Headunit for my grandma

[colintrax]

My grandma has been saying she wants a radio with Bluetooth for a long time now. She wants to be able to make phone calls with the car (2005 Ford focus)
Well I'll be visiting her for Thanksgiving, so I thought I'd get her an early Christmas present and install it while I'm down there.

But uhh... which headunit to go with? Can some make phone calls with USB? Or is there any with a seamless Bluetooth connection? I personally don't care for Bluetooth anything, but I can't imagine she'd have fun pairing her phone up to the car every time she drives.
If it makes a difference, she has an android phone

Thanks!

 

[colintrax]

I talked to Crutchfield and they recommended this one. http://www.crutchfield.com/p_105KWR910B/JVC-KW-R910BT.html?tp=5684

However I noticed if says it's only compatible with froyo and gingerbread OS. My grammy has a Samsung galaxy s3, pretty sure that's a newer OS. Do yall know if it'll still work?
Thanks again

 

[drdoom]

That one is for Apple iPhones I believe. I have a jvc BT receiver and for the money it is excellent and has been trouble free. The phone functionality is great and way better than my Jensen Nav unit.

 

[colintrax]

That one is for Apple iPhones I believe. I have a jvc BT receiver and for the money it is excellent and has been trouble free. The phone functionality is great and way better than my Jensen Nav unit.

It lists android compatible, but it says froyo/gingerbread os. Those are pretty old I believe, so does that mean the newer OS won't work?

 

[Tbars4]

It lists android compatible, but it says froyo/gingerbread os. Those are pretty old I believe, so does that mean the newer OS won't work?

.You got to watch the "android compatible"..

...I have a Pioneer HD unit which I love and while they do make BT for Android Radios, the "Compatible with Android" means that if it is plugged in with aux wire, you can use only the designated items that radio spells out.

...I spent lots of time searching for my radio but everyone was out of the BT for Android model. It turns out I do all my BT phone thru my GPS instead and it's pretty awesome.

 

[drdoom]

AUX to a head unit is nothing more than a speaker output. Bluetooth has functionality such as hands free calling, Pandora play/pause/next, app player play/pause/next/previous, voice dialing, phone book & call logs, text/email notifications, and pause for phone calls and NAV audio.

 

[Tbars4]

AUX to a head unit is nothing more than a speaker output. Bluetooth has functionality such as hands free calling, Pandora play/pause/next, app player play/pause/next/previous, voice dialing.

Yes, I agree. Although I am not a stereo guy I will still try an further help answer the questions of the OP in the first post. I also learned that "Android Compatible" is also a sales marketing tool to help sell the units that are more compatible to serve the I-Phone rather than the Android market.

With the "Android Compatible" you can also use the USB to connect, control, and listen to music as well as use Mixtrax while Pandora can only be used by the I-phone. This they do not tell you on the box.

If the head units are like my GPS, I only had to do the painless, two second automatic BT pairing one time on my GPS way back when and it automatically does it itself each time since (unless I swap vehicles then I need to re-pair the two) so no effort needed there.

..As for the phone and particularly the Android Phone with a Pioneer Head unit, here are a couple units although I do not know how current they are as I am not in the business.

Single Din = DEH-X4700BT

Double Din = AVH-X2500BT

oh...and as for using the phone thru the BT...When I plug mine in my phone becomes an automatic player of the phones Music files. I can not use the phone this way.

Hope this helps..

 

[drdoom]

In simple terms stay away from anything that is specifically for iPods and iPhone if you are running Android. I believe your grandma would be very happy with the JVC you picked out, it should work fine with her Galaxy. BTW that's really nice of you to hook her up.

"That's a tight present."
-Cameron Phillips

 

[Tbars4]

Actually its more buyer beware as what they are marketing for Android is truly not always as represented by the manufacturer and it is very congusing even when asking those whom sell the units.

This is why I am sharing my insight as I went thru the pain of searching for a head unit for android and found there was a lot of marketing deception out there and not specifically for ipods and I phones.

