MDI anyone?

[andyspan]

And you can still have 6 CD's!!

And a glovebox full of SD cards!:yes:

[Peter a Proud Yorkshireman]

Although I do sometimes listen to CD`s I find the wireless to be very good in particular Five Live apart from on a Friday when they have that Mark Commode on in the afternoon. The most boring man on the planet.

Wonder how many on here prefer listening to broadcast news and music?

[JCP]

I am a radio 4 man myself-it sets the rhythm of my day but driving to and from Portugal for my hols leaves a gap-Euro radio is execrable.

[Paa100]

I have worked abroad a lot over the last 10 years and was an early iPod adopter. I just loved having all my music in my pocket and got used to it. The SD card is great but where are my structured playlists, lossless aac tracks, downloads. I see the sd card as a great solution for a bit of music on the move but I find I always want to listen to something else. And the way iTunes organizes, updates and synchs with an iPod, iTouch, iPhone - shuffling random selections onto the player - is just great. It's the simple integration of the software that makes those fruit solutions so easy to use.

I'm trying to live with the sd card and aux in but suspect Im on the slippery slope to an MDI kit. Yolanda is just too new to take apart.

[900000]

I really wanted MDI as a factory fit. Then I got the car and realised how easy the bluetooth streaming is from an iPhone - which if you don't have one - also has a complete iPod app on it. So all my carefully constructed smart playlists and my music are on my phone anyway. So very easy to listen to exactly what I want when I want via artist, playlist or whatever. BUT keeping the thing charged is a pain with cables and what not and you have to remember to switch the bluetooth on before you get in the car. Also once you get used to the SD card it is lovely seeing the Track name and artist on either the Bolero or in the Maxidot screen. The BT Audio option shows nothing of this anywhere. Furthermore you can skip tracks you are not in the mood for with the steering wheel buttons. To do any of this sans MDI you have to do it ON the iPhone/iPod/MP3 player... not safe when driving.

So all in all yes the BT Audio and SD card is great but not the best way to do it. One day when the money boat comes in I'll upgrade to an MDI system.

[Sprockutt]

I have worked abroad a lot over the last 10 years and was an early iPod adopter. I just loved having all my music in my pocket and got used to it. The SD card is great but where are my structured playlists, lossless aac tracks, downloads. I see the sd card as a great solution for a bit of music on the move but I find I always want to listen to something else. And the way iTunes organizes, updates and synchs with an iPod, iTouch, iPhone - shuffling random selections onto the player - is just great. It's the simple integration of the software that makes those fruit solutions so easy to use.

I'm trying to live with the sd card and aux in but suspect Im on the slippery slope to an MDI kit. Yolanda is just too new to take apart.

I'll be picking up our Yeti in a few weeks and have just taken delivery of a 16Gb SD card that I'll fill with tracks soon. I'm sure for the most part that will be fine but my 22 year old golf has an MDI connection with the Alpine head unit I had fitted. So once the newness of my Yeti wears off a bit I'm sure I'll order this and fit it. A wee bit nervous to rip out the radio in the first couple of months!

Incidentally, I'm a big Spotify user and couldn't find any way to access the app on my iPod touch. Anyone else use Spotify with MDI?

[rockhopper]

Incidentally, I'm a big Spotify user and couldn't find any way to access the app on my iPod touch. Anyone else use Spotify with MDI?

Don't you need an iPhone/other phone when out and about as you need to use the 3G service, which the touch doesn't have...?

[Sprockutt]

Don't you need an iPhone/other phone when out and about as you need to use the 3G service, which the touch doesn't have...?

Nope, Spotify has an offline feature that lets you sync up to 3333 tracks for offline use.

[rockhopper]

Nope, Spotify has an offline feature that lets you sync up to 3333 tracks for offline use.

Thanks. I didn't realise that, I thought it was all online.

[Paa100]

I like the top tray idea. But not cutting holes. Perhaps there could be a complete kit offered with a tray with the hole already cut. For us non-Dremmel types.

