Bluetooth/GPS/Toyota hands free

[cjd Member Find all posts View Profile Close cjd]

I'm a tad confused. Trying to understand all this GPS is a nightmare for me and I'm sure others. I have a TomTom, a freebe from Harvey Norman when I got a new mobile phone. It's great as a street navigator but naturally leaves a lot to be desired with no downloads or map updates. I was surprised at the forestry and national park roads and tracks it did show when in NT & Qld recently. It was so good, my wife who had previously put a veto on thoughts of gps let alone purchase, as they were expensive boys toys, made the comment that 'when Tom dies we'll need to get another'. Four weeks holiday, 8,500 km and not one domestic over map reading or wrong directions won the day. So even though it might not be the best, Tom has kicked a goal.
My problem is in understanding some of the reviews on all-in-one units. They comment that these units (Mio C520 is looking good enough to put Tom's life at risk) have bluetooth and can be used to ring on mobile and play mp3 etc. I have that in my vehicle now and it works great. However does it mean that the GPS would work on the Toyota system if hooked up to Bluetooth? Would it fade music out, give direction and then continue music/radio same as the mobile phone does, or would it duplicate or interfere with Toyota system managing hands free set up?

[LiveFreeAndRoam Avid PP Poster! Find all posts View Profile Close LiveFreeAndRoam]

Hi cjd,

Yeah, this is an area where the questions are endless and the answers are often couched with phrases like "it depends...". It's the price we all pay for squeezing so many technologies into one handy device.

I've recently been down this path, and can offer a few insights based on my experiences. For sure, you can be overwhelmed.

I recently purchased a Garmin Nuvi 760, which has similar sounding features. Hopefully my experience with the Nuvi will translate easily enough to other GPS navigators... but you can never ask too many questions if you really, really care about a specific feature.

However does it mean that the GPS would work on the Toyota system if hooked up to Bluetooth?

Both the Nuvi and the Toyota bluetooth offer the same "handsfree" service. This means I can connect my phone via bluetooth to either the Toyota "handsfree" service or the Nuvi's "handsfree" service.

When I'm driving the Prado, my phone automatically connects to the Toyota Blueetooth "handsfree" service. When I'm in our other car (which has no bluetooth) I connect my phone to the Nuvi for handsfree operation. There are some other great bluetooth features offered by the Nuvi (and probably many others). For instance, with its text-to-speech capability, when I receive an SMS it will speak it out loud. Up until now, I have not been able to read SMS whilst driving. I love this feature and if I received more SMS, then I would likely use the Nuvi in both cars.

Would it fade music out, give direction and then continue music/radio same as the mobile phone does, or would it duplicate or interfere with Toyota system managing hands free set up?

Of note, the Nuvi does not connect to the Toyota bluetooth :? . This means the audio output on the Nuvi cannot be output via bluetooth. However, to overcome this, the Nuvi provides an FM Transmitter . So by tuning my radio to the approrpriate station, the audio from my Nuvi will be output through the radio... just not via bluetooth. :roll:

A couple of typical ways I use this... I have MP3s stored on the Nuvi and the Toyota unit. :arrow: When I play my MP3s on the Nuvi I send the output via the FM Transmitter. When the Nuvi needs to give me directions, it pauses the MP3, tells me where to go :shock:, and then resumes MP3. I quite like the way this feature works. :arrow: When I'm listening to MP3's on the Toyota unit, I enable audio on the Nuvi's speakers (rather than using the FM Transmitter). In this case, the Nuvi's volume must be loud enough for me to hear it over the music already playing. I also like this mode of operation. The Nuvi user interface allows me to swap between modes with considerable ease.

Naturally, you will also want to be sure you can upload off-road maps and maybe load some topographical overlays. These were both "must-have" features when I was searching.

Lastly, there are many many many forums dedicated to GPS.

All the best with the decision making.

LFaR.

[cjd Member Find all posts View Profile Close cjd]

Thanks very much LFaR. You explained that succinctly. I was hoping the GPS could connect to the Toyota Bluetooth and operate in the same way my phone does. While it would be great if all these tools meshed together, I see it is just wishful thinking. I am continualy amazed at the technological advancements in some of these products. You look at a GPS, then discover another that reads the directions to you and now you've just showed me that they can even read sms' while driving. Fantastic. I often hear the argument that we don't really need these toys. However if we have the means and the motivation to save and afford to fit them into our lifestyle, they really make a difference. My tongue in cheek comments about no map reading or direction arguments on the recent holiday supports this. We've had some beauties over the years about the most trivial matters but when everyone is on edge and driving in traffic on an unknown road, they take off to World War III proportions. The GPS made it so easy that everything then fell into place and a simple four week holiday become one of the best we've had in our lives, and believe me we've had some fantastic holidays in remote areas around the world. I think this is another reason why we find Pradopoint such a phenomenal resource and get hooked on it. The majority of contributors are using their experience and knowledge to make others aware of resources to make travel a fun and enjoyable experience. We use modern technology to provide old fashioned principles of sharing ideas and helping neighbours. So thanks to everyone.

[clifton Advanced Member Find all posts View Profile Close clifton]

Hi Cjd,
Spot on

[Chippy Addicted PP Member Find all posts View Profile Close Chippy]

My tongue in cheek comments about no map reading or direction arguments on the recent holiday supports this. We've had some beauties over the years about the most trivial matters but when everyone is on edge and driving in traffic on an unknown road, they take off to World War III proportions.

You're spot on there CJD. On our last couple of trips we've driven from Newcastle, through Sydney afternoon traffic, towards Bathurst.

Both trips have led to navigation nightmares and a war verging upon armageddon.

For our 20 wedding anniversary I bought a GPS .... and life is now marital bliss.

Forget about diamonds and gold --- go for technology :lol: :lol: :lol:

Cheers
Chippy

[Guest Close Guest]

I run multiple Tom toms in my business fleet. I have tried nearly every brand out there and have gone back to Tom tom solely now.

If your happy with tom tom why look elsewhere? The new ones are great.
Even show you the speed your doing and the speed limit in the area your in!!!