I've been thinking today about possible ways I could connect my modern Android phone to my car, for using the GPS and playing music. I currently use a cassette tape adapter to do this, but the sound quality is not great, and I don't like running a cable across the dash.
The first idea that came to mind was an aftermarket stereo, but I have a Gen 3 Taurus, and all the kits that replace the football radio look just plain ugly in my opinion, so I quickly scrapped this idea.
Then I thought about using the 3.5mm jack to connect it, and located a suitable adapter online. This would work, and would probably be the cheapest solution, but it wouldn't solve the problem of running an ugly cable across the dash, and it wouldn't be very flexible for the future, as I would only have access to the audio system wherever I would place the 3.5mm plug.
So I thought about other ways I could get this done, and I wondered if I could somehow use bluetooth. After hours of searching, I have finally found a potential solution:
1. The PIE FRDR/PC-POD2 iPod dock connector, which plugs into the CD player's input on the stereo, available on eBay for $79.99.
2. The Sprint Anycom FIPO, which allows a device with an iPod Dock Connector to be connected to with bluetooth, available on eBay for $56.00.
This would theoretically allow any device anywhere in the car to connect to the stereo system wirelessly. As my phone supports bluetooth, I could simply put it in the dock on my windshield and not have to run any wires to it, and if I ever wanted to use any devices that do not support bluetooth, small adapters that transmit from a 3.5mm source are readily available.
Also, this would, in theory, allow the car's radio to control the music on the device, as both devices support such a conversion. I'm honestly uncertain if the commands would actually survive both conversions (CD player controls -> iPod controls -> A2DP controls), but it doesn't hurt to be optimistic.
Another advantage would be that there would be no need to run any long wires. As bluetooth has a range that should easily cover the entire car, and the Anycom FIPO does not require any interaction to make it transmit (it doesn't even have any buttons or switches, and is powered over the dock connector), it should be possible to simply stow everything in the trunk.
So, what do y'all think of this? I don't currently have the ability to drop $135.99 on such a project, especially with no confirmation that it would even work, so I won't be trying this anytime soon, but I figured that this might be useful to some other more-adventurous soul .
The first idea that came to mind was an aftermarket stereo, but I have a Gen 3 Taurus, and all the kits that replace the football radio look just plain ugly in my opinion, so I quickly scrapped this idea.
Then I thought about using the 3.5mm jack to connect it, and located a suitable adapter online. This would work, and would probably be the cheapest solution, but it wouldn't solve the problem of running an ugly cable across the dash, and it wouldn't be very flexible for the future, as I would only have access to the audio system wherever I would place the 3.5mm plug.
So I thought about other ways I could get this done, and I wondered if I could somehow use bluetooth. After hours of searching, I have finally found a potential solution:
1. The PIE FRDR/PC-POD2 iPod dock connector, which plugs into the CD player's input on the stereo, available on eBay for $79.99.
2. The Sprint Anycom FIPO, which allows a device with an iPod Dock Connector to be connected to with bluetooth, available on eBay for $56.00.
This would theoretically allow any device anywhere in the car to connect to the stereo system wirelessly. As my phone supports bluetooth, I could simply put it in the dock on my windshield and not have to run any wires to it, and if I ever wanted to use any devices that do not support bluetooth, small adapters that transmit from a 3.5mm source are readily available.
Also, this would, in theory, allow the car's radio to control the music on the device, as both devices support such a conversion. I'm honestly uncertain if the commands would actually survive both conversions (CD player controls -> iPod controls -> A2DP controls), but it doesn't hurt to be optimistic.
Another advantage would be that there would be no need to run any long wires. As bluetooth has a range that should easily cover the entire car, and the Anycom FIPO does not require any interaction to make it transmit (it doesn't even have any buttons or switches, and is powered over the dock connector), it should be possible to simply stow everything in the trunk.
So, what do y'all think of this? I don't currently have the ability to drop $135.99 on such a project, especially with no confirmation that it would even work, so I won't be trying this anytime soon, but I figured that this might be useful to some other more-adventurous soul .