I currently have a Kenwood touchscreen/navigation system in my car. (not a Prius) It was very simple to bypass the safety mechanism that doesn't allow you to change navigation destination while you're not parked. The same goes for DVD movie watching. It was a simple wire that was hooked up to the parking break needed to be grounded out. Being that the Prius has an electronic park button, is it just as easy to do this with an aftermarket head unit? What about with the stock touchscreen/navigation? Can it be modded to allow the user to change navigation instructions while they are driving? Thanks in advance...
Prius doesn't use Park to determine feature set, but rather a speed sensor which is also used for dead reckoning. Gen II users have come up with a momentary switch that interrupted that sensor line for ~20 seconds. I'm sure it won't take long for the Gen III people to do the same. That being said, the voice system is far improved to the point where the need for hand entry is almost not required.
Interesting. I didn't know it was a speed sensor used. I'm eager to see how well the voice control works. Being that hands-free is less of a distraction, is it still impossible to change the destination while driving? I understand that it's a safety issue, but it's not like people will be fidgiting with the destination as often as they would with the radio, or a cd, or a cell phone, or a soft drink, or a cigarette, or a child. I think it's a bit of an inconvenience. At most, there should be a simple warning screen when booting the navigation system. It would be cool if someone figures out a permanent bypass for this. I'll most likely be swapping out the head unit anyway. I wanted to keep it stock, but I have a feeling that I'm not gonna dig the navigation system's interface after using an in-dash Garmin for a while...and I will probably tire of the iPod interface as well. Other than those couple things, I can't really foresee anything about the car that I will have a problem with. I would like to be able to still play DVD movies in-dash, but that is a bit dangerous... but nice to do from time to time.
The 2007 NAV had a couple of blank spots on the screen you had to touch in a specific order to override the lockout. They either eliminated that in later models or at least changed it and no one discovered the new procedure.
