AppVoice

Today's new Rdio 2.0 release for iOS unifies their mobile interface with the desktop interface Rdio launched in July 2012.  The interface is flat and features a left text menu instead of the old icon based menu.  The benefit of this is that you don't have to repeatedly hit Back in order to return to the menu, however there are some drawbacks.

I'm not sure how seriously Rdio considers the AppRadio version of their app, however there is one thing that they could learn - side to side horizontal scrolling is much much easier on AppRadio than vertical.  While the new interface is convenient, scrolling vertically through lists of music, album covers of new releases, or the main menu is very difficult and now restricted to a smaller area than before, meaning more scrolling.

It's tough to see how this could be fixed easily.  In fact, a down button is often easier than imperfect scrolling that often sticks or scrolls too much.

I'm not sure that Rdio will address this, but it would be nice - and much safer while driving.  Scrolling your Collection is absolutely useless, with no ability to navigate through the alphabet, navigating the app while driving is impossible to do in a safe way.

When you've got somewhere to be, the last thing you want to do is drive around searching for parking.  Are you paying the cheapest price?  Did you find the closest lot?  Being able to plan this out without endlessly circling around in your car would be ideal.

Parkopedia solves this problem.  The app geotargets your location and lists all parking in the area including the cost of the parking.  The new app is already packed with tons of relevant data, so no matter what city you're in you're sure to find parking spots in your area.

The app has added capability to take pictures of the parking lot that can be shared, however there don't seem to be many lots of that have pictures currently.

Parkopedia competes directly with BestParking, and both do a really good job.  Parkopedia seems to have more data, especially since I'm outside of the city core.  

Pioneer released a major 4.50 update this past week.  The update included an updated Bluetooth driver, MPU, and bootrom.

After running it for a few days, the AppRadio is certainly more stable now.  They have resolved many of the unnecessary (and unsafe!) alerts dialogs on the AppRadio and iPhone.  This is a welcome step considering how unaware Pioneer has seemed over how unsafe their "safety" alerts make the device.  In fact, all alerts should be completely removed including the initial warning screen.

The device now shows when bluetooth is paired, but it would be even more helpful to have a permanent time display on all screens.  This is especially true since Pioneer has decided that the home button should return you to the AppRadio app instead of to the homescreen, which can be frustrating when you just want to know the time and don't want to die finding out.

The return to the AppRadio app is consistent now though, and feels good.  The interface, for the first time, has some consistency to it.  It's well done.

Two videos emerged on YouTube this week displaying a jailbreak for AppRadio called AppRadio+.  As we found out during an AppRadio crash, AppRadio is built on Windows CE.  The jailbreak exposes the CE operating system, opening up the AppRadio to run any existing CE applications in full touchscreen.

The jailbreak appears to include the beginnings of a menu interface based on AppRadio's App screens.  See for yourself in the videos overviewing how to install and how to use the jailbreak.  Speaking French will be a big help!

Unfortunately the videos don't link to the actual jailbreak, and they don't display anything particularly useful in terms of applications.  What it does show is access to the filesystem, and the ability to monitor AppRadio memory and CPU.  It will be great to finally get some AppRadio specs, and to compare them on AppRadio 2.

Do you know of Windows CE applications that will work amazingly well on AppRadio?  

How to install the Jailbreak

Finally, the news AppRadio owners (and hopefully iOS developers) have been waiting for!

Pioneer has announced that they will be launching Advanced App Mode Dev Center (AAMDC?) as a platform for developers to get access to the AppRadio API and developer resources.  Surely, this should lead to a flood of applications being released with AppRadio support.

It is unsure whether developers will have to apply for, and receive a license to include AppRadio support, or whether it will be open to any iOS developer.  Hopefully, Pioneer has paid attention to the benefits that Apple has seen from controlling their application marketplace.  Pioneer should maintain a standard for usefulness and usability with apps available on AppRadio.  In fact, usability and interface design are something Pioneer could keep even tighter controls on, as there is already considerable fragmentation in the designs used by current AppRadio apps.

Pioneer has announced their next AppRadio offering at CES 2012.  The new AppRadio 2 will feature a 7" touchscreen display, an improvement on the previous 6.1" AppRadio model.

The new AppRadio will also support both Android and iPhone.  With Android models being added through 2012.  The previous AppRadio will continue to only support iPhone.

Pioneer has not indicated whether they will continue to support the original AppRadio with software and firmware updates, but since that product is still less than 1 year old, we hope that they will continue to support early adopters.

In addition, AppRadio app support will be added to all other Pioneer dashes CD and DVD dashes through Advanced App Mode.  Pioneer is now firmly behind AppRadio and will push it through all touch display products.

Will you upgrade?  Does Android support finally give you a reason to buy AppRadio?

