Do you leave any fingerprints ?

 

Agree completely!!!

I also agree with earlier comment about Voice Command. I use it much more than iDrive....

 

I respectfully disagree. I use a touch screen extensively on a Honda Odyssey and although it appears easier at first, it becomes more cumbersome to use because you have to keep taking your eyes off the road to find the right "button" to press. There is no tactile feedback so your finger can't feel if it's touching the right button, etc. With iDrive, I can glance at the screen quickly and know that I need to do something like turn right two clicks, then push down. Also, some touch screens I've seen, including my Odyssey, aren't perfectly calibrated so you need to press slightly above where you think you should press to accurately select the right function. (This may be just on my car -- I can't say for sure.)

When I'm driving the Honda, I find myself wishing I had an iDrive controller to operate the darn thing!

Oh, and I won't even get into the grease prints on the screen issue...
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Totally agree here. Had touch screen in Acura TL for navi and AC controls. It is great for navi while parked (you get to see an entire keyboard) but while driving you are looking and pressing the wrong place.

Keeping it clean was a pain!! The car even came with a special cloth to clean the screen....

 

I know how to use iDrive and voice command pretty well now. But I still prefer touch screen. It's much quicker to enter an address than iDrive.
For people think iDrive is the best, they probably never try other device before.

 

The main problem with touch screen in the Odyssey is the sun washes it out too often. The iDrive screen is always bright and clear.

 

You're right -- and it also collects dust so when the sun hits it, all you see are the dust particles. I find it most annoying when trying to use the backup camera when the sunroof is open...

At least with iDrive, the screen can be set way back in the dash -- which is easier to quickly glance at with a flick of the eye -- and it can be shielded from sunlight with a "visor."

On another note, Member545, do you have a 2005 Odyssey with rear entertainment? I have a software glitch (yep, even on a Honda) that I'm trying to figure out if it's common. (There's no www.odyssey.net like this place that I can go to... ) If you have one, let me know and I'll PM you with more details on the issue.

 

while the "concept" might be the same, the implementation is worlds apart..... the first car to come with a user interface designed by Apple will be a real winner.... when is the first iCar due out???

 

I've only been driving my E60 for a week and I find IDrive so easy to use. I think a few years from now most cars will have this type of technology. I believe the upcoming new Mercedes (S or E?) will have this feature. I just try to be careful when manipulating the IDrive wheel, I feel like it's going to break! :'(

 

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Wow the world is becoming a better place! I actually argee with FikeseGTS The main problem

right now with the iDrive is that is made by the most incompetent tech company in the world right

now, hence why so many problems. I was hoping when apple implemented the iPod with BMW

they would also get the contract to do the iDrive, alas my dream didn't come true.

 

The only problem with iDrive is when we entering address for nav. Other than that it's one of the best LCD screen on the market with transflective coat. Other Japanese car use cheap LCD screen without transflective coat.