Android Head Unit

[nater]

Has anyone considered one of the android head units available for their GPS solution? These things have a 7" touchscreen, run android (and the associated programs available in the play store). As they have expandable memory (usb, HD, and SD), you can load topo maps etc with no worries about running out of memory. It is basically a tablet that has the form factor of a double din stereo...

For example:
http://ca-fi.com/store/index.php?route=product/product&product_id=283

The downside is you loose your CD player, however you can load every CD you own as an MP3 with artwork, along with movies etc. They have great reviews online from the tuner car crowd, they all seem to love them.

I was considering it as a clean solution to my navigation needs instead of a tablet.

 

[kojackJKU]

I looked at one, and I may install one in my suburban. The issue with android is that most mapping software does not allow for SD card storage, and if they do its extremely slow.

 

[nater]

I looked at one, and I may install one in my suburban. The issue with android is that most mapping software does not allow for SD card storage, and if they do its extremely slow.

That would be a pain... I wonder if it changes since this allows a USB harddrive to be attached...

 

[kojackJKU]

Nope, its a fundamental issue with android as a system. You can attach a hardrive to these, or a USB etc, but you can only read stuff like music off them. That's why im taking the windows tablet route for nav.

 

[Kevin108]

Those issues are likely addressed in version 5 Lollipop.

 

[kojackJKU]

The likely hood that 5.0 makes it to a head unit in the next 12 to 15 months is slim to none. Hell over half of what's for sale now is still running 2.3.

 

[java]

The likely hood that 5.0 makes it to a head unit in the next 12 to 15 months is slim to none. Hell over half of what's for sale now is still running 2.3.

This is true, it was just pushed to my Nexus 10 though, very nice so far

 

[kojackJKU]

So how is file management handled now in 5? I know in every previous version of android, its a horrible mess and mostly useless.

 

[java]

So how is file management handled now in 5? I know in every previous version of android, its a horrible mess and mostly useless.

haven't messed with it enough yet honestly. Although I haven't had issues with SD storage being too slow for mapping. I run BCN on mine.

 

[evldave]

Nope, its a fundamental issue with android as a system. You can attach a hardrive to these, or a USB etc, but you can only read stuff like music off them. That's why im taking the windows tablet route for nav.

Interesting comment, I don't know the details of how Android file system works, but on my Asus TF700, I have a 32gb class 6 micro sd card full of maps downloaded from MOBAC and Backcountry Navigator reads them just fine, in real time while I'm driving. I also used to use a smaller cheapo micro SD card in my Galaxy S3 and didn't have any issues with it reading that either.

Both situations had many tens of thousands of map tiles... It was slow getting them on to the card, but once on the card both read them just fine.

I will say on my Nexus 7 I tried direct copying some map files from my computer and it was horrible, and could never get it to work with a USB drive at all

Sent from my Nexus 5 using Tapatalk

 

[kojackJKU]

That's what I mean, using a USB drive is useless, The apps sometimes loads onto the card, if the program accepts it. With windows, It works just as any windows computer would. You see your drives labeled correctly. On Android, everything is labeled SD card. even the internal memory. Windows is way ahead of android in terms of ease of use. Yes, you "can" use the external storage, however doing so is way harder than on a windows tablet/computer. The only thing tablet about a windows tablet is the fact that you have a small touch screen, everything else functions like a PC, the way it should be.