Car Elelctronics Part 2
I spent this morning looking at Cnet's reviews of the systems I mentioned yesterday, as well as the comparable models from Magellan, TomTom, and a few other manufacturers. One of the things I learned along the way is that Garmin liscenses it's nav technology to Kenwood to use in their products. That's pretty nice, because I can get a unit that I trust for both navigation and music. Another thing I found out is that traffic and weather support aren't all they are cracked up to be. Much of the traffic information (on both terrestrial and satellite radio) is only available on weekdays during drive time. This makes sense, since this is when these services are most useful, but I'd like continuous coverage. The traffic service through XM works anywhere XM works, but with the FM service, you have to purchase a subscription for each city. The weather service through XM is actually pretty good because it was originally intended for pilots, meaning it has to be available 24/7.
The Kenwood website sucks. It lists the products, and has a spec sheet for each one, but has no additional information on their products. Kenwood offers two nav packages: a stereo/Garmin nav unit (DNX 7100) and a repackaged version of the GVN 53 we saw yesterday (KNA-G510). Fortunately kenwood anticipated that I would need a screen for nav-only unit, and produces a few products. There are 2-DIN units, meaning they take up 2 bays in the center console, and single-DIN units. I only have one bay to spare because of the way my AC is layed out, so I would get a single-DIN unit with a pop-out screen. This is where their website begins to suck. They have two different units, $100 apart, and I can't tell the difference. It looks like the more expensive one has a USB port and maybe Bluetooth, but the spec list is kinda ambiguous.
KVT-617 (no USB/no Bluetooth?)
KVT-719 (USB/Bluetooth?)
I'm not going to integrate my phone with the car, and I see USB ports everywhere... I don't want one in the car, so I'd likely go with the cheaper model. But then again, I can't tell if there are any other differences, because the website sucks. So when in doubt, I always check a company's Canadian website, because they usually seem to have their acts together when it comes to this stuff. And what do you know? The Canadian website is more up to date, but it still sucks. It seems there is also a KVT-819, but I have no idea what sets this one apart from the others.
Regardless of any differences among these three units, all of them (presumably) have what I want: connection for the nav unit, and native iPod, XM, and HD FM support. So if I get the GVN 53 / KNA-G510 nav unit (with Garmin support) and the KVT-xxx, I should be happy. Quick estimated cost, excluding tax and installation:
KNA-G510 (Best Buy): $600
KVT-617 (Best Buy): $800
Total: $1400
I'll keep shopping around, but that sounds okay to me.
The Kenwood website sucks. It lists the products, and has a spec sheet for each one, but has no additional information on their products. Kenwood offers two nav packages: a stereo/Garmin nav unit (DNX 7100) and a repackaged version of the GVN 53 we saw yesterday (KNA-G510). Fortunately kenwood anticipated that I would need a screen for nav-only unit, and produces a few products. There are 2-DIN units, meaning they take up 2 bays in the center console, and single-DIN units. I only have one bay to spare because of the way my AC is layed out, so I would get a single-DIN unit with a pop-out screen. This is where their website begins to suck. They have two different units, $100 apart, and I can't tell the difference. It looks like the more expensive one has a USB port and maybe Bluetooth, but the spec list is kinda ambiguous.
KVT-617 (no USB/no Bluetooth?)
KVT-719 (USB/Bluetooth?)
I'm not going to integrate my phone with the car, and I see USB ports everywhere... I don't want one in the car, so I'd likely go with the cheaper model. But then again, I can't tell if there are any other differences, because the website sucks. So when in doubt, I always check a company's Canadian website, because they usually seem to have their acts together when it comes to this stuff. And what do you know? The Canadian website is more up to date, but it still sucks. It seems there is also a KVT-819, but I have no idea what sets this one apart from the others.
Regardless of any differences among these three units, all of them (presumably) have what I want: connection for the nav unit, and native iPod, XM, and HD FM support. So if I get the GVN 53 / KNA-G510 nav unit (with Garmin support) and the KVT-xxx, I should be happy. Quick estimated cost, excluding tax and installation:
KNA-G510 (Best Buy): $600
KVT-617 (Best Buy): $800
Total: $1400
I'll keep shopping around, but that sounds okay to me.