Alpine PMD-B200 Blackbird II
Manufacturer: Alpine Electronics, Inc. Part number: PMD-B200
- More product information:
- Editors' review
- User reviews
- Specifications
- Manufacturer info
- Bottom Line:
- The Alpine PMD-B200 is a decent portable navigation system, with good Bluetooth integration and traffic services. But the lack of text-to-speech functionality and inefficient route recalculations doesn't make it worth the high price tag.
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Where to buy
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CNET editors' review
Alpine PMD-B200 Blackbird II price range: $745.99
- Reviewed by: Bonnie Cha
- Reviewed on: 10/31/2007
The good: The Alpine PMD-B200 features a large, sharp touch screen and offers text- and voice-guided directions, a comprehensive points-of-interest database, and a music player. The system also has good Bluetooth integration for use with a compatible phone, and it automatically syncs your mobile's address book and call-history list.
The bad: The BlackBird II doesn't support text-to-speech functionality, and it's somewhat pricey. Route recalculations didn't always provide the most efficient route and sometimes had us going in circles.
The bottom line: The Alpine PMD-B200 is a decent portable navigation system, with good Bluetooth integration and traffic services. But the lack of text-to-speech functionality and inefficient route recalculations doesn't make it worth the high price tag.
About a month ago, we reviewed the Alpine IVA-W205, an innovative aftermarket in-dash unit that works as a multimedia player and a navigation system. The latter function is provided by docking the Alpine PMD-B200 (aka Alpine BlackBird II) portable navigation system into the IVA-W205, but the cool thing is that the PMD-B200 can be used independently as a standalone GPS unit. This is the subject of this review.
As a follow-up to the original Alpine BlackBird, the PMD-B200 brings Bluetooth and faster performance, and continues to offer the essential navigation tools and traffic services. However, during our road tests, we were displeased by the convoluted route recalculations and the lack of text-to-speech functionality. This was particularly hard to swallow when we discovered the BlackBird II comes with a hefty price tag of $750. If you're going to spend that much money, you'll be better served by one of the higher-end Garmin Nuvi models.
Design
Compared with some of today's portable navigation systems, the Alpine PMD-B200 is definitely on the bigger side. The unit measures 4.8 inches wide by 2.9 inches high by 0.7 inch deep and 6.3 ounces, which pretty much limits its use to just in-car navigation. The good news is that Alpine has integrated the GPS receiver into the system, so you don't have to worry about any flip-up antennas. Plus, the system is still compact enough to transport between vehicles, and as we noted before, you can dock it into the Alpine IVA-W205.
The Alpine PMD-B200 boasts a spacious 4.3-inch touch screen with a 480x272-pixel resolution. The display is one of the best we've seen in recent memory as maps and text looked extra sharp and vibrant. It was also responsive to all our commands, and we could read it in various lighting conditions, including bright sunlight. Unfortunately, the maps themselves are rather lackluster and the user interface isn't quite as eye-catching, but the latter is really a minor complaint. It's more important that the system is intuitive and easy to use. The onscreen keyboard is a bit cramped, and there's no stylus to help with more accurate text input. The good news is that the PMD-B200 has predictive text, so as you enter addresses, it will gray out any numbers or letters that don't match in the database.
To the right of the display, you'll find a control pad that gives you shortcuts to the different apps and functions. Pressing the toggle up or down zooms in and out of maps. The left side provides a shortcut to the navigation app while the right launches the music player. Finally, the center button calls up the Bluetooth function. The top bezel holds the SD expansion slot, the power button, a 3.5mm headphone jack, and a volume rocker. On the bottom, there's a reset button, the cradle connector, an external antenna jack, and a mini USB port.
The Alpine PMD-B200 comes packaged with an AC adapter, a vehicle mount (windshield and dash) with a built-in traffic receiver and car charger, a soft carrying pouch, a USB cable, an external microphone, and reference material.
Features
The Alpine PMD-B200 is equipped with a 20-channel GPS receiver and comes preloaded with Navteq maps of North America, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands. You get the usual array of navigation features, including turn-by-turn text- and voice-guided driving directions, automatic rerouting, a trip computer, and route demo. There's also a 6 million points-of-interest (POI) database, so you can search for places by name or category and sort them by name, city, or distance from your current location.
