AFTER TWO WEEKS OF WAITING!!!!
Got everything installed today. All I can say is... wow. The difference between this and the chinese unit... It's not even comparable (well... considering how this one was 3x the chinese one).
Where to begin where to begin. First, let's re-assess why I returned the chinese brand GPS:
1. The GPS was sketchy. It would take forever to load and wasn't very logical. It also lagged. You couldn't see the streets half the damn time, and if you ever exited the GPS, you couldn't get back into it.
2. The Bluetooth was murky. You couldn't hear me half the time. Phonebooks and contacts were not synced. It was basically a telephone on your car, where you'd have to memorize the number, couldn't see who was calling, and they couldn't hear you anyways.
3. The menu was slow, laggy, and un-intuitive. It also wasn't very pretty.
4. The Bluetooth music sync wasn't also very compatible with my iphone. I could play, pause, and go next track or previous track... That was about it. Perhaps the most glaring problem was the fact that the music would cut in and out, depending on where you iPhone was. If it was in your pocket, the music would lag every few seconds!
5. The included ipod cable, although allowed me to play music, didn't charge my phone.
Now let's look at the Kenwood.
1. The GPS is Garmin. It is fast, reliable, easy to use, and even has updated traffic and street view.
2. The Bluetooth is CRYSTAL CLEAR, EVEN WITH THE TOP DOWN ON THE HIGHWAY! Phonebook is synced. I can go through my contacts, recent calls, and even tells me who is calling when I'm getting a call.
3. The menu is lightning fast, beautiful, and easy to navigate. There's no lag, and no frustration trying to go through the menus.
4. The bluetooth music is complete. I can browse my playlists, songs, artists, etc. It shows my album art, and there is absolutely no lag between songs or during songs. Everything is crystal clear and perfect.
5. The ipod cable (another $30) was able to charge my iphone. Something I was very happy about.
But that's not the best part!
I can use my iphone apps through the Kenwood screen. I can even play youtube videos from my phone on the screen. How amazing is that?
Granted, you're paying 3 times as much, but it is sooooooo worth it. This is coming from someone who has tried both. I would say go for the Kenwood hands down. It's only another $400, and it is worth every penny and some.