| mygig Infotainment System mygig
Has Chrysler bounced ahead of the competition with its new infotainment system? Yes and no. Recently, we got a hold of a MyGIG-equipped vehicle and investigated what the new multimedia system had to offer.
First, let's cover some background. MyGIG is a double-DIN head unit with a 6.5-inch touchscreen display that offers navigation with real-time traffic, hands-free communication, a USB port, hard-drive storage and playback, as well as a jukebox function. On the entertainment front, the system allows for photo viewing and stores your favorite picture on screen, like a screen saver, while playing music from satellite radio, AM/FM radio, CD/DVD, a 20 gigabyte hard disc drive, jukebox or a portable music player. MyGIG has been released in three vehicles in 2007, with the system showing up in more models for the 2008 model year. Listed as optional equipment, the MyGIG Multimedia Infotainment Radio with Navigation will list at a semi-steep price of $1,700, which includes Sirius satellite traffic service for one year.
Put On Your Reading Glasses
With all the hoopla we'd heard about MyGIG, we were surprised that nowhere in our test vehicle did the name "MyGIG" appear, which prompted us to look at the owner's manual to make sure the car did have a MyGIG system. The only information we found using this name was a page in the navigation manual that directs users to go to the MyGIG website for downloads. The infotainment system is not the sort of head unit you can just play around with for five minutes and have it all figured out. So, after reviewing sections of the manual, we were ready to test the MyGIG Multimedia Infotainment System.
Voice And Touch Controls
The system uses hard keys, which are located on the left and right sides of the head unit's screen, as well as soft keys, which are located on the actual display via the touchscreen. Both the hard keys and soft keys are easy to see and make contact with while driving without being a distraction. However, if you are a driver who is easily distracted, the system has a voice dialogue system, which recognizes more than 100,000 words, and has the capability of learning and growing. One can change from listening to the radio to a CD, and then forward or rewind a track on the CD, all by voice. The speech dialogue system and voice-recognition system controls AM/FM/SAT, disc player, navigation, HDD storage, and acts as a memo recorder. In case you have an accent or speech impediment, MyGIG has a voice-training system included that allows it to learn your speech pattern.
Navigating The Daily Commute
The navigation can be operated by touchscreen or voice-activated input, and the map views are available in 2D or 3D. GPS fixes the vehicle's position on the map data that is stored on the hard drive. Software and database for the maps can be downloaded from www.chrysler.com/mygig onto your computer, saved on a USB stick, and plugged directly into the USB 2.0 port located on the front panel of the head unit. The system also uses a gyroscope and a vehicle speed sensor, so the navigation information remains reliable if the GPS signal is interrupted.
The navigation hard key directs to a menu of soft keys, which include selections such as destination entry, and recent destinations. As we pressed the "Where am I now?" soft key, the system provided the latitude, longitude, and elevation, plus provided nearby points of interests. The other two noteworthy options were emergency information, which would provide the closest hospitals, police stations, and fire departments, and the record-new trail button, which would record a trail in an area where no map is available. This is especially useful if you are off-roading. It records a breadcrumb trail to help you find your way back to a road on the map.
MyGIG's navigation offers the typical detour feature, points of interest (POI) searches, and the ability to save your home address for one-touch navigation to the house. Voice directive ability is less common on navigation systems, but it is on the rise. Instructing the navigation by voice is quite simple, but the system requests many repetitive confirmations. For example, we activated the voice-command feature, then said, "Navigation." A voice asked us, "What state?" we requested California, and the system repeated, "Do you mean California?" We had to wait for a beep and say, "Yes." Soft keys for California and Colorado also showed up on the screen, allowing us to make the selection by touch if we so chose, which also helps to teach the system to match spoken words to those in its database. After reading the manual, we found it's possible to interrupt the vehicle's voice prompt by pressing the hard key to avoid listening to the entire prompt. To exit the system, all you have to say is "Cancel."
