3 ms·
> Finally Android Auto and CarPlay gave everyone what they wanted Bzzt. What I want is what I have: there's a $10 bluetooth receiver hooked to the car audio i
by dsr_ 3y ago
> Finally Android Auto and CarPlay gave everyone what they wanted
Bzzt.
What I want is what I have: there's a $10 bluetooth receiver hooked to the car audio input jack, and a $10 phone holder on top of the dash, and a $10 USB charger plugged into the 12V. If phones routinely came with headphone jacks, I could skip the bluetooth intermediate.
So: when I start the car, whatever phone I have paired reconnects with the bluetooth receiver and plays what I want through the dumb speaker system. If I want to run a map app, I do that. If I want to make a call, I can do that. The phone is in charge of muting the music when a call comes in. It's very good at that.
If I change software on my phone, the new things work in the car. If I want to replace the phone with something not tied to Google or Apple, I can.
The car can't report its location, can't be remotely immobilized, can't show me advertising. No new subscription. No bugs in the car system to exploit; no bugs in the car system to brick the system. Easily and cheaply replaceable parts.
I don't understand why any driver would want more integration than this. Somebody suggested that the car should tell the mapping system when I've clicked the turn signal on or off, but if you need that level of detailed support when driving, I think maybe you shouldn't be driving while distracted by a mapping system at all.
- JoBrad 3y agoThat’s Android Auto/Carplay, except it uses WiFi or USB, for a better connection.
- dolmen 3y agoBetter connection is not my experience. In long trips, the car starts to loose the connection to the phone, even if connected by USB cable. Looks like a memory leak crashing the system. And no, I don't want to stop the car just to restart display of Google Maps on the car display: baby is sleeping, stopping is not an option.
- alufers 3y agoI still have a drawer full of phone holders and bluetooth receivers that I used in my previous car with a "dumb" radio. All of the holders were annoyingly rattling when driving over potholes and finicky to insert or remove the phone. From all the bluetooth receivers I tried (3 of them), none of them had a decent microphone, which meant making phone calls a no go, and the first 2 of them had poor power filtering resulting in a high-pitched hum (I suppose it was from the alternator). Now I have a car with wireless Android Auto and when I start the car I immediately get a google maps view without having to search for the app, including two recommended destinations (usually places I go to frequently, or the last searched place on Gmaps). The whole interface is easier to use while driving, because of the limited feature-set and larger screen than on the phone itself. Same story with calling, it just works - I can answer calls from the buttons on the steering wheel and the mic is decent and in the right place. Can we stop pretending that every innovation since 2010 is evil? I get it that it locks in you in Google's/Apple's ecosystems, but their solution is simply working well. For me the alternatives don't cut it, and I believe that their shoddy practices (data collection, monopoly etc.) should be fought with legislation and not by refusing to use their stuff on principle.
- JohnFen 3y agoI'm in your camp. What I want in a car's "infotainment" center is that it doesn't have one in the first place. I can supply whatever I need on my own.
- eternityforest 3y agoSeems like that kind of turn signal integration could be easily done via Bluetooth if someone bothered making a standard fo it.