Anker Makes The Best Lightning Cables At Affordable Prices [Opinion]

Third-party lightning cables are a dime a dozen these days. Head over to online retailers like eBay or Amazon and search for some. The choices can be overwhelming and not all of them may be reliable.

You could always buy the original cable directly from Apple if you're willing to shell out $20 for it. There are cheaper alternatives that are reliable though. And a few third-party cable makers even offer a warranty.

I use a third-party cable made by Anker in my car to use CarPlay or AppRadio Mode. I have another Anker cable connected to a simple 12V USB charger too for the times I only need to charge my phone. Cables used in the car are perhaps prone to more wear compared to the ones you use at home.

The most common problem with charging cables is fraying, either at the USB end or lightning end. Recently, one of my Anker cables stopped working as the lightning end came loose. I decided to contact Anker support to check if I had any warranty I could avail of.

Don't Err! Use A Reliable Lightning Cable For Apple CarPlay [Lightning Cable Roundup]

Apple CarPlay brought to an end a lot of cable kit woes for many people. The technology requires a single lightning cable connected to a compatible head unit to work. The same goes for Pioneer's latest AppRadio One technology. But choosing a reliable cable is important.

I had a cheap USB lightning cable connected to my Pioneer AppRadio 4 all this while. And it worked great, without issues. But just two months after using the $2.99 cable I purchased from eBay, it stopped working.

JVC Kenwood To Join The Apple CarPlay + Android Auto Playing Field

At CES 2015, JVC Kenwood announced its next generation head units which will feature both Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. This makes the aftermarket manufacturer the third company to offer both platforms in one device. Pioneer Electronics and Parrot are the other two.

JVC Kenwood's DDX9902S and DDX9702S will offer a whole range of other options in addition to CarPlay and Android Auto. Additional details are below.

Looks Like 2nd Generation NEX Receivers Won't Have 'AppRadio One' Functionality

Pioneer Electronics' big announcement at CES 2015 was the unveiling of its second generation NEX head units. The five devices announced (AVIC-8100NEX, AVIC-7100NEX, AVIC-6100NEX, AVIC-5100NEX and AVH-4100NEX) are in keeping with their first generation counterparts, featuring a ton of connection and functionality options.

With three out of the five NEX head units (8100NEX, 7100NEX and 4100NEX, users will be able to enjoy both, Android Auto and Apple CarPlay, depending on the smartphone used.

However, it seems like the latest NEX head units will not feature Pioneer's simplified 'AppRadio One' functionality, which is an improved version of AppRadio Mode. Full specifications of all five devices are now available. Details are below.

[BREAKING] Pioneer Announces "AppRadio One" - Improved AppRadio Mode For 2015 Head Units

I guess you could say this was only a matter of time. In an attempt to inject new life into its own AppRadio Mode, Pioneer Electronics has announced "AppRadio One" for its newest line of head units. 

The distinguishing feature of AppRadio One is that it will work with a USB lightning cable only; No more complicated cable kits and adapters. But looks like the feature will only be available in 2015 head unit models through a firmware update.

Get It Straight: Apple CarPlay Does NOT Allow Video Playback

Apple CarPlay only displays metadata info for video files and pushes audio during playback

Contrary to a few rumors circling around, Apple CarPlay does NOT allow video playback. This is for safety reasons of course. We tried and tested all possibilities to get video files stored on the iPhone (movies, TV shows or music videos) to play in CarPlay on our Pioneer AppRadio 4 (SPH-DA120) and this is what we found...

Pioneer AppRadio 4 (SPH-DA120) Review: The Best AppRadio Yet! [Full Review]

Pioneer Electronics' AppRadio line has undergone a gradual transformation over the last few years. The previous generation models had modest improvements over their predecessors. The AppRadio 3, for example, came with Bluetooth streaming and a CD/DVD drive along with a slightly faster interface.

The recently announced AppRadio 4 (SPH-DA120) however, takes upgrades to a whole new level over the AppRadio 3. And I'm not talking about Apple CarPlay alone. Yes, that's a big addition but there are a whole spectrum of other features that will make the device one of the highly desired head units this holiday season.

We have been testing out the AppRadio 4, which was sent to us by Pioneer Electronics, for a few days now, and this is our full in-depth review.

Check Out These User Videos Showing Audio Issue On Pioneer AVIC-8000NEX

A Pioneer AVIC-8000NEX user has reported an audio issue with his head unit. Music plays with a stuttering sound at intermittent intervals.

The user "tekki" reported the issue on AVIC411 Forums. According to him, the issue started after he updated his head unit to firmware version 1.06 and persisted even after updating to version 1.08. He says he's tried using different lightning cables and even reloading his iPhone but to no avail.

The head unit worked fine before the CarPlay update. So he tried disabling CarPlay and the issue gets fixed. He seems to be using Pandora in one of the two videos he's uploaded to demonstrate the problem. No other details are available. Here are the videos...

[UPDATE] How To Use Two Devices With Your Pioneer AppRadio Simultaneously [How-To]

UPDATE: We have been informed that for this setup to work, one of the iPhones (in this case, the iPhone 4 which is wired to the AppRadio), should have an inactive SIM card in it.

THIS POST HAS BEEN REPOSTED TO THE TOP BECAUSE OF THE ABOVE UPDATE. NEWER POSTS MAY BE BELOW.

Technically, you can't connect two smartphones to a Pioneer AppRadio simultaneously. Since Apple introduced its lightning connector, AppRadio users have had to use an HDMI connection to achieve connectivity. The 30-pin connector cannot be used to connect an iPhone 5 or later by using a simple adapter.

