Alpine Blackbird In-Depth Review (GPS Magazine)

Verdict: just a sliver above atrocious

Alpine Blackbird

You might be surprised to learn that Alpine is the #1 rated OEM GPS supplier in North America (I know I was). Many of you have asked me to review the Blackbird, so this week I took a look at Alpine' s flagship GPS, the Blackbird. When the Blackbird was first released, feedback on the unit was poor.

Alpine has re-worked the unit and issued a major software update that adds traffic data capabilities, improves route calculation speed, and improves vehicle positioning performance. They've also dropped the price to $499. Alpine's line of after-market car audio equipment is legendary, so I had high hopes for Alpine's high-end GPS unit.

I put the Blackbird through the usual rigorous in-depth review criteria and see how it stacks up against the competition.

1. Features:

Turn-by-turn GPS navigation system
Built-in maps of USA and Canada, Alaska, and Hawaii
6 Million POI (Points of Interest) database
Mounting cradle with built-in FM modulator and amplified speaker
USB 2.0 Connection for map database updates
Centrality Atlas II ARM9 CPU with embedded 16 channel GPS
3.6" digital LCD with anti-glare touch screen and 16.7 million possible colors
Remote control sensor
Music playback from MMC/SD Card Slot
Stereo audio jack for headphones
MP3 and WMA Playback

2. Specifications

Size: 6.1” x 2.9” x 1.2” (145mm x 74mm x 29mm)
Weight: 8 oz (227 g)
CPU: Centrality Atlas II ARM9 CPU
GPS: Embedded 16 channel GPS, Built-In Main Unit Antenna with Optional External Antenna Connection
Storage: Built-In 1” HDD with Pre-Loaded Maps of US (including Alaska and Hawaii) and Canada and 6 Million Points of Interest Locations
Card Slot: Secure Digital (SD) or Multimedia Card (MMC) for playback of
MP3 or WMA music files
Audio: Integrated speaker in main unit, amplified speaker in cradle,
stereo headphone jack, optional docking station audio output
FM Transmitter: Built-in cradle, up to 12 selectable frequencies
RDS-TMC Tuner: Built-in main unit w/antenna in cradle power cable
USB Interface: 2.0
Battery Life: Approximately 2 hours of continuous use
Operating Temp: 32° to 140° F (0° to +60°C)
Storage Temp: -13° to 176° F (-25° to +80° C)
Screen Size: 3.6" diagonal
Screen Resolution: QVGA 320 x 240 pixels, 16.7M possible colors
Screen Type: Digital TFT display with anti-glare touch screen
Brightness: 200 nits

3. Unboxing

Figure 1: Alpine Blackbird Box

The front of the Alpine Blackbird box.

Figure 2: Alpine Blackbird Box, Rear

Figure 3: Everything that's included with the Alpine Blackbird

The Blackbird box contains:

Blackbird GPS unit
Windshield Mount (Cradle with Cigarette Lighter Charger)
Permanent Mounting Adhesive Disc
AC Adapter
USB Cable
Neoprene Protective Carrying Case
1200mAh Rechargeable battery
Wiping Cloth
Quick Reference Guide
Owner's Manual
Warranty Card

Figure 4: Alpine Blackbird GPS, Front

The Blackbird is "reminiscent" of the old Magellan RoadMate 700 series GPS. Alpine's unit is a bit sleeker, thinner, and overall more refined looking than the Magellan 760, but the form factor and layout is similar. With all the major GPS players moving to all-touchscreen designs, I'm slightly surprised that Alpine chose such an inefficient design: look how much space is wasted on the massive control dial on the right hand side. Alpine could have easily squeezed another 1.5 inches of width into the screen, or made the unit smaller by removing the control dial and relying on the touch-screen interface instead. Still, even though the Blackbird sports a slightly outdated design, I must admit I found the unit overall fairly good looking. It's slim, elegant, and looks, for lack of a better word, expensive.

Figure 5: Blackbird Layout

From left to right on the front of the unit, we can see the ambient light sensor on the top left (used to automatically dim the screen for "night mode" when it is dark outside). The battery charging indicator is located just below the light sensor (green=battery fully charged, amber=battery charging, red=low battery). The Blackbird has a 3.6-inch (measured diagonally) color touchscreen display. To the right of the display is a (large) control dial. I assume Alpine did this because they thought people would like having a quick way to use various features on the GPS. Personally, I'd prefer either a larger screen or a smaller unit. Using the dial you can zoom in or our (by pressing up or down, respectively), enter a destination address (by pressing left), or use the MP3 player 9by pressing right.

Magellan RoadMate 760
Figure 6: Magellan's RoadMate 760

Notice the similar form factor between the Blackbird and Magellan's popular (now discontinued) RoadMate 760.

Figure 7: Alpine Blackbird, Left Side

The Blackbird is quite thin, measuring just 39mm deep. The unit feels slim in your hand, without feeling flimsy or cheap.

Figure 8: Alpine Blackbird, Rear

Looking at the rear we can see the built-in speaker, the flip-up style patch antenna, and the battery compartment on the right hand side.

Figure 9: Alpine Blackbird, Right

Figure 10: Alpine Blackbird, Bottom

Looking at the bottom of the Blackbird we can see the cradle connector (center), the external GPS antenna connector (the round, copper colored connector just to the right of the cradle connector), and the mini USB connector.

Figure 11: Alpine Blackbird, Top

Here we see the top of the Blackbird. The power button is located on the top-left, the SD/MMC slot is located in the center, the headphone jack is to the right of the MMC slot, and the volume control is on the right. Nothing really to say here. The layout makes sense and is nicely done. Garmin tends to put the power button on the right, but I found having it on the left worked just as well.

Figure 12: Patch Antenna, Extended

The Blackbird uses a patch style antenna, similar to the Garmin nuvi series. I've shown it fully extended in the photo above, but the correct position for the antenna is level with the surface of the earth. When driving, the antenna should typically be at a 90 degree right angle with the unit, so that it forms an L shape.

Figure 13: Inserting and Removing the Rechargeable Battery

The Blackbird is the only GPS I've tested that has a removable internal battery. Garmin, Magellan, and TomTom all have internal rechargeable batteries, but they are not end-user serviceable -- meaning when the internal battery dies, you either have to send it in to be repaired, or in some cases it may be cheaper to just buy a new one. So it's nice to see Alpine thinking ahead and making battery replacement easy and inexpensive. The battery performance, however, is another matter. The Blackbird only lasts 2 hours between charges, making only short road trips possible without the docking cradle/charger.

Figure 14: Alpine Blackbird with the internal battery removed