Despite the name, this is an interesting idea. Alpine have combined a large screen (6.5″) permanently fitted stereo system (IVA-W205) with a portable SatNav unit (PMD-B200). You can either use the SatNav unit at home to plan routes, or use it in other cars / whilst out walking, but when you are in your own car, you slot it into the system and it will use the larger screen and provide the navigation instructions through the speakers. It’s a bit like the TomTom Duo which we’ve covered before here, although that still uses the TomTom’s screen.

A little expensive though, at $600 (£325 best price for an import before delivery and taxes) and $500 (£460 best price for purchase in the UK) respectively in the US, this may be a step too far compared to simply using a TomTom / Garmin with a built in FM transmitter, but a nice integration idea nonetheless.

Original story and picture courtesy of Navigadget.