just a repost from the other thread (AVC-9000 alternative)... mini review I made today:
Alright here is my first impressions review..
Received package yesterday in the mail via DHL. Great packaging and the unit was in perfect shape. Small box containing all wires and accessories was right next to it. Box was taped up like a jail cell to avoid theft and damage in shipment.:thumbsup:
I unwrapped it and spread it out for a pic... then uninstalled my Premium 7 unit and got the dash ready for install.
Closeup of radio uninstalled to see detail... looks just like the pics!
We'll skip over the fact that I didn't realize there were shipping screws in the CD/DVD portion of the unit. I forgot to remove them and I couldn't load a disc for a couple hours... thankfully with the help of this forum I had an answer quickly and removed the radio to remove the screws. Reinstalled and it's working great. Disregard my stupidity here and remove the screws when you first receive it. It's easy to forget!
I apologize as I only snapped one photo of it installed and working because I was having so much trouble with the CD/DVD not working since I forgot the damn screws. I'd take some more pics right now but it's 10 degrees out.. I'll add to this post later. Here is the one I have for now:
Alright lets go through the different modes:
Bluetooth: Didn't even need a code to pair my phone to it. Just put it on discover and put my phone on the same and they linked right up. haven't had a chance to call anyone on it but will test it out soon.
CD/DVD: Once the screws are removed out of the top it works like a champ. Played a "backup" DVD with ease (zoom function on the remote is handy for the widescreen movies as the screen has huge top and bottom black bars since the widescreen is much wider. MP3 CDR disc played perfectly and it is set up with folders as I burned it. Titles are short but they do show up as the file name and not "track 1, track 2 etc". Burnt myself a DVDR Dual Layer 8.5gb MP3 disc last night to give that a shot today, hopefully it will play without issues.
SD Card: Does not like my 8gb high capacity SD card. Only size I could find online was 2 gb NON-high capacity so I ordered 2. Since the unit reads DVDs for MP3 and DIVX and DVDr files I'm not too worried about the SD...but it's handy!
GPS: Mine was shipped with iGO8 and US maps. Found the buildings online and some more points of interest. Fired it up and it works like a charm. Will post pics when I take a drive later on. I installed the antenna right under the middle air grate thing on the top of the dash. It picks up reception just fine (although I live just outside Boston) so we'll see how it works in the country later on.
Radio: I live in the US but it works better on Europe mode as it has RDS and reads the station names and info. US setting does not display, go figure. Works awesome on europe mode and the reception is great. Only hooked up the "white" labeled antenna from the stock unit. I left the other one with electrical tape on it for now. Doesn't seem like I will use it though.
Unit itself:
Beep function turns off easily
Dimmer is nice at night, turns on with lights
Nightmode on the GPS is easy to read and see
Screen is awesome... glare is so so in direct light, but not bad at all
Graphics are great looking, no complaints (pics to follow)
TV: not sure if I will ever worry about setting it up.. no use for it
Reverse camera.. also probably never hook it up, but we'll see!
MFD support: lost scrolling functions but I like the touchscreen anyways..
Lost the whole audio screen on the MFD, now it's always on trip info/MPG/etc
can adjust volume of GPS voice and radio independantly (awesome!)
iGO8 graphics are phenomenal... trying to find some skins online to make it my own
Alright that's my review for now, more pics and thoughts to follow as promised! :happyanim:
If you are on the fence about this unit, just buy it! For the price it's awesome.
Questions are welcome, I check this forum often :thumbup:
Brian:headbang: