Garmin and Kenwood team up to market nav-enabled car stereos

Although Kenwood's been shipping nav-enabled car stereos powered by Garmin since 2006, they've mostly gone under the radar -- but now it looks like the two companies are so pleased with the arrangement that they're going to launch a combined marketing blitz and some new jointly-developed models. We've already seen a couple nifty Kenwood stereos with built-in nav (and some sweet concepts), but it looks like 2008 will bring even more units like the Garmin-powered Excelon DNX-8120 (pictured above) that launched at CES. All the new units are to have touchscreens with flash-based Garmin nav internals, as well as the usual high-end Kenwood features like Bluetooth, satellite radio, HD Radio, and iPod hookups. No new model numbers or prices have been announced yet, but the marketing partnership is apparently already underway -- get ready for the car stereo section of your local big box to be taken over.

[Via Blast]

[roflercopterer @ Mar 25th 2008 2:28AM]

Old and busted, meet new hotness

[TheChris @ Mar 25th 2008 2:31AM]

Might as well stick a full fledged Over clocked Gaming Rig into your car...

[spaceb @ Mar 25th 2008 2:33AM]

Sweet!!

[NakedOldGuy @ Mar 25th 2008 2:45AM]

I called this years ago. Now I can finally get it!

[linuxamp @ Mar 25th 2008 4:56AM]

Better units have been available in Japan for about a decade... US is so behind.

[Ubuntu 7.10+WindowsXP @ Mar 25th 2008 3:05AM]

I will bet money that Apple (steal this idea and I will sue) will make some iPod Touch/iPhone radio that will be this exact product. Just instead of the face coming out for protection, it will be your over priced iPod Touch/iPhone. Wow, even more stress on a single device burning out the none removable battery faster.

P.S. This is the new Hotness. Can you say HDD for storage of person media. :)

[Tim @ Mar 25th 2008 3:06AM]

But why the Final Fantasy user interface?

[Ubuntu 7.10+WindowsXP @ Mar 25th 2008 3:14AM]

So that your radio can be used to store your items on the way to work.

[roflercopterer @ Mar 25th 2008 3:39AM]

How many materia slots does it have?

[iczer2 @ Mar 25th 2008 8:08AM]

On their own, yes that's true, they're just another disk drive. But, with the backup software (like for instance, BackupExec, NetBackup, or ArcServer to name some of the more powerful ones) they can treat an HD more along the lines of a tape media (but with all the benefits of the hard drive) and ensure that there is a version history as well as the ability to do real honest to goodness Full, Incremental and Differential backups.

As far as redundancy goes, you could always use a RAID array or for the ultimate in el cheapo backup have three HD's connected via a Firewire 800, or other Hot pluggable SATA dock, and rotate them out every week like you would tapes. Presto, now you're got at least several months of backups just like our Grandfathers, Fathers and Sons had.... Yeah, I know, it was a terrible joke, but I gotta use 'em somewhere.

[iczer2 @ Mar 25th 2008 8:11AM]

Crap, damned cache... Sorry about that, please disregard the above comment.

Now, what I wanted to say was: I just hope it doesn't take a Limit Break to change a track.

[rayw @ Mar 25th 2008 3:33AM]

Why are so many cars coming out with custom-shaped faceplates that really make life difficult for anyone who wants to install an aftermarket double-din job like this? It's not as if they could offer the same deal themselves! I want one of these plus the ability to hook in a rear-vision camera and a hard drive...

[rayw @ Mar 25th 2008 3:35AM]

Ahem it does have a rear-vision camera input too. Which makes my point more cogent, really...

[matthew @ Mar 25th 2008 5:45AM]

so wait.. Engadget is announcing that kenwood is announcing that they've been using Garmin for 2 years? what am i missing here

[John @ Mar 25th 2008 7:30AM]

It's hard to hire good UI designers these days, isn't it?

[TRAFFICBLOWS @ Mar 25th 2008 8:18AM]

Integrated GPS/nav is nice with a bigger 2-DIN monitor, but I find it more helpful to have a portable unit closer to eye-height as well as for the ability to bring it in my wife's car.

