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.
Let’s start with the hardware. You open the box and you see that even the windshield is mount was designed to make things easy. As you see from the pictures it is quite different from rest of the mounts. Once it is on your windshield it is really easy to turn to any direction you want without having to fiddle with any screws or levers. Also it charges through the mount - so no USB charging for this device in your car.
There’s a power button and the SD card slot on the left, and nothing on the right hand side. The body of is quite slim but do not expect it to fit in your pocket.
The screen measures 4.3″ and it is nice and bright; the volume is loud enough and I found it to be crisp and clear even at the highest setting.
Let’s move on to the user interface and the software. First off the screen is appropriately adjusted for touch - not too sensitive, not too rough. Every touch is accompanied with a sound so you know when you’ve clicked. The menus are animated - they slide up and down but it is still fast. Every feature is very easy access. I specially like the ‘map’ button on every single page.
Here are some nice software features:
- ability to add/delete multiple waypoints at any point
- easy access to next three turns
- ability to list what services are available at upcoming highway exits
- automatically connects to your bluetooth phone after initial setup
- ability to automatically answer calls when your phone connects
Some other features on the Alpine PND-K3 as well include 6 million POIs, Navteq maps that cover U.S. and Canada (including Hawaii, Alaska, Puerto Rico, and Virgin Islands), ability to customize the colors of maps and menus to match the interior of your car, and text to speech in English, Spanish and French.
We did a little video of the bluetooth feature on Alpine PND-K3 as far as the initial setup and making a few calls. You’ll also get a feel of the user interface:
Let us know if you have any specific questions about the Alpine PND-K3. Oh, and Alpine PND-K3 now sells for $350.
(Via NaviGadget.)
0 comentários:
Post a Comment