[stanjackos]

I have just invested in this kit and the best explanation I can give for those who have found alternatives which satisfy their need is that it is a generational thing.

Over my last few cars I have had and failed to use a variety of solutions involving carrying plastic discs around including 6, 10 and 12 disc players. I have, since fitting my last Seat with an Alpine iPod head unit, realised that an effectively infinitely capacious and fully organisable and searchable music system which also powers my home system and can be slipped into a shirt pocket to run headphones wherever I want is valuable. I can access an infinite supply of new material wherever broadband is available and on a whim acquire new tracks at modest cost.

So it is a thing for the computer using younger generation. At the weekend I had a fancy for the Foo Fighters "Learning to fly"-Click and I have it. On holiday last year I felt the need to add "Gasoline Alley" to my collection-done there and then.

If I were middle aged I suppose I'd find it impenetrable.

By the way, I'm 58.

Unfortunately, due to my rather lowly status on the academic and social scale, I happen to belong to the very microscopic fraction of the great un(brain)washed 84% of global mobile phone and Mp3 player owners who are fortunate not fall under the insiduos fettered world of Apple.Before 2009, most tracks available in the iTunes music store were locked, or DRMed, which meant that they could only play in iTunes and on iPods/iPhones associated with your iTunes account. Apple has gone to great lengths to make sure iTunes only works with Apple products, non-apple devices will not "Sync" with itunes. Fortunately there is life beyond the iTunes store and a multitude of other download stores are out there. I also download tracks or albums that I fancy, when I fancy, I use Amazon, the main difference being they are DRM free Mp3 downloads playable on absolutely any Mp3 device.You have overlooked one important fact about those "Plastic Disks", CD`s contain Audio tracks recorded with an Audio Bit Rate of 1411.2 Kbit/s, whilst both MP3 and AAC use "Lossy" forms of compression of audio data that massively reduce the size of the data and thus the quality,therefore the choice is down to the individual, lots and lots of low quality tracks Mp3 or AAC tracks on your storage media or one High Audio quality album on a single CD, or a mixture of both.

Life is full of surprises, a 58 year old Apple FANBOY! (I bet you wear your baseball cap sideways)

[JCP]

Unfortunately, due to my rather lowly status on the academic and social scale, I happen to belong to the very microscopic fraction of the great un(brain)washed 84% of global mobile phone and Mp3 player owners who are fortunate not fall under the insiduos fettered world of Apple.Before 2009, most tracks available in the iTunes music store were locked, or DRMed, which meant that they could only play in iTunes and on iPods/iPhones associated with your iTunes account. Apple has gone to great lengths to make sure iTunes only works with Apple products, non-apple devices will not "Sync" with itunes. Fortunately there is life beyond the iTunes store and a multitude of other download stores are out there. I also download tracks or albums that I fancy, when I fancy, I use Amazon, the main difference being they are DRM free Mp3 downloads playable on absolutely any Mp3 device.You have overlooked one important fact about those "Plastic Disks", CD`s contain Audio tracks recorded with an Audio Bit Rate of 1411.2 Kbit/s, whilst both MP3 and AAC use "Lossy" forms of compression of audio data that massively reduce the size of the data and thus the quality,therefore the choice is down to the individual, lots and lots of low quality tracks Mp3 or AAC tracks on your storage media or one High Audio quality album on a single CD, or a mixture of both.

Life is full of surprises, a 58 year old Apple FANBOY! (I bet you wear your baseball cap sideways)

Not sure I can identify with the "apple fanboy" and I don't wear hats much at all. I have been a PC user since pre-windows days and am beginning to tire of the stream of "updates", the last of which scrambled Google Chrome. All my windows machines seem to slow down and become cranky in 3 years or so.

I have no enthusiasm for the global domination business model of either Apple or Microsoft. I am reluctantly coming to the view that Apple stuff tends to just work with less bother and the iPod seems to be intuitively easy to use.

I agree with the lossy format problem in theory but in the car I don't think it is relevant. Hi Fi standards are only really valuable in a much quieter environment.

