All navigation functions of the IVA-W205 are controlled by the Blackbird PMD-B200 portable navigation device (sold separately), which fits into a dock behind the roll-down LCD display. The Blackbird serves as the "brains" of the IVA-W205's navigation system, with all the functions of the portable transferred to the in-dash touch screen.

The unique design aspect of the IVA-W205 is its ability to swallow whole the separate, standalone Blackbird PMD-B200 portable GPS device, which gives it the ability to act as an in-dash nav system. With a push of the eject button, the LCD display rolls down revealing a large dock, into which the Blackbird is inserted headfirst.

With the Blackbird docked, the IVA-W205's screen shows a blown-up image of the maps and menus from the portable device, giving the in-dash system a less well-rendered, grainer visual quality than the smaller-screen portable. Nevertheless, the IVA-W205 retains the Blackbird's colorful maps and intuitive programming interface. With a separate receiver, the system can also be used to overlay real-time Navteq traffic information on the maps.

With the Blackbird PMD-B200 inserted and an external microphone connected, the Alpine IVA-W205 can also be used as a very useful Bluetooth hands-free calling interface. With a phone paired (and the "Bluetooth In" setting on "Nav"), the system can be used to place and receive calls.

In addition to its CD and DVD disc playback, the IVA-W205 can be used to play AM/FM radio and media from external audio/video sources via its rear-mounted auxiliary inputs. With external modules, the system can also be used as a satellite and HD radio tuner and can play audio from iPods and USB drives.

As part of the pairing process, the IVA-W205 copies over all phone book and recent call activity information from the cell phone--a feature that we particularly like. To initiate a call, users can either dial a number on the onscreen keypad or select a name from their phone book.

For disc-based audio playback, IVA-W205 supports Red Book CDs, as well as MP3- and WMA-encoded discs, all of which are inserted in the single disc slot behind the motorized drop-down faceplate. For compressed audio format discs, the display shows complete ID3-tag information for track, artist, and album.

One of our favorite features of the system's media playback functionality is its Folder List function, which displays folders on a disc five at a time. With a folder selected, the screen then shows a list of tracks within the folder, also five at a time; a one-touch scrolling feature allows drivers to browse their entire music libraries with ease. For those who want to skip songs and folders one at a time, there are also dedicated soft buttons for navigating discs without using the Folder List.

The IVA-W205 impressed us with it audio customization features. Standard output of 18 watts per channel can be enhanced with separate front-, rear-, and subwoofer 2-volt preouts. Bass and treble can be adjusted according to level and frequency, and a high-pass filter setting for front and rear lets users fine-tune their EQ.