Mirrorlink?

[canawler]

So I'm in the market for a new receiver in my wife's vehicle and I started doing some shopping/homework yesterday. I assumed I would just get something that could stream via Bluetooth but I'm seeing a lot of units that can display what's on your screen. I thought that would be great to display Google Maps for nav purposes. Apparently there are several ways to do this and each stereo company is going different directions. A couple of them use MHL through an HDMI port but apparently the Turbo doesn't support this?? Pioneer is pushing Mirrorlink but I can't seem to get good info on what this is. Is it just an app that any Android phone can run or is it a communication standard? Does the Turbo support it? Motorola support chat was no help. If neither of these works are there any other ways to do this other than Pioneer's $700 Android Auto receiver (which won't work with the Turbo anyway as it requires Lollipop?)

 

[SpookDroid]

The Motorola Droid Turbo is not listed in MirrorLink's certified list of devices. And you are right, the Turbo doesn't support MHL either. Unless the system you're getting supports screen mirroring via WiFi (just like a SmartTV), you can't display your phone's screen in your dashboard. But at 700 dollars for an Auto Receiver, why not just get a tablet, a dashboard mount, and a BT-to-AUX adapter for sound over your stereo? A lot cheaper and a lot more functions.

 

[canawler]

I'm definitely NOT looking to spend $700 on a receiver. That's just what the cheapest Android Auto unit is retailing at. I like the tablet suggestion but the factory radio doesn't even have an aux. port. I'll just stick with a cheaper unit that supports Bluetooth if necessary. I just liked the idea of having the phone's maps show on the vehicle head unit if it's feasible. You'd think a flagship phone like the Turbo would offer at least one of the standards for this type of thing. By the way, a little more research on Crutchfield's site shows a Sony head unit that accomplishes this by not having it's own screen. It holds your cell phone landscape and uses it as the display. Interesting idea but I'm still not sure the Turbo would work as it communicates through the usb port and Bluetooth. I'm not sure what format Sony uses through the usb port?

 

[SpookDroid]

Probably Mirrorlink. It's not just for mirroring displays, it uses the USB port and BT and even WiFi for other stuff.

As for the tablet (or even your own Turbo if that image size is enough), there are adapters that plug into your device and transmit via FM radio, so that could be an option, although you'd have to be tuned in to that station all the time.