Long Beach, Calif. — Pioneer announced an upgrade for its “computer-like” AVIC-F navigation/entertainment products that were prone to numerous operating quirks.
Pioneer said the upgrade will accelerate boot-up time of the AVIC-F series products and improve screen response and Bluetooth connectivity.
Larry Rougas, Pioneer VP marketing and product planning for mobile electronics said, “The initial launch did
not meet consumers’ or dealers’ expectations. We did have some quirks in the amount of time it took to boot up. As soon as we heard those tough conditions our engineers went to work, and with 2.0 software, it’s shortened the boot-up time and screen-response time.”
Rougas noted that the “quirks” were due to the fact that the AVIC-F units are similar to computers that must boot up.
The 2.0 firmware update will also increase display brightness, improve SD and USB media playback and will offer smoother map-zoom functionality.
The update is available for the AVIC-F90BT, AVIC-F900BT, AVIC-F700BT and AVIC-F7010BT. Consumers can acquire the update by visiting a dealer, downloading it to an SD card or ordering an SD card from Pioneer.
In addition, Pioneer is offering a $100 rebate on three AVIC-F series models through Jan. 06, 2009. The models on rebate include the AVIC-F90BT, AVIC-F900BT and AVIC-F700BT.
