Tuesday 13th March 2007

Alpine launches portable satnav

New Blackbird plugs into existing ICE kit

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ICE specialist Alpine Electronics has introduced Blackbird (PMD-B100P), a new portable navigation device (PND) with a system docking capability and built-in traffic receiver.

Alpine described the Blackbird as a high-end navigation system, which can be removed from the car to also be a portable navigation device. It can be taken from one car to another and used on foot. Combined with a fixed Alpine system, it can therefore be fully integrated.

Other features include a built-in RDS TMC tuner that can alert you to planned and unplanned incidents like roadworks or accidents and shows road congestion levels.

The unit, whose black aluminium design with back-lit control pad fits in a jacket pocket or handbag, has a 4GB hard disk containing preloaded maps of Western European countries and over a million points of interest locations. The 3.6-inch anti-glare LCD touch-screen uses 16.7 million colours with an ambient light sensor that automatically controls the display brightness to optimise visibility.

The device can function as a navigation system and music player simultaneously, using the built-in SD-/MMC-card slot. A USB 2.0 connection facilitates the loading of mapping and software updates and the loading of MP3 files onto the SD card. You can load MP3 or WMA files onto an SD/MMC card and then install this card into the Blackbird, and search for songs via the touch-screen menu. It automatically lowers the volume of the music playback during voice-delivered driving instructions. Alpine reckoned the on-screen graphics make it easy-to-understand and use.

Technical stuff

It runs Microsoft Windows CE, and includes comprehensive NAVTEQ map coverage for West European countries with turn-by-turn voice instructions to virtually any address. The unit can be moved from car-to-car or connected to a wired docking station (PMD-DOK1), allowing it to be fully controlled through one of Alpine’s touch screen based AV head units. Blackbird’s mapping, driving instructions and traffic alerts can then be viewed on the in-dash AV head unit, letting Blackbird serve as the main navigation brain. The controls and functions can be managed from the larger in-dash monitor or with an optional remote control. The AV head unit can then focus on entertainment system operations.

Blackbird comes with a cigarette lighter power adapter that works in all vehicles, a carry case and wiping cloth, a PC mini-USB cable, a replaceable 1200 mAh lithium polymer battery, owner’s manual and quick reference guide. There's an optional second car kit for moving between vehicles.

Links

• Movie
• Alpine

[RobPhoboS]

This sounds brilliant, hopefully it will show speed cameras and things like that to !

[skodaku]

Was all sounding quite interesting until I got to the bit about it runnings Windows CE. I gave up on Microsoft at home years ago, why would I want MS Windows tat in my car ? (Yeah, yeah, I know. No Windows and you can't see where you're going etc etc).

[RobPhoboS]

Does it really matter what OS its running on, as long as it works !