Parrot Asteroid Smart Review: Android In Your Car's Dash?

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I’ve been looking for some time now to get a phone friendly head unit but they all come up lacking. You need to root them to get any real functionality and they are slow. Slow to boot and run apps with old operating systems and not all that stable. Pioneer now has AppRadio 3 but it still has issues also. Seems like such a simple thing. I just want to mirror my phone on the head units display.
 
Throw in at least a dual core, 1 gb ram, Android jelly bean (for Google now) and a 720p screen. Only then will people buy these head units. Or, just tape your nexus 7 to the to the glovebox and it can serve as a secondary airbag.
 
It is interesting to see this third party hardware to update vehicles without computer touch screens but after reading the article, it doesn't seem worth the trouble. Even if you do a great job of installation your left with a buggy system and a mediocre GPS. It appears that third party updates like this one need to grow up some.

What is the real deal killer is the mediocre audio - you would have thought that they could have gotten this right as the technology for quality audio has been around for at least 15 years.
 
Why would I want to put something like this in my car when I and everyone I know has a smartphone? I just place my phone on the dash when I want nav, and I usually don't even bother taking calls while driving. If I did, I'd use a Bluetooth headset. Besides, lots of people keep cars far longer than they keep phones. 7 years from now, do you really think that this device will be able to keep up? The whole touchscreen control nav console infotainment thing is completely impractical. Take away controls with tactile feedback. Replace with a screen with almost no feedback at best. Add proprietary software and a dash of obsolescence. I just don't see it.
 


You can do that but it won't look as nice nor would your steering wheel controls work.



The audio quality is fine, just the function is lacking. I believe they have TomTom on the Asteroid Market now too for those that dislike iGo.



Will not look as nice though.



Some people want a clean look that doesn't require slapping their phone on the dash or just want an upgrade from the plane factory setup, maybe an old factory navigation setup. The removal of tactile feedback and controls are typically with cheaper cars, the luxury vehicles still have buttons. But 7-years down the road, you could probably replace this Parrot with a 4th or 5th generation unit :).
 


He's probably talking about GPS software, ie TomTom or Garmin
 
Add a place for me to put a SIM card for its on data and full Google Play store support and i'll buy it! Why is it so hard for these companies to make what seems so simple! We want an in-dash and works like a tablet with full android and not your sh**ty bloatware!
 


After buying a modern Nissan with steering wheel controls and a touch screen interface, I won't get a car without it anymore. Being able to fully integrate my ipod and control the music through the controls without taking my hands off the steering wheel alone is worth the cost of the car. Plus having lots of other features like XM radio and bluetooth audio only adds some extra cool stuff to it.
 
I use Tuner studio for my car and the software from innovative motorsport's o2 sensor package.. There are many different ones for different vehicles and all.
 
This Parrot unit is FAR from the only aftermarket unit using Android. Dynavin has been making them for years (they sell units based on Win CE as well.) and there are several "clone" manufacturers as well...look on eBay! I installed the Android version first in my 2004 BMW but it was "buggy" so I swapped it out for the WIN CE and am very happy with it. http://www.dynavin.com/
 


I've seen the Dynavins but the rate they release new versions and stop updating them doesn't make them very appealing. I'd trust Parrot with updates more than a company that sells cheap hardware with a massive markup and no software development to show for it.
 
Too xpensive for the hardware but this is the future in car stereo, with a lot of hard work and 3G modem this could be a better option.
 


No argument from me. As I said, the Android unit was buggy. I's simply correcting the mis-information included in the original article. Cheers!
 


I don't think I ever wrote it was the only Android head unit, but just Parrot's second-generation unit.
 
It's a step in the right direction, but way to much money for what it is. You are basically buying an old non-hd android unit, with very little support. I'll keep waiting.
 
Sounds like they still have a way to go. I use a HTC One and I'm not about to purchase another Android unit that is so out of date it probably won't run CoPilot.

I will wait for someone to produce a good Nexus 7 car kit with ISO connectors. Meanwhile my Kenwood running what looks like Window CE will do fine for now. My Kenwood will even display SMSs (if connected to a compatible phone,of which there are not many.) Not sure how safe reading an on-screen text is while driving is.

What we really want is an onscreen HUD that projects the image forward in front of the car so you are still focused on the road. Information not movies of course :)
 
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