When I got on the new Suzuki "Alto" with display audio, I was surprised at the enhancement of safety and convenience functions --Car Watch
Display audio that is very convenient for those who are familiar with smartphones
Android Auto is connected to an Android smartphoneThe display audio installed in this new Alto is being adopted by vehicles in the popular price range (around 1 million yen to around 2 million yen).
The so-called "car navigation" (hereinafter referred to as "car navigation") has been seated on the center console of a car for a long time, and it has a higher attachment rate than overseas (standard equipment at the time of purchase, or the rate at which it is installed as a manufacturer / dealer option). ) Has become a feature of the Japanese market. It is no exaggeration to say that car navigation systems have been considered to be indispensable equipment in the Japanese automobile scene. In such a market situation, display audio has recently appeared and is reaching the stage of widespread use.
Speaking of display audio, there are many people who have a slightly negative perception that the most important function of car navigation is "a low-priced car navigation system with fewer functions than car navigation systems". Certainly, by omitting the navigation function, display audio can be manufactured cheaper than car navigation, and the price is also cheaper than car navigation, if you compare car navigation and display audio of aftermarket products. Obviously it's not wrong.
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— Leslie Miller Mon Jun 04 18:47:52 +0000 2018
However, when it comes to the fact that display audio has fewer functions, that is not always the case. The reason is that display audio is used as a set with a smartphone (iPhone or Android smartphone) to realize car navigation functions and audio playback functions (technically, the screen and sound of the smartphone are displayed on the display. become). For this reason, in the same way that smartphones can be expanded with apps published on the App Store (Apps Store, Google Play Store), display audio can also be expanded with apps, which is a fixed function. It will be the biggest difference from the car navigation system. However, not all smartphone apps can be used with display audio, and only some apps that support display audio can be used.
Functional comparison between conventional car navigation and display audio
| function | Car navigation | Display audio |
|---|---|---|
| Realization of navigation function | Equipped as standard | You need to connect your smartphone |
| Navigation function | Detailed instructions depending on the product are attractive | Depends on smartphone apps (Google Maps, Yahoo! Car Navi, etc.) |
| Map data | Stored locally, requires active updates (often paid) | Stored in the cloud, updated daily |
| Voice search | It is installed, but it is used like a command | More natural speech recognition such as Siri and Google Assistant |
| Enhancements in the App Store, etc. | × | ○ ○ |
| Music file | Built-in storage / USB / iPhone / Bluetooth | Cloud (local cache available) |
| Video playback | Built-in storage / USB / iPhone | Video playback is possible only on the smartphone screen |
| Check your smartphone / PC schedule | △ (It may be possible if you put a tool in your smartphone) | Cloud |
| Set destination from smartphone schedule | △ (It may be possible if you put a tool in your smartphone) | Possible |
Another big difference is that the smartphone is always connected to the internet line, and not only the data stored in the local storage but also the data stored in the storage on the internet side called the cloud can be utilized. A typical example is map data, which is not always connected to the Internet in a general car navigation system, so map data only refers to data in local storage. Recently, car navigation systems where map data is updated as frequently as once every few months have become common, and due to user convenience (the biggest reason is that it is troublesome), it is updated once a year. Or the reality is once every few years. Then, the data of the road immediately after opening is not reflected, and it is a common sight that if you drive on a new highway, you will drive on a road without a road.
It looks like you are navigating using Google Maps on Apple CarPlay. Android Auto can only use Google Maps (NAVITIME and map software for foreign countries), but Apple CarPlay can use Google Maps, Yahoo! Car Navi, and genuine Apple maps. The appeal of display audio is that you can choose map software. Apple CarPlay uses Yahoo! Car Navi.The map data of the map app on your smartphone can be downloaded via the line (it can also be downloaded as a cache in advance), so you don't have to worry about updating the map.Map data such as Google Maps used by Display Audio as a navigation app can be saved as cache (temporary data) in local storage, but it is basically located in the cloud, and if necessary, an internet connection is available. It is a mechanism to access via. For this reason, the map data is updated daily, and the data on the expressway that just opened yesterday is already reflected the next day. Such "up to date" can be said to be an advantage of display audio.
In this way, display audio + smartphones also have advantages, but they also have disadvantages. For example, Apple CarPlay and Android Auto cannot play videos on the display on the vehicle side, it is just a display without a smartphone, and the navigation function is not specialized for Japan. I would like to carefully consider these advantages and disadvantages and choose whether the conventional car navigation system is good or the display audio is good.
In the case of the new Alto introduced this time, the display audio is a manufacturer option, and if you think that the conventional car navigation system is better, you can select it as a dealer option. Of course, it is also possible to install an aftermarket car navigation system in the form of audioless.
