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(Credit: Automotive News)

Car Tech: Suppliers of navigation systems and their automaker customers are facing a tough new competitor. And the competitor is, literally, in their pocket.

That pesky device stuck to the windshield continues to cause trouble, too.

According to a J.D. Power and Associates study, 60 percent of people with a factory-installed navigation system also own either a portable device or a smartphone with a navigation system. In both cases, most consumers prefer to use the installed navigation system.

But one in four, given a choice, ignores the installed system–and that might spell trouble for the future.

Thirty-six percent of survey respondents had both a portable navigation device–such as those from TomTom International and Garmin–and a system installed in their vehicle. And 28 percent of consumers with both say they prefer to get directions from the portable device.

The pattern is similar for users of smartphones: twenty-four percent of respondents have them, and 28 percent of those with both a smartphone and an installed system say they prefer to use the phone.

The October survey of 17,517 drivers suggests no immediate serious trouble for suppliers that provide navigation systems. The list includes Clarion, Denso, Alpine Electronics, Pioneer, Harman International Industries, Hyundai Mobis, and Delphi Automotive.

But they shouldn’t be complacent, said Mike Marshall, director of automotive emerging technologies at J.D. Power. “It’s important that suppliers take into account some of the features that make these systems preferable,” Marshall said.

Those features include ease of use and more frequent updates for maps and points of interest.

Also, “Prices of factory-installed navigation systems need to stay competitive,” Marshall said.

Clarion appears to be meeting the challenge. The Cypress, Calif., unit of the Tokyo company partnered with Ford Motor to create navigation systems for the automaker’s vehicles. Several of those models led the industry in the Power study, which asked consumers to rate factory-installed navigation systems.

The top four systems in the survey were the ones in the Ford Fusion, Flex and Taurus and the Lincoln MKS. Clarion supplied all of them.

Clarion supplied 13 of the 50 vehicles with navigation systems that ranked better than the industry average. Denso and Harman, each had 11 vehicles in the top 50.

Marshall said that one of the factors in Clarion’s success is its partnership with Ford.

“Clarion also supplies the Nissan Infiniti vehicles, which aren’t scoring as high as the Ford vehicles but they are still doing well,” he said. “But it’s that true partnership that really brings it home, and it’s not one supplier all by itself.”

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Übergizmo: Nokia might be the number 1 cellphone manufacturer in the world at the moment, but their market share is eroding slowly but surely no thanks to newcomers to the scene. Well, in a move that could see them claw back what used to be theirs, we have word that Nokia has agreed to partner with Alpine to offer integrated Nokia handsets alongside free Ovi Maps navigation into vehicle dashboard systems. Apart from that, you will be able to interact with widgets that monitor your fuel level as well as engine condition while you’re on the road. This development ought to see action in the near future, and we’re stoked.

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NewLaunches: The Alpine 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 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. The Alpine iXA-W407 features 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 two devices (iXA-W407 and NVE-M300) can be purchased separately in which case it would cost $800 (€546) and $450 (€307) respectively.

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NaviGadget: 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 (€319), the iXA-W404 for $550 (€390) SRI, and the IVA-W505 for $1,100 (€781).

ALPINE ELECTRONICS DELIVERS NEW IN-DASH NAVIGATION SOLUTIONS

 TORRANCE, Calif., July 14, 2009 – Alpine Electronics of America, Inc., the industry-leading manufacturer of audio and navigation solutions, today introduced the new NVE-M300 GPS Navigation Drive.

This high-performance black box navigation module makes it easy to add turn-by-turn navigation functionality to Alpine’s iXA-W404 and IVA-W505 Audio/Video (AV) head units. Adding the NVE-M300 to these products results in two unique Audio/Video/Navigation (AVN) solutions.

Consumers can have a $1,000 digital media solution combining the NVE-M300 and the iXA-W404 with its 4.3-inch touch screen that is optimized for iPod/iPhone playback. Alternatively, they can create a $1,550 premium system based on the IVA-W505 with its 7-inch touch screen and DVD capability.

The NVE-M300 is a compact, external navigation drive. Measuring only 4 3/8 in. x 4 1/8 in. x 1 in., it is designed to be professionally installed and mounted in a hide-away location, such as behind the dash. Once connected, the NVE-M300 adds a fully integrated navigation experience to Alpine’s two top selling AV head units.

The NVE-M300 features Alpine’s innovative OnPoint™ Advanced GPS Positioning to deliver a better navigation experience. OnPoint ensures that vehicle’s icon stays accurately positioned on the map, even in areas where it’s difficult to receive GPS reception, such as in a tunnel, around tall buildings or under heavy foliage. OnPoint simultaneously uses three technologies – satellite-linked GPS data, solid-state gyro sensor technology (to determine the vehicle’s direction) and accelerometer technology (to gauge the vehicle’s speed) – to deliver improved performance.

A simple and intuitive graphical user interface (GUI) combined with voice guided driving directions make the NVE-M300 easy to use. Big, bright icons and large buttons provide easy identification of commands or maneuvers.

Assistive mapping visuals display essential driving information such as One-Way Street icons for clear notification of one-way streets, and Highway Junction View for maneuvering complex interchanges.

Text-to-speech technology is used to announce the turn-by-turn driving instructions, including street names, freeway numbers and freeway exit names. All the voice guided driving instructions are delivered through the vehicle’s sound system.

The NVE-M300’s map data is provided from preloaded NAVTEQ® maps of the United States and Canada, including Alaska, Hawaii, Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands. As well, the module comes with 6 million unique Points of Interest (POIs), which include restaurants, hotels, gas stations, movie theaters and grocery stores.

