Hello, Brisbane. Just from the mObridge perspective, here are some answers.
--------
Q1: I want to use the G3 Iphone as both my phone and Ipod. Which is best for me?

A1: Either/or/both is fine. The mObridge ABT2010 series iPod + Bluetooth combo unit (note: all current products also have the stereo analog aux-input) works well with the iPhone. As well, it's Made for iPod certified so you can be assured the music player portion is as Apple intended as far as interoperability. As for Bluetooth, the iPhone 3G also plays pretty nice. There is a pretty seamless experience when using iPhone as a phone and a music player or the iPhone and a separate iPod or a different phone and iPod altogether. All work nicely.
---------
Q2: Compatibility issues?

A2: Well, this could mean a wide range of things. Generally all of our products are compatible with all 2003-2008 Porsche and some 2009 that still have the PCM2 or CDR24. Please note, the CDR23/24 do not have telephone functions and therefore do not support Bluetooth telephone. The PCM2's in the U.S. did not have telephone functions as standard until 2006 and up. It was a special order item from 2003-2005 in the U.S.

As for phone compatibility, we use a Parrot integrated OEM chipset inside the ABT2010 series for maximum compatibility and automotive OEM quality. It's some 475+ phones at this point and always adding 10-20 new phones every month. There are some Bluetooth phones that have compatibility issues but our compatibility list (under Support/Knowledgebase on www.mobridgeusa.com) is quite clear about what make/model/carrier of phones are supported.
-----------
Q3: Do I lose my CD changer?

A3: Generally yes, to host the iPod, for simplicity's sake we recommend disconnecting the 6-CD changer (technically, it's "bypassed" out of the MOST fiberoptic ring using a little bypass look that is supplied in every kit). There are techno-geek ways of switching it in and out, though once you have an iPod the need for a CD player seems to become arguably negligible. The majority of MOST systems only support one 6-CD changer instance and the iPod kits largely emulate a 6-CD changer (though this is changing in some of the newer Audi and BMW systems that have dedicated iPod faculties). There are some MOST kits on the market that do support 6-CD changer retention but technically having the two optical ports in one box to do this is illegal under the MOST standard because it introduces too much jitter (digital bit timing variation) which can cause problems in some cars (sensitivity to this varies) and for this reason (well, among others), those such kits have been banned in some EU countries such as Germany from some of the OEM dealer franchises. So it's mObridge's official position that 6-CD changer retention is a bit arcane and really not the right way to do things in a MOST system and technically can cause problems and the solutions out there that do this are really not a technically correct approach and can cause problems in the system.
-----------
Q4: Do I lose the CD changer in the dash?

A4: No, never.
----------
Q5: Do both offer FULL I pod capability (artist, song, playlist etc.)

A5: Generally yes, the Porsche PCM supports CD MP3 text therefore full iPod browsing can be emulated. Because the PCM2 interface was never built with the intention of "folder" or multi-level/tree type browsing, the integration kits out there have to emulate this. We can emulate to about three levels, then it gets too cumbersome in memory/processing. So you'll see the top level categories: Playlists/Artists/Albums/Genres/All Songs (which, by the way, we offer the option to change out, if you'd like, say if you'd prefer Audiobooks or Podcasts or something else at the top level). Within, e.g., Artists, all of your artists would be listed. Then underneath an Artist, all of the tracks for that artist. Some would expect it to be categorized by Albums under that artist, but again, adding another level to the "tree" simply gets too resource-intensive and would probably muck up the user experience to the point of being a detriment.
---------
Q6: Is there any delay in switching from one song to the other?

A6: No more than what is enforced by the PCM with the factory CDC. In fact, since there's no mechanical transport mechanism, sometimes you could probably expect slightly better response.
---------
Q7: Can I use the buttons on my steering wheel to control the Ipod and phone?

A7: Yes.
---------
Q8: Are auxiliary plugs offered? If so what type?

A8: Reference also A1. It's a 3.5mm stereo analog aux-in jack. Very standard.
---------
Q9: Can I download addresses and phone #s from the iphone (or a blackberry or a PC)? Are there any limitations on this (i.e.; how much data etc.)?

