Thank you for the detailed list, I too find the very dated version of Android a big concern and a blocker for buying the product.

Can you elaborate on item #2? What are the intermittent issues with the converter box? (I have a pre-facelift C63 so this would be applicable to me)

 

Here's a link to the big 10.25" display thread, with all the improvements and problem fixes to date.
Now, my opinion is that some of the issues mentioned affect the W212 chassis only, where this unit is so popular, namely the left tweeter thing about the phone.

https://mbworld.org/forums/e-class-w...installed.html

 

Reach out to Raymond Urias on Instagram @Raymonduriasjr or on youtube.
He was the one who had installed this unit and mentioned to all the issues, including about the converter box.

 

 

Funny this was mentioned in the regular c class section so long ago I forgot about it.

 

its great u brought these issues up i had never heard of them! However from what i can see a few of them have actually been fixed.

1- The phone issueonly using front left speaker was only a problem in the w212. However the fix was a new aux to rca cable.
2 - yes there were isolated cases of prblematic boxes, however new ones were sent out that resolved the problems.
3- I thought mph ha been added recently? Can someone confirm?

the rest tho, i completely agree.

 

Well if these issues have been addressed and resolved then I guess I'm out of excuses and NOW MUST get me one! 😁👍

 

The ancient android version hasn't been addressed which is relatively major.

 

then I WILL hold off from buying it for now!👍

 

Agreed, I'll wait until they update the OS, 5.1.1 is already deprecated by Google (at least from a security perspective.) Realistically the OS should be updated to at least 7.1.2 and it can just trail behind 8.x if the hardware is anywhere from 2016+

 

Addressing the grammatical errors in the UI would also be a nice plus, if the handful listed here are all that there is then it isn't that bad (but still a little embarrassing.) ****, I'd gladly review their text strings and correct any spelling or grammar for free (the home UI app doesn't have that much text and I feel it would add the final touches on what looks like a very polished interface.)

Does anyone know who to manufacturer is for this device, and their website? (I imagine it would be in Chinese only, but maybe we can find some info on updates, either hardware of software)

 

 

These are definitely valid questions and worthwhile of discussion.

1. Why does the OS even matter here? Can’t you just update it with the programs intact and move on?

• With Android, the OS and various is tightly coupled to hardware interfaces and system drivers. So in the case of this display/screen, basic components such as graphic drivers would need to be re-ported to the new version of Android to match and OS interface changes and still successfully talk to the hardware components (screen etc,) same process would apply to WiFi drivers, Bluetooth drivers, custom drivers which handle the Mercedes COMAND interface which plugs into the unit.
• Regarding the core question if the OS even matters, that's a very good question! Perhaps it doesn't, if the hardware is running great on Android 5.1.1 and the overall system is stable with no core problems like crashes, display issues, WiFi or Bluetooth connectivity problems then the only real valid points are the security holes which are not patched and potentially well-known due to the ancient version of Android and possible feature support for very new Android apps. Security might also not be as critical because if we stick to just the core apps which would be used in a car environment such as Google Maps/Waze, Torque, Spotify/Pandora, Netflix/Hulu chances of compromising the system are lower than on a phone or tablet where you might just download random apps which you think are cool. (Also important to keep in mind that the system support screen-mirroring so there should be nothing prevent us from running any apps on our phones and 'casting' them to the display ... slightly less convenient than having the app in question on the display system but an acceptable alternative.)

2. And if the thing is already rooted, is it not straightforward to correct any spelling errors etc?

• Not really, since this is an Android system the entire UI is definitely just an app/APK which you could de-compile, update and repackage with some changes you want and re-install it but it would be a pain and require a fair bit of experimenting .. you would basically have to hack the APK. (If the developer of the UI released the source code to the public it would be very easy to make these changes.)

3. We should all work together and make an MBWorld version of this that meets our expectations. Getting DashCommand and Harry’s LapTimer to work with an aux camera on one of these would be so epic for me......

• I'm sure we have the necessary expertise between all the forum members, only if we could all get along and work together :-D

 

So there IS a 10.25" unit with the updated Android OS.
If you look on ebay search under "10.25" benz", but as mentioned in the W211 thread I linked, the interface sucks. Gone are the cool OEM style graphics, now it looks like a giant android phone.

