I think these types of automotive head-units are going out of style, falling out of popularity, are no longer relevant - whatever you want to call it.
These days, we all know portable GPS units are the way to go and make the most sense - they're affordable, can be transported between cars or merely held in hand while walking, geocaching, etc., and their firmware is also much cheaper to upgrade. Not to mention it's cheaper to just buy a new one down the road (no pun intended), and we've got this functionality on our mobiles, too.
But these head-units are overpriced and always have been. Sometimes they're ridden with bugs. Customer service is lacking and you're not going to get good help from Tommy the teenager down at the local stereo shop.
It just makes more sense from financial, technological, and convenience standpoints to simply have a good CD/Satellite stereo system (with maybe an iPod connection) and to keep that separate from a handheld GPS system.
These over-priced units from Alpine, Kenwood, Pioneer, and Clarion are finding fewer and fewer buyers as they scramble to find ways to brainwash people into thinking that spending $2500-$3000 on a multimedia stereo is a good idea.
The N9 has arrived. What we can say from our first experience is that we're in the presence of a fantastically designed device with a gorgeous AMOLED screen and some highly responsive performance.
The most commented posts on Engadget over the past 24 hours.
Now that we've thrown 'em off the trail, use the form below to get in touch with the people at Engadget. Please fill in all of the required fields because they're required.
I think these types of automotive head-units are going out of style, falling out of popularity, are no longer relevant - whatever you want to call it.
These days, we all know portable GPS units are the way to go and make the most sense - they're affordable, can be transported between cars or merely held in hand while walking, geocaching, etc., and their firmware is also much cheaper to upgrade. Not to mention it's cheaper to just buy a new one down the road (no pun intended), and we've got this functionality on our mobiles, too.
But these head-units are overpriced and always have been. Sometimes they're ridden with bugs. Customer service is lacking and you're not going to get good help from Tommy the teenager down at the local stereo shop.
It just makes more sense from financial, technological, and convenience standpoints to simply have a good CD/Satellite stereo system (with maybe an iPod connection) and to keep that separate from a handheld GPS system.
These over-priced units from Alpine, Kenwood, Pioneer, and Clarion are finding fewer and fewer buyers as they scramble to find ways to brainwash people into thinking that spending $2500-$3000 on a multimedia stereo is a good idea.