Reviews for Alpine IVA-W505 Car Video Player

Full featured, best head unit on the market

Strengths: - Easy to install - Outstanding integration with Apple products (iPod music & video, iPhone) - When paired with the Blackbird II GPS unit, the bluetooth phone support with the microphone is incredible

Weakness: - Blackbird II GPS is lacking: graphics are lousy, can't find many locations and a lot of obvious street names are missing

I was skeptical about this head unit because it "does it all" but I was surprised to learn that it really does do it all, quite well. The only feature that isn't on par with other similar products is the Blackbird II GPS unit. The graphics are so-so, and quite often it doesn't know street names and can't find obvious places, such as the Best Buy store that has been there for a few years. I love the iPod integration... it will play video from my 80GB iPod Classic and the 3rd generation iPod Nano (the square one). iPhone 3G integration is amazing... downloads all of my contacts, recent/missed calls, and the audio quality using the included mic amazes everyone that hears it. That's got to be my favorite feature!

I did an install video which includes my demonstration of bluetooth phone integration (iPhone 3G), iPod, Sirius, and a backup camera. Please check it out by going to iTunes and searching the iTunes Store for "truckblog" to download it and watch it on your iPod, iPhone, Apple TV, or computer.

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it sucks

Strengths: the 7" screen is nice and clear, and that is the only good thing about this unit

Weakness: everything else are terrible !

1. it cost the most among car GPS / multimedia units on the market
2. The lady voice is terrible, it sound like 19 century computer synthesized voice
technology, sometime even skips !
3. The GPS is so slow that when the route gets a little complicate, it gives out info after
I already pass the point !, I guess this unit still using 286 processor.
4. There is no way to adjust the screen angle to reduce glare
5. When tilt the screen (open), there is no visible button to close it with normal sitting
position.
6. The stereo sound quality is worse than its $200 little brother CDA-9856
7. I can not live with this junk for another day, so I rather loose money to change to
Eclipse AVN 726E, and it works.

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Terrible Alpine Product

Strengths: Good sound

Weakness: Nav freeze up. Not iPhone 3G compatible. Constant lockups.

I bought 4 of these. My work truck, my wife and 2 daughters’ cars. Nothing but trouble from DAY ONE. I travel 3 to 5,000 miles a month. I use car navigation extensively. This NAV unit would send you the wrong way, the long way, and constantly locked up requiring turning off and on, or even having to turn truck off and on. If you add a stop to your NAV route system will freeze requiring re-start of car. Local audio store who installed this unit showed Alpine Rep how going to Washougal, WA from Longview, WA, approx 55 miles, would take you across the Columbia River into Oregon and out east on Hwy 84 to cross back over the river and head back west to Washougal. Over 100 miles. Both audio store and Alpine would not make good on this. From day one none of the 3 different Alpine navigation options would work correctly. And the W505 will not work w/ the new iPhone 3G. They came out w/ an adapter for the 3G but system would play a few songs then lock up. Terrible product.

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Alpine IVA-W505/P1

The Alpine IVA-W505/P1 is an all in one in-dash navigation/audio/video system offered by Alpine. This system includes the IVA-W505 2-DIN head unit and the NVE-P1 removable navigation drive, has a 7" touch screen and has numerous expandable options for iPod, satellite radio, HD Radio and Bluetooth. For navigation, this system comes preloaded with map data of the United States and Canada with view...

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