DarkBrew

Look back at post #5 in this thread.

Raptor2k

I read that, that sounds simple enough, but there was something else, lol, and I'm too lazy to read the thread -_-

And my ipod died anyway =/

DarkBrew

What, just now?

Raptor2k

Couple weeks ago. It was acting up for months, stalling and stuff. Then one day I reset as I usually do to try to get it to work again and somehow it erased most of it's software. Not my first ipod to die early either, good stuff.

BunnyGirl

That's weird. I saw the size of the hardware before it was installed. There's no chance of it fitting in the center console anywhere from what I can tell. It was made to be underdash, I was told.

Mine is underdash and you access the cord from the glovebox. It's not obvious that it's even in there. The hardware is in the space above the gloverbox under the dash, so you can see it's in there (if you get down and bend and look up at the right angle) but it's above the actual glovebox space, so it doesn't interfere with room in the glovebox or anywhere else, unless you count the cord going in there and the iPod then needing to be in there, unless you want to drive around with your glovebox open.

I had tried an FM transmitter initially when I got my car and tried three different kinds. None of them worked right, if they worked at all. I have the transmitter key system in my car, so that is probably why, interference. The only one that appeared to work had horrible buzzing, crackling, and popping sounds and I couldn't really hear the music.

And for whoever above, no you can't play videos with it, even with navigation. It's not made to work that way. You may be able to hear the sound from the video, but I'm not sure on that either. You can't watch it either if it's plugged into the car. You get a Mazda logo that displays on your screen that tells you it's connected to the car.

I'm not going to have an opportunity to play with mine further for a few weeks since I just had nerve surgery on my arm and am a bit handicapped at the moment.

DarkBrew

I put mine in the glove box as well. I didn't want to give up the cup holders (useless as thay are) and I didn't thnk of putting it in the 'hidden' storage.

glassetcher

I had posted this description over on the other forum, and there a lot of other comments there. But, anyway, here's how mine works. If you want to routinely find a particular song to play, this may not be the unit for you. If you want to usually play a whole playlist in order or randomly, it's great.

The top hierarchy is called Music Menus. There are 6 menus – 1. Playlists 2. Artists 3. Albums 4. Songs 5. Genres 6. Composers. The unit looks at all of the songs you have on the iPod and accesses them according to the Music Menu it is in, regardless of the playlists you have on the iPod. (except for the Playlist Music Menu which DOES see your playlists) For example if you are in the 2. Artists Music Menu, the unit will group all of the songs by artist. Thus if you cycle through the lists it will go from one artist to the next. More on lists later. To change from one Music Menu to another you press the Disc up or Disc down buttons on the center console, either twice rapidly or holding the button. The numbers flashing by on the readout mean nothing. The Music Menu is identified by a number which appears in the minutes position where the song time usually appears. It will disappear after about 1 or 2 seconds. Thus, if you see a 2, you are in Artists Music Menu. Continuing to hold the Disc up button will not make the music menus continue to change. Only one step per press.

The next level of organization is the Lists. Under each Music Menu the unit creates Lists of Artists, Composers, etc. dictated by which Music Menu you are in. It doesn’t actually change anything on your iPod, but organizes them internally, I guess. As I said before, the Playlists Music Menu will actually see the playlists you have put on the iPod. You cycle from one list to another by pressing the Disc up button once. The list number is the first number on the digital readout. Although the unit will display only numbers 1 – 6 for lists, if there are, for example, seven playlists on your iPod and you are in Playlists Music Menu, when you cycle from 6 to 7, the number will cycle back to 1 but the unit is actually accessing playlist 7 on the iPod. Thus, since the list numbers may change if there are more than 6 lists, it is nearly impossible to use the list numbers to positively identify which list you are in. You need to identify the first song in the list, or some other cue, to know which list you are in.

The last level is the individual song. The song number in the list is the second number on the display. You cycle through the songs with the up or down buttons on the steering wheel. Pressing the random button on the console will put the unit into a random selection mode within the list that is currently playing. Touching any button after that will take the unit out of the random mode and put it back at the beginning of the list. To go to the next random song but stay in the random mode, hit the random button twice.

Well, that is about the extent of what I have learned so far. The above explanation seems to jive with the way my unit is behaving. Hope that helps!!

Zoom, Zoom!

