Automobile News

The Japanese firm Sony has just taken a step to make their presence felt in the Satellite Navigation market. Sony has a reputation of coming out with products that look attractive and are packed with excellent features. The NVU51G satellite navigator is one such feature packed piece of equipment Sony has introduced in the market. This GPS unit comes with attractive looks and good features but what it lacks is the capacity to update the maps and traffic software on a regular basis on the internet. If this small flaw is taken care of, then surely the Sony NVU51G satellite navigator is one of the best GPS devices which offer great advantages to drivers.

The Sony NVU51G satellite navigator comes with a 3.5 inch touch screen with a colour display resolution of 320 x 240 mega pixels. This screen can be operated both day and at night. The unit weighs around 280 g and its dimensions are 10.4 x 8.8 x 3.9 cm. The Sony NV-U51 GPS works on an Intel PXA255 processor that clock at 300MHz. The device has an internal antenna that is integrated with a SirfStar III GPS receiver. It provides accurate GPS Positions. An internal flash memory of 512MB is inbuilt and the system is compatible with external memory cards.

The Sony NVU51G satellite navigator is powered by a rechargeable Lithium ion battery that allows the GPS to run for six hours. This Sony GPS device provides an option of an external antenna and comes with a USB interface slot. Sony provides maps of the UK, France and Ireland which are preloaded on the system. Voice instruction is available in 17 European languages.

Tags for this article: gps, review, satellite, satellite navigation, sony

This car stereo is impressive with an excellent user interface. Users can enjoy the unit’s hands free calling Bluetooth feature as well. The car stereo also allows for high quality phone calls with its built-in microphone.

A range of audio formats including WMA, MP3 and Bluetooth Audio are all supported by this device. The Sony MEX-BT2600 also supports HD radio and satellite. While there is no phone book transfer facility, calling interface is enhanced with usage of voice-dial by the drivers.

This entry level car entertainment and communication system is very impressive and comes with a host of features. Songs can be streamed through the Bluetooth profile A2DP. Audio formats are supported in a digital form. Options for expandability, mic-level controls and improved labeling of buttons are features that are added on to Sony’s previous MEX-BT2500 model.

This car entertainment device comes in an attractive price range as well. Mobile phones can be paired to the device by holding down the BT key for a few seconds. After locating the stereo option, the driver has to enter a pass key thereby completing the process.

This connection effectively routes the mobile phone calls to the speakers of the car with the microphone that is built in. It is now easy for the drivers to speak, listen and be heard clearly from the other end.

Playing music with the help of the A2DP Bluetooth is also easy. Playlists and tracks have to be selected from the handset. However, moving forward and backwards between songs can be controlled on the stereo.

The Sony MEX-BT2600 is therefore an interesting car entertainment system providing attractive features for a competitive price.

The Sony NV-U84 is clearly one of the best sat navs to have come out of the company ranks, and is a part of Sony’s NAV-U GPS series. The one major consideration that comes in the way of immediately prescribing the unit to customers is its expensive price tag. The unit has a big 4.8-inch touch screen which is larger than the 4.3-inch screen found on its sibling, the NV-U74T. However, on the downside, the Sony NV-U84 has done away with many advanced features like Bluetooth and traffic data functionality. This means that you may find yourself at perilous situations at times with no viable solution.

The internal speakers of the device are designed to face the rear which bounces sound off of the windshield meaning that sound quality will be influenced by mounting location and vehicle acoustics. The audio quality for the text-to-speech driving directions is pretty sharp and clear with the Sony GPS, while the internal speaker is positively audible. JPEG photo slide slow is facilitated by the device as well via the Memory Stick Duo slot.

You can even find the gesture feature, an integral part of the previous NAV-U, in the unit that allows you to quickly access various functions by simply drawing a command on the touch screen with your finger.

The unit has also been provided with the institution to download NAV-U tool that allows you to create back up and update maps and voice data, as well as edit destinations stored in the address book. These facilities are however in no way comparable to those provided by the likes of TomTom devices, which are known for their versatility and dynamic nature.

Tags for this article: car, gps, maps, sony

The Sony CDX GT620IP system is not your typical in-car audio system as it belongs to that elite category known for their multi-tasking abilities. Complete with a wide range of connectivity options, it also gives you equally impressive faceplate control options that are beautifully and imaginatively designed.

The CDX-GT620IP is actually a mid-range iPod-compatible car stereo, and has a dedicated browse function that ensures that you have an uncomplicated access to the various digital media files. The “IP” that is added to the Sony CDX-GT620 name signifies that that the unit has on-board a standard full-speed iPod connector meant to assist in the swift transfer of all controls to the stereo faceplate.

