Clarion CZ209 CD/MP3/WMA Receiver with iPod Control and USB Port Review

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(More customer reviews)This stereo has made a wonderful replacment/upgrade to the factory CD player in my 2003 Subaru Outback wagon. It was very easy to install, thanks to the friendly staff at Crutchfield who can provide you with a wiring harness.
The standard AM/FM radio isa available, but I honestly never use it these days. The ability to play MP3 CDs is excellent, and I keep one in the stereo with some of our favorites, for days we forget to bring the thumb drive.
The AUX port is a great feature too, for those who have non-iPod MP3 players. iPods can be hooked up directly thru the USB.
It's the USB that makes this unit awesome. The port is on the back of the stereo in the form of a ~18" permanently attached USB cable, with a Type A Female connection on the end (perfect for pluggin in things like Thumb Drives).
We routed our USB cable to a compartment below the stereo that has a flip open door. Simply open the door, puul out the cable, lug in the thumb drive, stuff it back in the compartment, close the door and enjoy.
This stereo will take a few seconds (5-10) to read your MP3 CD / USB drive. Once it does, you are set to go. If you unplug the USB drive, and don't plug any different USB drives in, the next time you plug in that thumb drive, it will pick up playpack right were it left off. Nice feature.
We couldn't play music on our Sansa MP3 Player from the USB connection, but it may be something we are doing wrong. At any rate, thumb drives are cheap and smaller, and multi-purpose.
The stereo will play WMA, MP3, WAV, and possibly others? Those are the three formats I've tossed at it so far.
The display is okay. Easy read, but because it has to scroll the titles and other information across, it feels like you have to keep glancing down to read it as you drive.
Asides from an amazing price and all of the features I needed, this stereo appealed over the slightly more expenisive models in one major area: There are buttons on the head unit to navigate and otherwise manipulate the stereo. Sure it comes with a remote, and sure you lose potential screen space when you start cramming on buttons... BUT, as the person driving the car and using the stereo, you'll want the ability to quickly and easily execute each operation. The idea of a joystick style master knob appeals to my inner-geek, but it'd be too frustrating to operate.
Speaking of operating, this stereo is a breeze. I've yet to look in the manual.
So far I have only one gripe. Last night while driving home, the wife was trying to find a song. The process was: skip to next track. See the 2 second display of the track number, then see the title begin to scroll. About that time you're in about 3 - 5 seconds and are starting to realize what the song is, and that it's not the one you want. It'd be nice to be able to "browse" the songs and then select one for playing, instead of surfing through them. Maybe if I read the manual I'll find that feature?
All-in-all, this is an amazing unit. I wish I had bought into one of these a couple years ago (although the prices are great now).

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The Clarion CZ209 is a great way to get the basics but still leave room to grow. Enjoy playback of CDs, CD-R/RWs, MP3/WMA files, and AM/FM radio. Connect your iPod or a USB device for more digital audio options. If you need more, add a Clarion Bluetooth interface for hands-free calling, an OEM steering wheel remote, or more power using the two RCA preamp outputs.

Detachable Faceplate The CZ209 features a detachable faceplate with white 8-character display. Blue key illumination makes control in the dark a snap.
CDs and More Play back your favorite CDs and CD-R/RWs, or burn your MP3/WMA files to a data CD and enjoy hours of music, complete with ID3-TAG display for displaying track info like artist or song names. You can also play the files back from an inserted USB thumb drive.
Direct iPod control The USB input on the rear of the CX609 lets you connect your iPod directly without an expensive adapter. Just use your stock iPod cable, and you'll enjoy your favorite iPod tunes, along with complete control and battery charging of your iPod. The unit also supports title display for the tracks playing on your iPod.
Front Panel Auxiliary Input Connect MP3 players or other external audio devices in a snap with the 3.5mm front auxiliary input.
Easily Expand The CZ209 gives you a 50W x 4 built-in amplifier to begin with, along with two RCA preamp outputs to grow your system.
It's also ready for Clarion's BLT370 Bluetooth interface or OEM steering wheel remote.
Magna Bass EX This circuit boosts bass at an ultra-low frequency of About 50Hz, creating a rich, deep, defined bass rather than the muddy, booming bass of a standard loudness control. What's more, boost levels are dependent on the system volume, resulting in balanced system response and dynamic bass reproduction.
Front Panel Auxiliary Input Connect MP3 players or other external audio devices in a snap with the 3.5mm front auxiliary input.
Remote Control Included Control the action with the included wireless remote.
What's in the Box Clarion CZ209, trim ring, wiring harness, remote control, installation hardware, owner's manual, installation guide.

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Jensen NVX235W 3.5 inch touch screen portable GPS Review

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(More customer reviews)Owning a TomTom here in the States, I wanted to have a GPS with me for travel in Europe. Jensen was the only brand available to me for purchase in the US that had European Maps imbedded. In 14 days I drove across France four times in different directions with never a mis-step. My French wife experienced stress free travel to places she had never seen and never would have attemped to traverse without "Mr. Jensen" as our guide. Flexibility in programming route sensitivity was invaluable as was the instant "route recalculation" update. Most days I programmed in using roads that were not on any maps and the joy of discovery was non-stop. The shortest route with the maximum enjoyment. It is likely I would have logged half the distance traveled while at risk of an accident, without it.

