Making your dumb car smart(er)

Forums › Transport (cars, bikes and boats) › Making your dumb car smart(er)

1 | 2 | 3

1717 posts

Uber Geek

Subscriber

#1603568 3-Aug-2016 13:59

I was fortunate (foolish?) enough to buy a new car this year (Octavia VRS) and I bloody love Apple Car Play! I have all my music on my iPhone so to have seamless, responsive access to that library with the IOS interface along with the ability to use Spotify and Maps through the in-car system is great and both the in-car voice control and Siri work really well, i.e "Play album X" or "Show me how to get to place Y"

So yes - would highly recommend a head unit with this functionality (as well as the Android equivalent depending on your preference)

Tradepub

Free professional, reference and technical white papers (affiliate link).

mdf

3486 posts

Uber Geek

Trusted

#1603572 3-Aug-2016 14:04

I keep meaning to do something about this so a timely thread.

I have a feeling I have missed something though (curse Google for constantly changing the name of things!).

Does Android Auto = head unit that mirrors your Android phone screen, which is different to a head unit that happens to run Android? Is that right?

Dingbatt

6732 posts

Uber Geek

Lifetime subscriber

#1603619 3-Aug-2016 14:36

mdf:
I keep meaning to do something about this so a timely thread.

I have a feeling I have missed something though (curse Google for constantly changing the name of things!).

Does Android Auto = head unit that mirrors your Android phone screen, which is different to a head unit that happens to run Android? Is that right?

From what I can understand, there is actually 3 flavours!
1. A headunit that has mirrorlink (1 way or 2 way) whose underlying OS doesn't have to be Android;
2 An android OS that may or may not have mirror link capabilities, and;
3 An Android Auto one that is the Android equivalent of Carplay.

So Mirrorlink is essentially a screen repeater for your Android phone, and can be either 1 way (phone to headunit) or 2 way where touches on the headunit screen manipulate the phone and vice versa. All functions are actually carried out by the phone. To be properly effective the phone needs to be connected via USB. Some mainstream headunit manufacturers require a proprietary cable to do this. Pluses for mirrorlink are everything is resident on your phone and as such you don't need to wifi hotspot it. The downside being it needs to have a cable connection.

The Android OS headunits are effectively a mobile device running Android. So effectively an android tablet mounted in your dash with an amp, tuner and cd player attached. Incidentally I came close to trying this on my maxima, like a pauper's Tesla :-). I hadn't considered the conflict as mentioned above. But the advantages can be that it is as flexible as any other Android device. Put whatever widgets, apps, etc you like on the home screens. Run apps like Torque, Tasker, IFTTT to increase its utility. As stated above it may or may not have Mirrorlink.

Android Auto is a bit like Android Wear but for cars. It has some of the functionality of your phone but not all, and is restricted as to what it will let you do when in motion. When your phone is connected you can't access the phone screen it just says "Android Auto". It needs apps on your phone that have been specifically written for Android Auto in much the same way as Wear does.

I'm happy to be corrected, but that is what I believe to be the lay of the land at the moment.

Edit : Syntax and format.

“We’ve arranged a society based on science and technology, in which nobody understands anything about science technology. Carl Sagan 1996

Jonski

265 posts

Ultimate Geek

#1603628 3-Aug-2016 15:00

I didn't want to upgrade because I needed to move the Camira so I could get the Torana out to get to the Commodore.

Does anyone remember the Empeg car unit? https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Empeg_Car Hmmm now I'm off seeing if NUCs can be used as carputers...

I reject your reality and substitute my own!
- Adam Savage, Mythbuster

Dingbatt

6732 posts

Uber Geek

Lifetime subscriber

#1603630 3-Aug-2016 15:02

Jonski:
I didn't want to upgrade because I needed to move the Camira so I could get the Torana out to get to the Commodore.

Does anyone remember the Empeg car unit? https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Empeg_Car Hmmm now I'm off seeing if NUCs can be used as carputers...

Spent quite a bit of time trawling through the carputer and mp3car forums.

Oh, and I like your opening sentence. I have a relative (dairy farmer) who has a similar problem but it involves moving his wife's HSV Monaro so he can get his Chev truck out, to then move his son's V8 Holden Ute so he can get his daughter's Monaro out. Also has a Buick and a Statesman De Ville in a shed. I keep telling him he needs to contact GM NZ for some sort of award (or to get his head read) :-)

“We’ve arranged a society based on science and technology, in which nobody understands anything about science technology. Carl Sagan 1996

MikeAqua

7767 posts

Uber Geek

#1603657 3-Aug-2016 15:34

Android Auto requires two things: -

1) A head unit with android auto installed in it.

2) The Android auto app on you phone.