[Allams Skoda]

Sorry for being ignorant but what does this do that Bluetooth won't?

It will charge the iPod or iPhone too which is useful as iPhones tend to go flat after about 6 nanoseconds.

[RSMarco]

Apple products rule and 'just work'.

James, you come across as an android user..?

[Allams Skoda]

No, no I have an iPhone and I love Macbooks. Android phones are terrible. My only gripe is the battery life on my iPhone, hopefully when the new iPhone gets released I can get an upgrade.

[rockhopper]

No, no I have an iPhone and I love Macbooks. Android phones are terrible. My only gripe is the battery life on my iPhone, hopefully when the new iPhone gets released I can get an upgrade.

the 3G battery life was dire.....the 3GS was better and the 4 is much, much better.

iMac's & MacBook Pro's rule

And so continues Apples' bid for world domination with my help......Microsoft is on it's way down now......

[Allams Skoda]

Mike do you know when the iPhone5 is coming out? Is worth waiting for it or shall I just get an iPhone4 now as my home button on my iPhone3 has given up the ghost and rendered it pretty useless.

[rockhopper]

Mike do you know when the iPhone5 is coming out? Is worth waiting for it or shall I just get an iPhone4 now as my home button on my iPhone3 has given up the ghost and rendered it pretty useless.

I'd ask steve jobs, bit i've lost his address.

there are rumours and there are rumours. With apple there is no way of knowing when. I am very happy with my (5th) iPhone 4. This one works very well without any problems that I have experienced early on - proximity sensor problems x2, internal speaker crap, home button (!) not working properly.

I could have traded up for a new phone mid contract which I can do on a business contract, but decided instead to reduce the monthly outgoings as the iPhone 4 is still the best out there as far as I'm concerned that works perfectly with all my macs. So I'm sticking with it for a year.

Tescos were last time I looked offering the best deals and a 12 month contract, even if you do pay more for the iPhone upfront, it was still cheaper than the competition. I'm with o2 for another 12 months. Then I will re-evaluate the market.

So, in short get an iPhone 4 but with a 12 month contract. The iphone 5 may come out this year. Traditionally the next iPhone is announced when they announce the new iOS, but they didn't this time. Who knows what will happen.

MIke

[JCP]

Well, the kit fitted today and.....it doesn't work. It powers the iPod but the mdi is not talking to the iPod and will not talk to the Bolero. My helpful and knowledgeable in car electrics specialists are arranging to get a man with a laptop and coding session next week. Anyone any advice as to trying to get the Bolero to recognise the MDI?

[RSMarco]

Have to agree about Apple products........

I love them. So much now that I hate using Microsoft!

Rumours are the iPhone 5 (4s) will be released around September time, possibly around the release of iOS 5?

lion should be out next week too

[900000]

Rumours are the iPhone 5 (4s) will be released around September time, possibly around the release of iOS 5?

Yes rumours are September. BUT with yet another power adaptor! Great. Yet another set of secondary batteries, car chargers and docks to be bought. Grrr. See this article:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2011/jul/07/iphone-5

Sent via the Guardian's iPhone application.

[JCP]

Well, the kit fitted today and.....it doesn't work. It powers the iPod but the mdi is not talking to the iPod and will not talk to the Bolero. My helpful and knowledgeable in car electrics specialists are arranging to get a man with a laptop and coding session next week. Anyone any advice as to trying to get the Bolero to recognise the MDI?

Great news and back on topic-the MDI has been activated by my local VCDS man-arranged as above. I now have a functioning iPod via my bolero.

Thanks merlinman!!!

WHY DO SKODA NOT OFFER THIS????

[contessa]

Can this cable be installed for iPOD control on a Yeti with Swing.

http://cgi.ebay.com/SEAT-EOS-SKODA-ATOURN-MULITVAN-CADDY-TOUAREG-iPOD-CABLE-/190438263498?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item2c57014aca

[Merlinman]

Sorry can't help with Swing :(