I'm guessing that at this money, the volume of work referenced above meas that the developers didn't want to invest the time and just plopped it ..."here's one with updated Android OS for those that won't buy the otherone because of the OS". Currently this Android 7.1 10.25" interface is offered for the W205, but there seems to be a vendor that may have a wider array of applications.

As far as grammar, the early complainers interpreted "HI" displayed on the main screen as a weird grammar error, but it was just a display of the maximum HVAC temperature selected and an indication that proper communication with the HVAC did not happen. But it then got fixed. There is one error that remains, but if you look at Doug Demuro's Mercedes reviews, there is questionable quirky phrasing even in the OEM Mercedes units, someone structured a statement of the screen in a German way, sounding awkward in English.

 

The company is in China and their website is www.carlife-mall.net
They are usually responsive with email communication through their website.

B.

 

Hmmm....

 

Looking at their product history they seem to have an extensive selection of units for various German cars. Assuming the product specs are accurate the manufacturer seems to iterate through processors, RAM and flash size somewhat aggressively too. The early 2016 units were non-Android, they seem to have introduced their first Android based units in early-mid 2017 running 4.4.4 with quad core Rockchip IC and 1GB of RAM. (With this being a Chinese manufacturer Rockchip makes sense, they make economical ICs, yet still sporting good performance commonly used in various Chinese products.)

In mid 2017 they've started using an IC from a US manufacturer, Freescale the IMX6-quad process with Android 4.4.2 (another very solid choice) but also a VERY dated processor (from 2011-2013) similar to the previous cores from Rockchip. In later 2017 they've introduced units with an unnamed quad core IC which I'm guessing might be the same Rockchip PX3 IC from their 2016 models (based on the specs) but with an updated version of Android 5.1.1.

It is somewhat curious that they have not released anything in 2018, especially due to their aggressive release cycle in 2017, so either sales have slowed of they have a large stock of 2017 unit's left over. One of their last released products (from July 30, 2017,) a backseat monitor, lists yet another unnamed processor, which based on the specs might be something from the Snapdragon family at Qualcomm and it runs Android 6.0.1.

As I mentioned earlier the Android OS is very tightly coupled to the hardware that it is running on; for example, if we take that possible-Snapdragon mentioned earlier, it is impossible for the manufacturer to update Android on those systems without help from the IC manufacturer (Qualcomm) and that applies to all other manufacturers that were used such as Freescale and Rockchip. Using dated or end-of-life processors will almost always yield no level of support from the IC manufacturer, no updates to either core components within the IC or support for never version of Android.

Overall, if they continue to release products in 2018, I'm sure they will rev their hardware which might introduce new versions of Android (ideally nothing below 6.0.1) but again this will be tied to the IC manufacturer that they use so they will need to go with a relatively modern IC which is either still supported or ships with an acceptable version of Android.

 

Many valid points here, I thought the c63 section would bash on it hard (esp you Blkrokt loool) but I guess not.

Just a heads up, this has been installed in our w204s by a fellow memeber (non-c63) I will post a link here for you guys to view.

 

Here it is friends: https://mbworld.org/forums/c-class-w204/700934-android-10-25-screen-unit.html

Note: better on Pfl, on fl it sits over the dash area

 

 

Next month as in May? That sounds very promising and hopefully accurate, I'll gladly wait until that release

 

Can confirm this is true. After speaking with CKM, its also a new Hardware Unit with more ram as well as updated Android!

 

Perhaps a group buy is in order...

 

yes

 

From CKM? Maybe he can get the miles vs km thing solved.
Makes sense because if he has an order for a batch of these, he has leverage to make the manufacturer solve couple of the remaining items.
For me, I don't care about the android version. Those that care, will have the new version coming out which I doubt will be cheaper.
I'd like to see the distance to miles option and the ap for dashcam work.
I would be willing to pay for an associated dashcam that is given to work with this unit.
There was a vendor that briefly offered these on eBay for a really good price and offered an associated dashcam for a small up charge.
Perhaps the problem has been that you need to buy a particular dashcam that works with these.