JVC Revisits PND with the KV-PX701/KV-PX501

JVC was turned off to the whole portable GPS thing earlier this year, citing that the market was driven exclusively by price and was over saturated with new manufactures jumping on the GPS bandwagon. JVC, despite this earlier proclamation, is set to drop two new Personal Navigation Devices, the JVC KV-PX701/KV-PX501, in the UK by the end of the month. Apparently, the market stabilized a bit. Their plan back in May, stick with in-dash systems. Not a bad idea. Makes me wonder what market research changed their minds. Integrated in-dash multi-systems would seem to be the way the market is going. Read Death of PND. I mean, who really wants a bunch of wires going every which way, cluttering things, and suction cups that don’t hold well breaking their PND. Not to mention the attentiveness of thieves to cars with left behind units in them. JVC has demonstrated their change of heart by releasing the JVC KV-PX701/KV-PX501 the pricier model, the JVC KV-PX701 is tricked out with a 4.3in screen, 400Mhz Samsung processor, SiRF StarIII chipset (according to the chip maker this chip will “provide location awareness under dense foliage or urban canyons” and uses less power to do it), Traffic Message Channel (TMC), and will run you $565. The lower of the two boasts a 3.5in screen, a MediaTech Chip, same processor and the TMC is built into the car mount. This makes sense since you only need this info while driving; this unit will run you $495. No word on a U.S. release. Via.