2014年5月16日星期五

Hands on: Pioneer’s CarPlay-equipped stereo is like an iPad in vogue your dash

Hands on: Pioneer’s CarPlay-equipped stereo is like an iPad in vogue your dash

I’ve in no way been so excited to be carried in vogue a minivan.
The black Toyota Sienna outside my lodge lobby in vogue downtown San Francisco is, admittedly, not a oppressive car. But the be carried isn’t why I’m at this point – it’s what’s inside so as to I’m similar to. This unassuming household hauler is honorable Pioneer’s top-of-the-line AVIC-8000NEX in-dash receiver – the formerly armed with Apple’s CarPlay.
Representing individuals not familiar, CarPlay is Apple’s answer to the kludgy interface normally found on in-car entertainment systems. It effectively wraps your in-dash screen with an interface designed to look and feel like Apple’s phones and pills, but simplified representing value in vogue the car. With CarPlay, users can tap and cop on their stereo screen when they would on their phones to by a long shot turn into phone calls, take part in Siri fling and read text messages not worth it loud, eavesdrop to stored before streaming tune, and navigate around town using Apple Maps.

Previously, getting CarPlay in vogue your car has intended, well, getting a brand new car. And not a shoddy single. Desirable at this point, the regularity no more than appears in vogue restricted brand new models from Ferrari, Mercedes and Volvo. Apple does take part in deals in vogue place with giant automakers like GM, Ford, Honda and Toyota, but it force take round about schedule beforehand it truly appears in vogue cars from individuals companies. So as to resources if you would like CarPlay at present, you’re import from Pioneer before Alpine, the formerly two companies to offer CarPlay baked into aftermarket decks.
But with Pioneer’s NEX receivers preparatory by the side of on the subject of $700, stepping up to CarPlay still isn’t “cheap.” We’ve seen it demonstrated on cartridge and in vogue stationary vehicles beforehand, but how does it do on the streets? And in vogue cars – like yours – anywhere it hasn’t been built in vogue? I hopped in vogue the Sienna, alongside Ted Cardenas, VP of Marketing representing Pioneer’s car electronics division, to locate not worth it.
CarPlay: Added than meets the eye
When car stereos get to, the 8000NEX is single of the added beautiful and intuitive I’ve seen. Pioneer’s own interface is well animated, zippy, inclusive and intuitive on the 7-inch LCD screen – certainly a vast step up from come again? Is built into on the whole cars – so CarPlay has its do diminish not worth it to offer some perfection.
Cardenas explains so as to as soon as current NEX stereo owners are on the verge of to add CarPlay to their take precedence units this summer, all they’ll need is a USB speed drive and on the subject of five minutes. The upgrade is automated, and as soon as it’s finished, a brand new CarPlay icon appears on the receiver’s habitat screen. Cardenas pulls up the CarPlay menu, and it becomes take home so as to CarPlay doesn’t trade the NEX’s built-in interface, it lives alongside it.

To take place frank, the CarPlay menu itself isn’t much to look by the side of. Desirable at this point, it’s recently a slight selection of prime iOS icons – Phone, tune, Maps, Messages, at this point on stage, and an icon to return you to the Pioneer NEX habitat screen. But this simplicity is by the side of the central part of CarPlay. It’s exactly like an iPhone, so there’s nix learning curve representing iPhone users. It recently mechanism as soon as you plug your phone in vogue.
Of course, plug your phone in vogue. CarPlay mechanism by relating via an Apple Lightning to USB cable, not done Bluetooth, so your phone duty take place physically connected to the dash. Individuals still holding on to an iPhone 4 before 4S models force and take place disappointed to become skilled at so as to CarPlay is no more than compatible with the iPhone 5, 5C and 5S running iOS 7.1 before better.
Come again? CarPlay can act so as to an iPhone can’t act on its own
The top of CarPlay is to seamlessly integrate an iPhone into the driving experience. Though many livestock infotainment systems already highlight touchscreens and Bluetooth wireless communiquй so as to allow round about iPhone integration, the user still has to pick up their phone in vogue order to access accurate functions before accomplish accurate commands. And, many livestock car stereos highlight interfaces so as to leave a fate to take place desired.
CarPlay aims to turn into using an iPhone while driving when hands-free and eye-free when likely by putting the interface in vogue the dash, desirable by the side of the user’s fingertips. It force and do with many manufacturer’s built-in knobs and controls. In vogue the Toyota vehicle so as to we rode in vogue, the volume and tuning buttons worked recently fine. Individuals with cars so as to take part in scrolling wheels and selector buttons might not need to touch a chord the screen by the side of all. Cardenas did advise, though, so as to compatibility with these built-in options force depend from manufacturer to manufacturer.
Phone
As soon as Cardenas presses the phone icon, Siri intervenes desirable away, asking who we’d like to call. It turns not worth it so as to Siri is by the side of the central part of the interface, and she can act added through CarPlay than she can on your phone, such when access your current destinations, injure addresses from your drop a line to register, notify you of incoming text messages, and read them back to you. But all of the familiar options from the iPhone are and desirable up on the screen: Favorites, recents, contacts, keypad and voicemail tabs are all nearby on the screen. While stacks of systems allow you to dial by voice, CarPlay effectively moves your phone screen to the dash.

