Ok, installed. I had some time to set everything back up, play around with it and drive.
Aside from the purple, I definitely like the home screen better than the 3 panel. Much smoother layout and not so clunky to look at. My eye could find the information I needed and the map was more visible than I expected.
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The profiles could be cool if you switch drivers often. I can't change the icon for guest for some reason. My favorite new feature comes when using usb media. If I go to list - artist, I can check any number of artists that I choose to listen to and it mixes them all in. Same for album. This slightly makes up for the inexplicable lack of iPod compatibility and voice commands to control the usb device. It's still easier to play music in my 8 year old Ford with the base stereo.
It was a little buggy but for some reason, some of that stuff started to iron itself out. Like the speed limit 64 that was displayed (fixed after restarting) and I could not get the nav to enter night mode. I toggled the settings, turned the lights on and off, (it was dark). Restarted the car, opened and closed the doors... Finally, I thought I'll deal with this later, put it in reverse, backed out of where I was parked and once I went into drive, it worked.
Now, my biggest gripe: The sky in the 3D map. Looks cool but it essentially cuts off the top quarter of an already small (short) screen. It was different, I struggled with reading it, and the change threw me off.
I also thought it was weird that when i set my favorite button to home, it took me to the second screen, not the main purple screen. If i push it twice, it takes me to Barney land. So that was different, I like it though, I use the favorite button to get to quiet mode fast, saves me a swipe.
Yes, the original color scheme goes better with the rest of the dash but I think the home screen layout is much improved and the new features are pretty decent. Going to check out AA tomorrow, I haven't used it since the first week I had it. It's not very functional to me on a day to day basis.
My take: Don't let a little purple scare you off.
And now: Speed limit 64! (40mph zone)
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