There are a number of ways to start planning a trip. You can enter a specific address, intersection, input coordinates, choose from recently visited places, and so forth. In addition, the BlackBird II will calculate directions in one of three methods: shortest route, quickest route/maximize freeway, and quickest route/minimize freeway. If you don't like a certain part of the prescribed itinerary, there is a detour function. Also, the traffic receiver that's built into the vehicle mount allows you to get information from Navteq's traffic service. If there are any incidents, you'll be alerted to them via several onscreen icons and you'll be given the option to route around any accidents or congestion.
Maps are presented in 2D or 3D view with either north or the direction you're traveling at the top of the screen. The system can also automatically switch between day and night map colors. While driving, the map screen shows you information, such as the name of the current street and the distance to and direction of your next turn. Unfortunately, the Blackbird lacks text-to-speech functionality, which is really disappointing for a high-end device like this, especially for the price.
The Alpine PMD-B200 also features integrated Bluetooth so you can use it as a hands-free speaker system for your Bluetooth-enabled cell phone or smartphone to receive and make calls. We're also particularly thrilled to see that your phone's address book and call history are automatically synced with the system. For outgoing calls, you can use the onscreen dial pad or select a contact from your phone book. Also, if a POI has a listed number, there's an option to dial out directly to that business.
Finally, the Blackbird II's music player supports MP3 and WMA files and contains the basic play, forward, and rewind buttons as well as shuffle and repeat modes. The player displays the artist name, the song title, and the playing time. In addition, there's a built-in FM modulator so you can listen to music and driving directions through the car stereo. And don't worry: A feature called Navi Mix automatically lowers the music volume when giving voice-guided directions.
Performance
We tested the Alpine PMD-B200 in San Francisco, and from a cold start, it took the unit about 2 minutes to get a lock on our position under partly cloudy skies, while subsequent starts were faster. The BlackBird II did a good job of tracking our position during everyday drives around the city, and even maintained a satellite fix as we drove through the financial district where tall buildings block a clear view of the sky. We did lose a signal, however, going through the Broadway Tunnel, but this is typical of GPS devices.
We also entered our standard test trip from the Marina district to CNET's downtown headquarters. The system quickly returned with directions, and glancing over the text-based maneuver list, we found them to be accurate. Once on the road, voice prompts were clear with plenty of volume, but we really wish the PMD-B200 offered text-to-speech directions. True, you can look at the onscreen prompts to find the distance to and street name of your next turn, but it's nice (and safer) to be able to hear it. We missed several turns to test the route recalculation rate, which was swift but didn't offer the most efficient routes. On a number of occasions, it had us going in circles, which got to be really irritating.
We also paired the Alpine PMD-B200 with the Sony Ericsson P1i. The process was smooth and once connected, our phone book and call history synced over to the nav system within a minute or so. We were able to make and receive calls easily, as well. Music playback was decent through the system's speakers, though we'd recommend piping songs through your car's speakers via the FM transmitter for better sound. The PMD-B200's lithium polymer battery is rated for up to 2 hours of continuous use, but we found it to be much shorter. After less than an hour of tooling around, the battery indicator was already on the last bar, which is pretty sad.
User reviews
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Navigation works great! Bluetooth is not so hot. Service is a JOKE.
by tarnsturbo on April 2, 2008
Pros: POI is great. Nav input is easy, directions are clear. Have not had the same issues with the Nav feature as the other opinions indicate.
Cons: Bluetooth worked great with my Blackberry 8700. It was amazing! However, I changed to a Blackberry Curve 8310 and the unit will not Sync properly. Touch Screen buttons are slow to respond.
Summary: When I called Alpine to find out how to get the unit to sync properly with the Blackberry Curve I was told that it was not Alpine's issue. This ...
Summary: When I called Alpine to find out how to get the unit to sync properly with the Blackberry Curve I was told that it was not Alpine's issue. This is surprising since they charge a hell of a lot of money and claim how great the unit is and when one of the most popular phones does not sync they send me away!!!!!!!!! They tell me it is RIM's problem and/or my carrier's (AT&T). You can guess the rest, AT&T says it is RIM and Alpine's problem and has anyone ever been able to call RIM? I am now back to using my 8700 and my slick 8310 is sitting in it's original box. What a waste!! If you have a Curve DO NOT BUY THIS UNIT. Buyer be warned.
I use this unit in my car in the Alpine head unit. When I travel and rent a car I bring the Blackbird and adapter with me. This feature I like. I hate the lack of support however. It does not exist.
If Alpine had just helped me out and showed a little concern the rating would be much higher.2 out of 2 users found this user opinion helpful.
