new Clarion GPS navigation systems

new Clarion GPS navigation systems

Clarion introduced three new in dash GPS navigation systems at CES last week. The prices range from $1000 to $1200 but there’s also one for $350 which is only the navigation engine - which hooks up to your existing Clarion system (VZ400 or VX400). It is pretty much just a black box; called NP400.

All three in dash GPS navigation systems feature a 7″ screen, bluetooth hands free option, text-to-speech, 12 million points of interests, iPod user interface with the optional cable, and a lot more.

The new models are:

• NX700


• NX500


• NZ500

The flagship product is the NX700 which has an MSRP of $1200. Different from the other two, NX700 offers 3D cityscape and elevation feature with its navigation and has more powerful sound output. NX500 and NZ500 costs $1000. NX500 has the standard 7″ screen and NZ500 has the motorized 6.5″ screen.

You can expect to see NX700, NX500, and NZ500 first quarter of this year.

(Via NaviGadget.)

Clarion MiND - now a lot cheaper

Clarion MiND – now a lot cheaper

Clarion MiND - since we last visited - has it’s own page now showing off its features. And even though it says you can grab one as low as $500, Amazon is not taking any chances and is willing to get rid of them for $250.

What do you think of this price? Are you willing to spend $250 for a WiFi enabled device with a 4.8″ screen and 4GB of flash memory? It is also bluetooth enabled which is good - but it is only way to get wireless internet when you are not close to any WiFi hotspots. You’d have to pair it up with your phone to get connectivity. Anyhow - what can Clarion MiND do for you? GPS navigation, play your tunes, new traffic updates service, and Google Local search.

(Via NaviGadget.)

Clarion MAP 690 and Clarion MAP 790

Clarion MAP 690 and Clarion MAP 790

At CeBIT trade show which is taking place this moment in Germany, Clarion presented two new portable GPS navigation systems: the Clarion MAP 690 and Clarion MAP 790.

Both devices use the iGO My Way 8 navigation software which is capable of showing certain buildings and monuments in 3D, altitudes, realistic looking road signs, and posted speed limits.

Other features include text-to-speech to pronounce street names, and lane assistance to help you out on freeways.

Clarion MAP 690 and Clarion MAP 790 will also include an RDS/TMC receiver for traffic updates but we’ll have to wait and see if this will cost extra.

Both GPS navigation systems have a 4.3″ touch screen with 480x272 pixel (WQVGA) resolution, SiRF III GPS receiver chip, a handsfree Bluetooth kit, all of which are controlled by the 400 MHz processor. For storage you’ve got a 2 GB built-in space which also holds the maps info.

Clarion MAP 690 will be delivered with local maps and the Clarion MAP 790 will come with maps of 44 European countries.

No precise details to date on their price and their date of release….

(Via NaviGadget.)

Clarion NX509

Clarion NX509

Clarion NX509 is a new addition to Clarion’s in car entertainment line-up. NX509 is a 2-DIN system that has built-in navigation and supports media from CDs, DVDs, and USB sticks and can read MP3 and WMA formats.

It has a 7″ touch screen LCD monitor however also does 2 zone entertainment. There’s a USB port in the back fro iPod Control in addition to being ready for XM Satellite Mini Tuner, and CeNET Sirius Satellite Radio.

You can also soup up your Clarion NX509 with optional additions such as the steering wheel remote, bluetooth connectivity, and more.

We’re not sure when Clarion NX509 will hit the stores or for how much but we’ll be sure to give you an update when it does.

(Via NaviGadget.)

Review: Clarion Mind's GPS features nice, but MID is still a hard sell

Review: Clarion Mind's GPS features nice, but MID is still a hard sellAs a GPS navigator with capable entertainment and computing features, Clarion's Mind justifies its $650 price tag. But it's otherwise a difficult hybrid that excels at nothing. Like a smartphone without the phone or a netbook without a keyboard, it doesn't quite nail the sweet spot assumed to lie between the two forms.

A mobile internet device (MID) with extras, the Mind is a handheld computer built around an 800 MHz Intel Atom CPU. It has 512MB of RAM, 4GB of storage, Wifi and bluetooth. It has a 4.8' touchscreen with an 800x480 display resolution. There are two USB ports, a microSD card slot, a standard headphone jack and three one-touch buttons to help navigate the system quickly. The battery lasts between 90 minutes and 2 hours depending on settings: a double-capacity one is available. It comes with a dashboard mounting kit.

It's jacket-pocketable, and runs a well-tailored cut of Linux that makes menu navigation a snap.

First, the good. Firefox with Adobe Flash shows the web the way it should be seen. GPS is fast, smooth and high-res, if not as polished or feature-packed as dedicated GPS devices in its price range.

Apart from Firefox, there's email, RealPlayer, YouTube, a weather tracker, a text editor, calculator and file manager. It displays news from CNN and the BBC. All work well enough, though the news and email apps lack advanced features.

Google Earth is particularly impressive, thanks to the extra horsepower. The Mind's touchscreen is OK, but you'll need the stylus to get at tiny scroll bars and such.

