So I've purchased 5+ of the other 'box-like' units that use a CarPlay interface to display a full-android, and they are all garbage. They appear to be made by the same company/factory. The main problems I've found are:

- CarPlay sucks compared to Android Auto -- you see all sorts of weird hiccups and issues... like cars not fully understanding the different audio streams. If you search for "Waze CarPlay audio issues," you'll go down an insane rabbit hole. Out of the box, it took me HOURS of tinkering to get these units to use the high quality audio stream instead of the voice/comm stream.
- These units are well-known for corrupting the app data regularly. Turn on the car, and expect to have to log back into Spotify, Waze, etc. It happens about 80% of the time. I contacted SEVERAL of the 'manufacturers' via Amazon, and they said this is a known issue and there is no fix. Obviously the fix is to not be a moron and build in temporary battery source so the unit can properly shut down. They could probably detect the car shutting down, and USB ports are live for a while afterwards. The programmers are too lazy or inexperienced.

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At the end of the day, the ONLY similar solution that actually works is the old and sluggish Mgears SG-01. This is very disappointing.

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Here are a few examples: Binize, Carlinkit, and Carluex Pro -- Just know that there are about 100 variants in different cases, and they're all the same. Amazingly they have the balls to charge upwards of $400 for these things.

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I've not spent much time figuring out a DIY solution, but I suppose some sort of Android TV stick, or old cell phone rooted with the battery removed.