Hacking the screen and the future of Entune

Most video streaming protocols (Airplay, DLNA, UPnP, etc) rely on WiFi which the Prius lacks. Entune uses Bluetooth to interface with a mobile device, but Bluetooth does not have the bandwidth to mirror video between devices. There's no way you could do this kind of mirroring/streaming using the "out of the box" Prius hardware.

Entune could easily become a very cool product, perhaps with its own map/nav app in the future. But it could just as easily go nowhere. Or they could just as easily not offer those updates to older model years.

It seems like you're trying hard to convince yourself that the extra cost of the 3 is worth it. My best advice is that if it looks useful to you in its current form, then get it - you may find yourself using it more than your phone simply because it's already right there. If it's not useful to you but you don't mind gambling the price difference on the fact that it may never be useful to you, then get it. The MSRP price difference is around $800 but the price difference in the real world may be even less. But I don't think it's a good idea to get it just on the off chance that someday it might be cool. Enjoy your test drives!

 

VAIS already has a full blown Android phone interface for Toyota and Lexus navigation systems: Video,Audio Information Solutions for Toyota and Lexus (iPod/iPhone/iPad, Android, USB, XM/Sirius SAT Radio, Video integration)

In its current format and with its limited apps (and apps of limited/no usefulness), I don't know if I would be willing to pay the $60/year for Entune after the three year "complimentary access" expires. It will be up to my wife since she is the primary driver. She's had the car almost nine months and hasn't used Entune a single time.

The RIM/Blackberry designed Entune interface seems especially clunky and slow to respond - reminds me of the awful Blackberry Bold my wife used to have. There is currently nothing on Entune that we can't do directly from our phones. The Open Table app seems especially silly on an economy car - at least in our area where it shows only high-end, expensive restaurants. Why isn't Yelp on Entune like it is on the similar Lexus Enform.

Pandora and iHeart are currently the only Internet streaming services on Entune. Pandora is nice and I listen to it often but why can't I have Slacker and other music services on Entune? iHeart is "just OK" but I vastly prefer to stream from Tunein radio. Do people really want to buy movie tickets on Entune? Or search with Bing? -- Give me Google!

I don't have experience with the standard Prius audio system but can tell you that A2DP Bluetooth audio streaming facility of the Prius Five ATP works flawlessly with my wife's iPhone 4 and my Samsung Galaxy SIII. The main reason I installed a phone holder where I did was do that we can control audio streaming and use applications like Yelp, Pandora, Slacker and Tunein directly from our phones: iOttie Easy Flex 2 phone holder | PriusChat

 

Entune is absolute garbage. Even if it weren't can you really see any car company opening up their software for user manipulation? Video game system? Cell phone company? Android is the only open source. So until Google or another company makes a car OS. I think you're better off with aftermarket.

 

VAIS system feels like mounting a tablet on the dash.
my trusty Tab 2.0 still resets or tell u not enough memory running apps.

 

Man, sucks to eat crow.
Ford Goes Open Source to Speed App Development | Autopia | Wired.com