Navigation includes the useful real-time traffic service from Sirius Satellite Radio. By displaying information about traffic flow and providing alternative routes, real-time traffic updates end up saving the driver time, money, and sanity.
Music And Video To Go
Approximately 1,600 songs, each of 4-minute CD quality, can be stored on the hard drive. Once favorites have been stored, there's no more messing around with trying to find CDs or fumbling around trying to change them while you're driving. With more than 100 hours of music, that should keep you entertained for even the longest stints. Unfortunately, the system will not copy to the hard drive while the vehicle is in motion. However, it does allow a person to listen to the radio during the file copy process.
Managing files is easy. Simply download music or photos from a CD or USB memory device, then categorize them. Importing music files, check-mark folders or titles to copy or touch the check-mark-all key, set-up playlists if you choose, and the copy process will show on the screen. Playlists can be created to provide easy access to files, or choose to repeat folder, random-play all songs, or repeat a song. Deleting files or renaming files is just as effortless with a few select keys. You can delete a song or all music files. At 20GB, there shouldn't be any worries about how much space you have left. But if you are reaching the maximum space, you can display the available space on the hard drive.
Through the media key, you can access from the HDD/Disc/AUX/VES/JB, while the Disc input will operate your CDs, MP3, DVD, WMA, and DVD Video, and with the DVD controls that appear onscreen. However, the vehicle must be stopped to view it. An auxiliary input (AUX) allows you to plug in your iPod or other portable music player. You also have the option of connecting a gaming station, such as a PlayStation 3, to the dual-video inputs for entertaining passengers and keeping them busy during a long ride. The Vehicle Entertainment System (VES) controls the rear radio, media, and rear DVD media playing on a separate 7-inch LCD. Jukebox (JB) mode allows as many as 12 playlists to reside on the internal hard drive, which uses around 6GB, to be selected from. To fill the Jukebox, you copy music from your hard drive or disc and simply press OK. MyGIG uses Gracenote-a music recognition technology-to add album, song title, genre and artist information found on most audio CDs to integrate with the jukebox function. MyGIG supports two simultaneous video-output sources and three simultaneous audio-output sources. One goes to the car's speakers and the second to the two rear-seat headphones, if buyers opt for the console-mounted rear-seat LCD display. The Radio key provides access to Sirius satellite radio, AM, FM1, and FM2.
Free Phone Calls
The UConnect hands-free communication device uses Bluetooth connectivity, allowing as many as seven compatible mobile phones to connect to the vehicle's onboard receiver, but only one can be operational in the vehicle at a time. To dial out, you can simply use voice commands, while other features allow you to store as many as 32 names with four numbers per name, dial for an emergency or towing assistance, allow auto audio-system mute, and enable cross-referencing of an address and a phone number with the navigation. The hands-free system also allows a person to answer incoming calls, reject calls, call waiting, and place conference calls. If you are at your destination and are still talking hands free, you are able to stay connected after the vehicle is turned off or transfer the call to your mobile phone to carry on the conversation after leaving the vehicle.
MyGIG will be available in the following 2008-model-year trucks and SUVs: Chrysler Aspen, Chrysler Pacifica, Dodge Dakota, Dodge Journey, Dodge Durango, Dodge Nitro, Jeep Liberty, Jeep Grand Cherokee, and Jeep Wrangler.
Infotainment systems, such as Chrysler's MyGIG, will be more prevalent as new vehicle options continue to offer more in-vehicle electronics technology. In fact, this ever-evolving technology is one step closer to becoming a normality in replacing older media sources, such as the cassette or CD head unit. While all of this technology may be a bit much to grasp, with time, it becomes a convenience most drivers will prefer. Just think: no need to transport a case full of CDs. With our busy lives, we seem to have the need to connect everywhere, whether it is to our portable music player, viewing photos via USB port, or hands-free calling using Bluetooth technology.
Eventually we will end up wondering how we ever lived without it.