Pioneer has great support from AppRadio developers in Europe, where often apps are released before they appear in North America (or instead of).  iCoyote is a great example of a navigation app that hasn't made it overseas yet, and may not.

In a recent mysterious tweet, there was some talk of a new AppRadio from Pioneer called Navgate Drive that would be released into the app store.  Some digging around turns up a Navgate Drive: Europe app that has been out since July, 2011.  Could Navgate Drive: North America be the next GPS app to challenge for your co-pilot position?

Navgate Drive looks like a well designed navigation app, but doesn't come close to MotionX GPS Drive in design and features.  It also comes with a HEFTY 79,99 € pricetag, much higher than MotionX's yearly $9.99 subscription price.

From the app's description on iTunes:

This NavGate Drive will make your Pioneer In-Car headunit change to full function turn by turn navigation. Compatible models are the Pioneer In-Car headunit with "Advanced App Mode" (such as AppRadio SPH-DA01) that places various iPhone content right where you can see, touch and control them.  Easy to learn - this app is ideal even for people who have never tried GPS navigation before. The maps are part of the application, so you're not restricted by cellular network coverage. NO ROAMING FEES, no surprises. It simply works everywhere. NavGate Drive also works as a stand alone navigation app.

The description doesn't do much to hint at functionality, such as route planning, traffic data, or itinerary - so we might assume that the app won't have strong support for those features.  It also appears that the app doesn't support display on the iPhone when docked to the AppRadio, so data entry may be non-existent in the app, or managed through the touch screen.

I'll admit, I am a fan of the screenshot above, which shows highway road signs as you pass streets.  It's a clear way of displaying what's happening around you on the highway, and something other GPS units often do badly.  

Yesterday, Pioneer announced through a tweet that MIXTRAX for AppRadio had been released into the App Store.  MIXTRAX Free is available, and features 3 DJ mixes, and the full MIXTRAX is available for $1.99.

Pioneer MIXTRAX is a technology that Pioneer offers in their other newer decks.  The MIXTRAX software scans your music library and indexes your music by their tempo, levels and BPMs.  It then creates a DJ style mix which takes pieces from the middles of your songs and stitches them together into one seamless, and seemingly endless mix.

The app is better laid out than other Pioneer apps (thinking of the horrible iPod app), but not as well designed as the MIXTRAX integrations in other touch screen Pioneer decks, which include visualizations and dancing album art.

I recommend you go get the free app now and try out some mixes.  If they only whet your palette then go get the full app, which also allows you to create custom mixes.  If you've got any dance and hip hop in your playlist, then MIXTRAX is going to become one of your primary AppRadio apps.

The best part of MIXTRAX for AppRadio is that you don't have to download the MIXTRAX software and pre-compile playlists like you have to do for other Pioneer decks.

Check out this preview of MIXTRAX video to get an idea of what you're going to find.

Related Stories:

http://www.appradioworld.com/2011/12/mixtrax-new-appradio-compatible-app.html

AppRadio Needs is a feature column where we review an iOS app that would be fantastic if brought over to the AppRadio platform.

AppRadio needs a podcasts app.  Plain and simple, it's the one thing AppRadio is sorely missing right now.  While we have a great selection of Internet Radio and subscription music apps, we're stuck using the stock iPod app if we want to listen to podcasts - or going back to unsafely browsing the iPhone for them.

Pocket Casts is, our opinion, the best designed and best suited app for bringing to Pioneer AppRadio.  The Podcasts directory features a cover art style navigation, with an easy to understand visual indicators of which podcasts have new episodes waiting.  This would look fantastic in landscape mode on the AppRadio screen, and be very easy to navigate - especially with horizontal scrolling instead of vertical.

The listening screen looks fantastic.  It is simple and easy to use, and using the same design concepts, it would look stunning on the AppRadio.  

Navigating through the episodes of a podcast is well designed and informative.  We can see what we've listened to, and what is unplayed, and a short written description of the podcast.  With a large font on the AppRadio screen, this would look fantastic.  I would recommend only viewing one podcast episode at a time on the AppRadio screen, with horizontal scrolling to page between episodes.  Even better, would be a menu of icons for each episode at the bottom of the screen, with an indicator of which are unplayed so that we can press those as buttons to quickly skip to a podcast we haven't heard yet, or are in progress on.

We're working on some mockups of what this would look like on the AppRadio screen, so look for that tomorrow.  @pocketcasts, are you listening?  This is a great opportunity!

Pioneer has just announced a $50 mail-in rebate for in dash installations.  The mail-in rebate will run until December 31, 2011.  

This will be great news for anybody looking for an AppRadio under their tree at Christmas, as professional installations can run $100/hr.

