Pioneer AppRadio SPH-DA01

• Average user rating: 2.0 stars out of 5 reviews
• My rating: 0 stars

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• 1 stars

  Save your money

  by Anamarieharmon on February 4, 2013

  Pros: Has nice size display screen

  Cons: Plays/works on its own time table
  Display screen has terrible glare even adjusting the background
  No power off button
  Firmware update wouldn't take.

  Summary: I just had bought a newer car and the first thing I wanted to do was upgrade the stereo system in it. When I took to a local sounds system ...

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  Summary: I just had bought a newer car and the first thing I wanted to do was upgrade the stereo system in it. When I took to a local sounds system shop known for their installations, the guy showed me the AppRadio. It was the first one to come out and he showed me all the kool features. Since I was planning on spending up to $1000 on a system to have both radio/CD/Ipod features along with a GSP I was excited to see this was about half that cost.
  
  Barely 2 weeks into it, it would just stop working. You couldn't shut it off, you couldn't change the display screen, no music would play via radio or iphone. The bluetooth feature wouldn't work as well. After a month of this doing it whenever it felt like it, I contacted the shop and they gladly offered to re-install a new. Barely a month into that one being installed, I still have the same issues. There is no way to turn it off and back on other than to have to pull over, cut my SUV off, remove the key from the ignition and sits for 5-10mins. Otherwise I have to drive the hour long commute to/from office without any sound. If you don't mind having a product that is completely unpredictable and unreliable, this is the one for you.

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• 2 stars

  An adventure through inconvenience and poor quality!

  by GeniusMike on April 30, 2012

  Pros: Nice interface, brilliant capacitive touch screen, good sound, ground-breaking attempt to integrate iOS functionality within your car...

  Cons: Very buggy, SLOW, extremely poor quality, lackluster and unresponsive customer service...

  Summary: My goodness, where do I begin? My experience with the Pioneer AppRadio is very bittersweet and not the best story I'm afraid.
  
  I purchased my unit from Best Buy, ...

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  Summary: My goodness, where do I begin? My experience with the Pioneer AppRadio is very bittersweet and not the best story I'm afraid.
  
  I purchased my unit from Best Buy, brand new and factory-fresh, and it was professionally installed in my sports car. I purchased an extra, dedicated iPhone 4 just for use with this AppRadio, and I had a really professional-quality mount installed into the dashboard for a more permanent installation of the iPhone 4, which would be completely dedicated to running this new AppRadio.
  
  Needless to say I was very excited. I will say that the installation team at Best Buy in Little Rock were extremely knowledgeable and very professional and friendly, and took the extra measure to do a really nice installation.
  
  Only two weeks into having the AppRadio, the screen went completely dead. Black, zilch, nothing. Of course, I was heartbroken and quite upset about it. I called Pioneer technical support, and they were rather lackluster in assisting me - and were really of no help. Luckily, the installation at Best Buy carries a lifetime warranty for as long as I own the stereo and this vehicle, so I went back. Surely, I figured something simple like a blown fuse or perhaps a loose wire would be the culprit. No big deal!
  
  Well, I was sorely mistaken. They took the unit out and set it up on their workbench, and it would not power on, no matter what they did. The unit was completely and utterly dead. Unfortunately, there were no more AppRadios in stock in any of the stores - I purchased one of the last they had - since Pioneer was releasing the new AppRadio 2 which was both iOS and Android compatible. So, they could not just give me another one.
  I was told that I would have to send my unit into Pioneer for repair and they would either repair it or send me a REFURBISHED UNIT - which really upset me, but after thinking about it, as long as it WORKS and still carries the full warranty, then I don't care. But now the story is just starting to get interesting....
  
  I became rather acquainted with the staff at Best Buy, because of my constant shopping there (I am a computer engineer and I am always in there for SOME thing or other...), and I was taken aside and told in confidence, that just about every single Pioneer AppRadio that they had sold had all been returned with the same fate. There is an inherent design or quality flaw in the production of these units, and they ALWAYS die very quickly. They had taken so many back in, it was ridiculous! WHAT?? How could Pioneer let such a horrible product out on the market? I suppose they figure it was too late, and they would just fix them as they go..... VERY bad business practice!
  
