GS3Tek

iTrader: (8)

c'mon, it won't be that bad. they'll at least let us use the am/fm/cd/pandora[sarcasm]
it's not like the nanny-lawyer will lighten up overnight and let us use BT, nav, internet. In a way I guess it's fine b/c I sure don't want that idiot who's tooling around and end up t-boning someone at the intersection.

voice control have improved, but it's still weak. however, the touchscreen has been great where you don't need the voice control, except in a lock out

*Batman*

Things I am skeptical of:

1) They claim to have best in class conversational voice recognition. The last time they said that they were totally delusional.

2) Despite Rominl's love of the mouse, I have found that to be a completely unnatural interface. In addition I had several near collisions driving Audi A6s, Lexus HS350s, and a BMW 335 with interfaces which require you to select a letter on a screen using a cursor operated by a mechanical contraption. Until they come up with either a motion gesture interface or touchpad (like Audi), I think they are behind Audi.

3) Want to hear what they are doing with the nav and the screen. There is a horrible lack of advanced graphics. Our nav is 2 generations behind BMWs current one, and BMW announced a further advancement with Nvidia today.

rominl

iTrader: (4)

hahaha, weak -- that's an understatement on lexus voice command

*Batman*

to reinforce how delusional they are, here is how Lexus describes the current voice command:

Complete nonsense. Using everyday normal speech, the Lexus understands barely a thing.

rominl

iTrader: (4)

can you explain how 2 generations and what/where to distinguish. my m3 nav is nothing but retarded. 09+ new idrive is better but in terms of nav / usage, it's nothing better than lexus. and graphics isn't any better either except a bigger screen. the new 5 series is better, but i see no absolute way where one can say it's 2 generations better than lexus nav. it does allow more controls on settings, but on a lot of refinement they are still lacking. bmw announced new ipod integrations and that's probably coming out early this year

*Batman*

The current 5 series Nav is better than the current Lexus Nav because it has a 3D view and it has exceptionally good 3D graphics. Around central Miami it has most of the buildings on it. It also has all the advantages of its predecessor.

The previous 5 series Nav had a more useful aspect ratio because the wide screen meant you could have direction list on the right, while still having a full tv shape screen of the navigation map on the left (whereas our narrower screen means you are left with a tiny map on the left). It also had a birds-eye view option which we don't have. Finally it had the option of simultaneously showing music/radio info on the right and the navigation on the left which we can also not do. Traffic features are comparable to the Lexus Gen 6.

So therefore I content that both the current 5 series nav and the previous 5 series nave are better than the Gen 6 Lexus nav as implemented in the GS. And now BMW will soon have an even more enhanced one.

The other thing I like about BMW is that they made a lot of improvements on the fly. Whenever I took my 330i for service, I noticed software updates and improvements to the interface. Lexus one never changes.

*Batman*

The iPod integration was out last September with the updated Combox. Since September they have had iOS4 iPod out support, and also had support which enables the system to display and read you text messages and emails from a Blackberry.

rominl

iTrader: (4)

i somewhat agree but not completely. you stated the good points about the bmw nav system vs lexus, which i agree, some of them give the system more flexibility and advantage (but i personally care less about bird's eye view. just my opinion). however, just by that and say their stuff are 2 generations above lexus, i don't see how that makes sense, because there are stuff about lexus navigation that are better than bmw nav as well.

- better graphical interface and graphic details
- much better input selection vs scrolling on bmw (try to go from a to z)
- audio screen detail display graphics and selection / options
- much faster route calculation compared to bmw (gen5 vs prev gen bmw)

the list can go on. it does somewhat comes down to usage and what you comfortable with. so while i agree some of your points where bmw are better, but just that to say bmw is 2 gen better, that sounds a bit too subjective. just my thoughts

bruce van

I love cars, I love computers and the internet. They really don't need to overlap for me to have an improved experience for either. In fact, I see most technology other than navigation as a distraction.

Give me old fashion buttons and a **** and I'm good.

I'm a hugh music person and have my bluetooth set up with the iPhone in my car. Hit play before I get the car in motion and I'm set. I don't need to be changing stations and browsing the internet. It's just one more additional thing to break in a car and will be outdated.