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verdict: crap
by leo080564 on December 20, 2007
Pros: has a nice big button
Cons: at least six hundred dollars more than a good boat anchor should cost
Summary: Blackbird interface written by bargain basement Chinese software company. Product designed for use in Europe and China, doesn't work very well there, and then slap-dash jimmy-rigged to work in ...
Summary: Blackbird interface written by bargain basement Chinese software company. Product designed for use in Europe and China, doesn't work very well there, and then slap-dash jimmy-rigged to work in the U.S. Once you buy a Blackbird II, the only way to minimize the financial hit is to make sure not to get a littering fine when you throw it out the window.
Updated
The thing never got me where I was going one time without a major headache. You can get a top end Garmin with TTS that will actually navigate.2 out of 2 users found this user opinion helpful.
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Not worth $50.00 really.
by fasco1 on December 13, 2007
Pros: Works with the alpine head unit
Cons: Not accurate, Software has many "Bugs"
Summary: Unfortunetly, I bought the head unit first - I'm still getting rid of it. This is my fourth nav unit in about 8 years so I know what to ...
Summary: Unfortunetly, I bought the head unit first - I'm still getting rid of it. This is my fourth nav unit in about 8 years so I know what to expect. Miss an exit? rerouting will take always you back 5 miles to the original exit. I was told by the dealer that was an issue with the previous one and just to cancel the destination and restart it. Yeah, That,s why I paid so much for it.
It tells you to take a left at the next exit when the screen clearly shows a right turn.
You really have to be watching the screen as mostly all nav units today will alert you at every turn within a realistic distance to the turn. Not this one, have a couple of highway entrances close to each other. Take a guess. The more I use the more problems I find.
I had an old Navman from years ago, before navigation was popular. I thought I was upgrading. Wrong, even though the maps were outdated it was much better. I regret I gave it to my parents when I bought the new one.
Bluetooth, even when installed in the head unit, the sound quality is POOR on the other end. NOT even usable really. Everyone asks me what am I talking on? Way too much background noise.
I CHALLENGE SOMEONE NOT AFFILIATED WITH ALPINE TO GIVE A GOOD REVIEW!!!!!!2 out of 2 users found this user opinion helpful.
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Junk! What a waste
by 14232 on November 17, 2007
Pros: Looks stylish
Cons: What a waste
Summary: The battery runs out quick. The software sucks. This GPS is not as accurate as I thought it would be for the price.
This Alpine oftens shows me the right ...Summary: The battery runs out quick. The software sucks. This GPS is not as accurate as I thought it would be for the price.
This Alpine oftens shows me the right street except being in the wrong part of town!!!!!This Gps gets confused between North , South, East, West. This would probably be best used in NY. East 35th st..... More like ariving on West 35th st.!!!!!! This Gps often hangs, and once in a while will not power up, with a full battery!!!!!!!2 out of 2 users found this user opinion helpful.
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poor customer service
by smokin_joe on March 11, 2008
Pros: very stylish unit, good integrated functions
Cons: poor rerouting after missed exits, price too high, unit only lasted few months before needing repair
Summary: I really wanted to give Alpine high marks for this unit, but i just can't. Buy a garmin instead.
I originally purchased an Alpine B100, and paid full price ...Summary: I really wanted to give Alpine high marks for this unit, but i just can't. Buy a garmin instead.
I originally purchased an Alpine B100, and paid full price for it when it came out. I was thrilled at first, then noticed its lackluster performance. Many of the original issues were rectified, but the unit quickly devalued months after I bought it to half the price I paid. After 11 months of ownership, my B100 was stolen out of my rental car in St Louis. I pondered buying a different make, but when the insurance man told me about an upcoming Blackbird 2, with enhanced features, I was ecstatic, and waited patiently, (and waited, and waited) for its release and shipment. I finally got my new and improved version of the Blackbird.
Well, I also pondered getting the IVAw205 head unit to dock the BB into. Not only am I not buying the IVA W205, Im regretting seriously buying a second Blackbird, shame on me. After using my Blackbird B200 from Novemeber 2007 - February 2008, maybe, 3.5 months, my Blackbird's internal antenna fails to connect to satelites. It "sees" them, but does not connect. This problem developed while I ate dinner at a restauruant I used it to navigate me to. After dinner, it failed to be able to guide me back.
So, I now need service. Despite registering my product online with Alpine's website, it has taken me up to 9 or 10 phone calls to Alpine's support, to arrange a return for repair. I still do not have a confirmation number or a return box, evidence they have acknowleged my calls and problem. On two occaisions, I got a recording that stated their call volume was too high, and I was disconnected. On another call, I was told it was the support department's lunch hour, and to call back later. On the last 3 calls I made, the voice recording says that the wait time is......and the actual time turns out to be at least twice or three times that long!
