AVIC-S2: $1 more for 1GB less space
May 15, 2007 gps navigation
The Pioneer AVIC-S2 we announced last month is now officially on Pioneer’s website for a suggested retail price of $400. Just next to it you’ll find the older AVIC-S1 which has the suggested retail price of $399. So what’s the difference between the two? Well for starters the new AVIC-S2 comes with a 1GB memory card as opposed to a 2GB card that the older AVIC-S1 offered.
The newer AVIC-S2 for that same reason comes with about 300,000 less POIs but it does include Hawaii and Alaska maps unlike the older map. The only new feature we could find on AVIC-S2 was the MP3 player functionality which requires you to bring your MP3’s on a different SD card. Oops. I guess that means no navigation if you want to use that feature. Good news is you can still purchase AVIC-S1 on Amazon for only $268.
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June 20th, 2007 at 2:54 am
According to the specs for the product, the maps come preloaded on the unit’s flash memory. The SD card would therefor only be required if you were using “foreign” maps, leaving it free for MP3s for any other time.
The screen shots looks amazingly similar to that of the Mio C510 which also comes with bluetooth. The Mio presentation of maps with its cockpit and map view choices is quite different from other brands such as Navman and Tom Tom, leaving me to wonder if this is in fact a Mio in a new skin.
If that is in fact the case, I would have concerns about the bluetooth functionality. With the Mio you actuall have to completely exit the map program and get into the bluetooth program – the two do not run concurrently, making it effectively useless as a map AND bluetooth device, but more of a map OR bluetooth device.
Could you clarify how bluetooth works in conjunction with the map program.
June 30th, 2007 at 6:26 am
This is to confirm that the map & the bluetooth do work at the same time for AVIC-S2. You don’t have to exit the map. In fact, at the bottom of the map AVIC-S2 displays the answer/hang-up buttons and the number which is calling.
Also, the article above is incorrect in regards to the MP3 capability. It is true that the device does not play MP3s when using the map navigation however you don’t need necessarily a separate SD card for the MP3s. The nice feature about Pioneer is that you can backup the navigation application and all the maps on a bigger SD card as I did. Now I am using a 4GB with the maps and MP3s together. The only thing is I have to exit the navigation when I want to listen to the music.
Not only that but I am almost sure if I’ll get the European maps I’ll be able to add them to the SD card accordingly. In fact, the unit zooms so far out that it allows you to rotate the globe and zoom in in any country in the world.
However, the important thing is the following: switching to the audio player does not loose any previous created routes and the device tracks in the background the current position and updates the map accordingly. If you have created a route prior to using the audio player, you won’t have to re-enter it when switching back to the map.
January 9th, 2008 at 3:09 pm
Where can you buy the europe maps for the avic s2 device?