USB and Safety Connect Are Almost Here!

Hi Doug,

Thanks for listening to the customerswho are passionate about the Prius, and you can add my vote for direct factory ordering if it would enable getting a car the way the customer wants it. With the price of a new Prius over $32,000 for a fully loaded model, like my new Prius V, I really feel that for that amount of money, I should be able to get what I want, not what Marketing says I should want (and yes I work in marketing!). When you buy a new house, you get to pick colors, fixtures, appliances, etc., and a new car should be no different. I am constantly frustrated by the fact I want a specific color and interior color that is almost never available. For this much money, I should be able to specify and get it, even if I have to wait a few weeks to get it. The same thing happened when we bought our first Prius, a 2005 pkg 6. The dealer took $500, put our name on the list and 6 months later, called and said a red one just rolled off the truck and to come pick it up. I reminded him I wanted blue, but he said unless you want to fall back in line on the list, I should buy this one. We bought it and it was a great car, but I always felt less important as a customer because of the inability to buy what I want for such a high ticket item. I also bought a 2007 Camry Hybrid with Leather, NAV and Sunroof, and the only color I could find at the time was Silver. I still want a Blue one and may eventually buy a new car in Blue this time, from a company that has the option to order what I want. I really like Toyotas and want to stay as a customer, but if someone listens and begins to offer what I want and not just a fixed package, I'll be first in line to buy.

In any case, thanks again for listening.

 

I'd also like to hear how the USB flash drive interface works. Would one of you who has this new USB interface test a flash drive and let us know how the navigation and easy of use works?

Thanks! This conversation has been very valuable - I was looking at a Civic Hybrid and one of its major advantages over the Prius was the availability of a USB port.

 

I can charge and sync my first generation iPhone and 160GB iPod with the same cable I use to charge and sync my 3GS and 2G iPod Touch. And, as I mentioned before, Toyota's USB kit works with both the 3GS and 2G iPod Touch as well as older iPods. Although I haven't tested it, there's a good chance it works with the first generation iPhone and iPod Touch as well.

 

I apologize, it is my fault you quoted me out of context because I didnt specify what i was talking about. I was commenting on this product Video,Audio Information Solutions for Toyota and Lexus (iPod integration,XM and Sirius SAT radio integration,MP3 integration,Auxiliary input) ,not they Toyota one you purchased. And for the record, if you have a cable that works with both new gen and old gen i phone/i touch, is because that cable was designed for the new gens. A cable designed for new gen i touch/i phone will work with the old ones. Meanwhile, a cable that was desgined for the old gen i touch/i phone will not work with new gens...I hope that helps people understand a bit more about this.

And again, if anybody has purchased or has any additional info on the product linked above we would all greatly apprecciate it. THanks

 

Again, not true. I'm using the same cables that came with my first generation iPhone with my 3GS and a 2G iPod Touch without any problem. I'm also using a cable that came with an older generation iPod without any problem (although that one does cause a message to come up asking me if I want to switch to airplane mode...I say no and it works just fine).

 

Thanks cpatch, I can't begin to tell you how useful this has been to me.

Doug, thank you for breaking the details. I was anxiously awaiting this, but I can now see where this is something I don't need.

The implementation here leaves a lot to be desired. Between the slow response of searching for music, the rustic-looking display screen, and the lockout feature while driving - well frankly, this is an analog solution to a digital problem.

I'll just stick with my AUX cable and power cord.

 

+1, but with bluetooth and a cupholder mount...

 

I didn't realize that anything was locked out while driving. That's just dumb. I have to stop so my passenger can select a new song.

 

Nope, apparently you can use the up/dn steering wheel buttons.

 

My kit comes in on Thursday and was planning to put in saturday. Guess I'm committed.

 

I may have missed it in this thread but what is the ETA of the USB iPod connection being available through the PriusChat shop?

and has anyone purchased from this website?
http://www.metrotpn.com/ProductDetails.aspx?CollectionID=25&ProductID=207&SortIndex=7

 

I bought mine from them and expect to get it on Thursday. I've bought from them before and they have always had good prices, shipped promptly and answered all my questions.

 

Nothing is locked out while driving as far as I can tell, at least when using the iPod. Given the awkwardness and slowness of the interface, however, it probably should be!

 

Is there an ETA on the USB connecting being available through the PriusChat Shop?

I'd rather support PS then another website because of all of the help I've received here and the great people I've been talking with!

 

cpatch's video is quite useful but has anyone installed the USB/iPOD kit in a II or other trims without navigation? If so, what are the features that can be controlled thru' steering as well as directly?

 

It only works with the nav stereo.

 

If that is the case, then it should only be available on trims III,IV and V as II does not have the nav option. I thought it was available on all trims.

 

Hello everyone. I'm new here. My Prius should be coming in a week or so. Anyway, I wanted to ask if the ipod shuffle function works through the ipod/usb integration. I know a lot of people are annoyed at the speed of the scrolling through the nav screen, especially if they have a lot of songs. I have about 5,000 songs but I never find them manually. If i did, it would take way too much time away from the road! I just set my ipod (5th gen) to shuffle and skip skip skip. How does this work? I don't think I saw it on any of the videos explaining this. And sorry if someone already mentioned this. Thanks!

 

Yes, once you select a playlist/artist/album/etc. you can set it to shuffle through all songs within your select using the random button.