The NVE-M300 can be customized to match the user’s preference. Color schemes can be chosen from a palette of four map colors and eight menu colors. English, Spanish or French can be chosen as the preferred language.

The Dashboard feature can be set up to display trip information such as driving time and average speed. “With the NVE-M300, we are delivering an improved GPS navigation experience at a lower cost,” said Stephen Witt, vice president, marketing, Alpine Electronics. “The NVE-M300 drive gives customers the opportunity to easily add GPS navigation to their iXA-W404 of IVA-W505 AV head units.”

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NaviGadget: 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 high 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.

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CNet: Alpine Electronics has made a name for itself with its in-car audio/video and speaker solutions, but when it comes to portable navigation devices, the company has a little ways to go. However, it’s hoping that will change with the new Alpine PND-K3.

The in-car GPS sports sleeker design than the company’s previous PND, the Alpine BlackBird II, and features new map visuals and an updated user interface.

The PND-K3 also comes preloaded with Navteq maps, text-to-speech functionality, and integrated Bluetooth for hands-free calling.

Other notable features include a 4.3-inch touch screen, customizable map and menu colors, and an SD expansion slot.

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Auto Express: Now there’s even more choice for iPod owners from Alpine, as the company has introduced two new head units which can be used with the MP3 player.

The iDA-X100 and iDA-X200 join the iDA-X300 and can be made Bluetooth compatible by adding the KCE-300BT accessory.

Voice dialling and phonebook transfer are completed using the technology, and music stored on your mobile can be streamed to the unit. As well as offering hands-free calling, the units have Alpine’s IMPRINT technology, which allows users to match the sound to their car’s acoustics.

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Twice: Five leading car stereo suppliers met yesterday, in what was termed an unprecedented spirit of cooperation, to plan an industry summit to raise consumer awareness about autosound.The summit, to be held in Dallas, July 16-17, was first suggested by Pioneer during International CES in January. Last week, Pioneer, Alpine, Kenwood, Clarion, and Directed met in person and by conference call to form a steering committee for the summit. The mission of the summit is to take action against a 30 percent drop in awareness for aftermarket car audio over the past five years.

Organizer of the meeting and the summit, Greg Sabatino, chairman of Sabatino Day Williamson Group, an advertising agency/seminar planning group, said the meeting was more than cooperative. “It amazed everybody. We had Pioneer and Alpine in the same room. The meeting went for an hour and 45 minutes without breaks. First, it’s very difficult to even get competitors like that together.”

He said only one subject was discussed, which was awareness. “Everyone acknowledged that hard research from more than one source has shown that awareness of the 12 volt aftermarket has dropped precipitously.” 

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Engadget: We’ve already seen a few of Alpine’s latest products take advantage of its IMPRINT sound system architecture, but now we’re finally getting a few more details on what the technology actually brings to the proverbial table. Put simply, it utilizes Audyssey’s MultEQ acoustic correction technology to “measure and analyze the entire interior space,” after which it combines results with a set of equalization filters to produce the best sound for each environment.

As if that weren’t impressive enough, the integrated RoadEQ is also there to “compensate for music distorted by vehicle / road noise.” Granted, this all sounds fairly spectacular on paper, but whether or not it actually redefines your in-car listening experience remains to be heard.

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Trusted Reviews: Based on Alpine’s game-changing iPod-centric iDA-X001, the ‘iDA-X200′ and ‘iDA-X300′ feature the same central ‘Self-Return’ dial which eliminates endless turning by employing an incremental speed system meaning the more it is turned, the faster it scrolls – before spinning back to its start position. Just like the flagship X001, the pair also forgo a CD slot (though they can be connected to a CD changer in the boot) to provide a large screen and feature a dedicated USB slot for non-Applian MP3 players.

Marking a step up from its forebear however both the X200 and X300 also sport Bluetooth for easily connecting a mobile phone for safe hands-free driving, a 24bit DA converter, 4x 45W high power output, plus FM, MW and LW capable tuners.

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Electronista: Car audio specialist Alpine has just launched the B200 Blackbird II, the second generation of its unique GPS device. The revamp adds Bluetooth to the mapping unit and grants hands-free calling when the Blackbird is used either as a handheld device on foot or cradled in a windshield mount. It can still dock into Alpine’s double-sized IVA-W205 head-end unit to provide GPS navigation on a larger 6.5-inch screen without taking away from the receiver’s music or video playback functions.

A handful of software features are also new, Alpine says. A Traffic Events List mixes up the conventional approach to traffic warnings by sorting traffic problems by distance rather than just their order on the travel route. Searches for any of the preloaded 6 million points of interest can also be made by keywords rather than just by their names.

Voice direction, a 2D/3D split view, and playback of MP3 and WMA songs on removable SD cards (up to 4GB) translate from the original B100 Blackbird.

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Tech-On: Toshiba has exhibited an automotive HD DVD player and a touch panel LCD at the “Automotive Engineering Exposition 2007.” The company is currently co-developing the automotive HD DVD player with Alpine Electronics with the aim of releasing a product in fiscal 2008. Toshiba demonstrated the player by actually streaming video at the show.

Meanwhile, the touch panel LCD was a prototype presented by Toshiba Matsushita Display Technology. TMD has integrated an optical sensor along with a transistor formed on each pixel on the panel.

This technology enables the panel to detect the shadow of a finger when the panel is touched and work as a touch panel during the day. At night, the panel can sense finger touches using the backlight, which reflects when a finger touches the panel.

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