Who's interested in a full Android head unit?
 

I've been talking to the shop that did my audio install (also posted in this forum) and wanted to see how many people would be interested in getting it. They are open to the idea of a group buy. Pricing would start at 599, and go down as the number of people in the group go up. I don't know the specifics as to what the stages are for the price breaks. But I can get that info.

For those who haven't seen my thread, here's the head unit portion:

http://img803.imageshack.us/img803/1...tinstalled.jpg

I saved this for last because of how blown away I am by this unit. 99% of you have never heard of this unit or the company. You are truly missing out.

I've played with and owned a number of double din "all-in-one" head units ranging from Kenwoods, to Pioneers, to Alpines, and even a Clarion mixed in there. They all pale in comparison.

I'll start with how the unit looks. It's a rather standard layout for a 6.1" double din unit. At the top, you have the CD/DVD drive, and microSD slot that comes prefilled with a 4GB card loaded with North American maps for the included iGO navigation app. To the left, you have the main buttons of "Menu", "Home", and "Back". You can probably guess where this is going.... Also along the left is a decent size volume knob, microphone for hands free, and a little plastic door that opens up to the full size SD card slot, USB slot, and 3.5mm audio/video jack.

In the box was a plethora of connetions. Your typical stuff like car hookups, speaker connections, front/rear/sub out, rear audio/video in/out, GPS dongle, and also an Apple cable for connecting to your iCrap. Also, connection for steering wheel controls... but more on that later. There are also USB connections for BOTH a WiFi dongle and 3G dongle. A 150Mbps USB Wireless N dongle is included. Capping off the package is a remote, guide, and stylus (which isn't necessary to operate the unit).

This head unit runs on TRUE Android. It is only 2.2, so some of the number snobs might scoff, but the unit itself runs buttery smooth.... similar to my Nexus 7 tablet. I threw everything at it that I could. Live Wallpaper, playing music, using the OFFLINE navigation app, connecting to bluetooth. Nothing so much as stuttered the unit. The interface is VERY fast and smooth. I may take a video of it at some point, just to show everyone. The launcher is AOSP android with a slight modification. Along the bottom on the home screens, there is a dock of sorts that contains the functions pertinent to being a head unit (Music, iPod, Radio, Aux In, Bluetooth, Equalizer, Video Out, Navigation, etc). You can still customize the home screens (5) with all the widget goodness of android. Oh, and yes, there is the full Android market. And yes, Torque works (but you need the Wifi version of the ELM).

http://img38.imageshack.us/img38/133...nitandroid.jpg
http://img84.imageshack.us/img84/161...tosversion.jpg
http://img441.imageshack.us/img441/2...homescreen.jpg

The radio interface is rather old school. Changing the station was quick and reception is great.
http://img96.imageshack.us/img96/6166/huradio.jpg


Playing music off an SD card or USB stick is also quick and easy. The interface is basic, with the major tag info displayed as well as a decent size album art, if available. Again all functions were fast and fluid.
http://img825.imageshack.us/img825/9895/humusic.jpg

Once you hook up an Apple device, it recognizes and opens the iPod app. This allows you to view all the Music, Videos, and Photos on your iDevice. While playing music, you have access to all the songs, as well as playlists and any sorting options you would want (artist, album, genre, etc). Reading, displaying, and navigating was quick and responsive. Even scrolling through the lists was fluid.

The equalizer is pretty basic. You have your High/Low/Mid frequency adjustments. Note, this is for the speaker out only. Subwoofers have their own control page. So you can adjust the frequency gain, as well as high/mid/low filters. On the second tab, there was sound stage position adjustment, and subwoofer level. In the settings menu of Android, there is a filter for the subwoofer as well. Not sure why it wasn't on this page.
http://img842.imageshack.us/img842/5168/huequalizer.jpg
http://img13.imageshack.us/img13/2548/hupositionsub.jpg

There is a customizable steering wheel control interface. You can program any button on your steering wheel to whatever function you want, not just what the car manufacturer designed it to be. This doesn't apply to us as the 86 doesn't have steering wheel controls (one of my few gripes with the car, actually), but in other cars, this is pretty damn cool.
http://img253.imageshack.us/img253/3...ingcontrol.jpg

I haven't had the chance to test out the dual zone video features, or auxiliary input features, or the video playback features. I grounded the brake line so Watching videos should be enabled. I know I am able to input an address in the gps while driving. Speaking of...