  I was utterly angry at this point. I only had this unit for TWO WEEKS. Ludicrous! I contacted Pioneer, and I was told that "my only option" was that it had to be shipped into their California facility for repairs. Plus, I HAD TO PAY THE SHIPPING TO GET IT THERE - WHAT?? I had to pay $22.45 in shipping at the Post Office (I sent it Priority mail to California from Arkansas and the box weighed 6 pounds) - so not only did I pay a premium price for this unit, and only had it for TWO STUPID WEEKS, but I had to fork over another $22.45 to have it sent in for repair or replacement WITH A REFURBISHED PRODUCT???
  
  I cannot tell anyone strongly enough that if you really want an AppRadio (and I would NOT PUT MY TRUST in the AppRadio 2 either!!!), that you NEED TO KNOW AHEAD OF TIME what you are getting into! If you don't mind the potential bugs and problems, burned out boards, etc. and you can wait while your unit is repaired (and hopefully once repaired or you receive a refurbished one, the problems will have been found and it will FINALLY WORK!), then take your chances. As it stands right now, I have a huge gaping hole in the dash of my car, and I am NOT HAPPY. Goodness knows when I will get my unit back!!! There is no "time limit" on getting it back, and from what I understand from speaking with them on the phone, they are quite busy repairing tons and tons of these!!! My heart sunk, and I am so sad about this.
  
  The only good point in all of this is once I DO FINALLY get the unit back, Best Buy will re-install it without any additional cost whatsoever because of their warranty. AND - if they had any of the AppRadios in stock, they would gladly have swapped it out (but there were none to be had). They even offered me credit towards another type of stereo for the car, however I really wanted THIS ONE - especially since I was now stuck with a special extra iPhone 4 that I bought just for this purpose!
  NOW - of the two weeks that I actually had this working, I will say that the features were nice - the screen was very crisp and sharp, and the sound was awesome. The GPS app (Motion-X GPS Drive) and the Pandora app were great! Plus, my hands-free calling over both the phone AND over Skype were awesome too!
  
  I SURE DO HOPE that when this repaired/refurbished unit gets back to me, that I will suffer few additional problems, but we shall see! HOWEVER, AS A WHOLE, I AM EXTREMELY UPSET WITH THE WAY THAT PIONEER HAS HANDLED THIS - THEY COULD HAVE AT *LEAST* PAID FOR THE SHIPPING!!! I mean, COME ON - I paid premium price and had it for TWO STUPID WEEKS???
  
  Pioneer - GET ON THE BALL and improve your quality! NOT ALL PEOPLE are as patient or calm as I am, so watch out!
  
  Thanks much,
  
  Mike

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• 4 stars

  Nice radio but forgot the old basic things

  by andre_rieger on March 28, 2012

  Pros: Nice Apps
  Good/Clean layout
  Google maps is very useful
  Bluetooth phone works good

  Cons: It is very difficult to manager the musics in the Ipod mode. You can't search the music, can't click in the music (need to press OK button) can't swipe the play list with your finger (need to click one by one on the left conner and than press OK)

  Summary: - Change between apps is quite annoying, need to use the Iphone.
  - Don't have a clock in every screen
  - No bluetooth music player
  
  The basic music player ...

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  Summary: - Change between apps is quite annoying, need to use the Iphone.
  - Don't have a clock in every screen
  - No bluetooth music player
  
  The basic music player from Iphone is terryble!
  With th same price you can have better things, even with the same brand.

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• 10 stars

  The more I use it, the more I love it...

  by Olga_i on March 9, 2012

  Pros: Pandora radio, OverDrive media player, iTunes music placer, Netflix streaming, GPS MotionX Drive Navigation system, blue tooth clarity, skype calls, ease of use, etc.

  Cons: Requires connection to iPhone for apps, additional docking station required to use both comfortably (not a deal breaker for me)

  Summary: I bought mine a few weeks ago and to be honest was not quite impressed with it at first. I paid for installation on my Pathfinder (which was a little ...

