Ipod Integration In The Hs 250h

[Argelius]

I know this is probably a pointless post, but thought I'd give it a whirl.

I am very interested in the HS250h and generally like the car with one major exception -- the implementation of the iPod controls (which I am assuming are identical to those on the 2010 Prius (other than the mouse-pointer) which I have had the opportunity to play with.

It is a really primitive interface - especially for what is otherwise a very electronically advanced car. It is nearly unusable for a couple of reasons:

- The amount of time it takes to scroll through songs/artists/playlists is unbelievably time-consuming. I have 800 artists, and I think it would take 10 minutes to get to the bottom of my artist list.

- While you're scrolling through songs/artists/playlists, the audio system interrupts your currently playing song and starts playing whatever you're currently scrolling through -- even though you haven't made a selection yet.

I can't believe Lexus has fallen so far behind the Germans (and Infiniti) in this regard.

Just curious if there is any remote possibility that Lexus will correct this with a future firmeware upgrade. Obviously, nobody probably knows, but thought I'd see what sort of responses it generates.

[Buk]

I agree in what you are saying.

Someone pointed me to this video and it demonstrates the problem you are referring. One of the comments implies it is an Apple problem.

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I'm new to Lexus and just got an RX and was thankful that I was able to plug in my iPhone in the USB port and be able to control it at all. I had been plugging into the RCA ports of the DVD player on a Nissan prior to the RX. No control whatsoever of the iPhone that way.

Is there an email address at Lexus we can send suggestions about the functionality of the iPhone/iPod/USB connection? I haven't been around Lexus autos long enough to know if they ever do firmware/software updates. Or is just in model year updates in the vehicle.

Buk

[Argelius]

I agree in what you are saying.

Someone pointed me to this video and it demonstrates the problem you are referring. One of the comments implies it is an Apple problem.

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I can vouch that it is not an Apple problem. I've had a BMW and an Audi with iPod integration -- while their implementations weren't perfect, they were leaps and bounds more advanced than Lexus/Toyota. The Audi is quite good -you can rapidly scroll through lists. (For instance I can get from the top to the bottom of my artist list in probably something like 10 seconds).

[Buk]

I went here to send a bug report to Apple

<http://www.apple.com/feedback/iphone.html>

Where would I go to send something to Lexus?

Thanks,

[boB_2006_GS300]

I am not sure about your interface, but I have a DICE adapter and have the same problem as you.

Since I can search by "Playlists", I divided my artists into smaller groups like "A to B", "C to E" or "N to Q" (on Playlists) and then you can choose one of those Playlists and you only have to scroll through those artists.

You would have to do this in iTunes and if you are good, it would take about 20 minutes to convert your library.

Say I want to hear Queen. I press PLAYLISTS, then scroll to "N to Q", then ARTISTS, now I only have to start from N.

I bet you can do something similar with iTunes and make your selection time shorter? Your interface may work better if you change the GENRE instead of the PLAYLISTS, but I don't know your system. I hope this helps you find a solution. If you think this may work for you and need more help, let me know.

[Argelius]

I went here to send a bug report to Apple

<http://www.apple.com/feedback/iphone.html>

Where would I go to send something to Lexus?

Thanks,

For what it's worth, I send this email to Lexus: Customer_Satisfaction_Inquiries@lexus.com (with their response below):

Q: I recently test drove the HS 250h and was certain I was going to make a purchase - until I experienced the iPod integration. While the remote touch controller was excellent, the inability to scroll through lists of artists, albums, etc by more than one screen at a time was very frustrating. To select an artist toward the end of the alphabet would take nearly 5 minutes of one-screen-at-a-time scrolling. Moreover, with each screen, the current song playing is interrupted by the selection at the top of the page. This bizarre functionality is years behind what Infiniti, Audi and BMW currently offer. My reason for writing was to ask if there is any chance this situation might be improved with a firmware update. I remain very interested in the HS, but doubt I'll make a purchase until this implementation of iPod integration is improved. Thanks for passing this concern on to the appropriate people.

Q: Thank you for contacting Lexus Customer Satisfaction. We are dedicated to providing superior service. In circumstances that require our attention, we will assist in the resolution process.

We appreciate your interest in the 2010 HS 250h, and we are sorry to hear that you are dissatisfied with the iPod interface. It is through feedback like yours that we are able to continuously improve our product and service for our customers. We thank you for taking the time to bring your concerns to our attention. I can assure you that your suggestion will be documented at our National Headquarters office as an opportunity for improvement. We apologize for any inconvenience you may experience.

If you require further assistance, please respond to this e-mail, or contact Lexus Customer Satisfaction at 1-800-255-3987, Monday through Friday, 5:00 am to 6:00 pm, or Saturday, 7:00 am to 4:00 pm, Pacific Time.

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It's pretty much the response I expected, but it's nice to fantasize that they might actually be keeping track of these things....

[Argelius]

I went for a HS test drive today. Really liked the car. And got a chance to play with the iPod interface a bit.

I found that you can, fortunately, rapidly scroll through lists by clicking on the "page down" arrow and holding down the left "mouse" button. The screen then goes mostly blank and the number of album (or artist or song) is displayed, over the total number in that category. This then rapidly advances and you can sort of guess where to stop.

For example in artists, 11/549 is displayed, meaning you are at the 11th artist out of a total of 549. So, if you are looking for Madonna, you can scroll to wherever you think the Ms start (maybe 350/549) and let go to see where you are. Not exactly a great system, but at least it's a little better than the Prius. Still not a very elegant implementation.