Aftermarket Car Radio Support

[eillirand]

Are there any recommended aftermarket radios that work with all of the features of WP8 yet (well I guess, minus voice-activated stuff). I know there is a posts regarding USB support not being there (which is really a shame); but how about BT? Coming from an iPhone 4S and an OEM radio; so really anything on the market has to be better Kind of feel like MS dropped the ball not having USB work (considering all of the iPhone car decks).

Needs to be a 2-DIN radio. Replacing an OEM Jeep uConnect unit. Since USB does not work, probably needs a NAV touch screen, so I am not downgrading.

Thanks,

 

[OldSkoolVWLover]

What features are you actually looking for? USB connectivity isn't overly universal other than using as a USB drive for audio files. iOS decks are still wildly proprietary and don't necessarily combine all functions.

Basically, what features, function are you looking for, and possibly what exactly is the factory deck you are looking to augment or replace?

 

[eillirand]

Features:
Phone Audio + Voice Control (Answer, Mute, Call, Dial-a-person) --- I believe these are pretty generic to the BT profile(correct me if I am wrong)
Phonebook Sync (again generic BT)
Audio Streaming including control (Pause, Next, Previous, Play) either onscreen or voice control
Audio details (album cover, artist, song name, etc.)
Support for a variety of players. I know many head units include Pandora. I do not need it built in but at support the above mentioned functionality via USB or BT. I was using Spotify (waiting for a WP8 app). Until then been limited to Xbox Music.
The last and I doubt this is currently possible, app sharing. Something like the Pioneer AppRadio 2 offers for the iPhone (Apps I have installed on my phone works via the touchscreen head unit, like navigation). Even then this required using the 30-pin Apple cable.

I understand what you are referring to as seeing the WP8 as a USB device. My current unit does not do so but that would be nice if I wanted to transfer music from my phone to the head unit's HDD (if applicable)

Pretty certain we all agree, the iPhone has changed this market. From just using AUX and listening to audio to a full control complete feature set head unit in our car. I really like some of the things that the Ford Sync appears to offer (which apparently) works with Windows devices; but then again I don't have a Ford.

I am using the OEM 2010 uConnect (same unit most of the Dodge vehicles include) in a Jeep Wrangler. It is a 2-DIN touchscreen with Navigation. The BT is limited to phone support (no Audio Profiles were available in that model). My unit is just a few clicks from becoming dead. Phantom channel and volume changing, touch screen unresponsive, etc.). Otherwise, I would just wait until I started seeing radios that stated Windows Phone supported.

Thanks.

 

[crystal_planet]

By and large, an auto head unit is pretty simplistic by design. It can't be a fully featured extension of a mobile device because there would be a safety concern. I have a single DIN Alpine hu that is blue tooth enabled so I can voice dial/answer, streams music (with album titles and song titles) and runs my Nokia drive announcements through the car system. Anything else would be a distraction to the driver. It does enough to ensure my eyes remain on the road, where they should be.