A9: As far as Bluetooth "phonebook" download goes, with most phones today, there is no address transfer in the protocols. Some of the newer protocols and smartphones (and SonyEricsson phones) are supporting this more and more, however, the PCM doesn't even have an external addressbook interface to be able to download addresses. All addresses have to be manually entered into the PCM2. However, phonebook is downloaded and iPhone/iPhone 3G do this quite well. The PCM2, however, being the old beast it is, designed back in the late 1990's, supports only 250 name/phone # pairs, since it was never envisioned that people would be carrying around thousands of contacts in their phones. This is a PCM2 limitation, not a limitation of any of the integration products out there.
---------
Q10: Who are the local installers in the Washington DC area (I am not installing it myself I don't care how easy it is).

What's the price?

A10: At least as far as mObridge goes, you can see our dealer locator on the left side of the page at www.mobridgeusa.com There should be a few options for you convenient to the DC area. Pricing/quotiations will have to be provided by a reseller/dealer. Also, you can see www.mp3car.com or www.incartronics.com if you just quickly want to see what they're going for online.
----------
Q11: Do I need to go to the dealer to program anything after the install???

A11:
PCM Cars (Bluetooth and/or iPod+Aux):

2003-2004 PCM cars, if not already equipped with the factory GSM module, need to be activated for telephone (those that have the telephone functions, of course, which are a bit more rare in the U.S. but standard in the rest-of-world markets, go figure).

2005-2008 PCM cars (and select 2009 cars that still have PCM2): these are all active for telephone and CDC already and do not require activation.

However, in any of these cars, if the car was already active for 6-CDC, when you install the Bluetooth+iPod (ABT2010 series) combo unit, more than likely you'll have to have the dealer code CDC off, which suppresses (an annoyance only) error that the PCM likes to spit up because it thinks there is a problem and wants to do diagnostics on the CDC. This is a very simple matter, about 5 minutes on the Porsche PIWIS dealer tool to code it up, and could theoretically be postponed until the next time your car visits the dealership.

Though, this is one of the advantages of having the install done at a Porsche franchise, is they'll simply take care of this as part of the install (not to mention full honor of factory warranty terms).

2003-2008 CDR23/24 cars (and select 2009 cars that still have CDR24). Again, these do not have telephone and therefore will not host integrated telephone functions, so you're pretty much limited to integrated iPod. If the car already has a 6-CDC, the iPod integration unit (A2010 series, in the case of mObridge) simply takes the place of the CDC and is hosted in the CDC interface on the CDR23/24. Those cars that are not already equipped with CDC will need to have the CDR23/24 enabled or activated ("coded" by PIWIS) for CDC. Again, quite a simple matter, but the CDC/iPod functionality will not be presented unless this is activated in CDR23/24. It's important to note though that the CDR23/24, being a very simple older radio, does not support CD/Mp3 text and therefore text/folder browsing of the iPod is not available. It's simply browsed under the CDC discs (emulating playlists), able to sequence up/down through the tracks in those playlists. You can control which playlists are presented by labeling these DISC1, DISC2 ... etc in iTunes/on the iPod or just plug it in and the iPod seemingly randomly sends the first playlists that it "sees". In the mObridge system, however, CD6 is always a utility menu of sorts, whereby track1 is always to unlock the iPod (just FFWD on track1) so you can manually control from the iPod itself if you prefer.

All of this is covered in manuals which can be found under the Support/Downloads section of our website www.mobridgeusa.com, in the Bluetooth and the Audio user manuals.
-------------
Hope this helps and whatever product you choose, enjoy the experience in your 997. Rather than buying a lesser car like some Japanese ride that may be overloaded with technology such as a snazzy iPod interface but a crappy driving experience, we have to applaud you for taking the enthusiast route with the 997 and integrating the technology as needed, at the same time keeping the car as the factory intended and adding value to it rather than devaluing it with crap such as nasty aftermarket headunits! This obviously fits with the philosophy of mObridge as well as our brethren at Dension, NAVTV, DICE, etc.