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A Noob's G4 Review
Hi All,
So many posts on the G4 seem to be by folks that have already done the carpc thing before. I thought it may be useful to provide some information from the viewpoint of a carpc newbie.
As you now know, the G4 is my first carputer. To generalize, so far I love with the G4. In addition, I've never used a skinning interface program like StreetDeck, but I have to say that I'm a SD fan now.
I started the installation process myself--which was both a pro and a con. Since I mounted the G4 into a 2001 F150, which has a double din opening that shrinks to a din-and-a-half in the rear. That was probably the worst part of the install--nothing like cutting into your dash with a Dremel to commit to a project. Final fitting was tough to get enough clearance for smooth opening and closing.
My biggest complaints with the G4 itself are:
- harddisk size (I bought one of the earlier ones without an upgrade option). At some point I suppose I'll have to risk upgrading it.
- Memory. Same problem as above
- LED colors--I need to change these to match everything else as well
- Inability to dim the LEDs with the stock dimmer switch
- Lack of clear documentation. For example, knowing that if once connects the 'illumination' wire to the 'illumination' wire on a harness for a vehicle that has a dimmer, then the G4 will not respond well when it goes into 'night' mode.
- I'd like a powered USB line (a plug for powering a USB hub) without having to create something separate.
My biggest complaints with SD are:
- I don't like the fact that the modules restrict what the user can do when the vehicle is in motion. I know why it does this, but one of the advantages of using a pc vs. a proprietary solution is the flexibility. Any information regarding ways of 'unlocking' the standard modules would be appreciated. I'll deal with Johnny Law.
- Again, on documentation. For SD, it's mostly an issue of documenting the various disparate pieces of information. For example, documenting how to get 3rd party DigitalMods, how/where to get updates, etc. I have found most of this, but only by searching and reading everything here. Documenting everything in one spot would be very valuable and make adoption of SD more likely by non-hardcore hobbyists.
- How do I 'customize' the Milkdrop? I have already created a custom skin--it was quite simple to get up and moving with SD on this.
Only things left to do are the backup camera, a good forward-looking nightvision camera, and then get started with some cool custom stuff. I'm looking forward to HD radio and the SD-compatible BT module. Get those out ASAP guys!
Carputers rock.
Rip
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