forgive me, subie owners, for imposing on your forum, but this is the most comprehensive conversation about the Android HUs I've found so far.
Using android as the brains of the car interface has been a dream of mine for some time, but the process of setting up a custom, one-off, tablet-driven system seems quite cludgy, especially since we are still waiting for good USB DAC support (all of the android 3.5mm audio outs i've encountered are terrible, so the clean audio of an external, usb driven DAC is definitely optimal).
Enter the android HU. arguments aside (i trudged through that flame war), I think the android HU has a lot of potential. Unfortunately, i also see the downside of using outdated hardware (resistance screens, single-core processors) and software (froyo) simply because there are apps and interfaces out there that would benefit from the latest and greatest. or at least the slightly-more-recent-and-decent.
that being said, here
[clicky clicky] is a reason to want 2.3! I about crapped myself when i saw this, simply because I was worried that Valentine would ignore Escort/bell's integration with mobile devices. This is obviously Valentine's first attempt at an app, and from what i've read over at radardetectors.net, the app could definitely use some work (landscape mode). BUT it is a step in the right direction, and maybe some of the talented software developers floating around the forums could have some fun rehashing the UI.
Both the CA-FI and the Adayo units seem like they are well put together, but obviously the Adayo is slightly behind the newest CA-FI in terms of hardware and software. Also, the new
Parrot Asteroid Smart HU might bring some more competition to the market, but it isn't out yet and they don't specify their hardware and software, so it might be a crapshoot.
Anyway, with people like protekk (and other developers) around, these HUs could reach their full potential of providing a unique and customized turn-key approach for integrating our mobile world with our vehicles.
i'm excited to follow this thread and others to see where they end up, and hopefully i can have an Android HU within a year!
sorry for the dissertation, and here's to hoping...