iPad mini in a 2nd gen?

Yeah, you can see from the pictures on page 19 that the stereo can be accessed when the iPad mini isn't in.

I took a regular lightning cable and cut away all the excess plastic near the actual metal connector and then fused it in place in the plexi tray with plastic epoxy. (The whole thing is basically made from fused sheets of plexi and plastic epoxy.) The Sony stereo has a USB cable coming out of the back of it with a female USB connector, so that's how the iPad mini has power and audio connectivity.

 

Excellent work.

 

Strange.....my Sony deck will not power my mini via the USB cable....

 

Mine is a GS600BT. Has no problem charging.
I believe I read that it outputs 1 Amp, which is the same as the standard iPhone/iPad mini AC wall charger.

 

Here's one:

 

Maybe a black suede would looke better than the carpet material

 

Don't forget, my Tacoma is a base model 5 lug....LOL

 

It doesn't have to be real suede but rather the suede look. Synthetic = less $$$

 

Yeah I didn't mean you have to go spend $50 in material just something a little smoother and thinner

 

Is there any way to still have bluetooth audio for phone calls when using an iPad mini? I cant see how. My iPhone is in my pocket, normally that's BT to my 2013 headunit (or any headunit like Pioneer Alpine etc that supports this) and then on the screen "Call from: Bob Smith" but not sure if this is possible with the iPad setup?

 

Windshield Mount for iPad Mini for long drives, don't use it all the time.

 

The BT can only be linked to one device at a time. Only the abilities if the linked device may be used. IE. if it is linked to the ph then all available ph features are available.

 

With my iPad mini being connected via USB, it allows my Sony GS600BT stereo to still connect to my iPhone in my pocket via Bluetooth. I just leave Bluetooth turned on in my iPhone and whenever I get in my truck, it automatically connects.
If a call comes in, the stereo automatically answers and interrupts the iPad while it's playing music. Also, I can go to the Sony app on my iPad and select BT phone to use Siri on the iPhone (via the Bluetooth connection) to make a call. I could also select BT audio in the Sony app on my iPad and play music via Bluetooth from my iPhone if I needed to.

 

Sounds good, not perfect, but pretty good. I rarely make or receive calls in my truck, but I do it, so I want to be able to continue to do it. I like the speakerphone talking. I guess the only real limitation is when the call comes in, you don't get to see who it is on the screen. Also sounds like the auto answer may be a limitation, because maybe you dont want to talk to that person. But, 99% of the time I do want to talk to the person, so I could look at my phone and know who it is, and as long as the sound/mic is in the car, I am happy.

How is the quality of their external microphone vs the built-in toyota setup in 2012/2013? People say I sound super clear in my truck in my 2013.

 

The '13 Tacoma has a better sound. The '09 audio was in the front left speaker and the '13 sounds like it is even from the front two speakers. The Mic is also closer , between the map lights as apposed to being located over the rear view mirror.

 

If the Pad mini isn't in the way, you can see who's calling on the face of the stereo. Hopefully they'll update the iOS app soon to make it where you can also see that info on the iPad, when connected
The auto answer is optional. If the iPad isn't in the way, you can press the call button on the stereo to manually accept the call but again, there's currently no option to accept an incoming call via the app on the iPad.

I haven't heard the hands free calling in the new trucks so I can't give a comparison but I haven't really had any complaints using mine yet.

 

Okay, good info. Thanks.
How about auto dimming at night. You wont get an illumination wire, but the iPad has the light sensor and there is auto dimming in that right? So its not crazy bright when driving at night. Although google maps will always look the same, wont switch to a night mode with different colors how some stereos do (had pioneer avic-z3 and aviv-z140bh before).

 

The stereo itself of course has the dimmer wire and auto dimming for it's display but the iPad uses it's own ambient light sensor. It's not really dynamic enough for me though. I still have to adjust the brightness at night. It's a lot easier to do on an iPad than an iPhone though; you can either double press the home button or swipe up with four fingers (if gestures are enabled) to bring up the task bar and then swipe the task bar to the left to change the brightness or control your music.
If you get a nav app like CoPilot or something, it'll have the color changes for night driving. Also, if you jailbreak, you can get a tweak like f.lux to automatically change your screen's "warmth" to make it easier on your eyes at night.

 

sub'd. I really like where this is going...

 

lol...I was l looking to do this... stumbled across this
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Pr1pq027sU