Then there's the bad: it's boxy and lacks the panache of the fancy GPS devices and media players that it combines into one box. There are no applications or other add-ons to download or buy. There's no Windows-like desktop to switch to: 'appliance' is coded in its DNA. The on-screen keyboard is basic, making complex text entry a pain.

Though a 3G version will be offered next year, the Mind is currently limited to WiFi unless you hook it up another way via Bluetooth. This further limits its appeal: without always-on internet, there's less reason to leave the car, house or hotspot with it. The battery life is poor.

Against sleek smartphones or netbooks that have 6-hour batteries and real keyboards, it's hard to see the Mind's appeal. That said, if you've been waiting for a convergence device that properly handles turn-by-turn GPS, media and the web, you're running out of excuses.

(Via Boing Boing Gadgets.)

Clarion MIND finally

Clarion MIND finally

We’re really happy to see ClarionMIND finally hit online stores since to be honest we’ve had enough coverage for this device on Navigadget since January: See here, here, and here.

It is now selling at exclusively at Crutchfield for $650, available in black, red, and white.

If this device had WiMax it may have been worth your money but with only WiFi all we can say is to get one of those new netbooks with your money at spend the extra cash on a GPS receiver with a mount…

(Via NaviGadget.)

ClarionMiND Now Available For Sale

ClarionMiND Now Available For Sale

Folks who have been looking out for the Atom-powered ClarionMiND Mobile Internet Navigation Device are now able to part with their hard-earned $650 at Crutchfield, with a choice of black, red and white colors to choose from. Features of this MID include :-

• GPS navigation


• Bluetooth and Wi-Fi connectivity


• 4.8' WVGA touchscreen display


• microSD memory card slot


• 4GB SSD


• Firefox-based web browser

Would you fork out that kind of money for a MID, or would you prefer to settle for a high-powered netbook? After all, many handsets these days already come with GPS navigation capability.

(Via UberGizmo, the Gadgets News Blog.)

Clarion announces new MiND, a Mobile Internet Navigation Device

Clarion announces new MiND, a Mobile Internet Navigation Device

Clarion recently came out with a product that combines everyone’s on-the-go, PMP, GPS, and Internet, needs into one device.' Here comes the Clarion MiND (Mobile Internet Navigation Device).' Although it doesn’t come with cell phone support, so maybe not all your on-the-go-needs, but 3 out of the 4 isn’t bad.

When thinking of devices that incorporate all these essential features, only a few devices come to mind, such as the iPhone, UMPCs, and maybe NetBooks. However, each of those devices lack some features that the Clarion MiND has, except for iPhone which can make calls.

To begin with, the MiND comes with a 4.8 inch WVGA LCD GPS-esque touch screen, with 800x480 resolution. With a screen like this, it makes viewing maps, videos, and the Internet a whole lot better. In addition, one of the main and standout features is the processor it uses, the Intel Atom processor. With a processor such as this one, it becomes a lot like a PC and loads everything very fast. It connects to the Internet using Wi-Fi and unfortunately, there is no 3G connectivity.

Another cool feature about the MiND is the car connectivity it comes with. For example, if you purchase the vehicle docking system, you can connect the device to play audio using the speakers, and have the car speakers read out the GPS directions. It also comes with something called ‘Human Mobile Music Media Interface’, or H.M.I, which is an interface guide that can lock certain features when the car is in motion. This technology will probably prove to be very helpful as it can stop people from using the Internet when driving and other possibly dangerous features.

Tatsuhiko Izumi, president of Clarion, had this to say about their latest device -

‘ClarionMiND represents the perfect balance between leading-edge hardware technology and next-generation software solutions. Delivering an Intel Atom-powered full Internet experience that integrates the latest advances in navigation capability with multifaceted entertainment functions, the innovative ClarionMiND demonstrates our commitment to finding new ways to connect people with their music and information in a mobile environment.’

The Clarion MiND is set to be available in early November in both Canada and the U.S. In January 2009, Clarion plans to release it in Europe selling for either $649.99 or 649.99 Euros. Lastly, a Premium model featuring 3G connectivity is set to be available next Spring. I’ve seen many high-end GPSs sell for similar prices, but this definitely looks to be better than those as it comes with other key features such as Internet. It’ll be interesting to see how it sells as compared to other similar devices.

(Via Gadgetell.)

ClarionMIND

ClarionMIND

ClarionMind just made another appearance at Intel Developer Forum and apparently this is the production version - unlike other Clarion Mind’s we talked about before.

It looks like the device got smaller as sources now say the screen size is 4.8″. Of course some of the most important features never made it to this model such as WiMax and 3G connectivity. You’ll have to make do with a wimpy Wi-Fi antenna, which means you can browse the internets while you’re still in your garage. The device runs on Linux, has a 800x480 pixel resolution touchscreen, and support various media files as well as offering bluetooth features.

If the navigation system software is good enough this maybe a good alternative to a few brands that we are always used to see. ClarionMiND is expected to ship later this year…

(Via NaviGadget.)

