After Market Android Head Units

[Petepurple]

Hi all,

Through reading the many posts on after market head units, I can't find any references to the newer Android units that are now making their way to our shores and was wondering if any of the members have updated their HU to this new format?

Also, does anyone have an opinion on whether it's even worthwhile paying the extra for android?

George from "easydeals" is hopefully getting one in soon for me to have a look at but I thought some prior knowledge from the "pool" would be benificial.

Looking forward to your thoughts/experiences.

Regards,

Pete.

[Petepurple]

Well I bit the bullet and bought the KNAV Android head unit from George at easydeals, including a reversing camera.

Can I just say that George was extremely accommodating and helpful, he invited me to his home where I was able to view the unit running and he answered every question I threw at him. The unit worked a treat and does everything I want it to do, and then some.

I came away feeling very good with my purchase, and even if there are any problems down the track, I'm confident that George will honour the 12 months warranty without issue. Really nice guy.

I'm not installing it just yet. I'm waiting to get a new 4 channel amplifier and new rear 6 X 9 speakers, and set myself aside a spare weekend because with me, what can go wrong will go wrong.

Will update again then,

Pete

[Kiz_]

Do you have a link to the one you got?

[Petepurple]

Here you go Kieren

http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/8-Android-Toyota-Camry-Aurion-WIFI-GPS-IPOD-Car-DVD-Reversing-Camera-/261209301960?pt=AU_Car_Parts_Accessories&hash=item3cd149a3c8

Pete

[Kiz_]

Thanks Pete, looking forward to your feedback once you've given it some use.

The only thing it seems to be missing is a dedicated sub RCA output.

Edited May 9, 2013 by Kiz_

[Petepurple]

No worries Kieren.

BTW it definitely does have a dedicated sub RCA output. That was a deal breaker for me. In fact it's got more RCA outputs/inputs than you can poke a stick at!

Pete

[Klosko]

Hi Peter, did you install the unit, if so are you happy with it?

Edited July 23, 2013 by Klosko

[Petepurple]

Hi Steven,

Yes I finally got my slack ***** into gear and, over 3 weekends, installed the KNAV I purchased from George at easydeals. My apologies to all and sundry for my tardiness in posting my impressions, dare I say "review" of the unit. Well here goes.......

First and foremost, as I stated in an earlier post, I'd like to say how impressed I was with George and his patience in showing me every aspect of the unit prior to purchase. He invited me to his home and had the unit set up and running and every question I threw at him was answered.

Am I happy with the KNAV so far..... YES! Is it perfect....no. But very close for my needs.

I'll start this little review with the only real negative I've been able to find. The touchscreen. Can I premise my remarks by stating that we are spoilt these days with the wonderful touchscreens of our tablets and phones, with their "gorilla glass" and "smooth as silk" operation. Having said that I was a little disappointed with the sensitivity of the KNAV's touchscreen. It works well enough, and I suppose you wouldn't want it to be too sensitive whilst trying to operate it while driving, but it's nothing like my Sony tablet let me tell you. But to be fair the only time this is really a problem is when trying to scroll through albums or individual songs from the play list. It either scrolls too fast, or if you try to move your finger very slowly to compensate it will select whatever your touching. I have learnt a happy medium though through using it over that past few weeks and now it's far less annoying than when first used.

Okay, that is the ONLY negative thing I have to say about this head unit. The rest of it's setup and performance are as good as any head unit I've installed, in fact far better!

Installation. If you take the time to review the "many" YouTube video tutorials that are available (for Camry) you will have no trouble what so ever installing this unit. Whilst the amount of connections and cables on the back can seem daunting I can assure you that every cable/connection went precisely where it was suppose to go and the term "plug n play" is a perfect description. Oh, and yes, ALL the steering wheels controls worked as they did with the factory head unit, you just have to tell the KNAV to "learn" the commands during the setup...easy.

I splurged and bought a 4 channel Pioneer amp and replaced the rear parcel shelf speakers with new Alpine type R 6X9 speakers, along with a 12" subwoofer which I already had. So my installation wasn't quite "plug n play" but easy enough all the same. The rear reversing camera was a little tedious to install because a very accurate square hole had to cut just under the Toyota symbol above the number plate. "Measure twice, cut once" were the words an old family friend used to say to me, so I practiced on several bit's of plastic before taking the plunge on the car itself. Thanks Uncle Charles, a perfect fit was the result! The reversing camera is bright and clear during the day and surprisingly good at night with just the reversing lights for illumination.

