NaviGadget

Alpine iXA-W407 with NVE-M300

Sep 24, 2009 gps navigation 8 Comments

Alpine has recently unveiled its newest 2-DIN receiver, the iXA-W407 Digital Media Station. The iXA-W407 features fully supported iPod/iPhone playback (there’s no CD drive), large 7-inch QVGA touch screen display, built-in Bluetooth and more. The iXA-W407 is available as an all-in-one audio/video/navigation system package that includes the NVE-M300 GPS Navigation Drive. This all-in-one AVN package from Alpine will cost $1100.

iXA-W407 boasts a 7-inch QVGA display, an AM/FM tuner and a high-speed USB input for optimal iPod/iPhone connection. You can also connect USB memory devices and MTP-based MP3 players via the USB input.

The iXA-W407’s navigation is provided by the Alpine NVE-M300 GPS Navigation Drive. This is a compact external drive that is installed somewhere hidden and the location services include regular GPS data, solid-state gyro sensor technology, and accelerometer technology to gauge the vehicle’s speed for even more accurate navigation. It obviously does voice guided directions which are played through the audio system.

Some other features of NVE-M300 include:

• Text-to-speech
• Lane assistance where available
• 6 million unique POIs
• Preloaded NAVTEQ maps of the United States and Canada, including Alaska, Hawaii, Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands

You can also purchase the two devices (iXA-W407 and NVE-M300) separately in which case it would cost $800 and $450 respectively.

NVE-M300 GPS navigation drive from Alpine

Jul 15, 2009 gps navigation 3 Comments

Check out Alpine’s newest GPS navigation product: the NVE-M300 GPS navigation drive. This is a compact, hideaway module that adds premium navigation features such as the OnPoint Advanced GPS Positioning (which combines three vehicle positioning technologies), turn-by-turn, voice guided directions – to two of Alpine’s audio/video head units, the iXA-W404 and IVA-W505.

NVE-M300 GPS Navigation Drive is available for $450, the iXA-W404 for $550 SRI, and the IVA-W505 for $1,100. Check out the full press release after the jump… Read More …

Alpine PND-K3msn now shipping

Mar 17, 2009 gps navigation 1 Comment

Alpine PND-K3msn we mentioned couple of weeks ago has started shipping and the price is announced to be $300. When you purchase you’ll get 3 months of free subscription to the MSN Direct service which provides traffic information, weather reports, gas prices, movie times, news and alerts, local event information and stock prices at 134 metropolitan areas in U.S. and Canada.

You also get the ’send-to-gps’ features which is probably the most useful feature of MSN Direct. You can find addresses, businesses, etc at Live Search Maps and send it directly to your device from a PC, all wireless.

A comparable Garmin is the nuvi 785T which costs $600 but it is different from K3msn since it offers lane assist. Also check out our review of the older model Alpine PND-K3.

Alpine PND-K3msn

Feb 26, 2009 gps navigation 2 Comments

We just mentioned yesterday that Alpine PND-K3 was on sale and was also informed that their new Alpine PND-K3msn was about to ship soon, however you’ll have to come back for a firm ship date.

The PND-K3msn does everything the basic PND-K3 does but adds MSN Direct services which include updated traffic information, weather reports, gas prices, movie times, news and local event information, and even stock prices.

Another useful feature that is going to be available with PND-K3msn is the “Send to GPS” which will let you users wirelessly send addresses from a internet connected browser.

Your first three-month subscription to MSN Direct will be free.

Alpine PND-K3 now only $200

Feb 25, 2009 gps navigation 1 Comment

Remember the Alpine PND-K3 we reviewed back in December? It used to go for $350 but now we hear they’ve cut the price back to $200. That’s almost 50% off. It is a good deal if you ask us. Amazon already has the new price for PND-K3.

Alpine IVA-W505/P1

Jan 23, 2009 gps navigation 53 Comments

After IVA-W203, Alpine just announced its big brother IVA-W505 for the U.S. market. With an MSRP of $1400 and a 7″ touch screen you are right if you expect to see a lot of features from this device.

Looking at the specs it doesn’t look like the new Alpine IVA-W505/P1 will let us down though. Let’s have a brief look at the features of this 2DIN in-dash navigation+entertainment device:

First off you’ve got the removable navigation drive NVE-P1 which fits behind the screen – however it doesn’t have a screen of its own so you can’t just take to another vehicle. It comes preloaded with NAVTEQ maps including Canada, Alaska, Hawaii, Puerto Rico and Virgin Islands. It does text-to-speech so you can always keep your eyes on the road trying to read the street name off of the screen.

Alpine IVA-W505/P1 also gives you full access/control to your iPod including cover art and album/artist information. You can get your entertainment not only from iPod but also bunch of other formats such as DVD, CD, MP3, AAC, WMA, DivX.. pretty much any media file you can get your hands on. It also has bluetooth connectivity for syncing with your compatible phone – and you can even set it to take calls automatically.

Alpine PND-K3 review

Dec 8, 2008 gps navigation, reviews 3 Comments

We were pleasantly surprised by the performance of the Alpine PND-K3! Everything just works. User interface is really intuitive, hardware is solid, and the software is smart and fast. On top of all that there are bunch of little things that makes life easier such as how it turns on and off as you start and stop your engine, or the easy to reach dedicated volume buttons on top of the device.

Read More …

Alpine IVA-W203/P1

Nov 2, 2008 gps navigation 4 Comments

Alpine just came out with a new in-dash unit that combines navigation, audio, and video. Called Alpine IVA-W203/P1 this device requires a 2-DIN slot on your dash but offers so much space saving features that it may be worth the $1200 price tag.

What’s really cool about Alpine IVA-W203/P1 is that it uses a removable GPS navigation system called NVE-P1 so if you ever need it in another vehicle you’ll just have the option to do so.

Other features include bluetooth pairing with your cell phone, real iPod support (requires an extra cable), satellite radio support, and also support for various multimedia files.

As far as the navigation system, the device offers preloaded NAVTEQ map data of the United States and Canada, including Alaska, Hawaii, Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands, text-to-speech (TTS) technology, which announces actual street names in English, Spanish or French, all on a 6.5″ touch screen…

Check out this page for a full list of specs.

Alpine PND-K3

Aug 13, 2008 gps navigation 9 Comments

Alpine is expanding their navigation system lineup; this time with PND-K3 which we had mentioned back in January.

PND-K3 is now official and has an MSRP of $550. For this price you get a 4.3″ touch screen with 480 x 272 resolution, maps of all U.S. states, plus Puerto Rico and Virgin Islands, 6 million POIs, text-to-speech which pronounces street names, and bluetooth to pair up with your cell phone.

As far as locating your position PND-K3 is quite advanced. It uses three different inputs: 1: the satellites. 2: gyro technology to sense the vehicle’s direction and 3: accelerometer technology to measure vehicle’s speed.

Alpine PND-K3 has 4GB of internal but no video or image viewing capabilities. However it handles your MP3 and WMA files just fine. For more info visit Alpine USA.

alpine dock ‘n’ roll

Jul 28, 2008 gps navigation 3 Comments

Alpine is currently marketing their IVA-W205 as dock ‘n’ roll which is pretty much an in-dash system that lets you dock your PMD-B200 inside it. This way you’ll have access to the bigger 6.5″ touch screen and be able to hear turn by turn directions from your car’s stereo.

The PMD-B200 Alpine Blackbird II currently sells for $500 and the IVA-W205 for $600. So for this setup which lets you have integrated and portable navigation system in your car you’ll have to spend about $1100.