You connect phone and head unit with your USB charge cable.

Apps that are approved by Google to work with Android Auto will run on the phone but display and control is via the head unit touch screen and voice command.

Personally I find Google's voice commands work flawlessly for me, via the mic on my phone but YMMV.

The apps that are approved for Android Auto include Google Maps, Google Play Music, various 3rd party music, various audio books.

BT connects as soon as you plug the phone into the head unit.

I like the look of the Pioneer Headunit which does Apple Play and Android Auto. But at $1,300 "Ouch!"

Mike

richms

27892 posts

Uber Geek

Trusted

Lifetime subscriber

#1603659 3-Aug-2016 15:36

The whole idea of having my phone crippled while connected to the stereo is one that doesnt sit well with me.

Richard rich.ms

dickytim

2514 posts

Uber Geek
Inactive user

#1603681 3-Aug-2016 16:04

Crippled how?

Jonski

265 posts

Ultimate Geek

#1603690 3-Aug-2016 16:13

Dingbatt:
Jonski:

I didn't want to upgrade because I needed to move the Camira so I could get the Torana out to get to the Commodore.

Oh, and I like your opening sentence. I have a relative (dairy farmer) who has a similar problem but it involves moving his wife's HSV Monaro so he can get his Chev truck out, to then move his son's V8 Holden Ute so he can get his daughter's Monaro out. Also has a Buick and a Statesman De Ville in a shed. I keep telling him he needs to contact GM NZ for some sort of award (or to get his head read) :-)

Is he Australian? I was quoting The Castle... https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/The_Castle#Dialogue

Life imitates art or summat.

I reject your reality and substitute my own!
- Adam Savage, Mythbuster

Dingbatt

6732 posts

Uber Geek

Lifetime subscriber

#1603694 3-Aug-2016 16:18

Not Australian. But 100% in the cars I described.

“We’ve arranged a society based on science and technology, in which nobody understands anything about science technology. Carl Sagan 1996

Item

1717 posts

Uber Geek

Subscriber

#1603704 3-Aug-2016 16:33

richms:

The whole idea of having my phone crippled while connected to the stereo is one that doesnt sit well with me.

Why would it be crippled?

When mine is hooked into CarPlay the voice, texts and music functions work fine through the head unit and should I be so inclined, I can pick my phone up whilst it is still connected and use it as I normally would.

Dingbatt

6732 posts

Uber Geek

Lifetime subscriber

#1603706 3-Aug-2016 16:35

Item:
richms:

The whole idea of having my phone crippled while connected to the stereo is one that doesnt sit well with me.

Why would it be crippled?

When mine is hooked into CarPlay the voice, texts and music functions work fine through the head unit and should I be so inclined, I can pick my phone up whilst it is still connected and use it as I normally would.

That is a key difference between Carplay and Android Auto. AA disables the phone screen while connected.

“We’ve arranged a society based on science and technology, in which nobody understands anything about science technology. Carl Sagan 1996

Item

1717 posts

Uber Geek

Subscriber

#1603710 3-Aug-2016 16:42

Dingbatt:
Item:

richms:

The whole idea of having my phone crippled while connected to the stereo is one that doesnt sit well with me.

Why would it be crippled?

When mine is hooked into CarPlay the voice, texts and music functions work fine through the head unit and should I be so inclined, I can pick my phone up whilst it is still connected and use it as I normally would.

That is a key difference between Carplay and Android Auto. AA disables the phone screen while connected.

Ah - gotcha!

I was actually surprised that it didn't do this on my iPhone. In theory it is probably a good move as far as safety and driver focus is concerned!

Technofreak

6515 posts

Uber Geek

Trusted

#1603852 3-Aug-2016 21:04

I put a Parrot MKi9100 Bluetooth handsfree kit in my 2003 Commodore.

It is hooked up to the auxiliary input using the OEM head unit connection, this is only mono. There are other options which give full stereo input depending on head unit.

I only use the phone function, which has voice activated calling and answering.

You can play music from your phone via Bluetooth plus you can plug in a USB stick and play music from that. It's OS agnostic and works extremely well. There's seamless switch over to the phone if you're still talking when you exit the car.

Sony Xperia XA2 running Sailfish OS. https://sailfishos.org The true independent open source mobile OS
Samsung Galaxy Tab S6
Dell Inspiron 14z i5

Wade

2225 posts

Uber Geek

#1603982 4-Aug-2016 01:13

My solution is a simple Kinivo BTC450 bluetooth adaptor plugged into aux in and a Logitech +Drive windscreen mount and relying ona large screen phone and google apps to make the magic happen

I need to sort some form of camera but undecided whether to go replacement rear view mirror or try the wifi camera on phone set up

1 | 2 | 3