Pioneer introduced the wonders of in-car navigation to the world in Japan 17 years ago, and is now launching two navigation products to the Aussie market including the first hard drive navigation model to hit Australia.
The first to launch will be a fully integrated hard drive model (AVIC HD 3), which will not be cheap at $3799, however Pioneer says it does combine audiovisual and communications features along with navigation.
From an audio side, the system will have a built-in 30GB hard disk drive with 10GB allocated for your music. The system has the Gracenotes database built-in as well, so you can access album and artist information on your songs. You can also plug in your iPod and control it from the 7-inch LCD touchscreen.
In terms of visuals, the system allows for dual zone playback, so you can view your directions on the screen up front, while the kids watch a DVD via head unit screens (optional extra) at the back. You can also add on a rear view camera, which you can watch in dual screen mode along with your navigation on the screen at the front.
The system is Bluetooth compatible, so you can take calls wirelessly and make calls ‘hands-free’, with Pioneer’s Peter Hutchinson claiming that the unit’s voice recognition capability is sensitive enough to recognise different accents and voice-types. Maps for navigation are supplied by Sensis Interactive (the whereis.com.au owners). The navigation system itself has a few smart features including a “smart routing” function, which allows the system to learn as it goes. That is, as you drive, it stores your favourite routes and roads and driving times to continually offer the best route possible. Installation cost for the system was estimated by Pioneer for approximately $100 – $150.
“Few manufacturers can combine music, video and navigation in in-car products, the way Pioneer can,” said Pioneer’s Yasuo Sakuma.
Currently in Australia, portable navigation devices make up 98.2 percent of the navigation market – though Hutchinson believes portable is only the entry-level stepping stone towards integrated systems.
But to cater for this huge entry-level side of the market, Pioneer is also offering a portable navigation device; the AVIC S2 ($799), which is pocket-sized and weighing 180grams. The focus on this device is simply the navigation via Sensis maps, Bluetooth compatibility for hands-free phone use and built-in mp3 player.
According to Sensis Interactive General Manager, Chris Smith, Sensis maps offer the edge as they provide 97 percent coverage over Australia as well as 380 000 points of interest (such as restaurants, service stations etc) which are sourced from Sensis’ other businesses including the Yellow Pages or the UBD street directory.
Pioneer launched the world’s first CD-based car navigation products in Japan in 1990 into a market that is 20 times smaller than Australia, but six times larger in population – and highly congested, according to Sakuma. In Japan, however, the market is entirely for built-in car navigation, with no portable devices available.
It then launched the world’s first DVD-based GPS automotive navigation system in 1998, with the first hard disk based system in 2001 and its first portable system last year.
See: www.pioneer.com.au
