The Alpine PND-K3 is latest GPS receiver from Alpine Electronics. It is an improvement over the company’s previous models, Alpine Blackbird and Alpine Blackbird II review. It sports an improved user interface and improved performance. In addition to that, it offers text-to-speech function and lane guidance. But the device is very expensive when compared to its competitor like TomTom Go930 and Garmin Nuvi 265WT which offer everything that K3 has.
The PND-K3 is designed like most other compact navigation devices with a rectangular frame. It measures 2.9 inches by 4.8 inches by 0.7 inch and weighs about 6.3 ounces. The black and grey chassis is quite attractive and menus can be customized with various colors. K3’s 4.3-inch touch screen has a pixel resolution of 480 by 272. Though the maps and text looks quite sharp and bright, you can also adjust its brightness.
For the latest model, Alpine has revamped the user interface and it resulted in a functional and flashy interface. The home screen has our options- Play, Info, Go to and Home. The transition between the options is quite animated and smooth.
The left side of the device has standard headphone jack, an SD slot and power button. There is a mini port and reset button are on the bottom of the device.
The PND-K3 features a 20-channel GPS receiver. The K3 has maps of US, Canada, Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands. You can enter a particular address with numerous waypoints along with your destination. The K3’s database has information about banks, gas stations, restaurants etc. The K3 guides you with voice guided directions in English, Spanish or French. It helps you to cross complicated intersections by providing the zoomed map of intersection and arrow of the lane that you should follow.
The device has a Bluetooth and you can pair the Bluetooth enable phone with K3 to use it as hands free. You can also copy your contacts’ and call history to the K3. The K3 also has a music player that can play MP3 and WMV files.
The K3 has a very short battery life and lasts only 2 hours once charged which was the problem with older devices of Alpine. So, you definitely need a car charger to save yourself from trouble.
The bottom line is that Apline PND-K3 is improvement over previous version but a high price tag of $399-499 is a turn off.
