As if I'm not already a big enough GEEK!

what we need is (a more reliable) version of windows mobile running the whole system, programmable from our desktop via the bluetooth link.

i would have the car say 'energize' in capt jean-luc picard's voice when i walked up to it with the fob in my pocket...

 

Why? because of a few voice commands. For not doing any sort of voice training ( which they should have ) this car's system work extremely well. Some people are soft spoken.. it causes problem. I think the nav has been the best thing about this car. I use it all the time. Too bad you didn't get a 9.. it's an awesome nav system.

 

i love my nav, its saved my nice person a few times, i couldnt live without it

 

I, too, would prefer if they gave you the option of training the system but even an untrained one would have been nice a couple of weeks ago when I spent an hour in a T-storm in and around ( and around and around) Quincy, MA looking for my hotel. My mapquest map probably would have been good enough if I had at least had a compass. I would finally find a street on my map but not know which direction to turn. "Oops, now I'm in Milton, better turn around" ;-)

 

That's the devil's talk.

Actually, the Siemens folk had the newest generation iDrive system running in Java. Which means that if you had a nice JINI interface, and set up authentication correctly, you could control it from your desktop, palm, phone, etc.

There's a good reason Windows mobile isn't used in cars anymore.... and it has everything to do with quality.

 

i knew i would get flamed for that, but i just didn't know what more reliable OS would be appropriate. the LAST thing i want is the blue screen of death coming up on my nav screen as i'm driving...

and to address the other comments, i too love my nav system except that it's not working at present, and so far it's been 2 weeks that i've been waiting for the dealer to get in touch with their warranty rep at toyota to see if they are going to cover it.

 

NAV

I love the NAV! One of my favorite features!

 

I'll admit to being a wimp, but I am terrified of driving in big cities. And I've seen enough posts about NAV misguiding people. Here in Fargo it would be like mowing your lawn with a chainsaw. And for those very rare occasions (maybe twice in the last 3 years) when I could not find something, I have my cell phone (never turned on unless I need to make a call). Plus NAV won't know what to do about construction detours, big-city traffic jams, or simply taking a scenic route.

 

FYI, the nav does have an auto-reroute feature, so if you decide to randomly turn down a side road, it'll automatically reroute your trip accordingly.

I've used the NAV countless times, and have yet to have a major problem with it. Sure, occasionally it's quirky, like a little shy on the adress #'s, but living in the greater DC area for the past 3 years without it, and still not knowing where the hell the one way streets are in DC, etc - it's been worth much more than the $2k sticker price of it to me.

The most important thing to remember here though - it's an option, and it's not forced on any of us who don't want it! If you're unsure about getting one with or without, rent a Prius with the nav, or test drive one and see if you like it or not.

And, without the voice controls, I'd have to hit the "Mode" button a bajillion times to get it to cycle from XM preset 2 to XM preset 1 - instead though, I can just say "Sat 1" which is much easier.

-m.

 

Actually some sort of embedded linux (ala TiVO) or Symbian would be the best bet. They can both run Java, altho I'm not sure if Symbian's Java runtime supports realtime java, and I'm pretty sure Linux's does.

It really is a shame that the bluetooth in the car is so underutilized. It could be used for a lot more with some creativity and a nice open API.

 

I suppose if I lived in DC (terrifying thought!) I'd want it.