Clarion to introduce GPS-equipped MiND, acronym guidebook lands another

Clarion to introduce GPS-equipped MiND, acronym guidebook lands another

Really, Clarion? You couldn't find it in your heart to just settle on UMPC or MID? Instead, what we've got is yet another combination of letters that really means nothing at all -- the MiND (Mobile internet and Navigation Device) is little more than a rather awkwardly-shaped UMPC with built-in GPS, which by our estimation, doesn't deem it worthy of its own moniker. All angst aside, the Linux-based machine will reportedly roll out in America later this year (and Europe the next), and while the standard version will come equipped with Bluetooth and WiFi, a premium iteration should be available with WWAN. Word from the Computex floor pegs the starting price at around $700.

(Via Engadget.)

Clarion intros MAP680 and MAP780 navigators for Europe

Clarion intros MAP680 and MAP780 navigators for Europe

Check it, Europeans -- Clarion has just dumped a new duo of PNDs on the market, and they're both geared up to route you all over your humble lands. It appears that the only major difference between the MAP680 and MAP780 are the actual maps loaded in; the former is available in four regional versions, while the latter features a full 43 European countries. Specs wise, we're lookin' at a 4.3-inch widescreen display, text-to-speech, built-in TMC tuner, 3D display of buildings / POIs, lane assistant, Bluetooth (with phone book transfer and audio streaming), a 400MHz CPU, multimedia player and 2GB (MAP780) / 1GB (MAP680) of internal memory. No word on a price or any of that good stuff just yet, but feel free to get more acquainted with the pair in the gallery below.

[Via NaviGadget]

Gallery: Clarion intros MAP680 and MAP780 navigators for Europe

(Via Engadget.)

Clarion DrivTrax DTR-P7DT

Clarion DrivTrax DTR-P7DT

Clarion's new DrivTrax DTR-P7DT is one powerhouse unit for the car, as it boasts features such as :-

• 1-SEG tuner


• GPS navigation


• MPEG4, WMV, MP3, and WMA file format support


• 400MHz Samsung processor


• 4.3' display

Powered by Windows CE, the Clarion DrivTrax DTR-P7DT will be released early this June with no pricing details announced just yet.

(Via UberGizmo, the Gadgets News Blog.)

Clarion NAX973HD

Clarion NAX973HD

Clarion's NAX973HD is one satellite navigation system that you can consider should you want to upgrade your car to cater for drivers who can't seem to find their way around without help from an electronic apparatus of some sort. Features include the following :p

• 30GB hard drive


• 400MHz processor


• RDS-TMC tuner


• 12-channel GPS receiver


• On-board gyroscope


• Voice recognition and text-to-speech in 6 European languages

The Clarion NAX973HD won't be easy on your pocket though as it retails for £795.

(Via UberGizmo, the Gadgets News Blog.)

Clarion MAX973HD

Clarion MAX973HD

Clarion MAX973HD is an hard disk based navigation and DVD multimedia station with a 7″ touch screen display. The features of this beast would literally cover a few pages if we had to list all of them, so we’ll just go ahead and talk about the basics.

First off, the navigation system: Navteq maps take some of the space on the 30GB hard disk, works together with in a built-in RDS-TMC live traffic information receiver, and has a 2D gyro sensor to keep navigation on route when going through tunnels or when GPS signals are weak. It does both voice recognition and text-to-speech in multiple languages and even offers freeway sign renderings where appropriate.

The optical drive on Clarion MAX973HD is capable of playing DVD videos as well as recording DVD’s (DVD±R/DVD±RW/CD-R/CD-RW ready to be precise), and it also supports MP3 and WMA formats whether you bring the data on a disc or on an SD card.

It also has bluetooth to pair with your phone and also has a special interface for iPods (CCA-692 iPod video connecting cable required). We hate to do this to you but we don’t when this will be available or for how much…

(Via NaviGadget.)

Clarion MAP770 available in Europe

We had talked about the Clarion DrivTrax P5 a while ago. Now we just find out that its twin brother MAP770 will be available in Europe. The only difference is that the newer European version MAP770 will include bluetooth connectivity unlike DrivTrax P5.

Powered by a 400 MHz Samsung processor and operated by Windows CE 5.0 Core, MAP770 can handle WMA/MP3 files and display JPEG/BMP images on its 4.3″ touch screen - of course this is in addition to door to door navigation which relies on a highly popular SiRF Star III GPS receiver which can track 20 satellites all at once.

MAP770 comes pre-installed with maps 28 European countries, even including Andorra and Vatican and can provide voice guidance in 23 different languages. It comes 2GB of memory and a rechargeable Li-Ion battery which can last up to 4.5 hours.

We have no info on Clarion’s new MAP770 GPS navigation system just yet…

(Via NaviGadget.)

waterproof casing from Clarion for GPS

Clarion just announced a new waterproof casing for its DrivTrax line of GPS navigation systems. The new protection includes a speaker that works with AA batteries as well as stylus to operate the touch screen interface. However it will cost you 125€ to get this luxury on your motorcycle…
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(Via NaviGadget.)