CES Winner, Alpine IVA-D300

http://www.techtv.com/graphics/freshgear/3592100.jpg


"The Alpine Electronics IVA-D300 Mobile Multimedia Station is a leap forward in touch-screen technology. It's a DVD-based A/V head unit that incorporates Alpine's exclusive PulseTouch technology.


This tactile technology simulates different key styles on the screen, where users can actually feel the edges of the keys when moving a finger on the screen display. It's a terrific feature in display technology and especially important when you're driving, and need to keep your eyes on the road. You touch it and it touches you back.
...
Finally, a touch-screen that responds. " (grabbed from www.techtv.com)


"The IVA-D300's PulseTouch technology provides a radical improvement in human interface design for mobile electronics products by delivering tactile confirmation of on-screen commands through the user's fingertips. The technology can simulate different key styles to provide a unique feel when holding down, tapping, sliding or pushing a button. Users can even feel the edges of each key when tracing their finger over the screen, enabling them to locate buttons while keeping their eyes on the road.

....

In another industry first, the IVA-D300 enables DVD menu keys to be controlled via the PulseTouch display's Direct DVD Menu Touch. This feature is key since DVDs have varying layouts for set-up and playback menus. With this feature, users no longer have to adjust their attention to identify differing DVD menus, since all actions are now accessible by touching the screen. Brightness, color, contrast, tint and sharpness, as well as Alpine's new Visual EQ(TM) control to optimize image quality, can all be adjusted through the PulseTouch display.

"Alpine has broken the mold for touch screen in the car," said Stephen Witt, Alpine's vice president of Brand Marketing. "With its groundbreaking PulseTouch display technology, the IVA-300 sets a new industry standard for human interface design and full multimedia system control." " (grabbed from corporate.findlaw.com)

So what do you think guys? Sounds interesting, doesn't it?

This (http://www.alpine-usa.com/html/press/010804_touchscreen.html) is the link in alpine-usa.

Whoa, i'd love to know how that works... Very cool.

So, it it just a fixed 3D screen glass-front, are do these areas dynamically move around depending on what mode or screen your looking at :wow:!?

Obviously you didn't get the meaning, Rich... It's to do with touching, not looking. ;)

the thing i dont understand is how it simulates the feel sensation - extremly clever if it works and probably an amazing bit of kit but i will have to hold judgement till i "touch" one :p

one other thing, to simulate the feel of a button or any kind of surface for that matter- the screen has to do one of two things (i would assume anyway- correct me if im wrong)

either

a) alter the surface of the touch area through its own accord (which would in turn make the buttons somewhat "visible"

or

b) simulate the feeling of the buttons through some kind of small electrical signal passed accross the surface of the touch pad (very matrix esq??!)

any ideas on how this actually works? would be very interested to know!

:wow: :wow: cool new gadget but how much dose it cost????

I hope to god its single DIN cos I have a space that DESIRES this bit of kit.

Imagine if it was like millions of tiny cubes that raised to form the different shape keys: scrolls at the side to move up and down would move with your finger as you slid it downwards. Itd feel smooth as it moved with your finger.

PDAs next then yankees, cmon, you design these things not the rest of the world!

Good spot n_olympios (nick?)

:raz:

it might have a load of pins behind the screen, like those things you used to mush your face in as a kid to make a replica of your face. why must they keep bringing out all this lovely new stuff, i like having money IN my pockets!! :lol:

I think its rrp is $1300 (US). It is 1 DIN and yes, my name is Nick. ;)

I'm afraid the UK price will be nowhere as low as $1300, but it will be priced similar to competitor's products on the market.

The pulse touch feature works amazingly well - I tried it on a prototype last October. It uses a piezo component, so the screen "buzzes", but that description doesnt do justice to the technology. For example, if there are 6 "buttons" on the bottom of the screen, left to right, and you scroll your finger across the screen, you can feel each individual "buttons"!

Obviously you didn't get the meaning, Rich... It's to do with touching, not looking. ;)

Don't think I phrased that very well!

Just wasn't sure whether it was just a contoured glass piece on the display, with fixed buttons you could feel the contours of, but couldn't move around as buttons appeared in different areas of the screen, when in different "modes"... Sounds seriously clever though...

I'm afraid the UK price will be nowhere as low as $1300, but it will be priced similar to competitor's products on the market.


can i ask why?

why do products double in price just because its in the UK?
and dont say shipping etc cause i am sure alpine bring in huge containers so the shipping per product will be very low

can i ask why?

why do products double in price just because its in the UK?
and dont say shipping etc cause i am sure alpine bring in huge containers so the shipping per product will be very low

There are various reasons, but some even management in the UK fail to understand. Do you think we want to price it high? The lower it is, the more we sell. You will be surprised how disappointed we are when we cant price products at a lower price. Also it makes us uncompetitive.

1. Lower overheads in the USA. The american market is bigger than the whole of europe put together. We have higher costs as there are distributors, offices in France, Belgium, Spain, Italy, Germany, UK. The different languages and smaller volumes result in highr cost per item.
2. Exchange rate fluctuations.
3. Related to 1 - Volume.
4. Higher margins for our dealers. Still, our margins are lower than many "specilaist" products favoured by users on this forum, and many of our products are discounted.

There are other factors, but the above are just a few.

I think Alpine do very well for themselves price wise to be honest.

Especially with the discounts [ ;) ay Atsu :D ]