Anyone knows if the traffic rerouting feature is a software add on? If I get a 09 dvd and put in my 06 navi, will I get that feature?

 

Many of us are waiting to find out if the XM upgrades (XM Weather, Traffic Reouting, XM Note, etc. )are backward compatable (with the DVD updates) to our current AcuraLink units. It would not seem to be hardware dependent, but who knows at this point?

Often, car manufacturers will not make feature upgrades backward compatable as they intend to make your car model obsolete to encourage new model purchases.

But in the technology world, obsolete is 6 months down the road. Consumers will not tolerate that rate for changing out of vehicles. So will auto manufacturers adopt technology upgrade philosophies? Will they also be able to support the technology upgrades for owners? Dealerships are sorely unsupported in technology maintenance.

From XM's perspective it would be wise to have these features upgradable to exisiting AcuraLink units. They desperately need more subscriptions and expanding the product offerings to the existing client base is much wiser than requiring new hardware everytime they have new or enhanced products.

This is a fundemental change in automotive engineering lifecyling. How will it keep up with and integrate with technology lifecycles?

 

I am betting there will be a software lockout, and just as there is a software lockout, there will be those trying to crack it. If the data is the same traffic data you already receive in XM, we could all be whooping it up in a year or two, saying we got the 09 features in an 05-08!

 

What Tampa said.

I personally believe that those items will be incorporated into the now massively delayed Fall 2007 navi DVD upgrade.

They'd better be, as long as they are keeping us waiting.

 

Yep, that Tampa is a pretty smart cookie. Now please keep your ears to the ground for NavTraffic improvements, especially dynamic rerouting, as I am mighty tired of being held hostage to every bonehead fender-bender and looky-loo in L.A. County!

 

Did you say cookie???