Is Amazon Music going to be integrated?

[SoCal Rob]

Wait... 360-degree top-down view is not a thing?

I haven’t seen it on any of the review videos. The closest I’ve seen is a setup with forward (or rear?) view camera feed in the center display flanked by a smaller view to the left on the left side of the center view and to the right the right side of the center view.

That’s already better than what we have on our 2006 LR3 (I added front and rear cams) and just being able to see to the sides where the tires are is a major bonus when off-roading.

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[Tim-in-CA]

I haven’t seen it on any of the review videos. The closest I’ve seen is a setup with forward (or rear?) view camera feed in the center display flanked by a smaller view to the left on the left side of the center view and to the right the right side of the center view.

That’s already better than what we have on our 2006 LR3 (I added front and rear cams) and just being able to see to the sides where the tires are is a major bonus when off-roading.

I asked at the Venice hub. Birdseye view will not be present. Hopefully it’s something they add with a FW update.

 

[RivianXpress]

The new Apple Music $4.99 service is Siri only.

 

[RivianXpress]

 

[slawwach]

I asked at the Venice hub. Birdseye view will not be present. Hopefully it’s something they add with a FW update.

Thanks for this response. That is a huge bummer for me. I like that feature a lot and cannot justify buying an expensive vehicle in 2021 without it. I'm gonna switch to max pack in this case and hope that this feature will be available by then. Of course keeping LE for now, so I get invited to drive it

 

[Blur1t]

That is AWESOME!

 

[jtshaw]

Thanks for this response. That is a huge bummer for me. I like that feature a lot and cannot justify buying an expensive vehicle in 2021 without it. I'm gonna switch to max pack in this case and hope that this feature will be available by then. Of course keeping LE for now, so I get invited to drive it

Have you driven a Tesla? It doesn't have the birdseye view either but it does have a camera view that appears similar to what was shown in one of the Rivian review videos where you can see side-view cameras and rearview camera. The Tesla system is quite effective for parking close to curbs, etc.

 

[Tim-in-CA]

Have you driven a Tesla? It doesn't have the birdseye view either but it does have a camera view that appears similar to what was shown in one of the Rivian review videos where you can see side-view cameras and rearview camera. The Tesla system is quite effective for parking close to curbs, etc.

But Tesla doesn't have front bumper camera (unlike Rivian) so real Birdseye view isn't possible on Tesla. Rivian will be able to give a FW update to support.

 

[Ralph]

For those on the thread that appear to believe that Amazon Alexa must be controlled by voice. Many here already know this, but that is not so. For example on the Android app you can indeed play you Amazon Music playlist or any of theirs, you can link iHeartradio. TuneIn, Audible, etc. are available.

And you can indeed link Apple Music, SiriusXM, pandora, TIDAL, VEVO to Alexa. Control by voice or manual. To be clear, this doesn't solve the problem of SiriusXM not being satellite, it just give you access by cell service.

The point is that if Amazon can make this happen in an Android (and probably iOS) app, then they can do so on the Meridian as well. It's anyone's guess how that fits their priorities. Last I looked they were still trying to hire many people related to the entertainment related systems.

 

[Tim-in-CA]

For those on the thread that appear to believe that Amazon Alexa must be controlled by voice. Many here already know this, but that is not so. For example on the Android app you can indeed play you Amazon Music playlist or any of theirs, you can link iHeartradio. TuneIn, Audible, etc. are available.

And you can indeed link Apple Music, SiriusXM, pandora, TIDAL, VEVO to Alexa. Control by voice or manual. To be clear, this doesn't solve the problem of SiriusXM not being satellite, it just give you access by cell service.

The point is that if Amazon can make this happen in an Android (and probably iOS) app, then they can do so on the Meridian as well. It's anyone's guess how that fits their priorities. Last I looked they were still trying to hire many people related to the entertainment related systems.

From the reply I received from Rivian on my question about other music/audio service availability via in-vehicle Alexa, their response was clear ... only Amazon Music and Audible would be available. Now, you are correct and you can link a BUNCH of audio services to your Alexa account, but that will be ONLY available if you are using the Alexa app on your phone and send audio over BT. I presume that this will have to suffice until Rivian can give more access to more services via the in-vehicle Alexa assistant.

