#Radioapp review drivers
#Radioapp review Bluetooth

You can browse through (again, no swiping or flicking motions allowed) and select a contact, tap their phone number and the call is placed - a bundled external handsfree mic is part of the AppRadio's in-car install, so you won't have to shout at your iPhone to be heard on the other end. Similarly, hitting the phone button brings up a list of contacts. We weren’t able to find out whether this is going to change before the AppRadio’s Australian release.

#Radioapp review drivers

Presumably this is some kind of road safety inclusion to stop drivers swiping away while driving, but it’s counter-intuitive and the buttons are on the wrong side for the driver to access easily. There are seven buttons arranged around the outer edges of the AppRadio’s screen which take care of track selection, playback and skipping, but we found that the intuitive swipe and tap commands didn’t work when trying to browse through music listings - instead you’re forced to use the two up and down buttons on the left-hand side of the touchscreen. Navigating through the AppRadio’s music interface is simple. We were told that the main impediment to the Pioneer AppRadio’s release is the company’s insistence on having a third-party navigation partner like TomTom onboard with a high quality turn-by-turn app, making the AppRadio a viable alternative to a standalone GPS or in-car navigation system. At the moment only the iPod functionality and Google Maps work in Australia - Pioneer is reportedly working with app developers to get some more apps certified and altered to work with the AppRadio. Running the app lets the AppRadio communicate with the iPhone and execute apps through the stereo’s larger touchscreen. To use the Pioneer AppRadio with an iPhone 4, you’ll have to download the free Pioneer AppRadio app from the App Store (when it’s available). We didn’t have an iPad on hand to test whether it would work. The AppRadio apparently only works with the iPhone 4, according to Pioneer - older iOS devices don’t have the necessary processing power.

#Radioapp review Bluetooth

When there’s no iPhone plugged in you can use the radio and Bluetooth handsfree features of the Pioneer AppRadio, but the real fun starts when you hook one up.

Considering the cheapest in-car navigation kits start at around $1500, we’re thinking the AppRadio will appear in some (appropriately oversized) Christmas stockings.

No concrete pricing or availability could be confirmed by Pioneer, but we’ve been told to expect a sub-$1000 release before the end of the year. We got the chance to take the Pioneer AppRadio for a test drive at Pioneer’s Australian unveiling of the device.