Icelink opinions + (short) wishlist

[CBlack1105]

1. I got an Icelink from Tom G. Everything is true: good service, great support! Even though I could have bought cheaper in the UK, I ended up buying from Tom (collected in NY) because of the reassurance that he would be able to solve any technical issues.

2. The sound quality from the Icelink is excellent. I was using an FM transmitter while waiting to get the Icelink - no comparison.

4. For anyone out there who has one (and I don't think there are many), the Icelink works fine with the Professional radio (I was concerned it wouldn't because BMW's literature says that their own iPod adapter won't work with this radio).

5. I find the steering wheel controls too much hard work when trying to track down a particular artist or album - maybe I'm missing something here (or should cut down on the number of CDs I have on the iPod).

6. So I use the iPod's user interface and sacrifice the text display on OBC or MID. Of course, you can still use the steering wheel controls to go forward/back one track and to use FF and RR (and, of course, the volume controls).

So the wish list: couldn't Dension offer MID or OBC display (I'd settle for either) of track tags at the same time as usign the iPod UI? Or is this technically impossible (i.e. mutually exclusive)?

But overall, love the Icelink.

[UCrewX5]

Good candid review. Thanks for sharing your feedback.

[JCL]

Agree with your comments. I am very pleased with the IceLink Plus in my X5.

To your point (5), the IceLink is not really designed as a retrival system for a single track IMO, more as a storage system for all tracks. If I want to find a single track, I use the IceLink UI, not the Dension one. This is the biggest reason to mount the IPod up front, instead of in the rear of the vehicle.

When you use the IPod interface, why does that sacrifice the MID text display? I detach the IPod, go to a playlist/album/artist and song that I want, and then reinsert the IPod. I get text display after doing that. I sacrifice the steering wheel controls to get to where I want to be, but then I have the steering wheel controls to move through tracks, complete with display.

[CBlack1105]

Interesting comment re "not really designed as a retrieval system for a single track".

I guess my view would be that the key design criteria would be (i) sound quality, and (ii) ease of use - in whatever way that might be achievable.

Sound quality - no problem, big tick in that box.

Ease of use should presumably be as broad as possible in scope - but focused on the key operations. To me that means: finding an artist or album quickly.

Once you have a specific artist/album, finding a track is very easy with the steering wheel controls - and the FF and RR track navigation and volume controls also work just as you would hope.

The real issue for me is that the iPod UI is very clever and efficient at finding albums and artists. By comparison, the steering wheel controls are just the wrong tool and inefficient for finding albums or artists if you have more than 30 or so albums/artists. If you have upwards of 100 artists/albums (and I'm sure most people do), you are really struggling.

So the iPod UI is king in this area and IMHO Dension should get the best of both worlds and use the iPod UI for album/artist selection and just use the steering wheel for track/volume adjustment. And, back to my original theme, the icing on the cake is then to show the track info on the MID or OBC display. This seems to me to be the optimum blend of UI efficiency and display options - but Dension seem to be one very small step from achieving this (unless, as I said before, it is just technically an impossibility).

For avoidance of doubt, I certainly wouldn't remove the functionality that allows those that want to, to have the iPod in the trunk, because they must have the full icelink interface on the MID/OBC.

[JCL]

Agree that the IPod UI is very intuitive. The real issue is that BMW never bothered to put a click wheel on the BMW steering wheel. Bummer.

What I don't understand is why you don't use the IPod interface to find a track, and then take advantage of the steering wheel controls and text display. All it takes to do this is, instead of selecting 6 and going to the IPod interface via the IceLink, to unplug the IPod from the cradle, navigate, start the song, reinsert the IPod in the cradle, and then use the steering wheel controls. You then have the text display.

That seems to achieve what you want, and the existing software does it. It is the reason that I wouldn't put the IceLink in the rear of the vehicle.

[chankla]

I tell friends that my X5 is the most expensive iPod accessory there is....

[CBlack1105]

I agree that unplugging/re-plugging is a workaround - but that involves two hands, delay, etc. All I am asking for is a simple little firmware tweak - iPod UI + text display - seems so simple!!

[Tom G.]

Originally Posted by CBlack1105

I agree that unplugging/re-plugging is a workaround - but that involves two hands, delay, etc. All I am asking for is a simple little firmware tweak - iPod UI + text display - seems so simple!!

Problem is not the ice>link - it's the iPod. The iPod's OS only allows for "simple remote" mode when in iPod UI. We place the iPod in UART mode (same has synchronizing with your computer) in order to access the entire HDD.

Once in UART mode, the iPod wheel is locked out - just like being docked to a computer.