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Honda Odyssey GPS Navigation System

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#61 of 963 DVD Space (md5033) by jimblock Oct 13, 1999 (12:04 am)
David, I think the DVD is dual layered (but not dual sided). A dual layered disc does not require flipping and should hold up to about 9 GB of data. So I think there is room for expansion. (Not sure, but I think I got the dual layered information from the Alpine press release that I posted as hidden text about 10 messages back...)
#62 of 963 NAV by lietjauw Oct 13, 1999 (11:56 am)
Nav would be great for those using their van as a delivery vehicle. Other than that I would say total waste($2,000 is a joke, good for Honda and its share holders). I still need glasses to see that screen from either driver or passenger seat. PS don't drive while trying to look for that little screen.
#63 of 963 NAV by dcrisler Oct 13, 1999 (9:36 pm)
Then you probably should not be driving... and you don't need to look at the screen while driving.. the voice prompt tell when to turn or to stay on the same road...
#64 of 963 NAV by dhaxton Oct 14, 1999 (12:43 am)
I gotta go along with lietjauw, in spirit. While I don't think there's anything funny about Honda charging $2K for the NAV [ ] I do think it's too high. I just put a kick butt DVD drive in my computer for $100 (retail). I can't believe the screen is worth more than say $200 tops (retail). The rest, including the CPU & sensors have got to be dirt cheap. Sure, Alpine has to pay for the road research but since the updates are $50, as I understand it, I doubt the first one is much more than that. I think Honda is simply milking this one while the technology is new and they can get away with it. I don't pretend to be a marketing wiz but my gut tells me that if they sold them for $1K they'd sell tons more and end up making more money. I know I'd buy one.
#65 of 963 lack of coverage by tyner Oct 14, 1999 (1:47 am)
This sounds really poor. The streets program that comes as a throw away with Small Business Edition of Microsoft Office has every nook and crany of the U. S. including small towns and rural areas, and it is all on a CD, not a DVD disk.
#66 of 963 response to lietjauw by jefe5 Oct 14, 1999 (1:50 am)
If you think it is too expensive, don't buy it. Please, however, resist the need to discredit it just cause you are not going to have one. Sounds like sour grapes to me.
#67 of 963 lietjauw by csade Oct 14, 1999 (3:44 am)
I agree with jefe5 about the cost. You don't see garbage men complaining about the way trash smells.. I wanted an Ody with nav, but didn't want to wait, so I am waiting for maybe 3 years to trade my '00 EX Ody for one with the nav system. Hopefully by then the nav system will be in it's 3rd generation, along with the Ody.
#68 of 963 Alpine NAV is really cool by ralph8bread Oct 14, 1999 (5:49 am)
If you like the Ody NAV system you have to check out the new Alpine system mentioned in earlier postings. The price is steep ($2000 base, plus a monitor option, plus installation - makes total between $2800-$3800), but you have to see this thing slide out like a CD player and flip up to show the screen. I did not get to play with the system because the store manager did not have the demo setup yet. He did not know too much about the Ody or Acura systems. He was going to call Alpine and run by a dealer in the morning. He was very interested in what the Ody has. If any of you see this system that have the Ody NAV please post your thoughts.
#69 of 963 NAV cost and use by jimblock Oct 14, 1999 (1:58 pm)
Of course, value is always an opinion... I find my NAV very useful. We use it daily (not that we have to -- but it IS useful). It suggests alternate routes when there is traffic, helps locate restaurants, etc. to which we have never been. It is especially helpful here in Long Island, NY -- the entire island is mapped (as is the rest of the NYC metro area) and the island is difficult to find places that you haven't been to before. We used to keep two 50-page maps in each car (one for Nassau county, one for Suffolk), and believe me the NAV is much better. As for cost, $2000 is a lot of money. Although I wanted the option, I might not have bought it if I hadn't lucked into a situation where I could get the 2000 EX NAV in a week -- or a non-NAV in two to four months. But I am happy I got it, and my wife likes it and uses it (surprised both of us!) As to cost, it is an Alpine system with a NAVTECH database, and they charge $2000 NOT INCLUDING A SCREEN for their aftermarket DVD version (which is just going on the market). (And the database, when sold on multiple CDs goes for hundreds of dollars). The relevant comparison, I think, is to the cost of a fast laptop computer with touch screen, DVD drive, GPS receiver and Gyroscope. That would easily top out at over $2000 although admittedly it could be used for other purposes. I don't think the price is too high, but you always pay more as an "early adopter" and durable, mobile electronics cost considerably more than desktop versions. My opinion, of course. Yours may vary.
#70 of 963 Nav costs and alternatives by jmhess Oct 14, 1999 (4:18 pm)
Just a few quick words on the cost justification. A laptop/GPS config is way too cumbersome (charge laptop and GPS batteries, wires here and there, can't view screen from angle without paying extra $1,000 for active matrix screen, awkward tip-mouse interface, difficult to position GPS unit for good signal, etc.) In order of cost (highest first), according to my best techy guess (I'm a computer engineer), here's the major components of the Nav system: 1) Screen. From what I've read, this is a high quality, expensive screen (active matrix?), with touch screen capability. Active matrix displays cost lots of money, which is why you don't see them on most laptop displays. 2) Navtech software 3) Navtech database. This sounds like it has much more than the standard set of attributes in a map database, which requires lots more space and development time (thus the DVD instead of CD route). 4) Integration of all of these hardware and software components. 5) DVD drive. I suspect that the DVD was used to enable them to expand both detail and coverage in future database updates (yearly?). Anyway, this is not cheap stuff. Well-integrated components cost extra money. I have used a GPS/laptop config and although I'm generally pretty tolerant of user interface and connectivity inconveniences, I can tell you that it's a pain in the rear end. In short, although Honda is no doubt making a profit on this system (can't blame them for that), I don't believe they are gouging customers on it. The integration of the components costs money and although I wish it were cheaper, it has significant value. I'm not a Honda loyalist, but I do plan to get a Odyssey with Nav next year. I'm a lifelong directional idiot who will benefit greatly from such a system. I could go cheaper with a portable system (Palm Pilot/GPS config), but I just don't want to put up with the integration hassles. There, I just completely rationalized paying $2K for something I could really do without. Sue me!

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