As for the IVA-W205, priced at a whopping $900, paired with $750 for the Blackbird, that self reboots sometimes, has short battery life, and does not sound all that very well for a high end audio company like you expect Alpine car audio to be, the combined price is just too much to swallow. I shopped around at Christmas time to see if the $900 head unit would be on sale or discounted, it had been out for a year by then. No sales, no discounts. I was told, that to make the overall rice for the headunit and nav unit lower, Alpine was working on a display-less Blackbird to dock inside the W205 headunit, which would retail for around $400, enabling them to keep the head unit price point high.
I can deal with the Blackbird making some quirky mistakes. I will hope that Alpine will issue a firmware update to correct those.
I can deal with their attempt at keeping the price high on the head unit, "charge what the traffic will bear" is the old adage, if they can get it, they will.
What I cant deal with, is their ineffectual, slow, limited, and poor customer service. It should not take me 10 phone calls to affect a repair. If I registered the unit online like I did, with my first phone call, Alpine should know my name, my unit's serial number, when my unit was bought or registered, my address, and all of that, and have taken steps to correct my problem inside the first week, or even same day. Not spread out over a months time and 10 phone calls.
I travel for work, Im not always home, thats why I have a GPS in the first place. Alpine doesnt seem to care that much. They already have my money. But, they don't have yours yet! So if you are reading this, please listen, the Blackbird is stylish and sexy, and you are tempted to buy it. But heed the warnings of us dis-satisfied consumers, and buy another brand. If I disuaded 1 person from buying their product, I will feel better.
Joe1 out of 1 users found this user opinion helpful.
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Junk!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
by robsenay on July 18, 2009
Pros: The W505 head unit is unreal, plays ipod, mp3, movies, wma, DVDS, ipod movies, you name it. The screen is clear for movies and also relays ipod album artwork.
Cons: Navigation freezes while docked in my w505 head unit. Alpine doesn't have an upgrade of their maps either so that doesn't help when you are trying to get somewhere. See below:
Summary: The actual navigation, blackbird 200, sucks bag. In one year, I have exchanged four blackbird units because it won't work whilst in the head unit, it freezes!! I have ...
Summary: The actual navigation, blackbird 200, sucks bag. In one year, I have exchanged four blackbird units because it won't work whilst in the head unit, it freezes!! I have been without the entire head unit and blackbird for a month and a half now as it was returned to alpine to "hopefully" diagnose the problem, what a load of crap. Even the installer is crying foul to alpine due to the "glitch" in the so called navigation unit. Alpine claims that they have rectified the problem but only time will tell. Save your money, I paid a great deal for the whole works and am disappointed. Again, the head unit is great, the navigation stinks though.
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Two strikes and Alpine is out
by bills_lost on June 29, 2009
Pros: Docking with an in dash unit and being able to move to other cars is a great idea if it only worked.
Cons: It is busted, no worky, and I am out $750.
Summary: Shortly after purchasing this unit it began to wig out. Needed to be constantly reset to keep it going. Finally after about a year, when it suggested I should update ...
Summary: Shortly after purchasing this unit it began to wig out. Needed to be constantly reset to keep it going. Finally after about a year, when it suggested I should update my maps, it died completely. Service was non-existent. Finally after sending $100 (better than the other options of $450 and $700) Alpine sent a replacement unit. It worked for about 60 days and is now dead. It will not get past the opening Alpine screen. No I don't plan to send another $100 for further frustration. Now I have a head unit that is mostly a fancy radio.
When it works, compared to my previous Garmin, it is slow to lock onto a satelite, very slow to reroute, and had route conflicts several times causing it to simply shut down.
I had great respect for Alpine and expected an excellent product backed up by outstanding service, if it was needed. I am unlikely to buy another Alpine product after this experience.
By the way, as far as the map update goes, the local dealer to whom the website directs you knows nothing of map updating sent me back to the Alpine website and I have never been able to find a link of any kind for updates.
Oh well, back to Garmin I go. A very expensive lesson! -
blackbird works excellent with dock unit
Pros: the functionality of having a unit that can dock with your stereo and is still detachable if need be is truly great. i find the navs to be be decent for aftermarket...200x better than stock gps units.
