time with people in the car. Usually these decks come with a mic as well when installed.
 
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Carplay itself is amazing. I have been using it since last year when it was officially released for the pioneer nex. I am using the low end one that I got for $400. Yeah it isn't cheap, but here was my logic:

1. It is a really good head unit in the car.... those typically START at $200 and go up.
2. It replaces a GPS. A good one with a large screen starts at $150.
3. It is very easy to use.... which most car stereos are not.
4. You have easy access to all your music (regardless if it is on your iPhone or not) and iTunes radio... and soon Apple Music.... all built in.
5. Built in Siri. Most things I do, I don't interact with the touch screen, I just have Siri do it for me.
6. Siri will read and respond to text messages for you.
7. Maps is very intuitive, It remembers previously viewed addresses from your phone, iPad or mac and will offer those as suggestions. You can also type in an address.
8. Very easy for a multi-user car. Plug in, unlock and your phone takes over.
9. More apps are coming.
10. This will not be a dead end platform, when your phone gets updated, so does carplay.

Now, my theory on why carpal prices are so steep... because by and large the only way to get it, without buying a new Ferrari or some cars that will be out later this year, are these after market headunits. But, as carplay starts to become more common, the price for it will decline.
 
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SpiderDude said:
I completely understand what you are saying and pretty much agree with you.

But get ready for a bumrush from people telling you that's it's not the same thing because they are so eager to just criticise someone.
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I can understand situations where it comes in use. Especially if the person on the other end is in a quiet place where it would be inappropriate to take a phone call. But the whole concept of listening and dictating text messages on a phone is still hilarious to me!
 
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KD7IWP said:
I wonder if these support the new wireless CarPlay. I really wouldn't use CarPlay if I had to pull my phone out every time I got in my car and plug it in.
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I don't think any of them support the new wireless. The one advantage of plugging in is your phone is charging while driving vs draining the battery. This is especially nice on a longer trip.
 
iBlazed said:
I can understand situations where it comes in use. Especially if the person on the other end is in a quiet place where it would be inappropriate to take a phone call. But the whole concept of listening and dictating text messages on a phone is still hilarious to me!
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I agree, in the same way typing on glass (vs a keyboard was crazy). Then one day you just accept it as normal.
 
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Siri reading text messages will lead to some incredibly funny moments in your car. Most of us don't text the same way we talk. There's a lot of "lol" and "haha" and abbreviations. But the best part will be Siri reading out all the curse words.
 
4jasontv said:
How do keep the other people from hearing your message?
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You can't prevent that. Although, when a message comes, it is just a notification. In other words Siri only reads it outloud if you ask to have that done.

So if there are others in the car, you would have to choose between read it outloud for other to hear or wait.

You can alway pick up your phone and look when you are at a stop light. When plugged into carplay, it doesn't disable any functions on your phone.
 
mmcxiiad said:
You can't prevent that. Although, when a message comes, it is just a notification. In other words Siri only reads it outloud if you ask to have that done.

So if there are others in the car, you would have to choose between read it outloud for other to hear or wait.

You can alway pick up your phone and look when you are at a stop light. When plugged into carplay, it doesn't disable any functions on your phone.
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Does it announce who the message is from or just that you have one?
 
Carplay is really glitchy with my Pioneer AVIC-5000NEX. Carplay randomly disconnects then reconnects, calls don't always turn off music that was playing, making it extremely difficult to talk when you have to talk over the music. iTunes radio will get hung up on the introduction of this week's top 50, and just play that intro over and over... Phone calls when music does mute, sound like you are talking in a garbage can.

I love the apple maps integration since finding destinations is much easier using Siri vs. having to type in the address in the built-in navigation. That is the one thing that seems to work really well.
 
4jasontv said:
Does it announce who the message is from or just that you have one?
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We got that, but the comparison is still bad. Going from a mechanical keyboard to a touchscreen is very different from going from visual stimuli to an auditory one.
 
I'm not sold on touchscreen displays in cars. Surely, a car is a terrible environment for such a thing.

Give me proper buttons and dials. And Siri is hopeless, too.

So I'm not brimming with joy for CarPlay.
 
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4jasontv said:
Does it announce who the message is from or just that you have one?
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No, it just shows a notification banner similar to on the phone. Here is an example:

message-notification-during-call.png
 
dwman said:
Thank god this appears to be the beginning of the end for proprietary car stereo and navigation systems. None of them work the same way and almost all of them suck. Will be nice to be able to view the same apps in your car that you have on your phone.
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Not necessarily so. Some car brands are not even compatible with 3rd party makers. Like current Lexus models. You can't install 3rd party systems because they won't work. :mad::mad::mad:
 
Saucesome2000 said:
And let's face it, this is not going to cause people who don't text and drive to suddenly start.
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I disagree. I don't text and drive. I might give this CarPlay thing a shot. So if you count CarPlay as texting and driving, then this would make me start doing it.
 
brianb722 said:
These are about the same price as previous years without CarPlay or Android Auto. These still need to have all the amplifier, preouts, bluetooth, HD Radio, Sirius XM, HDMI, USB, etc. functionality they've always had. CarPlay is just one of the apps you can run on the thing, it still needs to functions without a phone. They did drop the Garmin GPS functionality though I noticed.
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But they don't is the point. You need the amp and USB port and that's about it for someone looking for basic functionality.

I have an AppRadio in my car. I never use the HDMI. I'll never use HD Radio or Sirius XM. Most people will never even use the preouts.

I'm not saying this one isn't fine but rather that it would be nice to see someone offer something that's little more than a screen to run CarPlay on without all the extra stuff.
 
KD7IWP said:
I wonder if these support the new wireless CarPlay. I really wouldn't use CarPlay if I had to pull my phone out every time I got in my car and plug it in.
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Im pretty sure that’s based off BT, so as long as it has the latest Bt chipset, and you have a modern phone supporting BT LE it will work.
 
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