[Earl @ Mar 25th 2008 8:50AM]

Kenwood and Garmin work together, in a sense, in the world of Amateur Radio. Kenwood sells a mobile/base transceiver and a handheld transceiver which include what is called a TNC (a modem of sorts). A Garmin GPS, or any other brand which can output NMEA sentences, can be easily cabled to the Kenwood radio and it will transmit lat/long/time/altitude information every x number of minutes. These transceivers also can receive weather station data. Google APRS for more information.

[Shane @ Mar 25th 2008 10:18AM]

Why are the icons for HD Radio and Tuner a satellite dish? I guess no one would understand a tower for terrestrial radio...

[squagle @ Mar 25th 2008 11:28AM]

I didn't know Garmin made their nav--makes me a little sad cause I don't really like the interface of the Kenwoods and I sure do enjoy the Garmin interface. That and I live in Kansas City where Garmin is based.

[crispy @ Mar 25th 2008 11:41AM]

Don't worry, once you go into the nav portion of the unit the interface is classic Garmin gps, the same easy to use and accurate menu you know and love.

Personally, I think this is so freaking smart on Kenwood's part. They stick to what they do best and they stand a better change of stealing away gps sales from Pioneer and Eclipse by letting Garmin, the gps leader in sales here in the US do what they do best. I've tried to use some of Pioneer's gps UI and it did make sense after a few minutes of playing around. But the Garmin stuff is so stupid proof any body can pick it up.

[Eric Constantinides @ Mar 25th 2008 12:01PM]

Skip this and get a carputer for half the price and twice the features.

[crispy @ Mar 25th 2008 12:28PM]

Carputer gps software usually sucks for usability. I don't know of any computer based gps software that has been optimized for touchscreen use. All of the software expect you to be using a mouse and keyboard which is dangerous in a car environment. Using the on screen keyboard to get around this sucks because it usually small and has many keys that won't be used in navigation.

On the car audio side, do any of these carputer programs have an ability to adjust crossover points? What are their eq's like? Do they have a decent audio processor? I really don't know so please let me know.

But to suggest a carputer against this, which last time I checked on their current model, was going for $1100 with a backup camera and bluetooth accessory at crutchfield. I don't know if you can get all the same functionality out of carputer for that price because you still have to buy a touchscreen. Even if you can get all the functionality and I don't know if the usuability will be as good.

[crispy @ Mar 25th 2008 12:31PM]

Kenwood's current model btw.

[chinadan @ Mar 25th 2008 7:42PM]

Yawn, old news. Over here in Chinehole you can get (localized) GPS plugins from Shinco for about a year now (for the DDX70xx series). Problem is the horrible display on the Kenwood (not daylight readable), mounting position and the laughable UI.

The only real benefit over a portable unit I would see would be wheel sensors, accelerometers, altitude meter (for those flyovers), digital compass for dead reckoning.

[Xavier Baez @ Mar 26th 2008 6:31PM]

I have the Kenwood 719DVD with the Garmin GPS and the XM Traffic receiver

That combination is second to none, I really hope they can continue to make killer products

[Xavier Baez @ Mar 26th 2008 6:31PM]

I have the Kenwood 719DVD with the Garmin GPS and the XM Traffic receiver

That combination is second to none, I really hope they can continue to make killer products

[Logboy @ Mar 29th 2008 11:35AM]

Wow....much sexy... and the Meth-heads who've stolen my last two MASK desks will really appreciate that they can buy more junk when they hock this new model.

[Logboy @ Mar 29th 2008 11:37AM]

This will be really awesome. I hope my Momz won't be too mad 'cause I have to live with her another year so I can buy this.

[jerry @ Apr 8th 2008 9:33AM]

Are you the manufacturer that supplies the f150 ford trucks? Im looking for the system that has the large touch screen in the 2008 models.Can you tell me how much they are to order from you and if it comes with the rear back up feature thanks Jerry