Thread: Innotrends CA-FI on order, will review

it doesn't have a 3.5 input but it does have RCA inputs that you can use with a 3.5 adapter. of course your not going to be able to control any of the XM on the screen. but with free internet radio and 8+ gigs of memory for Mp3's who needs XM......maybe i'm just cheap

zr2ee, First off thanks for the reviews and responses around here. This unit looks very promising, but there isn't any information about it outside of this thread so it is very helpful.

I'm currently looking for a good setup for my Jeep. I had an HTC flyer installed in my previous Jeep and while it will fit right back into this one I want to do something different(and more integrated).

Does the unit work well with start up? It looked pretty fast in your video, I wanted to make sure that was something you are pleased with. Also, does it by default do anything once it starts up, or is a script needed, for example, to start playing music from a default program?

And sorry in advance, I'll probably have 500 more questions later on,

no problem man, somebody has to review it and i'm to impatient to wait for the next guy lol. the unit seems to boot whatever media source you were last listening to which i found convenient. if nothing else you can always run tasker or automateit to setup your own. i'm working on uploading another video after installing my unit today since we had a break in the weather. tested out several things and was pleased with the results so far, connected up my roomates ipod and was able to run all ipod controls through the CA-FI unit, also tested the bluetooth calling and it seemed to work well, i was still in my driveway without the truck running so only time will tell if i still get good call quality once i start driving.

i was pleasantly suprised with the sound quality, i think this unit would provide plenty power for most applications. the standard pre-programmed equalizer settings worked well and the rock profile is my favorite so far. i had a hard time adjusting some of the slider settings for the EQ due to the size of the controls and the resistive display but most of the time you wont be dealing with these anyways.

i still need to get my sub hooked up and test out a few apps others have requested and finalize what programs i want to run and optimize everything but so far so good

hey everybody, i updated the top post with a new video and some new information about the unit, figure it's the best way to instantly share the most important information and top questions people have

Hi zr2ee,
I searched the Ca-Fi and Innotrend websites for contact information like email, phone or a support forum but I couldn't find it.
Do you know if the manuals/papers that came in the box have any support contact?
I have some questions like shipment costs to my country, compatibility with other 3G dongles, compatibility with other digital TV standards, and so on... kind of stuff that I need to ask them.
By the way, thanks for the continued review and videos.
\/|_/\[)

Originally Posted by vladcarpc

Hi zr2ee,
I searched the Ca-Fi and Innotrend websites for contact information like email, phone or a support forum but I couldn't find it.
Do you know if the manuals/papers that came in the box have any support contact?
I have some questions like shipment costs to my country, compatibility with other 3G dongles, compatibility with other digital TV standards, and so on... kind of stuff that I need to ask them.
By the way, thanks for the continued review and videos.
\/|_/\[)

Unfortunately this unit did not come with any documentation nor warranty card or support information. i do however have the email of one of the employee's from when the unit was shipped out to me. also the manufacturer's info is on the top post if you wanted to contact them directly. i'll PM you his email, feel free to let me know what is and isn't supported when you find out and i'll add it to the top post for other members.

I'm REALLY liking the looks and operation of this head unit from your reviews, zr2ee. I see on their site, mention of a "Ca-Fi 701200" which has a faster processor, twice the ram, and Gingerbread instead of Froyo (Android 2.3 vs 2.2), though it is not listed for sale. From the looks of your videos, the head unit seems quick enough... though the extra ram would be a nice option for future compatibility. Would be nice if it had a capacitive option however.

Can you run your apps from the SD card? (in case the 8gb flash storage becomes full, Android has the option to use the sd card to move most of the application files to).

Are you able to use any wifi dongle or only the one they sell on the site?

Can you tie in your trucks auto-dimmer for the dim functionality of the head unit?

Have you looked for a way to bypass the "Cannot use/vehicle in motion" safety precautions?

The TV tuner they sell is only for DVB-T, a standard not used here in the states. One option would be to use an OTA HDTV/ATSC tuner and hook it into the aux. It wont be in HD of course, but would suffice. I have a slingbox, and would like to know if that would work. Perhaps I can provide you an apk and a login to test with?

If not, no big deal... thank you for taking the time to write up/video everything that you have so far. It's amazing to me that mfgs dont do this from the get-go in order to spread buzz.

Originally Posted by rock99rock

I'm REALLY liking the looks and operation of this head unit from your reviews, zr2ee. I see on their site, mention of a "Ca-Fi 701200" which has a faster processor, twice the ram, and Gingerbread instead of Froyo (Android 2.3 vs 2.2), though it is not listed for sale. From the looks of your videos, the head unit seems quick enough... though the extra ram would be a nice option for future compatibility. Would be nice if it had a capacitive option however.

the 7012 isn't slated for release until later this year, i was thinking myself of upgrading when it does. the unit is quick enough for everything i do (internet radio, navigation, MP3's mostly) but i definately agree you can never go wrong with more power, and the capacitive feature is something i look forward too in the future as well, i'm under the assumption they couldn't get one with a automotive rating in their price range currently which is why it's still resistive.

Can you run your apps from the SD card? (in case the 8gb flash storage becomes full, Android has the option to use the sd card to move most of the application files to).

I haven't tried this out yet as i've never been able to use 8 gigs just for apps and i do prefer internal memory for the load time, the unit does have 2 SD micro slots available for media as well as accepts media in from a USB or bluetooth source so those are always options if you do run out of memory.

Are you able to use any wifi dongle or only the one they sell on the site?

i haven't tried this either as i don't have any other Wifi dongles to test with, i could always try a backwards compatability test and plug it into a computer but i doubt i would find any drivers for it. for now i'm assuming it's propietary to the unit.

Can you tie in your trucks auto-dimmer for the dim functionality of the head unit?

i did tie in the dimmer wire but so far i haven't noticed it dimming with my other lights, there are some settings i'll have to play with to see if i can get it to work. as the screen has a designated hardware dimmer button i'm not sure if it is independant of the lights for the hardware buttons or not. they aren't super bright so they've never really bothered me.

Have you looked for a way to bypass the "Cannot use/vehicle in motion" safety precautions?

not yet, the harness that was supposed to have this wire didn't, i need to email the distributor to have make sure i can pin that position and bypass it.

The TV tuner they sell is only for DVB-T, a standard not used here in the states. One option would be to use an OTA HDTV/ATSC tuner and hook it into the aux. It wont be in HD of course, but would suffice. I have a slingbox, and would like to know if that would work. Perhaps I can provide you an apk and a login to test with?

that's definately an option, trying to do HD on a 6.2in 800x480 screen wouldn't do much good anyways, i'd certainly be willing to give it a try.

If not, no big deal... thank you for taking the time to write up/video everything that you have so far. It's amazing to me that mfgs dont do this from the get-go in order to spread buzz.

no problem, i agree the manufacturers are quite behind in the infotainment market, i can't really explain it myself but there were some promising things i saw at CES. hopefully we'll see more of this in the future.

zr2ee,

Thank you for the video you posted today (Jan/25) also showing Waze.

I saw that unfortunately it loaded with wrong orientation and also had some low batt warnings.

I've opened a thread in Waze forum asking for help.
I will let you know of any workaround or configuration they suggest, if any.
http://www.waze.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=3&t=15464

Thanks