The navigation, is one of the best systems I've used. The amount of options on it are ridiculous. I took a couple screen shots, but they don't come near the amount of customization you can do. I'd need to do an entire video just to cover it all. You have options for 2d/3d, elevation 3d (hills and valleys are reflected in the 3d), 3d buildings, points of interest actually show up on the map without having to search for them, you can customize your car icon to any one of the 107 included 3d models (most are actual cars, sadly no BRZ was included). They also include fun things, like mario in a mario kart and tanks, motorcycles, a chick on a vespa, etc. Google search is one of the options for inputting a destination. I have my phone tethered to the unit so it has internet wherever my phone does. This is only like 25% of the navigation has to offer. The actual movement on the screen while driving was very smooth, not stuttery like a lot of GPS systems. Oh yea, traffic works great too and you have the option to display alternate routes while driving along the one you're currently on.
http://img411.imageshack.us/img411/8...navigation.jpg
http://img196.imageshack.us/img196/7...gationmenu.jpg
http://img580.imageshack.us/img580/1...arselector.jpg

Of course if any of the included apps don't fit your fancy, you are more than able to download an app that does, off the Android market.

I'm sure I've missed quite a bit, but I think this unit and android as a whole has a real chance to take off here. The user experience is the best I've seen (even from really high end units). If you have any questions, feel free to ask. I'll try and post up pictures or videos to help explain anything.

Lastly, the LED's light up either blue or red. The red matches our interiors pretty well.
http://img850.imageshack.us/img850/7638/huledcolor.jpg

I'm not sure what the board policy is on member group buys. On some forums, members are allowed to run 1 or 2 group buys. Not sure if that's the case here. If a Mod sees this, PM me and let me know :)

Video review please!

i am interested. depends on the price of course but very interested in this unit.

Do you really want to see a video of me blabbing away about how awesome this unit is? lol

I'd be interested if it used all the available width.

I luv me some droid, but wont invest in something that cant be upgraded to new ROMs down the line... I'm puzzled as to why these late 2012 models are using old a## android releases on low res capacitive screens. A community forum like XDA could really make these new decks pop with jailbrakes, new features and other goodies.

I love me some jelly bean as much as the next guy, but is it really necessary for the application? The unit runs as smooth as my Nexus 7. Do you really need a 720p screen for while you're driving down the road? I don't.

What functions of ICS or Jelly Bean would you use over Froyo in a car?

Maybe to show the navigation map refresh rate or to see how much lag there is for touch input. Sometimes it's better to see than to hear "it's not that much lag". This way, everyone can judge for themselves how much lag is acceptable.

Also, Jelly bean's voice commands/voice search is pretty amazing

You can't run the new versions of google apps on 2.2. New version of google navigation with, offline maps. Voice recognition and voice search features are vastly improve on 4.0.4+ There are a whole bunch of things that won't run, and going forward you will have less app support for it.

Great post.. All 2012 droid hardware should be atleast 1 release behind with the ability to be rooted and ROM'd with tablet enhanced code. I'm sure a branch of developers would get kicks over new hardware to control.

Can this unit able to keep up with new android software which constanly updated every year like an android phone? I'm a little concern if the HU system can't be updated w/ future android softwares. Let say in 5 yrs.

I would be interested if the interface, in style, response, and intuitiveness, is indistinguishable from my phone. If the screen response is slow, or the unit can't be rooted and updated to new versions of android, or if I'm required to use their software for functions such as nav, then it's yet another half-assed HU and I have 0 interest in it.

An android HU should be an extension of my phone. I sit in the car and the phone should sync with the HU, and I should be able to access the same apps and data that I have on my phone. That means google maps, pandora, ulysse speedometer, etc. Even if the HU is it's own device and not a peripheral, I should be able to do everything I can with my phone.

Essentially, if I'd be better off mounting a tablet, then it's half-assed and I have zero interest.

I'm working on videos for everyone. Stay tuned...

You wrote a book but forgot a price ?
People won't be interested unless there is a listed price to compare to other products


I-Tapatalk

Whoops, updated.

