Alpine iXA-W407 with NVE-M300

Alpine iXA-W407 with NVE-M300

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.

(Via NaviGadget.)

NVE-M300 GPS navigation drive from Alpine

NVE-M300 GPS navigation drive from Alpine

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.

(Via NaviGadget.)

Alpine PND-K3msn now shipping

Alpine PND-K3msn now shipping

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-K3 now only $200

Alpine PND-K3 now only $200

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 PND-K3msn

Alpine PND-K3msn

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.

(Via NaviGadget.)

Alpine IVA-W505/P1

Alpine IVA-W505/P1

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.

(Via NaviGadget.)

Alpine PND-K3 review

Alpine PND-K3 review

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.)

Alpine PND-K3 Review

Alpine PND-K3 Review

Not well known for their GPS products, Alpine is known for their quality car electronics. Their PND-K3 GPS is a widescreen (4.3-inch) gps that comes with US and Canada NAVTEQ maps preloaded, Bluetooth handsfree calling, with text to speech capabilities. The unit features a new interface that was not carried over from its older models. The K3 also comes with advanced positioning that allows the unit to maintain its approximate location when it goes through tunnels. This is type of capability was also debuted on the TomTom GO 920. I found it effective driving through Boston's Big Dig tunnels. The Alpine PND-K3 offers a split screen view when you are heading through difficult intersections on the highways. As one would expect from Alpine, they offer music player functionality that will accommodate MP3 and WMV files. Load your songs on an SD Card (up to 4GB) and supports decent functionality including playlist creation.

CNet recently put up their review of the Alpine PND-K3 and rated it middle of the road. It offered decent navigation, and quick route recalculations when a turn was missed, but they didn't always agree with the routes picked as the best way to get to their destination. Battery life, rated for 2 hours, barely met that hurdle. The price can be steep, but the interface is much improved.

(Via GPS Lodge.)

Alpine PND-K3

Alpine PND-K3

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.

(Via NaviGadget.)

Alpine PND-K3

Alpine PND-K3

Alpine’s 2008 catalog is out in the wild and it looks like they’re releasing a couple of new GPS navigation systems in addition to their older Blackbird models.

The new models are PND-K3msn and PND-K3 and the difference between the two as you may have guessed is that one of them has support for MSN Direct and the other doesn’t. Here are the features:

• 4.3″ wide high resolution touch screen


• Pre-loaded maps of USA & Canada (including Hawaii, Alaska, Puerto Rico & Virgin Islands)


• Cradle with MSN Direct provides up-to-date traffic, weather, gas price information and movie showtimes


• Fast routing and map zooming


• 6 million POIs with selectable map icons


• Auto map zoom


• Multi-language menus and voice guide


• Customizable map and menu colors


• Animated menus


• Easy to use windshield and dashboard mount


• Built-in SD card slot and speaker for use with music player


• Announces street names during guidance


• Built-in Bluetooth for convenient hands-free calling

We do not yet know how much the new PND-K3 series will cost but we’ll be sure to visit their booth at CES 2008 to get some more information…

(Via NaviGadget.)