2/23/2012

Pioneer AVIC-F500BT 5.8-Inch Bluetooth Portable GPS Navigator Review

Pioneer AVIC-F500BT 5.8-Inch Bluetooth Portable GPS Navigator
Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)
I've been using the F500BT for a few weeks after using a Nuvi 760 for years. I already upgraded to Firmware 2.0. Here is how the F500BT compares to the Nuvi
Cons:
- Routing engine not as good as the Nuvi. Very prone to give U-Turns when I miss a turn even though I disabled them. Worse is that it doesn't know if the U-turn is illegal or not. Besides the U turn issue, most routes offered are not that bad in "Economical"
- Touchscreen not very responsive. Not as good as the Nuvi.
- Not as easy to use as the Nuvi in general.
- MSN does not work unless you use a big ugly harness. You also need to connect a ebrake signal for to avoid the menus getting locked out.
- Battery life of 30mins
- Does not auto dim the screen when switching to night maps.
- Does not tell you the side of your destination. The Nuvi does.
- Only 1 TTS voice in English. Not great, but not horrible either.
- Voice recognition doesn't work very well
Pros:
- Nice glossy look with a big screen. Looks way more expensive than $199
- Map and menu hard buttons are very convenient to have
- GPS reception seems to be as good as the Nuvi. I get reception indoors
- A lot more information is displayed on the map compared to the Nuvi
- Plays AVI movies
- Lane Assist on freeway junctions. A MUST HAVE.
- Maps are very smooth map animation when routing. Much better than the 760, which was always 2 seconds behind and when making turns it would lag for 3-4 seconds
- Voice does not stutter unlike the Nuvi 760
- Very easy to hack and goes from good to almost great after hacking. I also have TomTom Navigator and Garmin XT loaded (more on this later)
- 3D buildings are pretty cool.
- Pairs with my Palm Centro with no problems. My phonebook does not dissapear. BT performance way better than that of the NuviYou can head to avic411.com forums and learn how to modify the Pioneer software aka IGO8 (its very easy). You can also add new maps schemes, and enable speed camera warnings, add extra 3D buildings, load international maps, etc. You can even hack the unit so it runs Tomtom and Garmin XT. However, these 2 don't have the same software as the PND counterparts, so I use the Pioneer software anyways. With the hacks I now get the current house number at my position, so I can easily know which side of the road my destination is on. I also increased the font size of the data displayed on the map. Overall, its a very good deal at $199.

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The Pioneer AVIC-F500BT on-dash navigator offers an advanced, all-in-one solution for adding large-screen navigation, multimedia capability, and hands-free calling to your vehicle ¿ without removing your factory radio. Simply mount this road-ready travel companion on your dashboard and exercise convenient control over your music, phone, and navigation.

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