Using an Android smartphone and an iPhone simultaneously is also not possible. In an ideal scenario it would have been nice if users could wire two devices to the head unit and use both simultaneously or even be able to switch between the devices with the click of a button. But that can't be done.

One of our readers, however, sent us information on how he makes use of his old 30-pin iPhone 4 and uses it together with his new iPhone 6 when connecting to his AppRadio 3. Read along for more details.

Check Out These Cable Kit Requirements For AppRadio 4 Based On Smartphone

The new Pioneer AppRadio 4 (SPH-DA120) won't include the necessary cable kits for connecting your smartphone. Pioneer did away with including smartphone cables kits a couple of years ago. Now you have to purchase these kits separately.

So which cable kit do you need? It all depends on the smartphone you use, of course. Check out these tables put together by Pioneer explaining cable kit requirements. We found these in the AppRadio 4 user manual.

Future Phone Connections To Pioneer Car Stereos Won't Require Cable Adapter Kits

Ever since Apple announced its lightning connector, Pioneer head unit users have experienced a lot of wire clutter in their cars. With lightning, your iPhone usually needs an HDMI cable, Apple Digital Lightning Adapter or VGA/RGB connection kits to use your smartphone apps in your car.

Even MHL or connections for Android smartphones require bulky cable kits. The kits usually involve a lot of different cables, adapters and such.

Pioneer is going to end the misery soon though. The website Twice has posted a news story about a breakthrough connection technology that Pioneer is going to bring to its head units that will eliminate the use of cable kits. The announcement was made at the Paris Motor Show last week. More details are below.

Pioneer AppRadio Mode Lives On But Apple CarPlay May Soon Kill It [Opinion]

Apple CarPlay is now available for the car you already own through one of Pioneer's latest head units. In addition to the five existing NEX head units, Pioneer announced a new AppRadio 4 (SPH-DA120) which is also CarPlay capable.

The AppRadio 4 puts CarPlay and Pioneer's own AppRadio Mode on the same device. AppRadio Mode has been allowing the use of smartphone apps in the car since 2011 and features many more third-party apps than CarPlay.

Looks like Pioneer will continue to support and develop AppRadio Mode at the moment, but for how long?

CableJive dockXtender Lightning Extension Now Available In 6-ft Version [Pictures]

We spent a lot of time last year looking for a viable lightning extension cable solution. The reason for our quest was to be able to hide the Apple digital lightning adapter that is needed to hookup an iPhone 5 or above to a Pioneer AppRadio Mode head unit.

Our search ended when CableJive released a lightning version of its "dockXtender" cable. The dockXtender cable is the most reliable option that transfers all functions through itself. The cable was released in a 2-feet version back towards the end of last year. And now, there is a 6-feet version you can buy.

The folks over at CableJive sent us the 6-feet cable for review. Check out additional pictures and details on where to buy the cable below...

Could Alpine Beat Pioneer At CarPlay Delivery To Customers?

Alpine Electronics is listed by Apple as the other aftermarket manufacturer which will bring CarPlay to the car you already own. The Alpine versus Pioneer Electronics competition will soon see a new chapter when CarPlay becomes available. Question is, who's going to win the race at CarPlay delivery?

There are a few sketchy details about Alpine's upcoming head unit which is expected by October this year. We have those few details and another interesting image of what the Alpine head unit might look like, after the break. Check it out, you won't want to miss it.

With Summer Approaching Is The CarPlay Firmware Update From Pioneer Imminent?

Summer is less than a week away. June 21 is a Saturday this year, and the first day of summer. Pioneer's promised firmware update for its NEX receivers which will enable CarPlay is expected "this summer." So when is the big day?

Here are some things that may help determine the exact date the firmware becomes available for download...

Get The Pioneer CD-IU52 USB To Lightning Cable For $25 [Amazon Deals]

Pioneer now sells their own lightning cable. The CD-IU52 cable (USB to lightning) is like any other lightning cable but looks sturdy, is black in color, and thick.

The cable is 1.80 ft in length and has a suggested retail price of $35 according to Pioneer. But you can get the cable for much lower from Amazon and other retailers.

Pioneer AVIC-5000NEX Doesn't Have An HDMI Port; Uses RGB Input For AppRadio Mode

Pioneer's NEX receivers are different from one another in small but significant ways. I am still trying to find out what the major differences are, which in-turn will explain why the prices differ so much.

Take the AVIC-5000NEX for example. This receiver is the fourth in line among the NEX receivers and one major difference is the absence of an HDMI port.

So how will the AVIC-5000NEX support the iPhone 5 and above?

Enter Our Photo Contest For A Chance To Win A CableJive dockXtender Plus Other Prizes

If you haven't heard already, we are running an AppRadioWorld Photo Contest with some exciting car accessories as prizes. The best car dashboard set up stands to win the CableJive dockXtender lightning cable among other cool items.

The contest runs till May 15, 2014 at 11:59 p.m. PDT. For full details, visit our Photo Contest page. Thanks for looking.

Declutter Your AppRadio Setup With The CableJive dockXtender [Review]

For the longest time we have pursued an extension cable for Apple's lightning digital AV adapter. There were cheap options available from eBay but most of them aren't reliable. I even tried a DIY cable which didn't materialize.

The search ends today with the CableJive dockXtender Lightning Version. This is the only reliable lightning cable extender available at the moment. Other solutions may be available but not always reliable.

We received a review unit of the dockXtender from CableJive so thanks to them. Here is our complete review.

Apple Sets WWDC 14 Dates As Everyone Awaits iPhone 6 Announcement

Apple has announced dates for its annual Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) which will be held as usual in San Francisco, CA. This year's installment is scheduled for June 2-6.

WWDC is possibly the most anticipated event from Apple every year because everyone expects announcement of a new iPhone.