Not sure what phone you have, but its AOSP 2.2. I have no idea if it can be rooted or not. I've been able to download a majority of the apps from my phone to the head unit. Most of them are not useful for a car though (Do I really need to play angry birds or words with friends in the car?). You are welcome to use your own navigation app, music app, video player, etc. You ARE stuck with using their apps for things like reverse camera, rear headrest video output, steering wheel controls. Pandora works flawlessly, as does google maps (with an internet connection).

Considering the options on the market (Kenwoods, Pioneers, Sonys), I'd hardly call that "Half-assed". The truth is, even if there were more limitations, the head unit provides a better user experience than head units that cost 2-3x the price.

Moving on, here are some videos I took:

Start up:
[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N0Vf5GBXBZc"]HU Startup - YouTube[/ame]

Homescreen navigating:
[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=atM6cnqQpls"]HU Homescreen - YouTube[/ame]

Quick resume (car was off for 3-4 minutes):
[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UtK0osHV9Ac"]HU Resume from off - YouTube[/ame]

Basic feature response:
[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CXQitWGtDD4"]Basic Feature Response - YouTube[/ame]

Voice Search and web:
[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BEGqPxuuAVQ"]HU Search and Web - YouTube[/ame]

iPod/iPhone function:
[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HWERBuQR3Rk"]Ipod function.mp4 - YouTube[/ame]

Navigation skim through:
[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vIOwq6m9LAg"]NAV - YouTube[/ame]

GPS tracking with nav map:
[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ilstqt_JZDc"]HU Nav driving - YouTube[/ame]

I was going to take one of the bluetooth phone features, but I doubt my contacts want their info broadcast over youtube LOL.

Anyone have any other questions?

Looks good, I'd be interested if it came with all the necessary harnesses and dash kit adapter to plug n play with the stock wiring/dash. If not, it would really have to depend on what those group buy price breaks are. Finally, I'd prefer if the thing could be rooted, even if I'm stuck using their ROM, I'd still want root.

Interested in the price.

Sent from my SCH-I535 using Tapatalk 2

Price is in the original post. It depends on how many people participate.

I guess I should have said I am curious of the bulk pricing. They are on eBay for 599.

Sent from my SCH-I535 using Tapatalk 2

I seem to have gone off on a rant again.

I'm not calling this HU half-assed right off the bat. I'm just saying that there is a minimum standard for an interface that all of us use every day. And that IF this HU doesn't meet that standard, I wouldn't find it acceptable.

$600 for a head unit running a two year old version of the Android OS? No thanks. You're better off buying a Nexus 7 for $250 and mounting it to your dash. Somebody should make a really nice looking enclosure for the N7.

Can the existing usb/aux still be wired into the back of this unit? I DON'T want to plug shit into the HU itself, that gets ugly.

I've loved iGo for years, one of the best nav programs out there, and I've probably used all of them at one point or another. Though it does seem to start slower than even my old Samsung WinMo phone...

Are there detailed specs on this? CPU/RAM/ROM/etc?

You're completely missing the point. This isn't necessarily to imitate mounting a tablet somehwere. It's to provide a better headunit experience. Besides, aside from google now, and a handful of ICS/Jelly Bean only apps, there's not much advantage to having the Nexus 7 mounted somewhere.

I guess I prefer a cleaner, more streamlined look. :iono:

I have a Nexus 7 myself, and don't see any advantage to having that mounted somewhere on the dash or windshield in addition to a head unit. It seems like it would be a pain to operate both at the same time just access a few apps that wouldn't even necessarily be for cars.

And how would you hook up a steering wheel control, external monitors, backup camera, and radio to the tablet??? Either way you look at it, the head unit is a better option for a car.

Yup, there are 2 USB leads in the back (labelled 3G and WiFi, but that doesn't matter). I have a 16GB USB stick sitting in the 3G one. You can also hook up a small USB hub if you want more.

I guess I'm used to Kenwoods and Pioneers taking forever to bootup. My X930BT took about 10 seconds longer than this. Plus it sleeps for a small amount of time. So if you stop at home, run in, and come back. It will resume to whatever you were doing as soon as you turn the car on. I posted a video of that.

I've never used iGo before, but am pleasantly surprised.

