A few months ago I mentioned that my VW GTI came with an iPhone-iPod adapter. While I really enjoy it, there are a few things I wish it did. With the hope that VW might consider some improvements I offer these suggestions. This really is a great first step but with a few improvements this would be an incredibly nice combination. Given the state of the automotive industry in general I felt it appropriate to offer these positive suggestions.

1. First and easiest, show the song titles on both the radio and driver info screens.
2. Show more than 99 songs in a playlist. I am sure most people have more than 99 songs in their play lists and certainly in the alphabetical mode with all songs on the device. At least go to 999 but of course 9999 is better yet.
3. If you could use the steering wheel controls to change to album or artist mode that would be nice too.
4. I would also like to be able to select a random play mode for either a given play list or for all songs on the current device.
5. For the iPhone the ability to make and receive calls from your phone all while leaving it in the console would be one REALLY big step forward.
6. Hands free calls with the Caller ID showing up on the console is a REALLY big win as far as I am concerned.

Bugs in the current system.

1. When using the iPhone (this does NOT happen with an iPod) and you change to the next song, there is a quick partial play of the current song during the skip. It’s not really terrible or anything and the next song plays as expected, it’s just the small perhaps half second of music that plays during the skip (otherwise quiet time) that makes you wonder just what changed in the iPhone API when it doesn’t happen on the iPod.
2. Unfortunately with the latest iPhone OS update, my iPhone will no longer play in my car. While there were a few small issues before, it did work and play fine. To have an update disable a feature is really a poor choice as far as I’m concerned.

I want to make sure I’m clearly understood, I really like this feature in my car, I just want it to move forward as the technology advances rather than the much slower pace that cars have tended to evolve.

* This is a personal blog and my opinion only, it does not in any way reflect Intel’s opinion.

This link takes you to my earlier blog mentioning this car-software interface:

http://software.intel.com/en-us/blogs/2008/10/17/fast-cars-mids-the-iphone-and-the-vw-gti/

Here’s a link to Ylian Saint-Hilaire’s recent blog that also mentions iPod UI in a VW, this time through a 3^rd party radio:

http://software.intel.com/en-us/blogs/2009/02/22/2006-jetta-tdi-wince-navigation-system/

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