My current car (BMW) has a similar configuration. I can play MP3 DVDs (8GB each in double layer format!) in the nav DVD drive (and in some non-US countries you can play video DVDs).

Hopefully this functionality will be added when they add the USB functionality in September.

This is definitely a positive development. I'm not a fan of Apple's proprietary hard/software so I could careless about the iPod part, but I suppose Toyota chose this option in order to please a fairly large group of Apple devotees.

With this USB port, I wonder how difficult it would be to add an adapter for standard MP3 players so that you can also see playlists etc. and control them from the steering wheel. (Kinda ironic that you'd need an adapter for standard equipment but none for proprietary stuff.)

Gee I ordered a 2010 from the Prius Team! This means I have to pay for it??
That in Sept. it would have been free?

I have two thoughts:

1. It's about f***ing time. I found it funny that my fully equipped Prius came with a CD player. Why not through in an 8-track slot while you're at it?!?
2. While I'm glad for Toyota entering the year 2000 with iPod capability, why does their UI look like DOS? Whoever is developing the Toyota tech needs some serious lessons in aesthetics and usability in their user interfaces.

Here's hoping Apple shakes things up by following through on some of their car interface related patents to show these guys how it's done.

Danny,
Thanks For Pointing That Out!!

iPod / Nav Screen interface questions

Hello all,

This is my first post here, but I have to start by saying how impressed I am by the amount of useful information in this forum! BTW, not a current prius owner, but I am on the waiting list for a 2010 pkg IV w/ Sunroof in Southern California.

What I am curious about is the type of interface that the september usb iPod integration will have. I have close to 15,000 songs on my iPod and it can be a real pain in the butt to scroll through my artists, even my playlists. What I am really looking for is the ability to jump to an artist / song without scrolling for 5 minutes. (my gf has this on her acura navigation) Doug stated that the interface will be similar to the Lexus RX, so I called a dealer to see how that worked. The results were not good. He said it shows about 10 artists per page, and that to get to the middle or the end of your list, you have to manually click page down until you get there!

For a company that prides themselves on safety and keeping your eyes on the road, this feature is seriously lacking!

Does anybody know if Toyota is addressing this problem in the september update?? Anybody know a work around?

Thanks!

THis is good news

Re: iPod / Nav Screen interface questions

Not sure of the OEM unit but here is aftermarket a lot of Lexus owners use

Video,Audio Information Solutions for Toyota and Lexus (iPod integration,XM and Sirius SAT radio integration,MP3 integration,Auxiliary input)

Greetings... Sounds like we've got a least a few people driving the new 2010 3G (yes, I'm jealous!) Curious if anyone is using their iPod in it. The Toyota website shows an available accessory (a cable) to connect your iPod, inside the glove-box, allowing head-unit & steering wheel controls... Does that mean you must buy that cable, in addition to the Nav system, if you want the iPod integration? Just wondering if anyone has experienced that accessory/functionality yet, and exactly how it works...

Wow, I've been away from PriusChat a long time! My 2007 has become a weekend-only car because of my job-related travel, and so as I approach my 2-year anniversary in that great car, I've only just now clocked 11,000 miles (lifetime MPG hovering right at 49mpg.) When I saw the Toyota website for the 2010, my first thought was "time to trade in---wonder what my low-miles '07 will be worth?"

I have always wanted a sun/moonroof-equipped vehicle, and seriously, that one feature (well, the solar roof/ventilation seems pretty cool too, but I don't think I park in full sun all that often) along with the iPod integration, would have me seriously considering a trade-up. (I loved that the 2007 came with an audio input jack & aux power port in the armrest storage, but that only makes me want full iPod control all the more, since it is pretty cumbersome to deal with an iPod inside that storage console!)

Forgive the ramble... to summarize---anyone actually using Toyota/factory spec iPod integration in a 2010 yet?

According to Prius Team (posted in another thread), the iPod adapter accessory on Toyota.com & in the brochure is only applicable to cars that don't have the upgraded JBL system, and is available now. A USB / iPod adapter will be released in September (on new cars, and also available for 2010 cars purchased before then), which will only be compatible with cars with nav.

Almost. The currently available accessory only works with the base (non-JBL) sound system (Prius II), which by definition can't have nav.

The USB / iPod adapter will work with car with the JBL system with nav.

So it appears that the cars with the JBL system that don't have nav won't have an iPod solution.

That was easy, ha?