Satellite Radio + IPod

[Z8mania]

The Alpine system has a lot of great bells and whistles, but it also has annoyances:

1. even in its reduced voice intervention mode it still talks too much for my taste

2. the audio system takes a second to "boot" when you start the car. Music will come on immediately and you have immediate control over the volume but the screen needs a few seconds to get going.

3. like I said the ipod integration is kind of basic.

The reason I call my Z8 "Moneypenny" is because it has a really old version of the software which it gives the voice in either "GB" or "D". Not knowing much German, I opt for "GB" and the resulting voice is that of a nice and comforting British woman. I love being asked to "Proceed on to the motorway". If I ever made a change I would have to wonder about her name.... :-)

[jawz]

is a DVD-ROM (I'm looking at it as I write this) and includes all of North America on 1 DVD. Unless there is a difference in the Z8 and the Alpina nav (I didn't think there was), I should think it would be 1 DVD.

Black/Crema
2003 Alpina #480

[Z8Eldred a.k.a. The Mudman]

although you have to manually enter the address. I use it all the time to find back roads in North Houston.