Project Polly | 53
Despite my best efforts I still can’t get the iPhone to mirror its display on Polly’s new Kenwood audio system screen. So for now navigation continues using my iPhone in this dash-top cradle, which at least makes using the rest of the Kenwood’s features easy. The power cable connects to a Kenwood USB lead in the glovebox, which frees up the Transit’s in-dash 12 V socket for other uses.
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ast issue Polly was about to head back to the auto electrician to have her new Kenwood audio unit removed and an HDMI cable connected at the back, then routed through the dash. It was the missing link that would FINALLY let my iPhone mirror its display and run my TomTom navigation app on the Kenwood’s bigger display. As I mused at the time, “What could possibly go wrong?”. Well, let me tell you… Firstly, the special Kenwood HDMI cable I ordered didn’t arrive by the promised date (or even a few days later). When I pursued it, telling the supplier it was needed for a scheduled installation job, they refunded my money. No communication or offers to rush one out, just a refund! Great… The Kenwood part was really just a ‘special’ HDMI cable, so on the eve of the appointed day I went hunting the shortest ‘ordinary’
cable and found one in Officeworks for $3.99 – a far cry from the Kenwood’s $46.27. In case you’re wondering, HDMI stands for ‘high definition multimedia interface’, which is the industry standard for transferring high volumes of video and/or audio data. Finally it was the moment of truth. iPhone? Check. Apple connector? Check. HDMI cable? Check. iPhone Lightning power cable? Check. Kenwood audio unit settings correct? Check. iPhone mirroring working? Uncheck. Houston, we have a problem. Despite my best efforts and considerable time spent trouble shooting I still can’t get it to work. Kenwood Australia’s website provides no support beyond a series of FAQs; no support email address or phone number and I simply haven’t had time to follow it up. Yet. For now I have terrific handsfree telephone calling and a killer sound system with