Android Head Units - Anyone try one yet?
 

Has anyone tried an Android based head unit yet?
There's a bunch on ebay.
I'm *assuming* any 2 din head unit will fit the Z?

For example, something like this?
(Note: I'm not affiliated with this product. It probably sucks. Don't know, showing it for example)


http://i.ebayimg.com/00/s/NTAwWDUwMA...YQw~~60_12.JPG

http://cloud.lbox.me/images/ebay/421645/421645-1_1.jpg

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Android-6-2-...-/150942959362

so do you put a sim card in the HU? is that how it works?
that could be cool if that's a completely standalone device.

Probably can run off a hotspot. I have 20gb hotspot (well shared 20gb between the hotspot, my wife, and myself). So I would just keep it in the car running :tup:

ahh... i need to learn more about hotspot service and features.

so i guess if we have like wireless charging for your phone in the car, then with the hotspot and this kind of HU, we have nothing to connect physically, yet run the apps on the HU as if running off your phone and not drain your phone's battery. :tup:

I would just tether my phone for connectivity. Although my new Time Warner business internet service comes with free hotspot connectivity anywhere they have it, so that might work well.

There are several forum member running them with good success. Search around the A/V forum :tiphat:

i guess in the southern states tethering is not a big deal, but in the north snow belt states, it is a royal pita to have to remove your gloves, dig in your pocket for your phone, tether phone, put gloves back on each time you get in the car in the winter.

thus i prefer to just keep my phone in my pocket and just run from the HU without connecting anything. this is where my pandora comes in handy. battery drain is also minimal.

run heavy apps like on the op's HU, then the phone is going to need power.

Gloves??? Sounds (heh heh) positively barbarian!

Gloves? What are these "gloves" you speak of?

This is pretty interesting. I might have to do a little research cause would probably work awesome with my Galaxy s4

I want an android HU so bad, I hate my current one. The only thing I don't like about all the ones I have seen so far is that they are all version 2.something I have an old tablet with android 2 and it works good enough but its terribly slow because of the low end cpu in it and there is not graphics processor (which is required to have anything above 2)

Actually, I found that they are now up to 4.2.
http://www.aliexpress.com/wholesale?...20140828092016

lol, i was like wait, did i spell 'gloves' wrong? :confused: lol


:gtfo2:

be funny if you can start paying gas from your HU via bitcoin or something. :D
hell drive thru, etc.

see you say that now.


I give it another 5years. I can pay for my redbulls by tapping my phone onto the credit card swiper. That would've been ridiculous 10years ago.

It has been around since 2005 (Japan and some euro countries had it then via NFC tech).

Yea, Americans get everything last cause they need to secure patents and make sure they monopolize it before they bring it to market.


NFC is an awesome thing that we just don't use to its full advantage yet.

NFC will become a huge factor in next year for the US, major retailers are finally supporting payments via NFC and card companies are putting it in their physical cards which means you can load it to other devices.
Only issue with NFC so far has been some security threats but newer CC security measures should qualm any of that in the coming year also.

yah, i remember some jdm chick lol'ing when i told her i was cutting some coupons to take to the store.

they just take a picture scan of the 3d barcode and walla, you make your payment and your NFC transaction automatically deducts the coupon amount.

there will be MORE fat americans soon... :ugh:

My wife does this... Shes into the couponing thing. (its kinda cool, spend like 3.00 for a **** ton of stuff). But she does some paper coupons and a lot of digitally loaded coupons. Pretty nifty. Anyways before Trip comes in here and cleans up the thread:


I haven't found a big named brand head unit running android yet. I think the hardware required may make the device too expensive for mass market just yet.

that's cool :tup: i need to get in on that scannable coupons. :D

yah, it'd be sweet to see brands like motorola come in and do their android based HU's. some fresh faces in the mix would be :stirthepot:

Make your own, guys. Nexus 7 LTE. Fully integrated with car. Phone, stereo, you name it.

https://imagizer.imageshack.us/v2/12...745/IHzIaR.jpg

wow, candy store.

lol, I wasn't gonna say anything.


at least it looks clean.

All customizable guys. Doesn't look like that anymore lolol

I have that android unit in my 370. I have had it over a year. It works great ! I just turn my hotspot on for the connection. Does everything almost. I have one of the early units. It is rooted but torque doesn't work well with it. Also, if you have a slingbox at home you can watch TV anywhere. I don't understand why the Major companies have not jumped on this yet.

Cool, good to hear. Any word on if it will work with "Android L" that comes out next month? I'm assuming if it's rooted, there shouldn't be any issues loading any operating system you want.

I agree about it being weird that big companies aren't running with this.
What car/audio geek doesn't want this? This is as cool as it gets...

My deck is an older unit with Android 2.3. The new units have newer versions. I doubt if you can change the versions. The android systems on these head units do not have all the features that cell phones have and there are few people working on rooting them, so a lot is unknown. I also bought a single DIN version with a motorized screen with windows CE and Android 4.0. It worked for about 6 months and all of a suddon the Android system was stuck at the boot screen. I have not had time to monkey with it, but it's only functions as a car deck now. You take your chances with warranty when you buy something over seas.