Three infotainment car stereo functions I’d like to talk about: phone book access, MirrorLink, steering wheel control.

The phone book access function actually highlights the hands-free calling function of the Bluetooth by displaying the name of the caller, of course when you want to call someone, no need to find the name from your screen-limited smartphone, the head unit will do the same work.

I found the most useful function of MirrorLink is to mirror the Google map to the infotainment screen, which gives me a wider and clearer view of the map, the guidance voice is louder, and it saves me an extra cradle. (Be aware that MirrorLink function works for the Android phone mostly, if you want to use it to link to your iPhone, an extra CarPlay Dongle will be a smart choice, I will explain it more next time.)

If you have the same bad habit like mine, hate to hear the same song or get sick of some songs for a while, the steering wheel control function will save your day as well. Control to move on to the next song is only one finger away, if you want to sing with the song, the volume control is still just at your hand.

Next time, I was thinking to talk about the car stereo functions that require extra devices.

No need to address how important safety is, but some infotainment functions are safety-related which shall be paid extra attention.

Hands-free calling, steering wheel control, rear view camera support.

Hands-free calling allows the driver to pick up a phone call by hitting the answering button from his car stereo, hear and speak through the infotainment system. Bluetooth can make the hands-free calling easily achieved after being paired, things you need to be sure if you want to have this function, both your smartphone and car stereo shall have Bluetooth, neither a speaker nor an embedded microphone in your infotainment system shall be missed.

Driving without music or radio could be tedious, while steering/ driving wheel control makes all the selection and changing work just at your fingertips. There are still different types of signal input of the steering wheel control, be sure it is matched with the infotainment system.

Parking a car is always tricky before the rear camera was invented, since it’s not a pricy device, there is not really a good excuse for not installing one. Of course, you need to be sure that your head unit supports the same type of backup camera as your old ones.

The infotainment system could be really helpful if you successfully unlock the right function. So I’d like to share some small but handy functions next time.

Hello everyone, last time we talked about two major factors of the price difference between infotainment systems, CPU, ROM, and RAM.

(If you are new to this topic, have a look at this link: http://blog.autopumpkin.com/how-to-tell-the-price-difference-between-car-stereos-lesson-1/ )

This time I’d like to share some basic but vital functions of an infotainment car stereo that you definitely need to understand well before you pick one.

Top 3 basic functions: GPS, Radio, Bluetooth.

Most car stereo head units have them all, but there are differences. For example, what kind of GPS system does it support, is it applicable on your phone OS? Is the navigation APPs pre-installed or not? If not, how could I download one? By WIFI? Then you need to be sure this car stereo has a built-in WIFI modem.

Radio function seems so normal, but I believe you all be troubled by poor signals, phase noise, and slow tuning. To eliminate these annoyances, confirm the tuning range and signal receiving performance will be helpful. If the infotainment system supports RDS, better for program and traffic information acquirement. Also, Digital audio broadcasting (DAB) compatibility comes handy for a well-known large radio station numbers and channel options (mono talk radio, news, weather, other music/ non-music programs) covers a broader area around the world (except North America).

Bluetooth now is not just about sharing your favorite music from your phone anymore. Hands-free calling allows you to make and receive phone calls, send and receive messages, access to your phone book. Just be sure your phone supports Bluetooth.

Forecast for lesson 3: Functions of a car stereo you need to know for your driving safety.

 

btw, PUMPKIN car stereos are great in all these functions.