TRDFantasy

Playing catch up to who exactly?

The only competitor that Toyota could possibly be playing catch up to with this system is Ford with Sync, but even Sync has its flaws.

1.) I think it's too early to make any conclusions regarding this.

2.) Do you mean HS250h? Did you use the available force feedback on the Remote Touch? IMO I find Remote Touch the best solution for a non-touchscreen system. Using a touchpad has drawbacks. Using the force feedback on Remote Touch, you can "feel" different buttons and areas of the screen without even looking at the screen. You can't do that with a touchpad.

3.) Did you take a look at the link in this thread provided for Entune? The pictured screenshots *are* the graphics, and the UI and system looks very crisp, clean, and modern graphics-wise.

Read the press release for Entune. Toyota's Entune easily leapfrogs BMW's system in terms of all the abilities and functionality it offers. It has very advanced smartphone integration.

By the way, Entune will allow you to display and read text messages on the system from your smartphone.

LexFather

BMW NAV has never won any accolades or awards for anything. Your lucky to GET to the nav screen It might be personal preference here, which is fine.

Remote touch is very simple to use. Press a button for map and wham its there.

I've heard the RX NAV is one you can talk to without having to pause and say key words. The GS has old NAV.

*Batman*

When I say catch up - I mean there are 2 leaders in this space:
1) Microsoft in terms of functionality, apps. and voice recognition. This is where I didn't see anything advanced relative to the latest Microsoft offerings in Ford and KIA vehicles.
2) Audi in terms of input interface - if any of you have used the Audi touchpad you will realize it is a vastly superior method of entering an address. With lexus remote touch, even with force feedback, you still have to look or glance at the screen. With the audi one, you outline the letters with your fingers so you don't select letters. This means you don't need to look at the screen while entering a street name. Plus it is much more intuitive for navigating around the screen too.

Audi's method of text entry and cursor control is by far the best.

My BMW reference was just referring to quality of graphics and use of split screens.

JessePS

WiFi included? I bet some passengers would like if they can use their laptops

Vladi

Just few days ago X6 navigation took me to a wrong place, again.

TRDFantasy

1.) I hope you know that Microsoft *did* in fact partner with Toyota on this. Read the press release, there is a quote from a Microsoft representative there. Also who do you think came up with and owns Bing? Microsoft of course.

Again, apart from Ford, no other competitor offers such advanced features. Kia? Their Nav system doesn't have a lot of features Entune offers. Can it read back and display text messages? Can it stream Bluetooth audio? Does it have casual voice recognition? Does it have HD Radio, XM radio, or the apps like Entune has? Is it firmware-upgradeable and internet connected?

Kia's navigation is quite ordinary and there has been zero hype or accolades in the industry regarding its system.

2.) Entering letters is one specific scenario. In general/overall usage, I must respectfully disagree IMO. Force feedback mouse system is far superior than a touchpad control system, personally speaking.

As for quality of graphics, again that is just one specific metric, and again the screenshots of Entune look very crisp, clear, and modern.

As for your complaints about the Lexus system, I assume you're speaking from experience with the GS. IMO you cannot judge the voice recognition on the GS as being the same system on all Lexus models. The GS system is old now and does not have the "casual" voice recognition that the RX has. The RX casual voice recognition apparently works quite well.

I'm quite sure Entune will use this casual voice recognition as well.

In terms of maps, Entune I believe will use Bing maps. You can't get more updated maps than that really. Whether it's Bing, Google, or Mapquest online maps, they're updated constantly.

You'll also be able to update the Entune system via your smartphone (without going to the dealer) so it won't be outdated. New features could be added in the future, and upgrading would be simple. It would be just like a software update. Can you update BMW's nav system without going to a dealer?

Last but not least, I am sure new Lexus models will be differentiated from Toyota models with Entune in certain ways like bigger screens or quite possibly different features on the Lexus systems. We shall see soon enough.

Doesn't say if Wi-fi is included in Entune itself, but I'm sure you'd be able to use internet on a laptop via connecting to the smartphone itself via bluetooth or Wi-Fi.