The link you had posted (Colintrax) is for both but is geared as more usefull if you have an I phone than an android.

 

[DjDom]

My opinion is a double din Pioneer over the JVC.

http://www.sonicelectronix.com/item_89876_Pioneer-FH-X720BT.html

I put this in a few vehicles. People are always happy with them and they are very easy to use. As long as bluetooth on the phone is on, this automatically connects every time it's turned on. The initial set up for pairing the phone isn't too difficult, and everything else is nice and simple to use.

Also has Aux/USB in case that's what tickles her fancy.

 

[colintrax]

Thanks for the help you guys, I'm ordering the JVC. Free 2 day shipping right now
[MENTION=63829]Tbars4[/MENTION] I actually have that headunit in my explorer. It's awesome to say the least, but probably a bit much for my grammy. I can't see her watching dvds in her car, and living in Florida I don't want to put a touchscreen radio in her car. Thieves don't know if it's a cheapo or not.
[MENTION=186801]DjDom[/MENTION] That one looks nice, less buttons is probably a good thing for her lol and I do like pioneer. But at the same price, I'll pick the JVC for the sound quality. 22 watts rms to 14 watts rms.

If for some reason her phone doesn't work with the headunit I'll just gift it to my mom or brother. Both of whom have iPhones. Either way somebody is getting a new headunit for Christmas

 

[DjDom]

Either way somebody is getting a new headunit for Christmas

Can I get a new truck for Xmas?!

 

[colintrax]

Can I get a new truck for Xmas?!

If you put a ring on my finger

 

[DjDom]

If you put a ring on my finger

OK!

Waiting for my truck!

Gold ring with nice aquamarine gem.

 

[colintrax]

Ok, I bought your truck sweetie

 

[DjDom]

Ok, I bought your truck sweetie

That's probably the last Explorer I'll own.. literally.

 

[colintrax]

That's probably the last Explorer I'll own.. literally.

Cause of the transmission?

And I got a question I'm hoping you can answer. I ended up having to buy the radio at best buy because I didn't think about the shipping being delayed over the holiday. So I bought a pioneer single din, read a single review and the box... lol well thankfully the Bluetooth works and it sounds great. But the Bluetooth won't access her phone book even after I gave it permission.
Also, the display is painfully dim. It's kinda hard to see even with the brightness turned all the way up. I'm thinking I should've connected the illumination wire to something, but the new pioneer radio doesn't have an illumination/dimmer input... so where would it go?

On a side note. I will never, ever go back to any best buy. I'd advise everyone else to avoid them as well.

 

[DjDom]

Cause of the transmission?

And I got a question I'm hoping you can answer. I ended up having to buy the radio at best buy because I didn't think about the shipping being delayed over the holiday. So I bought a pioneer single din, read a single review and the box... lol well thankfully the Bluetooth works and it sounds great. But the Bluetooth won't access her phone book even after I gave it permission.
Also, the display is painfully dim. It's kinda hard to see even with the brightness turned all the way up. I'm thinking I should've connected the illumination wire to something, but the new pioneer radio doesn't have an illumination/dimmer input... so where would it go?

On a side note. I will never, ever go back to any best buy. I'd advise everyone else to avoid them as well.

Yeah, cause of tranny. It's ok, maybe I'll buy an Exploder later on.

Hmm, there should be an illumination wire for it..

Which radio is it?

 

[colintrax]

Yeah, cause of tranny. It's ok, maybe I'll buy an Exploder later on.

Hmm, there should be an illumination wire for it..

Which radio is it?

If I ever win the lotto I'll buy you an Explorer with an unlimited stock of spare transmissions

It's a pioneer MVH X370BT. Didn't come with a guide for the wires on the back, so I have no idea what color wire does what or what should be back there.

 

[DjDom]

If I ever win the lotto I'll buy you an Explorer with an unlimited stock of spare transmissions

It's a pioneer MVH X370BT. Didn't come with a guide for the wires on the back, so I have no idea what color wire does what or what should be back there.

I'll take your word for it.

Does it have an Orange wire?