Quote:
Originally Posted by t.cov
Well I purchased the MOST interface recently and installation went off fairly smooth with a few glitches here and there.
I have had time to use my ipod for a day or two and boy...THere are some really pain in a## frustrations that I have noted.
1. When switching CD 2 to 3 it seems to take a rather long time..
2. CD2 (artists)..Really frustrating that listening to a song and then going back to root ALWAYS restarts the search from the beginning (letter A in my case).
3. Scrolling down to other selections is not very quick nor enjoyable with the force feedback BS..
4. Even more frustrating is that there is no way to separate albums for the same artist. I have 4 U2 albums on my ipod and even though the IPOD subdivides into albums and then songs, this does not seem to be the case with the adaptor. Under U2 all songs are listed (in what order I don't know, but I may have to scroll down 40 clicks before getting to the song I want.
I am sure there are more  . Maybe I am missing something.
Input/comments are appreciated. |
If the Ipod adaptor drives you crazy, you might consider the Dension GW500. After considering the BMW Ipod Interface and other aftermarket products, I settled on the Dension GW500. The Dension had some early reports of software bugs causing it and/or iDrive to crash, but it seems that firmware upgrades have fixed the problems. After living with the Dension for a couple weeks, I've had no crashes. It seems to be an improvement on some of the frustrations you've had:
1. Switching between CD2 and CD3 is not particularly slow or fast, but due to the iPod interface available via CD5, I don't really use CD1, 2, or 3. (Playlists, Artists, Albums).
2. Accessing Artists through CD2 is a pain (you have to use Pages and guess which page your artists is on), but through CD5, you can select Artist and search by first letter index (i.e., scroll to M to see all the artists beginning with M). Pretty fast this way.
3. Yeah, nothing you can do about that without upgrading iDrive. I don't mind the force feedback itself, but that it works so poorly, with a long pause between the initial resistance and the screen scrolling.
4. Dension is a big improvement. Via CD5, you can select, for example, your U2 albums, and they are each listed separately, similar to the iPod's actual interface.
CD5 basically browses the iPod with basically the same menu structure as on the iPod. The root menu of CD5 has Albums, Artists, etc., as well as Podcasts, Composer, Genre, etc. CD5 is the easiest way to navigate the iPod on iDrive. The only failing is that there is no single button equivalent of a "back" button, but that is overall minor.
Other plusses of the Dension:
- USB input: an easy way to play a few mp3s, a mix, an audiocast in mp3, without having to sync the ipod. Will also support a USB powered HDD.
- Aux in: minor benefit for the odd audio source
- Native iPod control: you can control the music via the iPod's own interface (You select input via CD6: iPod via iDrive, iPod native, Aux in, and USB.)
- Retain CDC: You can switch between the CDC and Dension with a switch.
- Dension unit remembers exactly where you were when you switched to another source (e.g., FM) or turned the car off, so it starts exactly where you stopped to the second.
Negatives:
- Over $100 more than the BMW iPod Interface
- When the iPod is replugged in, it takes a while before it is recognized and is accessible
- Still frustrating to use the iDrive interface
- You can scan a directory by selecting the track while it is playing (i.e., play the first 8 secs of each track in succession), but you can't stop the scan without exiting the directory and going to CD4. Minor issue, but an odd oversight.
Linear Mode
