Before i go on, Yes i know there a aftermarket navigation systems out there that are bigger and more functional, yes i know you can place an IPAD with mounts on the radio and yes i know theirs GPS that are way better then iphone too but, there's nothing that is out there that is as good as an Iphone as in seamless processing and execution and you can get siri (yes i know that the upcoming Pioneer car play has siri or even the current NEX and app radio has siri but its too $$$ atm) Its a unique modification, that which most current luxury cars has (ie Porsche with its round TFT screen display in the dash board) but re-purposing our old iphones, so its a win win situation. So here's my idea, i have a used iphone 5 and 4 that is collecting dust my and i have a 2010 Prius II with no navi/screen, so i decided to come up with an idea of perhaps of having a screen that pops right in front of the the HSD/Energy monitor indicator (the little screen that is between the dummy light and gear shifter) in the time of when you need for gps, talking on the phone, ect ect ect, anyways please if your confused on what im trying to say (dont worry im not good at verbal visualization too) please look at the pictures that is provide This is using an Iphone 4 This is using a Iphone 5 (sorry about the camera quality) Proposed Idle screen (forgive me for my terrible photo quality, and Photoshop skills) The phones fits perfectly in the eyebrow display, however the Iphone 4 leaves just enough space to revile the battery indicator while the iphone 5 will obstruct the whole screen, both did not obstruct the dummy light or the shift indicator, now you may be saying oh your blocking any information that may be displaying on the that's where and mechanism is needed to make the screen go up and down, and that mechanism is a CD ROM drive, ok it may sound impossible but all it need is 12v and ground and you can operate the CD rom door but adding a wire to the existing button, Heres some picture of a gutted CD rom with Iphone 5 in it (all CD roms are all not the same This is a SONY DVD rom drive DDu1613 the smallest I've got) Iphone 5 Iphone 5 Power source Yes you can stick your iphone in the eyebrow (with out a case) and it will stay there but i like to make things complex, fancy and i do want to see that HSD screen once in a while or if there's a warning message appearing so adding a pop up mechanism is a must for me, If you have the brains and you can make a pop up mechanism from scratch go ahead im just showing some simple pop up mech that most may have in their homes that are no using. Now the only thing that im concern is the space under the dash, I've never seen whats under there, if someone can pitch in on that that would be great. another problem is accessibility, you can leave it on gps but if you want to use other things such as use phone, txt (please dont while driving), or web browser (seriously please don't while driving) a controller is needed, i dont think people appreciate going for a stretch to get to a function. Anyways theirs my idea of using an old iphone that i have, you may use an android but i cannot guarantee that i will fit do to its various brand with its different sizes and shape though do like its very customization interface though well that another project... Some input and idea would be graciously appreciated.
How are you going to play your DVDs on your computer? In truth, I get where you're going with this, but I think the inconvenience of reaching/tapping the small screen is going be huge. Even with voice control, you still need to touch the screen pretty often. Maybe an extra long stylus would work... End of the day, get a dash mount for tour phone and have it at hand all the time. I think the ideal spot might be on the dash right next to, say, 10 or 2 on the steering wheel. SPH-L300 ?