TORRANCE, Calif., Oct. 16, 2006 – Alpine Electronics of America, Inc., the industry-leading manufacturer of mobile media solutions, today announced that it reduced the price of its portable navigation device, Blackbird™ (PMD-B100), to $499.95, available at participating U.S. authorized Alpine retailers.
Blackbird comes loaded with comprehensive NAVTEQ™ map coverage for the U.S. and Canada with full turn-by-turn voice instructions to virtually any address. The system helps users get to a specific address, intersection or one of the more than 6 million points of interest, including restaurants, hotels, airports and gas stations. Voice instructions prompt drivers so they can keep their eyes on the road. Blackbird will automatically recalculate the route to stay on the right track if a driver misses a turn.
Blackbird has a built-in Radio Data System (RDS) traffic tuner and is capable of receiving NAVTEQ Traffic RDS™ service, which includes traffic flow and incident information for 42 U.S. markets. Visual notification of congestion conditions and incident alerts allows drivers to see potential delays so they can choose to avoid traffic problems. Every Blackbird comes with a free 90-day, no-obligation trial subscription to the NAVTEQ Traffic RDS service. Once the trial period ends, consumers can choose to purchase the service for $60 per year.
Blackbird can be moved easily from car-to-car, and it also can connect to an in-vehicle docking station (PMD-DOK1, $200 SRI, available later this month), allowing it to be fully controlled through one of Alpine’s in-dash touch screen AV head units (sold separately). Once docked, all navigation display screens and control functions are transferred to the AV head unit. Navigation functions are then controlled through the head unit’s touch-screen display or optional remote control. The Blackbird’s turn-by-turn commands are delivered via the vehicle’s audio system, and the unit’s NaviMix function automatically lowers the volume of music playback during voice-delivered driving instructions.
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Comments
Comment #1
(Posted by g. shickman) Rating
This looks like a very serviceable unit. I would like to see information
about the nature of the turn-by-turn commands, i.e., whether streets are
actually named or only left-right turns are specified.