I've been using my AppRadio for a little over a month now, and while the experience has been great, there are still some bugs that are not only annoying, they are dangerous for me as a driver.

Here's a list.  Pioneer, if you're reading this, thank you for a great experience so far.

1. Remove the Startup Warning

It can take about 30 seconds for this screen to start up after you start your vehicle.  By that time, I've typically already started driving.  That means I'm not able to read what it says, and I have to fumble for the OK button which isn't very responsive.  The message repeats every time the AppRadio boots up, so after a while it is very repetitive.  This is very unsafe, and only helps the lawyers who require it.

2. Force App Designers to Display the Time

Time is an essential part of the car stereo.  When we're in our cars, we're usually going somewhere, and we need to arrive on time.  Pandora is so far the ONLY app smart enough to put the time into the heading bar.  Please make all apps do this, including your own Radio and iPod apps.

3. The Apps Button Should Launch the AppRadio App

I know you can do it, because if I'm in an app and hit the Home button, it now launches AppRadio (since the last AppRadio update).  It's annoying for me to fumble through my iPhone for the AppRadio app every time I start my car.

4. Don't Launch AppRadio When I Click Home From Within An App

Speaking of the functionality above, when I'm in StreamS and I want to return back to the home screen to see the time (see above), it immediately launches the AppRadio app and takes me away from the home screen that I was trying to get to.  Instead, only launch AppRadio if I click Apps.  The Home button should always take me to the Home screen.  Always.  Just like on an iPhone.

5. Add Gain Control for the Microphone

I have gain control for bluetooth calls in Settings, but everybody tells me they can barely hear me even 1 foot away from the microphone.  Maybe the installation was to blame, but gain control would help.

6. Fix Windows CE Crashes

Yes, AppRadio was built on Windows CE.  Sorry for the crappy photo.

Are you ready for the best designed music app to hit AppRadio so far?  It's called Aupeo!  Go download it now.

Aupeo! is a personal radio service that generates playlists based on what it thinks you'll want to listen to.  In that way, it's very similar to Pandora.

You can also select from existing playlists, that get way outside of the traditional (and too vague) Rock, Alternative, Jazz and Hip Hop categories.  With Aupeo!, I headed straight to Seattle 1990's, and then went to West Coast Hip Hop.  Aupeo! does a great job of selecting tracks for you, and allows you to give it feedback on what you like and don't like.  The best part is that Aupeo! tries to find music to suit your taste no matter what category you're in.

The interface is beautiful, and specifically designed for safe driving.  Lists can be scrolled with your finger, or with well sized and responsive buttons.  The app is very snappy and quick, with an experience so far much better than Rdio's or AppRadio's iPod app.

Aupeo! has also kept your data plan in mind, with a setting to optimize audio quality based on your connection to save bandwidth costs.  

You've already heard of Siri, the iPhone 4S voice assistant that poses the #1 threat to Google (or at least, Google's #1 defence against an anti-trust suit).  

Pioneer has a voice assistant as well, and they call it Zypr.  Developing it is brilliant, because Pioneer is huge in the TV and Car Stereo markets - two places where voice activated searches and commands make a lot of sense, possibly even more sense than on an iPhone where talking to your phone can feel silly.

Have you ever considered tracking your car's key performance indicators such as precise fuel economy, acceleration, engine speed, and temperature?  Would you like to be able to track engine warnings before you take your car in to see a mechanic so that you already know what's wrong with it?  You can, with OBD-II.

Today, Pioneer added DashCommand as a Recommended App within AppRadio.  DashCommand is an excellent OBD-II Gauge for people who had an OBD-II WiFi reader compatibile with DashCommand.

DashCommand intimately connects you with your car's engine.  You get to see data and charts on your exact engine performance.  This is really handy for everything from measuring fuel consumption over time, to testing new performance parts and seeing the specific improvements they make to your car.

The interface is stunning.  You'll feel like a NASCAR mechanic checking manifold pressure, gear ratio and more.  It will also help you become a better driver, showing you your driving and breaking efficiency, idle time, and more.

The price is high.  An OBD-II device can run you about $75 on eBay (with Shipping), and the app itself is $59.99.  We'd love to see Rev released as well, especially with its lower pricetag.

Today Pioneer added StreamS HiFi Radio to the list of Recommended Apps within AppRadio.  StreamS boasts 1000s of internet radio stations, searchable by geo-location, and by category.  

StreamS ends up being a great addition to your car stereo options.  If you've got a data plan that can handle it (and let's face it, if you bought AppRadio you'd better have a great data plan), StreamS is like adding satellite radio to your car for only $4.99.

The interface is clean and easy to use, and doesn't seem to have any obvious usability flaws like we see in the Rdio app.  Navigating radio stations, and setting favourites is easy and safe.  Overall, it's a pretty great experience.