Kudos should also go to Toyota here for manufacturing a car which came apart, and went back together, easily and efficiently AND without any scratches or rattles as a result of the installation. I only broke one clip during the removal of the rear parcel shelf and that was my own fault for not fully following the instruction. Luckily it had no effect when reinstalling.

Operation. For those out there with smart phones and Android tablets the KNAV will be a walk in the park, and for the rest of you (all 3 of you) it's not rocket science so you'll be up and running in no time. Having said that, it is really important in my opinion to go through every aspect of the setup to familiarise yourself with all that this head unit can do. It doesn't take very long.

GPS. Works exactly as it should. Extremely easy to program in an address and has every feature (and more) than my TomTom. Mine even came pre programmed with 2 GPS operating systems. The maps are 2012 and George will gladly update them for you for around $45 as they become available/if required. Looks glorious on that huge 8" screen too!

Radio. This was a really pleasant surprise. When I purchased my 2011 Camry I wasn't very impressed with the radio's reception and believed the problem must have been the internal antenna in the rear windscreen. I can gladly report that the reception from the KNAV is strong and powerful and FAR better than the factory unit. Nothing wrong with that antenna after all. It has 18 (from memory) slots for FM and a further 6 or 12 for AM. I love the interface too, classic radio look, but that's a personal thing I guess.

DVD player. George had pre loaded a couple of short movie clips for me to view at time of purchase and I've used these to "show off" my unit to friends, but to be truthful the fact that it's a DVD player is a bonus but something I will probably never really use.

Audio. Wow, this was what really mattered to me above all the units other features. It simply HAD to have good sound, hence why I spent the extra on an amp, sub and speakers. The result? OUTSTANDING!! The sound is way more than I'd hoped for, especially when you consider the total cost of ALL components (remembering I already had the sub) was just over $1000! The music interface is great with album covers and spectrogram showing whilst a song is being played. I have a 500 gig hard drive connected via the rear USB connection which fits perfectly behind the oil damped hinged door in the console. Speaking of connections, there is an additional mini USB connection on the front of the KNAV as well as a spare micro SD slot under the one for GPS maps, as well as a dedicated iPod rear connector which I have terminating in the glove box. It does take a minute or two to read the media initially from the hard drive but once loaded it's brilliant!

There is a great graphic equalizer (with loads of pre-sets) as well and behind that layer there is a wonderful "variable" loudness control AND a variable Subwoofer control. I was blown away when I found it there hiding in the back ground as it gives you the ability to really fine tune the sub and sound.

Being an Android head unit it can of course do all the things that any tablet can do, play gallery files, download apps etc etc, The KNAV comes with a WiFi dongle which enables the unit to easily "hotspot" to any suitable mobile device. It works a treat, although I doubt I'll ever take full advantage of it.

Bottom line. Would I recommend the KNAV to a friend? YES! Absolutely! I don't drive the Camry very much but when I do I'm constantly impressed by this head unit with it's massive colourful screen and wonderful sound.

Pete

[Klosko]

Pete, thanks for the quick reply! And thanks for the 'review', it's very helpful. BTW, as a matter of interest, what amp did you use? I am concerned about sound too and wondered if I might need something like this. Thanks again, Steve

[Petepurple]

Hi Steve,

The Pioneer amp is this one....

http://www.jbhifi.com.au/car-sound-gps-navigation/amplifiers/pioneer/4-channel-bridgeable-amplifier-sku-90650/

And the speakers are ......

http://www.jbhifi.com.au/car-sound-gps-navigation/speakers/alpine/6x9-speakers-sku-99669/

The amp was chosen because it was bridgeable and fully variable in frequency cut off and output and a healthy 65w RMS X 4. I'm very happy with it.

The speakers were chosen primarily for their very shallow depth compared to most other 6 X 9 speakers. his was important so as to not touch the boot springs when open. They are a two way configuration with a movable cloth dome tweeter and a genuine 100 RMS handling capacity as well.

I have the amp bridged so that 2 channels are running the sub and the other 2 channels are running the Alpines. The head deck runs the front speakers. Surprisingly the KNAV still allows full front to rear fading in this configuration.

I waited until JB's had one of their "30% Off Car Sound" sales and got both amp and speakers for $400. I also purchased a Sony 4 channel wiring kit for $70. Best $70 you'll spend!

The car isn't going win any "sound offs", but that doesn't bother me in the least. I remember the first night it was installed it, I sat in the car and just listened to music for 3 hours!

Hope this helps.

Pete