I've all but given up on the iPod interfaces for the Prius. Too slow/awkward to navigate. Are there any interfaces for other mp3 players? Is there any way to hook up a hard drive and have it function like one huge mp3 CD? Would it be possible to hook up a hard drive and have it work like a huge mp3 CD with a custom harness? Any takers?
Sorry,folks! Mine is a 2006 Package #3. I've tried both DICE and Peripheral's IPOD2CAR. None of them seem to cut it for me. With the DICE unit, you have to hit the track button each time to change album/song/playlist, and with 5,000+ songs, 200+ albums, not to mention the lag between what's playing and what you see on the screen, it's just not practical. As for IPOD2CAR, you can navigate a bit more quickly in SAT mode using the turn wheel, but the text is just too small. I currently just plug my iPod into the AUX jack and navigate songs directly, but I'd like something that is safer and more practical when I'm driving.
I haven't heard of any other specialized .mp3 player aftermarket component. DICE seemed to be the most popular. It would be nice to have something like Microsoft Sync in the Prius.
You can pick one of these up cheap on ebay: eBay Motors: car audio 4 + 4 & 8 track player vintage craig pioneer (item 140241338912 end time Jun-20-08 17:28:31 PDT)
That thing is either as old or older than I am. Does the word "groovy" apply here, or am I off by a decade? Would have gone nice with the Pong set we used to have if my idiot brother hadn't thrown it away one summer cleaning out the basement. If only he had the clairvoyance to predict eBay. I'm convinced in another 25 years it's gonna be priceless. But I digress...
I just this week replaced the Zen Vision M I lost with an Ipod. The Zen was Great! all the features the Ipod has, but the Zen has a customizable equalizer that my 80 gig Classic does not have. I can highly recommend the Creative Zen products, in particular the Vision M, because I had one for two years.
I use a Zune with the Home AV Dock atop a closed-cell foam base that sits in my front cupholder. Cords run from inside the console, through a small hole out the front of the consol and plug into the dock discreetly. The Home AV Dock is remote controlled and allows for video out, so with Coastal Lockpick 3 (I'm waiting for an excuse to buy one) you could feed video/Zune navigation to the LCD and navigate with the remote. Even without feeding to the screen it works like a charm. Most people cringe at the idea of a Zune, but after four iPods, I sleep better knowing I'll never have to gyrate my thumb in circles scrolling through hundreds of artists and albums.