As far as specs, here is what I know:

CPU: 1GHz Cortex A8
RAM: 512MB
USB: 3 Slots
SD: 2 Slots (one is occupied by the iGo maps)... the other supports up to 64GB full size SD card.
Built in Amp: 45x4
Screen: 800x480
There is some onboard storage for apps if you don't want to use an SD card, not sure of the exact amount ... I'll check after work.

So this has Froyo and a up-to-the-job CPU...I think it's ok!
I thought about an android HU as soon as I saw the 2-din slot on the GT86.
This looks like the best candidate.
The guys who designed it really knew what they were doing, nothing seems amiss.
I like the fact that you have a physical volume wheel, which an integrated tabled wouldn't.
I also like the CD and SD slot open without moving the screen.
Actually, the CD player is not of much use, and I would have liked a bigger screen in higher definition (720p would be spot on), but hey, you can't have everything. Maybe the next model!
The red/blue leds are a nice touch.
The quick reboot function is also nice.

Good job on the videos, they really show everything in details.

How does the bluetooth work with a android phone?

How is the video playback?

As long as you're getting this head unit for what it is - a head unit, the version of Android on it is irrelevant. For the use case of providing head unit functionality in a vehicle, this device looks to be a fairly strong performer. If you're interested in having a current Android platform to reliably run all your modern apps on it, then you'll have less than desirable results.

Don't think of this as a $500+ Android device, think of it as a $500+ full-featured head unit that just happens to run Android.

Yeah, I keep all of my Android devices current (even beyond that since I use custom ROMs), but aside from some manufacturer TSB, I can't even remember having to worry about updating the firmware on one of my head units.

Like 2forme stated earlier, you're not going to be running all of your full-blown Android apps on this thing. There are some specific vehicle-related apps that would be great to have on here, other than that, it's basically a highly skinnable, user-familiar UI that, as a bonus, you might be able to take advantage of some of your favorite Android apps that might prove useful in a vehicle.

It's not going to replace your iPad, Nexus, or smartphone, but it will perform admirably as a vehicle headunit, integrating with your sound system, GPS, rearview cameras, external video displays, etc.

One more question for 2forme - can this thing mate to our SiriusXM unit?

Phone integration is very nice. It connects quickly and gives you access to a dial pad, contact list, call log, and music. Everything has nice fluid animations when changing through the different items.

I would have taken a video, but my Adobe Premiere skills aren't up to par so I wouldn't have been able to blur our all the actual contact information.

I'll pop in a DVD and an SD card with some movies and take a short video of it later.


This is exactly my point! Thank you Foobar.

On the XM, I'm not sure. I'd have to check into that for you. I personally don't use XM so I wonder if there's an App and USB dongle kit that would work...

By default the unit lets you install from outside sources, or whatever the exact verbiage is. You can stick an SD card or USB stick in with apk's and install them LOL.

Actually it doesn't look like a USB dongle is necessary.

http://www.siriusxm.com/android

Works on Froyo.

Ah yes, I keep forgetting you can stream over the 'net. Still, since our car has an Satellite antenna, and that doesn't eat up cellular data, it would be nice to take advantage of that.

Good point, I'm on Sprint so I keep forgetting others have to worry about data overages.

Thanks for the reply...just one more thing, if you have an android smartphone with a data connection, can the HU connect to internet by bluetooth or you need a dongle?
Or can you fit a SIM in the HU?

I connect via wireless tether. The head unit comes with a WiFi dongle that runs out of the back of the unit. Or you can get a 3g dongle and sign up for a carrier contract.

Pre-Outs? I assume it had an input for a reverse camera? Sorry if I missed that. Also can you tie an external MIC into it?

If a group buy goes through, I hope you get a commission for being the sales guy! ;)

Nah, the only thing I get is the joy of sharing with the community!

Yes it has front, rear, and sub pre outs. As well as separate video outs and ins. I'll check into the external Mic.

I wonder was the connection b/w this Adayo and the Rydeen DV621 unit. They look same, same specs too.

Subbed. The only reason I didn't immediately order this unit after seeing your write up was I don't have the car yet. If you got a group buy going I'd be in for sure.

In the original write up he did for this unit he said they were the same.

I hope they give you the same price break at least. By the way, could you confirm if music and Navigation conflict with each other? I heard that you can only do one or the other, not both at the same time.

Identical units.

Clearly this is the best android built in unit available. I am just shocked that it's really the best one.