V36 Nav Solution - Tom Tom Iphone App Hooked Up Via Av Cable

[Haxorz]

Hey guys,

Still searching for a good Nav substitute for my V36.

Currently I have a low end Tom Tom, and just learned that I could get a higher end GPS that has AV and have it playing through the screen.

Then I thought why not have the Tom Tom iPhone app and have it run through the screen via an AV cable?! I know when the app first came out it was crappy getting a good/accurate fix, although it appears to have moved on a lot since then. Here is a review for 1.3 - http://www.trustedreviews.com/TomTom-for-iPhone-1-3-Live_Mobile-App_video_review, and now it's up to 1.7.

Still not a cheap option, the iPhone app is $90 AUD (I don't want to Jailbreak), the genuine AV able is $40-45 too (I've never seen a cheapie one on DealExtreme etc work long term), but this to me sounds like a great option! Plus I'd have iPhone music and obviously I take the phone with me when I leave the car so reduce risk of theft.

Has anyone done this? Does the iPhone screen come up nice and clear? Does it scale well? Does it work in Horizontal mode?

David.

[Haxorz]

Here is a demo on a G37 with CoPilot live.

Why does he say you have to Jailbreak and use displayout? Is that just to add more video out options?

Edit: Ahhh, I'm guessing that the AV cable will only output videos etc, not the entire UI (and therefore not the Tom Tom app probably).

Damn, don't want to have to Jailbreak my phone.

Edited June 14, 2011 by Haxorz

[Haxorz]

BTW got this working.

Not a bad solution. The Tom Tom app chews the battery though (even though it's charging!).

[Alkatraz]

Wierd that it would use ANY battery when it is charging!?

Did you jailbreak the phone? How do you find the accuracy and the GPS connection? Does it keep connected?

I still think that a full size GPS is the way to go but if you don't really want to spend $'000's then this looks good.

[Haxorz]

I've been using the system for about 2 weeks and here are some thoughts. I have an iPhone 3GS.

Overall it's not a bad compromise. Not perfect, but pretty good for the $.

Pros:

Nice iPhone touchscreen, more responsive than GPS unit

Tom Tom iPhone app is comparable to the high end Tom Toms - much nicer than my $200 Tom Tom (i.e. Google search within app).

Charges iPhone (so I swapped out my cig charger cable)

Can also use other iPhone apps on screen for a bit of e-wang, i.e. 'Hey my car has Facebook/Google/YouTube'. Some future apps will be useful too - dyno apps for example, Trapster.

GPS reception on app is good (Optus network), comparable to regular GPS (maybe slightly worse). Was a fear of mine. Telstra may be even better.

Works indoors and usually gets GPS fix quicker than Tom Tom (can get fix in my garage - unlike my Tom Tom which if I haven't plugged it in can take 1 min to get a fix).

Cheap to test out ($45 for the cable).

Don't have to keep your GPS in the car (theft issues).

Neutral:

Had to Jailbreak phone.

Cannot use V36 Musicbox while AUX is source, although you can play your iPod music whilst the Tom Tom app is running (and it will turn the volume down when it's talking to you).

Must make sure iPhone is 'flips' into landscape mode when in use, but it kinda sits neatly in my cup holder area with the thick AV cable holding it up.

AV display is not crystal clear like the V36 menus, but still OK.

Cons:

White cable hanging out, long cables bundle in centre console. Suppose you could wire in.

iPhone touchscreen is harder to access to change route on the go compared to a regular GPS (although you are legally not allowed to use a GPS unless you're pulled over anyway as is my understanding). It is easier to use a regular mounted GPS and you sometimes go to use the touchscreen on the V36 and then go 'damn'.

You've got a phone and cables all plugged in, not a fully integrated solution.

All details on how to set this up can be found on the Youtube comments. In short you need to Jailbreak your phone to run DisplayOut, the Tom Tom app (or other nav app) and you should pick yourself up a genuine Apple AV cable (JB gave me the discount price of $45). I would not bother with a 3rd party cable from DX, etc, they are known to become invalidated with iOS updates as there is a ID chip in the genuine product.

Edited June 28, 2011 by Haxorz

[asitag]

thanks for the update

[asitag]

argh, my tomtom download keeps timing out!

[asitag]

Here is a demo on a G37 with CoPilot live.

Why does he say you have to Jailbreak and use displayout? Is that just to add more video out options?

Edit: Ahhh, I'm guessing that the AV cable will only output videos etc, not the entire UI (and therefore not the Tom Tom app probably).

Damn, don't want to have to Jailbreak my phone.

Haxorz, i have the tomtom app ready to go. How do i get the display out function working?

I bought the cables etc. just see a blank screen atm