AudioControl Intro’s LCQ-1, Overdrive Plus

AudioControl will announce at the Consumer Electronics Show a new 6-channel car audio processor—the LCQ-1—and a new pre amp line driver called the Overdrive Plus.

The LCQ-1 has high wattage speaker level inputs, custom eq controls for front, rear and subwoofer signals and a new AccuBass feature that restores the bass that is usually stripped out by factory car stereo systems.

The Overdrive Plus at $120 is a 2-channel, 24dB gain pre-amp line driver that lets users increase the signal voltage to an aftermarket amplifier to get better sound quality. It has an input for an optional Remote Level Control. It ships in early January.

Source: AudioControl

iSimple Intro’s iPad Kit for Car

iSimple will unveil at the Consumer Electronics Show an iPad docking cable to allow the iPad to work with a car radio or rear seat entertainment system.

The company is updating its MediaWire cable kit to the MediaWire PRO that works with the Apple tablet as well as an iPod or iPhone. The kit allows audio playback from the iPad to the car’s sound system and also charges the iPad. And you get a wireless remote that can mount on the steering wheel. It works with any car radio or monitor with RCA inputs.

Shipping is due in February at $69.95.

Source: iSimple (Aamp of America)

Rosen Adds iheartradio to Car Radios

Rosen Entertainment said it will add Clear Channel Radio’s iheartradio—with access to 750 radio stations–to its car radio lineup.

Rosen will phase in iheartradio capability during Q1 2011 in its line of factory look-a-like radios with navigation. They will include a built-in interface for iPhone, Android and BlackBerry devices to link wirelessly via Bluetooth to the radios. Then users can control the ihreartradio app on their phone from the radio screen.

The iheartradio app lets users save their favorite stations (out of hundreds of local AM/FM and other stations). You can set the app to automatically play a favorite station when the app is launched anywhere in the U.S. You can toggle between favorite stations. The Rosen AV/navigation radios (offered for over 50 vehicle applications) will display album art from iheartradio songs as well as control the app from Rosen’s 6.2- to 8-inch screens.

The Rosen radios also give you navigation with over 11 million points of interest. You get a DVD player and Made for iPod interface, built in stereo A2DP Bluetooth, Sirius satellite radio interface, and a virtual 6-disc CD/MP3 changer for storing music in the radio. You also get USB and SD ports, a quick install harness with steering wheel controls, dual zone controller and back up camera and rear seat screen capability.

iheartradio radio stations include AM/FM channels plus commercial free stations. They also include channels programmed by celebrities such as Christina Aguilera and Weezer.

Source: Rosen Entertainment

DICE DUO Kit for BMW

DICE is introducing a new car kit for BMW called the DUO that adds Sirius satellite radio as well as iPod/iPhone and other features.

And because the DUO is updatable via USB, it will be able to work with Livio Radio early next year as well as future versions of Sirius satellite radio. The kit is available at about $189.

The DUO focuses on sound quality with a signal to noise ratio of 90dB with 20-20kHz frequency response at less than 0.1% THD.
DICE notes that Sirius capability, plus HiFi quality and USB updatability are unusual in kits from $120 to $200–where 80 percent of vehicle specific OE integration kits are found.

The kit also uses Apple authenticated chips so consumers won’t get any “funny warnings” when they try to connect their device to the BMW car radio, DICE said.
Source: DICE Electronics

DICE Offers Internet Radio Car Kits

We don’t have Pandora car kits yet, but DICE Electronics will soon have Livio Radio-ready car kits.

DICE will offer Livio Radio Internet Radio access to 42,000 stations in a new car kit series called DUO and it has updated its MediaBridge kits to offer Livio Radio, as well.

Livio Radio basically aggregates thousands of stations from all over the world and applies a simple user interface so you can search through stations by genre and other criteria. You can then create presets for your favorite stations on your phone’s screen.

With an iPhone app and Android app (coming soon) on your smartphone, you can play, control and display thousands of stations through your car radio when your phone is connected to a DICE DUO or MediaBridge kit.

Because the kits are both user updatable via USB, DICE can add the Livio Radio capability through a firmware download that should be available in Q1.

In addition, the new DUO, which adds Sirius, iPod/iPhone and soon Livio Radio to a BMW, will soon be offered in other vehicles including Toyota, Honda, Nissan (for the first time from DICE), Mazda and Audi at $189.

Source: DICE Electronics

Scosche Debuts App for Installers

Scosche dealers can now get installation information from an iPhone.

The company will introduce at the Consumer Electronics Show a PRO app that puts its installation data base and vehicle fit guides in the cloud where installers may access them from a smartphone. Installers can also get instant chat from the app to speak or chat online with Scosche’s technical department.

The app lets dealers search for the accessories that fit a vehicle and provides wiring information, technical bulletins, illustrations of dash assemblies, etc.

The $2.99 app in iTunes’ App Store may be followed by Scosche apps for Android and BlackBerry phones.

Source: Scosche Industries

Christmas sales Rise 1.5 % in Consumer Electronics

Compared to last year, it was a Merry Christmas in consumer electronics. Sales rose 1.2 percent after falling 4.6 percent over Christmas in 2009 reported Bloomberg.

Consumer confidence pushed overall holiday sales up 5.5 percent over last year at U.S. retailers in the best results seen over the past five years.

Sales especially climbed in clothing and jewelry, up 11 and 7.2 percent respectively, according to MasterCard Advisors’ tracking firm SpendingPulse.