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  Summary: I bought mine a few weeks ago and to be honest was not quite impressed with it at first. I paid for installation on my Pathfinder (which was a little more expensive since I have a Bose system), and the guy made a hole through the side of my glove compartment so that my iPhone cable would come out and be stored in the glove compartment. This particular detail I did not like. The radio and the iPhone work hand in hand, there is no such thing and only using the radio or only using the iPhone, unless of course you just want to make calls via blue tooth or you want to listen to the radio (those two things do not need to iPhone plugged in for). The install guy also did something really cool, he ran the blue tooth microphone through the right side of the windshield instead of the left (where I sit) and placed the mike on the side (my side) of the middle of my windshield, where the temperature reader is and my sun glasses get stored. Right there, instead of my visor, which I thought was a great idea, because is not in the way of anything and my visor does not disturb it. Next thing I did was read my user manual and learn about how to use and maneuver this system, because is just like any other electronic you get, you need to learn how to use it to get the best out of it. I also went online to their website (http://www.pioneerelectronics.com/PUSA/Car/AppRadio/AppRadio+(SPH-DA01) and I downloaded the latest software for it. This is a BIG deal, because this system was released some time in the middle of 2010 and if you buy it new it will not have the lasted and most updated software! The system comes withe a little micro-SD card slot, where you can upload the latest software update (another awesome feature). I also wanted a different place for the iPhone cord, because it was long and bulky and it being in my glove compartment was just not going to work for me, so I went back to my Pathfinder and looked at all the connections and had a super awesome idea. I ran the iPhone plug back through the back of the radio and passed it over to the other side of the seat, coming out of where my feet are on the driver's side (I know this might not seem safe because you don't want any loose wires or cables running through the area where your pedals are, but I actually did a great job securing all cables to the equipment so that would not happen), then I ran the cable through my steering wheel (since my steering wheel unlocks and moves up and down, this was easy for me) and the cable now comes right from the side of my steering wheel. I have a docking station inside of my dashboard for my Garmin GPS, so I wanted to make sure I used the same docking station for my iPhone, instead of getting another docking station and putting it some place else. So I bought an iPhone docking station and I placed in the same as my GPS station (mind you, I had no idea this radio not only did everything it did, but it also has navigation capabilities with the iPhone app MotionX Drive. So I put the new docking station for the iPhone and now I have the perfect combo, no loose cables. I know some people have talked about not being able to switch from one app to the other without the iPhone, well that is not true. You can move back and forth from applications if you learn how to use the system buttons. I can me using my GPS navigation app, double tap on the radio home button and a little side bar comes out of the left side of the screen giving me options to either play the radio or play my iPhone music (which also works if I am running Pandora) which ever one I am running will work with this side bar. You can no switch stations on the radio from this side bar, but if that was absolutely necessary, you could hit the home button once, go to your radio and switch the station. But if you do that, you have to bring your GPS navigation back with your iPhone (again another reason why it is so important to dock it somewhere accessible and easy to reach at. If your automobile does not have a good place for this docking station, then this might not be a good system for you. I absolutely love my radio, the more I use it the more I love it, and I am finding new tricks on it here and there every day. I am very happy with it, and I think the idea of being able to play my Pandora stations and my iTunes music is super! Another cool thing I just found out, which I use a lot is, that it also works with Skype calls! I make a lot of skype calls, because I don't like using my phone minutes too much and I have unlimited data plan, so this is very cool. And like that is not enough, I can also listen to my audio books from the iTunes and another one of my favorite apps OverDrive in my car! I have tried other things too, like streaming movies from Netflix, YouTube, and some internet sites as well, and I have to say - even though is not a 72" screen experience, it is the coolest thing available out there for anyone who needs to sit in the car parked for a long time waiting on who knows what. I absolutely love this feature, even though we haven't used it much since it only works when you are parked, for safety reasons, but I can't wait to take a road trip or go camping and squeeze the juice of our this device :-D If I have any other updates, I will post later on.

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• 7 stars

  Great product for traveling by car.

  by mydock on August 1, 2011

  Pros: Safe and fun. Excellent way to talk, listen and navigate on your phone while you drive. Bluetooth and rear facing camera are excellent

  Cons: Restricted to certain iPhones.

  Summary: Overall a great item for iPhone users. A must have for traveling long distance that need music and navigation.

  Summary: Overall a great item for iPhone users. A must have for traveling long distance that need music and navigation.

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