Cons: the bluetooth services are a bit of a pain. i can make calls on it fine, but i still for the life of me cant figure out why it wont sync up my address book and call info from my phone. i can only manually dial and answer with the blackbird.
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Poor customer service, navigation options & reliability
by darrylmatherne on October 19, 2008
Pros: Plugs into the IVA-W205 and IVA-W505 units to give a large viewable screen while also adding hands free service from cell phone usage.
Cons: Inaccurate calculation, unreliable cell phone sync, poor calculation method options.
Summary: The navigation calculation method options are not reasonable. Rather than having a method to simply calculate the quickest route it either forces max freeway usage or minimal freeway usage. Anyone ...
Summary: The navigation calculation method options are not reasonable. Rather than having a method to simply calculate the quickest route it either forces max freeway usage or minimal freeway usage. Anyone who has ever used a navigation device knows that the quickest route is usually a combination of the freeways and non-freeway paths. The navigation in max freeway mode will cause longer arrival times on most trips. The calculated arrival time is not even close combined with the fact that my unit will not adjust the clock to central time. The stereo head unit is set correctly while the B200 will not set correctly.The actual arrival time as well as the remaining trip time are equally inaccurate.
It constantly has issues recognizing the presence of my iPhone when I get into my vehicle. Sometimes it syncs with no issue and other times I have to unpair and the pair the unit again. I have attempted number of possible methods to help insure a reliable initial sync with no consistent success. Once the sync is established I have not had any problems using the phone. -
Integrated with W505
by whiskey_papa_tango on October 18, 2008
Pros: Purchased and installed: August-2008
Unit has worked well docked in W505. Have not used it in portable mode.
User interface easy to learn.Cons: Separate RDS and FM antennas require use of "Y" coax connector.
Was driving on a new stretch of interstate (completed June-2008)
and unit indicated uncharted territory.
Would be nice if Alpine provided info on how to obtain map software updates.Summary: Pricey unit. Average UI. So far so good.
June-2009: Have had the unit a little over 10 months. I think the battery has died or ...
Updated on Jun 26, 2009Summary: Pricey unit. Average UI. So far so good.
June-2009: Have had the unit a little over 10 months. I think the battery has died or is in the process of dying. I used to operate the unit inside the W505 - but about 3 months after install the Blackbird 2 started generating heavy interference on the radio channels. I reverted to using the external docking station until the other night. Now the unit won't get past the startup screen before shutting down.
Updated on Jun 26, 2009
More repair time - and am lowering my rating - ZERO STARS !!!
Specifications
- Manufacturer: Alpine Electronics, Inc.
- Part number: PMD-B200
- Description: From the quality you've come to trust, Alpine brings you over 2 decades of experience in advanced navigation - introducing Alpine's 2nd generation portable navigation device, the Blackbird PMD-B200. Go from portable to all-in-one navigation solution when you add to the IVA-W205. View your maps and control navigation from a larger display. The PMD-B200 can be docked directly inside the IVA-W205 Double DIN AV head unit, turning your dash into a larger 6.5" touch screen control center.
General
- Width 5.7 in
- Depth 1.1 in
- Height 2.9 in
- Weight 8 oz
GPS System
- Recommended Use Automotive
- Receiver 16 channel
- Connectivity Hi-Speed USB
- Traffic Services TMC (Traffic Message Channel)
- Antenna Built-in
- Features Built-in speaker, Preinstalled POIs, Hands-free calling via Bluetooth, Optional external GPS antenna connection
- Supported Memory Cards SD Memory Card
- Maps Included USA, Canada
Navigation
- Waypoints 10
- Trip computer Avoid ferrys, Avoid toll roads, Fast/short route, Maximize freeways, Minimize freeways
Digital Player
- Digital Player Yes
- Supported Formats MP3, WMA
Built-in Display
- Type LCD
- Resolution 480 x 272
- Diagonal Size 4 in
- Display Illumination Yes
- Color Support Color
- Features Anti-glare, Touch screen
Connections
- Connector Type Hi-Speed USB, Headphones - Mini-phone 3.5 mm, Antenna - MCX
Battery
- Battery Enclosure Type Integrated
- Battery technology Lithium polymer
- Mfr estimated battery life 2 hour(s)
Environmental Parameters
- Min operating temperature 32 °F
- Max operating temperature 140 °F
Manufacturer info
- Alpine Electronics, Inc.
- Manufacturer profile
- Browse Alpine Electronics, Inc. products on Shopper.com
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- Website: http://www.alpine1.com/
- Phone: 310.326.8000
