Anyone have a view about this?

[briwy]

Tony.
Yes the navigation side of the unit probably does use CE to run on. basically it is two units in one case. CE for satnav and the other side for TV, radio etc
However, its very difficult to get other satnav programs to run on it. Ive been trying for ages to get to Garmin XT to run on ours without much success. There is a crack program to unlock the CE side of things so that in theory you can run a calendar, contacts etc but again I gave up with it.
Having said that, the satnav works perfectly, I can update the speed cameras and other POIs without any problem.
Both the Chinese "knockoffs" I have had have worked now for three years without any problems at all. perhaps I've just been lucky.
BTW, the Erisin one I got came from the UK within two days and the seller was very helpful and answered all my queries promptly. No connection with them incidently.

[tonygamble]

briwy,

That's the most positive post I have had this weekend.

Could you tell me precisely which Chinese units you bought, please?

And who supplied you the Erison in the UK?

Tony

[briwy]

Tony.

This is where I got the double din unit.
http://stores.ebay.co.uk/easyrising88?_trksid=p2047675.l2563
I can't see the exact unit I got listed now.
It looks as if most of them now are from HK but still a few from the UK. I have just been looking at one for our Skoda Yeti and that is from the UK.

The single din unit I got off ebay from a guy in Leeds who deoesn't seem to be trading any more though.

[tonygamble]

Thanks briwy,

Yes, all that list seems to come from either HK or China.

Apart from not knowing what one is getting I worry that there seem to be no manuals on line.

There is a forum for some software called MioPocket and it is littered with people with bricked Chinese devices in their cars. Maybe lots of people are lucky like you but it's a risk I'd rather not take.

Is it not ominous how few people in the UK are supplying these machines? The man I found on Friday, with a perfect machine for my car, still has not phoned, or emailed me, back. Odd?

Tony

[AliOnHols]

Hi Tony, What are you actually wanting a double DIN unit for? Is it just a SatNav with a large screen? If so, have you considered a 7" Tablet with a SatNav app on it? It will have all of the connectivity you previously mentioned but no Radio or TV.

If this is of interest, see Darren's review here

http://www.pocketgpsworld.com/Could-a-7inch-tablet-be-the-perfect-satnav-5373.php

EDIT - If you were expecting to spend about 300 gbp having the other unit fitted you could buy a powered mount and have the cables hidden for a lot less.
_________________
Garmin Nuvi 2599
Android with CamerAlert, OsmAnd+, Waze & TT Europe.
TomTom GO 730, GO 930, GO 940 & Rider2.
SatMap Active 10 & 20.

[tonygamble]

Ali,

You are so right. Flick back to the two pix I have posted and you see me using a Samsung 7.7. It worked fine, but would be a real pain for my wife in the passenger seat.

I was trying to find a single din unit that would replace my radio and drop down over the vents. There is one on offer on a UK web site but the vendor does not seem keen to endorse/support it.

I will look again at finding a decent and well made mount for the 7.7 and find a way of placing it where I can see it as the driver and where it is not obtrusive to my passenger.

The 7.7 does work well with the Osmand nav system. I know it will work even better with a paid for system like Sygic.

The longe this thread progresses the more I go off the thought of buying an unbranded bit of kit from the Far East.

Tony

[AliOnHols]

[M8TJT]

[tonygamble]

Champers of course.

Absolutely spiffing, chaps.

But you have no idea how many chumps still ask me about my Roller! One way to make sure you are never offered a lift in my motor.

Rollers are for rock stars and rag trade. The B is driven by Gents.

Thanks for suggesting I move my investigations to ways of mounting the 7.7.

It must be a better solution than trying to find a Chinese combo that people trust.

Looking at that other post made me realise that with a 7" screen it is probably better to mount it vertically - which opens up more options.

Tony

[tonygamble]

I took the 7.7 to the garage where the car is kept to see where I could find a suitable mounting place.

I was astonished to find that it rested perfectly on the leather at the bottom of the panel with the Bentley logo. In a vertical mode it reaches up to just under the vents which are below the radio. Yes, it covers the left hand gauge but that is an external thermometer and is hopelessly inaccurate. The middle dial is the battery charger - again not a life or death gadget. Part of that is covered. The dial on the right is the clock and that is totally clear.

I'll post a photo tomorrow.

The other good news is that the GPS receiver seems to work with no problem although it is quite low in the car.

The real test is how safe I feel having the info so low down. But, until I put my Garmin on the red leather flat surface I had it on a suction cup next to the Bentley logo and never felt it too low down. The 7.7 will actually be higher - or at least half of it will be.

With all this progress I have done a trial downlood of Sygic as that is the software that seemed to come out top in that URL that was posted yesterday when one of the PGPSW gurus tested a Nexus 7".

At the moment I am relying on the battery in the 7.7 but the stats suggest it will easily survive a four hour journey - so why bother with an in-car charger.

Photo to follow tomorrow.

Thanks for encouraging the lateral thinking. You have saved me three hundred smackers - plus whatever the fitter would have wanted!!

Tony

[tonygamble]

I promised some photos.

First the 7.7 resting vertically on the lower panel of the dashboard.



Next the 7.7 horizontal and now hiding the clock.



Next the 7.7 in its Navitech case on the dasboard of our Audi A3. It worked fine last night on a one hour journey and never felt intrusive.



Finally the device, in its case, in a similar position in tbe Bentley. I am not sure how this would work on the open road - but will test it next week.



Thanks again for all the ideas but this seems a far better solution than my original one of buying the single din satnav/radio combo.

Tony

[AliOnHols]

[tonygamble]

"I lay my smartphone down on its long edge on top of the steering wheel housing and in front of the Speedo and Rev counter binnacles. "

Interesting alternative Ali.

Yes, the tablet is larger and, yes, I already have one for other needs.

But, having tried Sygic, I do wonder how much longer Garmin and TomTom will retain a market. When you think that many, if not most, people have a smartphone that comes within the price of their cellnet charges and for around £30 they can fit Sygic one wonders why they will pay a hundred pounds for a bespoke satnav.

I have only had Sygic for a day. It is far from perfect but it does seem more progressive in terms of the way you can control it when I compare what my Garmin allows me to do.

And, no, the speedo becomes redundant so it does not matter if you hide it. And likewise who worries about 'revs' in a Rolller (now youv'e got me going Ali).

The power of thinking outside the box - a horrid phrase but all I can think of at this late hour.

Tony

[tonygamble]

A final observation about in-dash systems.

Our Bentley was in for its annual service this week and the engineers all said that, in their experience, the in-dash systems were troublesome and best avoided.

A typical grumble was that the motorised screens developed a life of their own - popping out when not needed and retracting at a crucial moment in the route.

One had installed a Chinese import in his Audi and it worked for precisely one day.

My Samsung 7.7 worked perfectly and is now my travelling companion of choice.

Tony

[AliOnHols]

Huzzah!
Smiles on faces & money in the bank. What could be better?
_________________
Garmin Nuvi 2599
Android with CamerAlert, OsmAnd+, Waze & TT Europe.
TomTom GO 730, GO 930, GO 940 & Rider2.
SatMap Active 10 & 20.

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