The most unique feature of the Eclipse 3100 is its Area Shot navigation function, which provides turn-by-turn text directions to a preprogrammed destination. To use the Area Shot function, users have to go through a laborious preparation process. This involves finding the stereo's individual serial code; using it to register at Eclipse's Web site; programming destinations online using the Navteq-powered Eclipse route finder; saving the route file (in AST format) locally to the computer; burning the file onto a CD/R; and uploading the file from the CD/R to the stereo. (A far-more-efficient means of transferring the route data would be through a USB port on the front of the faceplate--perhaps something we'll see in later iterations of this model).
With all of these prerequisites in place, the stereo can then be used to display text and graphical directions from your starting point to your destination. The Eclipse CD3100 has no built-in GPS receiver, and so, unlike regular navigation systems, is unable to tell where the car is at any one time. Instead, drivers have to press the Up button on the rotary dial each time they have completed a turn or a stretch of road (pressing the Down button will take you back to the last direction if you've missed a turn). While the programming process is extremely time-consuming, the directions are surprisingly thorough. In addition to advising drivers when to turn right or left, the test directions give detailed guidance, informing drivers to "stay straight" or that "Kezar Drive becomes Lincoln Way," for example.
In sum
The Eclipse CD3100 is a car stereo for drivers interested in fine-tuning their in-cabin acoustics. It manages to combine an intuitive user interface with a useful search feature for navigating digital audio CDs, although programming its Area Shot navigation feature is more trouble than its worth.
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