do you guys think they'll eventually integrate a usb/firewire port into car headunits? that'd make it so much easier to play mp3's or whatever through it. the software's already inocorporated into the headunits that can play mp3's off of burned cd's an stuff. i would think it'd be fairly easy to add a usb/firewire port for connecting a portable hard drive (which is essentially what most portable mp3 players are). it'd give you the same browsing capabilities you get when browsing through mp3's on a burned cd but with the immense storage of a portable hard drive/mp3 player. it'd be a lot better than playing things through an auxillary input.

just something i was thinking about.. :shrug

i believe usb/firewire is a proprietary technology that you need to "lease" from whoever created it. until thier is enough of a market demand, i doubt any company will do this. also...because the technology allows a ton of different options on what to hook up on the other end, the headunit manufacturere sees no monitary gains by selling proprietary "add ons" to work w/ their own technology.

Originally posted by SPL_Eclipse
i believe usb/firewire is a proprietary technology that you need to "lease" from whoever created it. until thier is enough of a market demand, i doubt any company will do this. also...because the technology allows a ton of different options on what to hook up on the other end, the headunit manufacturere sees no monitary gains by selling proprietary "add ons" to work w/ their own technology.

interesting...
alpine has their ipod integration unit which is due out this summer... it's a great idea but it seems to me that it'd be so much more marketable to sell something that lets you connect any type of portable hard drive/mp3 player.

Yeah, I got a Firewire charger adapter from Mac shop
they are designed for iPod!!!!
Really COOL!

let me know if you want a pic for it

? what's it do?

it is a firewire adapter 12V charger...
I connect my iPod to the "audio in" line of the stereo...... then, connect the iPod to the charger,..... you can use that for a long road trip without worrying about the battery.....

Originally posted by tomatot
it is a firewire adapter 12V charger... I connect my iPod to the "audio in" line of the stereo...... then, connect the iPod to the charger,..... you can use that for a long road trip without worrying about the battery.....

the firewire connection you are talking about is only for powering the ipod NOT data. the audio is being transferred via the aux input on your HU. therefore you have no browsing capabilites through your HU. we're talking about having a usb/firewire port built into a HU so you can hook up any portable hard drive/mp3 player. browsing the connected device would work much the same way that you browse mp3 files on a burned cd. cd's are great but they only hold so many songs. yes, it's a lot but nowhere near having your entire library as with an ipod/hard drive.

Originally posted by SPL_Eclipse
"alpine has their ipod integration unit which is due out this summer... it's a great idea but it seems to me that it'd be so much more marketable to sell something that lets you connect any type of portable hard drive/mp3 player." not really. thats the classic teaming-up of two companies, each with something to gain from the blending of technology. alpine wins because theres already a good base of people in thier primary demographic who own an IPOD (and will pay well for a good headunit! im willing to bet the markup on those units are twice what the next comparable unit in the line is). apple wins because they are probably getting a cut of the profits from alpine, plus it helps prolifirate the market with another excuse to buy thier technology (the IPOD). if alpine were to just come out with a generic usb HU, it doesnt really benifit anyone but the consumer, as they then have the choice of what to put on the other end of that cable. ;)

good point. haha damn them and their marketing plans. why can't they just make stuff that'd be the most useful to the consumer :rolleyes

i think the ipod unit with alpine is still a great move though. i have an ipod and am seriously leaning towards getting an alpine just for that purpose. so yes their plan is working. i'd just so much rather see increased integration and standardization with the audio industry. but hey that's not profitable. blah. we'll see what happens. i'm pretty sure that HU's with a built in hard drive aren't selling as well as manufacturers had hoped. especially with the increased interest in ipods and other portable mass storage devices. who wants something stuck in their car when you could carry it with you anywhere instead. plus buying a nice regular HU and a portable mp3 player is waaaay cheaper than any of the hard drive HU's on the market :P

"alpine has their ipod integration unit which is due out this summer... it's a great idea but it seems to me that it'd be so much more marketable to sell something that lets you connect any type of portable hard drive/mp3 player."

not really. thats the classic teaming-up of two companies, each with something to gain from the blending of technology. alpine wins because theres already a good base of people in thier primary demographic who own an IPOD (and will pay well for a good headunit! im willing to bet the markup on those units are twice what the next comparable unit in the line is). apple wins because they are probably getting a cut of the profits from alpine, plus it helps prolifirate the market with another excuse to buy thier technology (the IPOD). if alpine were to just come out with a generic usb HU, it doesnt really benifit anyone but the consumer, as they then have the choice of what to put on the other end of that cable. ;)