DarkBrew

Pretty much the same thing I posted in #5 of this thread. Nice to know we both interpreted this thing the same way! Did you install it yourself?

glassetcher

Yes. And what a RPITA!! If you can get it installed by the dealer for $200 total as above, I would say go for it!

DarkBrew

Only Bunny can do that!

BunnyGirl

Bunny special!

The Overman

Waiting for FoCoMo promised Microsoft SYNC for a more user-friendly integration. Until there, the FM transmitter will do.
-Over

NoOdLe BoY

iTrader: (1)

how do u connect the ipod adapter to the car? is it like behind the radio? like a wire u juz plug in??? cuz i had a sound system in my celica and all i had to do was get a wire to connect between my ipod and psp. is it like that?

Raptor2k

Say what?

The Overman

In case you live under a rock...
http://www.engadget.com/2007/01/07/m...ars-this-year/

DarkBrew

If you're going to wait for the latest and greatest then you'll never buy anything... ever. Waiting for a new technology from Microsoft? Good luck with that!

The Overman

I agree with you. You should get what's best for you. But I don't think the experience with the current adaptor is good, though. That's why in this case it's ok FOR ME to wait.

SYNC is, for most reasons and purposes, already available (It's called "Blue & Me" in Europe and is offered on Fiats and Alfas since 2005, I believe). I'm just waiting Ford to make good on the plans and spread it throughout its brands here (let me forget for a little the bad side of Mazda being associated to Ford )

See, that's my choice. Some other folks will be fine with the adaptor they can get right now (Thanks for all the folks that provided their own experience on this thread.).

But it's important to notice that my opinions are based on my own perceptions, and I typically try to avoid hearsay (that's why this thread, with straight facts, was so helpful). I truly have very little to complain about my experience with MS technology and I saw the demo videos online for the SYNC and they look really sweet. I'm anxious for the deeper reviews to start pouring so I can make a final decision.

Rant starts here:
This whole "I must bash X (here, Microsoft) because someone told I'd look cool or funny, even though I understand squat about Y (here, technology)" is getting really old . It's called "herd behavior". But I shouldn't care. If you don't want to take advantage of good technology, no matter who provides that for you, it's your loss. Definitively not mine...

Just think about all the folks that never got an rx-8 because some other guy with affirmation issues said that if a sports car doesn't have BIG engine it can't be fun to drive (or pushed another of the thousands of misconceptions surrounding the rotaries, which they never bothered to double-check)...

Definitively their losses, not mine!

--- Over

DarkBrew

Wow.

Keep us up to date on how the product works out for you.

Endor

I meant "mediocre" when compared to how an iPod sounds with headphones or through a line-in feed. The "rash" sound you hear is probably what's known as Sibilation, or when sharp S's have an extra hiss noise to them. On a quality scale from 1-10, my unit probably falls in at a 5, your Monster unit maybe a or 7, and the OEM aux-in headunit and original CDs would be a 9 or 10. Being able to control the iPod from the steering wheel controls (even if it is convoluted) is a huge plus to me so I wouldn't want a "halfway" solution.

The Overman

Will do.

(The rant was not necessarily targeted at your post, btw. Just triggered by it. A carryover from some other threads I've been through. Thanks for keeping this one on the topic and sorry for my slip out of it.)

RotaryP7

I guess controlling it from the steering wheel is much better.. I don't have to switch songs at every stop light.. Or at risky times; when driving.. But I don't mind.. If the sound is good, I'd care less. We all have our different styles of play.. I went the lazy way w/o installing nothing..

nynex

The iPhone will use the 30pin iPod connector. I wish I had the URL that showed this but I don't know which page it was. It was taken from the tech specs of the iPhone. I'm very interested in this because of the iPhone too. I don't even own an iPod but am using my gf's for testing purposes. Check out my thread...
https://www.rx8club.com/series-i-interior-audio-electronics-24/audiolink-vs-icelink-vs-neo-ion-108656/

DarkBrew

Apparently the 30 pin connector on the IPhone will work with the IPOD car adapters but if the IPhone is hooked up to your cable then you will need your bluetooth headset to use the phone...

snizzle

No Mazda?

heespharm

just did my install in under an hour.. very easy almost too easy... thanks for the tutorials for the menu option... i was getting upset because i have like 1000 artists but didn't want to scroll through them....now i know the how the menu works...

thanks guiness avatar man...