 

[jtshaw]

But Tesla doesn't have front bumper camera (unlike Rivian) so real Birdseye view isn't possible on Tesla. Rivian will be able to give a FW update to support.

Sure. The point I was trying to make, is that having gone from a car with 360-degree surround view to a Tesla I missed that feature for about 5 minutes. The solutions Tesla has provided for the same problem are different but quite effective in my experience.

I'd implement both probably.

 

[Tim-in-CA]

Sure. The point I was trying to make, is that having gone from a car with 360-degree surround view to a Tesla I missed that feature for about 5 minutes. The solutions Tesla has provided for the same problem are different but quite effective in my experience.

I'd implement both probably.

I'd agree, its a nice to have feature, from what I saw at the Venice Hub, having a bigger camera view (similar to Tesla implementation) is pretty good. Not sure when you got your M3, but showing the side cameras is a relatively recent addition by Tesla (maybe for about a year), prior to that the only camera you had access to was rear view. Hopefully Rivian will provide more options with future FW updates!!!

 

[CommodoreAmiga]

Wait... 360-degree top-down view is not a thing?

I asked at the Venice hub. Birdseye view will not be present. Hopefully it’s something they add with a FW update.

I hope it's added soon, because the absence of a 360 degree view -- and the ability to easily access it when parking -- is a MUST have for me. I'm annoyed at no CarPlay and the absence of Apple Music support is frustrating... But I'm willing to give Rivian the benefit of the doubt on those and hope that OTA updates make the experience passable. But no 360 degree camera is a complete non-starter for me. I can't think of any reason that shouldn't be a feature.

Have you driven a Tesla? It doesn't have the birdseye view either but it does have a camera view that appears similar to what was shown in one of the Rivian review videos where you can see side-view cameras and rearview camera. The Tesla system is quite effective for parking close to curbs, etc.

I test drove a Model Y and would have bought one except for the lack of 360 degree camera. The side cameras were better than nothing, but honestly the presence of that feature actually made me more angry because it just called attention to the hubris of Tesla.

 

[slawwach]

Have you driven a Tesla? It doesn't have the birdseye view either but it does have a camera view that appears similar to what was shown in one of the Rivian review videos where you can see side-view cameras and rearview camera. The Tesla system is quite effective for parking close to curbs, etc.

I did and it is probably the biggest reason I don't own a Tesla. While definitely better than having no cameras at all, it's also obviously inferior to what others offer. My current cars have views to the front, back, front wheels, side views towards the back and top down view. Tesla is basically a subset of that.

I think Rivian will actually be better than Tesla in this regard as it seems to have front and front tire views, but still lack of top down view is is a big disappointment for me personally. I'm sure a lot of people won't care, but I do. I mean even $22k Nissan Kicks has it, but even outside of that, I just simply like this feature too much to not have it in a vehicle of this size.

 

[Rivian_Hugh_III]

When I read any details about the infotainment I mentally add, “at this time.” I get the impression that we are seeing the vehicle with the minimum fully-functioning feature set to get it out the door and into the hands of customers. The R1T user manual feels exactly the same to me: just enough but with more to come.

I’m remaining optimistic that OTA updates are going to refine a lot of existing features (e.g. center and side camera views upgraded to 360-degree top-down view) and add new ones like playing music from a USB connection in addition to Bluetooth, Amazon Music with a display interface, etc.

I agree that lots more will be added. I also believe it will all cost extra.

Want 360 camera and CarPlay? Subscribe to RivianTech+ for $15/mo, and they're yours.

Want faster charging and proactive suspension upgrades for a smoother ride? Subscribe to RivianTech+ Pro for $45/mo, and they're yours.

Anything extra will cost extra. That's my expectation, having scanned the SEC filings.

On the point of the 360* Eagle Eye camera view, I wouldn't be so sure that it can be added OTA. The cameras need a fisheye lens to see the entire side of the vehicle. If Rivian's cameras are too directionally focused, they may not see the whole side of the vehicle. That would mean no 360 view, no matter what they do with software.

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