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Thursday, December 24, 2015

Ford To Announce Partnership With Google To Build Self-Driving Cars? [CES 2016]


CES 2016 is only about two weeks away and there is plenty of buzz going around. None bigger than this Yahoo Autos news story - Ford and Google will pair up to build self-driving cars and the announcement will be made official at the January 2016 event.

Wednesday, December 23, 2015

Don't Forget To Update Your Pioneer Head Unit Bluetooth Software [How-To]


Updating the firmware for Pioneer NEX and AppRadio 4 head units is a two-part process this time. Last week Pioneer released firmware updates for these devices via their website and in the instructions it is clearly mentioned that along with updating the firmware on your device, the Bluetooth software also needs to be updated.

So how do you correctly go about updating the Bluetooth software on your head unit? Read along for more details.

AppRadio Mode Compatible App Speedometa Is Now Available For Download


A couple of weeks ago, I posted a sneak preview about an upcoming AppRadio Mode compatible app, Speedometa. The app is a handy tool that displays your current speed on your dashboard.

The latest version of Speedometa that supports AppRadio Mode was awaiting approval from Apple and that day has finally arrived. The update is now available for download from the App Store. Here are some more details on the app, in case you missed it.

Tuesday, December 22, 2015

Question: Can You Use An SD Card To Update Your Pioneer NEX Firmware?


Pioneer released a firmware update for its NEX head units and AppRadio 4 last week. As always, they have included update instructions with each firmware file. All files are available on Pioneer's website.

This time, however, Pioneer's instructions indicate you should update using the USB 1 port on the back of your head unit via a USB flash drive with a capacity of 2GB or higher. There's no mention on whether you can alternatively use an SD card like in previous updates.

So, can you use an SD card to update the firmware?

Monday, December 21, 2015

EC Touch For AppRadio Brings Offline Maps And Turn-By-Turn Navigation


A major update for the popular Pioneer AppRadio Mode compatible app EC Touch has been released today. The new version 5.0 brings a couple of nice features to the dashboard - Offline Maps and Turn-By-Turn Navigation.

Additional details are after the break...

Thursday, December 17, 2015

Firmware Update Available For Pioneer AppRadio 4 And NEX Head Units


Pioneer Electronics has released firmware updates for its most popular head units - AppRadio 4 (SPH-DA120) and NEX receivers. The updates are available for download from Pioneer's website.

More details are below the break.

Friday, December 11, 2015

Deezer Music Is Back On Apple CarPlay After Latest Update


Deezer Music, a music streaming app, recently dropped Apple CarPlay compatibility for no known reason. The app was CarPlay compatible for a couple of months before an update removed the app from CarPlay. 

But the latest app update has brought back Deezer to the car dashboard.

Thursday, December 10, 2015

Speedometa Will Soon Tell You Your Speed In Pioneer AppRadio Mode [Sneak Peek]


Pioneer AppRadio Mode users may want to read this. There is an iOS app called Speedometa which is currently available in the App Store. It is a simple speedometer app that tells you your speed using your iPhone's GPS capability.

The interesting part is, the app developer is adding AppRadio Mode compatibility to the app. Here is a screenshot and other features that are coming soon to Speedometa...

Wednesday, December 9, 2015

CarPlay Gets The 9-Inch Treatment Thanks To The 2016 Volvo XC90 [Pictures + Video]


A while ago, Apple updated CarPlay functionality by adding support for larger and multiple screen resolutions. But, so far we've seen most aftermarket and OEM CarPlay systems only come in screen sizes at or less than 7 inches.

There was an aftermarket system that surfaced a few months back called iCarTech VX8 that offers an 8-inch display for CarPlay. For OEM systems, CarPlay is getting the 9-inch treatment thanks to the 2016 Volvo XC90.

Check out these images and video below...

Thursday, December 3, 2015

What To Expect From The Next Generation AppRadio [CES 2016]


In a little over a month from now, the Consumer Electronics Show (CES 2016) will kick off in Las Vegas, Nevada. The annually held event will bring leading tech companies together to showcase upcoming products.

CES has also hosted car tech companies and aftermarket product manufacturers like Pioneer, Alpine and Kenwood. In fact, devices like the AppRadios, NEX head units etc. were announced at CES. The event in past years has brought CarPlay and Android Auto head to head too.

Pioneer's last installment of the AppRadio was the SPH-DA120 or AppRadio 4 which was announced and launched in October 2014. Which means, if there is another iteration of the device, it is already overdue. It could also mean, CES 2016 may be the appropriate stage to make the announcement.

So what should we expect from the next generation AppRadio or AppRadio 5 or maybe the third-generation NEX head units? Let me speculate...