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1GB flash memory with full U.S. and Western Europe mapping Turn-by-turn voice prompts 1.6 million points of interest (POI) Built-in rechargeable Li-Polymer batteryCradle with built-In speaker Includes mounting bracket and car adapter

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Support GPS-4V106-IUS 4-Inch Portable GPS Navigator Review

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(More customer reviews)This is a new brand on the market - expect more of these budget class GPS devices as the market for portable navigation gets more commoditized. Mio is another similar budget brand that's gotten lots of press from Black Friday sales ads. Those that missed out on the Mio C310x could have picked up the InVion GPS for a good deal as well. It has the same Samsung 400Mhz processor, larger screen (4" widescreen vs 3.5" regular screen), shiny black finish (I like black better than the Mio's silver color), and Navteq maps (I hear a lot of comments that Navteq is better than TeleAtlas which the Mio brand uses). The InVion also has the new SiRF Star III chip which a lot of the newer and more expensive GPS devices have - it locks onto a satellite signal much quicker and makes GPS navigation more accurate as well.
I bought this unit on Black Friday and used it the same day for a trip to San Diego from Orange County, CA. Voice guided prompts were loud and clear, mapping was accurate. Only thing is on the "Fastest route" setting, I overrode it a few times (I chose a different path) because it made you change more highways than you wanted. No worries however as the unit re-calculated my change of plans and put me back on course - very nice. After all, fastest routes are not always the easiest routes.
One thing the units lacks is that it does not display the street names in 3D view, only in 2D. Probably not a huge thing, but it's nice to see everything in both views. This product also has MP3 and video (MP4 files) capabilities which are nice added features but not too big a deal for most people. Just some extra features that make you feel you got your money's worth :-)
I would recommend this GPS device for first-time buyers or those on a budget. If you can pick this unit up in the $200-300 range, it's a very good buy. Otherwise, not a bad product any way you look at it.

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Never get lost, never ask for directions! Support Plus GPS Navigation, SAVE BIG! Clean out those outdated maps and move into the digital age! This Support Plus GPS System covers the 48 contiguous United States and Canada. Using world-leading map provider NAVTEQ, Support Plus provides detailed, accurate routes. With suction mount so you can easily switch it between vehicles. Clear 4" color screen; 64 MB internal memory (plus included 1GB SD memory card) loaded with NAVTEQ street maps; Database of hotels, restaurants, gas stations, malls, attractions and more; Detailed voice prompts can guide you, no looking at the screen! 2D / 3D Map View provides a detailed description of the surrounding area including streets and landmarks; Touch-screen controls, includes 3-Pc. stylus for easier selection; SD card reader lets you add more maps, and update to stay current; Built-in digital media player can use the SD card reader to play your MP3 tunes or MP4 movies on the road; Powerful lithium-ion battery lasts 3 hours between charges. 12V DC and AC adapters for home / hotel and on-the-road recharging and operation; USB cable, hang strap, carry bag; Approx. 5 1/4 x 2 3/4 x 1", 10 ozs. A shortcut to a no-hassle family vacation travel! Order yours today! Support Plus GPS Navigation System

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Harman Kardon GPS-810 4.3-Inch Bluetooth Portable GPS Navigator Review

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(More customer reviews)I bought this unit but returned it because, for me, the cons (most significantly the battery life) outweighed the pros. Here is a rundown of what I found:
Pros:
- solid build - you can feel the quality when you hold this device
- generally good performance, rapid satellite lock and route calculation
- excellent car mounting accessories
- beautiful large screen with video playback as well as audio
- control knob is innovative and convenient
- menus are intuitive and easy to follow
Cons:
- 2 hour battery life (confirmed to be "normal" by HK tech) - this is fine if you don't plan to use video feature and instead intend to leave it mounted in the same vehicle all the time
- suspend feature described in quick start guide missing on some units pending firmwire update expected in the next couple of months - so the unit reboots completely every time you turn it off
- recalculation routing sometimes erratic (lots of U-turns!)
- full user manual not available and no time-frame within which it will be released - a complex, feature-rich device such as this deserves better
Bottom line: a good product, but needs some refining before it can justify the price tag.

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GPS-810 Harman Kardon Portable Navigation+Traffic+Audio+Video+Bluetooth device offers a highly intuitive user interface making it an easy to use navigation device. It features Text-to-Speech in English. It also offers full playback capability of digital music and video files along with hands free functions of Bluetooth enabled phones. All access and control is via a breakthrough wireless remote control and / or utilizing the high resolution 4.3" WQVGA touchscreen.In navigation mode, it offers easy-to-understand spoken instructions and visuals in 17 different languages. Turn-by-turn graphics with all vital information is displayed in 2-D or 3-D and Maps of U.S. and Canada are built-in along with a 12 million point of interest database. Real-time-traffic information to reroute around traffic delays and the antenna built into the cigarette lighter power cord is included along with a 90 day free trial period.The fullblown MP3 player offers browsing by Artist, Album, Genre, Song or Playlist. It will display ID3 tags for artist, title and album along with album artwork. MP3/AAC/WMA audio formats are supported along with Windows Media DRM 10 for compatibility with music and video download services. In video player mode the 4" high resolution WQGVA widescreen plays back hours of video and supports MPEG-4, WMV9 and H.264 video formats.All digital media is accessed via SD Card slot (SD card not included) and will accept SD and SDHC cards.The Bluetooth interfaces allows hands free cell phone communication and will display phone's address book and caller ID's from Bluetooth capable phones.A built-in dual microphone with digital signal processing significanly improves clarity of speaking voice to the other caller.Lastly, a photo viewer that reads JPG, BMP and GIF files is provided with folder sorting and thumb nail viewing.

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