The CDX-GT620IP is also unlike the entry level CDX-GT420IP, as it has a one-touch interface for accessing iPod libraries. All you need to do to browse tracks on the iPod is to press the Browse button clearly indicated by the magnifying glass.

Moreover, the device apart from having iPod compatibility is capable of playing a wide range of disc-based digital-audio formats such as MP3, WMA, and AAC. The CDX-GT620IP in addition to the above features also has a number of other impressive tricks up its sleeve, which is well demonstrated by the brilliant audio-tweaking features. Likewise, the seven EQ presets and three-band graphical equalizer, the stereo features Sony’s digital soundstage optimizer comprehensively optimise the audio quality.

Tags for this article: cd, entertainment, in car, ipod, mp3 player, radio, sony

The Sony XPLOD CDX-GT920U is one of the company’s high-end products and is a part of the single DIN range. The inordinately beautiful gadget may divert your attention straight away, but it is in no way a hindrance as it more than complements its look with an equally impressive performance. Moreover, there are an abundance of contemporary features that are carefully designed to allow you an unabated access to them.

The most significant and attractive part of the device are its digital audio features and the “Quick BrowZer” mode that transforms navigation of digital audio folders a walk in the park. The unrestrained support for disc formats such as MP3, WMA, and AAC burned to CD or stored on a USB-compatible device means that you can indulge in it like never before. Really the only thing the unit is missing is the ability to play DVDs like the Sony MEX-DV 1000. Then, there is good news for iPod owners in that the device has on-board an aux input on the faceplate, especially since the CDX-GT920U by default doesn’t natively support the iPod’s proprietary file system.

You will find few faults with the unit when it comes to sound processing, as it has sufficient arsenal in it that optimally enhances the sound quality. Prominent among the various innovative features include a three-band EQ with seven presets, and more importantly a Digital Music Plus (DM+) functionality that elevates the sound quality of digitally compressed sound, such as MP3 to the next level. Moreover, the Dynamic Soundstage Organizer (DSO) further fine tunes the ambient sound and augments the sound reproduction of the speakers. It also does a great job raising the sound up from the floorboards and making the high end of the sound spectrum clearer.

Tags for this article: entertainment, in car, radio, sony, stereo

In-car CD tuners are in for a complete overhaul with Sony’s new MEX-BT3600U entertainment system that will let users tune into their favourite music on the car stereo via USB. The tuner has been outfitted with a simple plug-and-play function to make this possible. Users can now connect their mobile phone or MP3 players via USB and consequently have unabated access to their entire repertoire of media files.

Users should also take delight by the fact that they can get access to playback songs via the Bluetooth. This feature will enable listeners to wirelessly listen to music from the handset or MP3 to the car stereo, but you need to have a Bluetooth connection.

The Bluetooth feature also performs a host of other important functions like it will facilitate you to enjoy the comfort of talking hands-free. All you need to do to access this features is connect the Bluetooth to the car’s speakers. This arrangement will also endow a great deal of convenience as it will remove the mess that is usually associated with connecting wires. The audio with the Sony MEX-BT3600U car radio is also outfitted with modern technologies that ensure you a constant supply of premium and high quality sound. To optimize flexibility an AUX input is inscribed in it that can be connected with the headphone output of any personal audio player.

Other prominent features of the unit include the newly developed ‘Quick-BrowZer’ interface which facilitates a quick access of the media files and find the specific one using the unit’s rotary controller.

Tags for this article: cd, mp3 player, sony, usb

The XAV-W1 is a dash-in audiovisual media player by Sony. It is one of the top in-car visual entertainment systems available in the UK and abroad. The XAV-W1 features a simple faceplate design and has 5 control buttons in all that makes it an easy to use device. XAV-W1 offers great functionality to its users. It hosts variety of audio customisations. You can easily do some tweaking on the acoustics emerging from different audio sources. You can make use of the seven preset EQ configurations and even customise the EQ as per your needs. Apart from this a Listening Position Select feature is also provided to assist the driver to tune the acoustic sweet spot via graphical interface.

The XAV-W1 is compatible with most popular audio/video formats. You can play CD, DVD, SACD, Windows Media Audio, mp3 and JPEG on it. It also supports Dolby Digital surround sound and DTS Digital Surround Processing playback and ensures an unprecedented audio listening experience. Moreover, the Sony XAV-W1 is Apple iPod ready. You can plug in your iPod whenever to want to enjoy your personal collection on the road. For rendering high quality video the XAV-W1 has a 6.95 inch TFT Active Matrix LCD display. With lots of customizable display and sounds settings you can always configure the Sony XAV-W1 the way you like. It also assists in parking by displaying the image on the player’s screen via rear monitor camera. XAV-W1 comes with a remote. So you can always configure it while sitting on the backseat.

Tags for this article: dvd, entertainment, in car, lcd, monitor, sony