Tune
The experience is related with the tune interface, which is highlighted by tabs representing iTunes telephone lines, playlists, artists, occupied song register and added. Cardenas uses Siri at this point too, to launch “Dire Straits telephone lines,” and it begins on stage instantaneously. The aptitude to navigate through songs exclusive of having to pick up a phone is a key fortunate thing as soon as you don’t take part in a copilot to navigate your phone representing you. Ruling come again? You would like to dramatic piece is made much, much easier, recently by having things pop up on a obese, in-dash screen, and Siri makes it so as to much easier to dramatic piece tune exclusive of having to rummage representing it.
Messages
This was perhaps my favorite part of the demonstration. Cardenas presses the Messages app icon and Siri instantaneously chimes in vogue to ask who we’d like to fling a message to. We respond with a big name and, as soon as prompted by Siri, dictate our message. But I’ve finished this several time with my phone, and all it necessary was a single button press on my phone – I’m not terribly impressed. But in that case CarPlay’s enhanced functionality is made added noticeable as soon as a text message response comes in vogue.
We had already returned to on stage tune as soon as the text was standard. That’s as soon as the tune gentle, and a pallid banner appeared by the side of the top of the screen. By the side of this top, we hard-pressed the banner, and Siri announced who it was from beforehand recitation the text message not worth it loud. By the side of nix schedule did our eyes take part in to leave the road. The banner was by a long shot visible in vogue our peripheral prophecy, and uncomplicated to press. If you forget the banner, though, all you take part in to act is press the message icon, and Siri picks it up from nearby. Are you selection up on how grand this is?
Maps
Perhaps the top integrated CarPlay app of the bunch is Apple Maps. Of course, it’s Apple Maps, and I’m aware so as to not each person cares representing it, but this is the top implementation of it so as to I’ve seen yet.
CarPlay can access addresses stored with contacts, individuals so as to were sent when part of a text message, before individuals so as to were recently visited, making it closer and easier to injure up your destination and embark on routing. And, CarPlay integrates real-time traffic in sequence, and offers various routes inedible to the gone of the screen, with in sequence on how much longer before shorter individuals routes might take.
The Maps experience on CarPlay is far and away better than on the phone. Much of this is due to the statement so as to CarPlay’s implementation of maps has been adjusted to efficiently value the superior screen real estate. Maps is existing in vogue 2D before 3D, and users can zoom in vogue before not worth it to their heart’s content. CarPlay force and without human intervention zoom in vogue as soon as you speak to a trip, viewing you exactly anywhere you’ll need to get to.

Anywhere are the third-party apps?
Third-party apps are future, but since developers representing the third-party services are still working on them, they were not existing representing this demonstration. At present, Apple’s website indicates so as to apps representing Beats tune, Spotify, iHeartRadio, iTunes Podcasts, and Stitcher force take place future, and Pioneer expects they force take place part of the firmware keep informed it issues presently this summer. Again, since CarPlay is driven by the iPhone, users force need to take part in these apps installed on their phone in vogue order representing the services to do.
Is CarPlay worth it?
To take place passable, Pioneer’s NEX in-dash receivers are already pretty grand, and miles to the front of on the whole livestock infotainment systems. With so as to assumed, CarPlay is recently a new huge sanity to get to with an aftermarket car stereo. Having played around with it, I wholly would like it in vogue my car, and I think others force feel the same. There’s nix way to divulge recently by looking by the side of the screenshot recently how much easier CarPlay makes using an iPhone while driving. It is exponentially safer, and a ton of fun to riding boot.
Pioneer force liberation an keep informed before time this summer so as to force situate CarPlay in vogue its existing NEX car stereo line, and the company procedure on putting it in vogue its top-tier models leaving familiar. So as to Apple is allowing CarPlay to take place baked into aftermarket car audio systems is notable, as it resources a person can induce in vogue on the fun. When you can imagine, car stereo retail outlets and installers are and pretty excited. From anywhere I’m sitting, CarPlay is single of the top reasons yet to trade your car stereo.
We’ll take part in a deeper look by the side of CarPlay as soon as Pioneer issues its firmware keep informed presently this summer, but if you’re already sold on the vision, you can induce the wheels in vogue proposition desirable away by purchasing and installing single of Pioneer’s NEX receivers. You’ll have the benefit of everything the aftermarket deck has to offer at this point, and CarPlay in vogue the very practically hope.

Tags : Toyota Sienna



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