The sales gains are attributed to consumer confidence in the economy. Even the heavy Northeast storm following Christmas won’t hamper retail sales for the season overall, said SpendingPulse.

“Increasing confidence has freed up more money from savings…We are seeing this momentum building and being sustained,” said Michael McNamara, a vice president at SpendingPulse.

Source: Bloomberg

Photo via smh.com.au

NAV-TV Adds Bluetooth to BMWs

NAV-TV’s Tooki line of Bluetooth kits now work in BMWs.

BMW owners my add a Tooki Bluetooth module for handsfree calling, and music streaming from a phone as well as SMS text messaging.

The kit, at $790, syncs your phone book and includes a high quality microphone with noise canceling.

The Tooki is already offered for Audi, Porsche and Mercedes Benz vehicles. It now connects to the MOST network in certain BMW 1 series, 3 series, 5 series, 6 series and X5 and X6 vehicles. A professional installer can hook up the kit without requiring a trip to the BWM dealer.

It uses a Parrot chipset for compatibility with most phones. It begins shipping today.

Source: NAV-TV

Apple Hikes Up iPhone Production Plans: Report

Apple is getting ready for a strong Q1 in iPhone sales. The company raised its worldwide shipment goal for iPhones from an original 19 million units to 20-21 million units, said Taiwan-based news outlet Digitimes citing sources at component factories.

Apple expects to ship 14-15 million units of its current iPhone and will also produce 5-6 million units of the as yet unannounced (but widely anticipated) CDMA version of the iPhone which is expected to be sold through Verizon in the first quarter 2011.

For the full 2010, Apple iPhone sales are forecast to reach shipments of 47 million, including sales of 15.5 million iPhones in the fourth quarter 2010, said Digitimes.

Source: Digitimes, Forbes

Phoenix Gold to Intro Mini Amps at CES

Phoenix Gold will introduce at the Consumer Electronics Show a new line of mini digital amplifiers called the SD series.

The line includes 3 full range Class D amps: an 800 watt 5-channel model, a 500 watt 4-channel model and a 600 watt monoblock amp. The latter two measure 11.6 inches by 7.6 inches with a height of 2 inches. The 5-channel model is 13.6-inches long.

Suggested retail prices will range from $349 to $449.

Source: Phoenix Gold

iPad Can’t Stop Kindle’s Record Sales

The Kindle is having a Merry Christmas. The newest (third generation) Kindle is the bestselling product in Amazon’s history. Sales of the device eclipsed those of Harry Potter Book 7, announced Amazon on Monday.

Additionally, the iPad is not cutting into eReader sales, or at least Kindle sales, as some pundits expected. CEO Jeff Bezos said,“We’re seeing that many of the people who are buying Kindles also own an LCD tablet. Customers report using their LCD tablets for games, movies, and web browsing and their Kindles for reading sessions. They report preferring Kindle for reading because it weighs less, eliminates battery anxiety with its month-long battery life, and has the advanced paper-like Pearl e-ink display that reduces eye-strain, doesn’t interfere with sleep patterns at bedtime, and works outside in direct sunlight, an important consideration especially for vacation reading. Kindle’s $139 price point is a key factor — it’s low enough that people don’t have to choose.”

Amazon said “The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo” was the most purchased Kindle book on Christmas Day.

Apple’s iPod touch 8GB joined the Kindle WiFi and Kindle 3G among Amazon’s top-selling electronics products in units from November 14 through December 19.

Source: Amazon

Directed SmartStart Update: iPad Giveway

Directed Electronics added a “Find Your Car” feature to the Viper SmartStart App that also lets you remote start your car from your phone (with a car kit and remote starter).

And it launched a contest to give away an iPad a day over a 10-day period.

A new “SmartPack” pinpoints where you left your car. It records the car’s location every time the user presses the door lock button in the Viper SmartStart app.

The app also uses augmented reality (a type of virtual reality) to help you head back to your car. “You just hold up your phone and a virtual view of your car keeps you pointed in the right direction,” said Directed Electronics president Kevin Duffy.

Existing users can update their app and new users can get the revised app through the iTunes App Store, BlackBerry App World, Android Market, or www.viper.com/smartstart.

SmartStart app users can enter a “10 Day Viper SmartStart iPad Sweepstakes.” Users may sign up through their SmartStart app.

Source: Directed Electronics

Ford Finally Launches Tweets, Pandora in Car

Ford is starting to deliver on its promise of letting car owners listen to Tweets and Pandora while they drive, all with voice control.

The feature is now permitted for owners of the 2011 Ford Fiesta—all 14,000 of them—but Ford will extend it to other car models in the future.

So while driving, you can ask your radio to read back your Twitter feed by stating, “Read timeline.” Or you can ask your radio to play a certain Pandora station or to “Bookmark song,” or you can state “Thumbs up” or “Thumbs down.”

It works like this: You can link your BlackBerry, Android phone or iPhone to the car radio. You download the new Sync AppLink from www.syncmyride.com. Transfer it to the radio via USB drive. Then your radio will permit voice control over certain apps on your phone.

The first apps to work with the system are Pandora, Open Beak (a Twitter feed) and Stitcher (a news service) but other apps will be enabled in the future.

Ford first announced the capability in January, but is just now delivering the app to make it all work. Ford also previously announced it would work with BlackBerry or Android phones, but it has now added iPhone capability.

The iPhone connects to Ford radios via USB while Android and BlackBerry smartphones are paired to the radio via Bluetooth.

Ford said 46 percent of smartphone owners have apps on their phones and 36 percent of those use those apps while commuting. The AppLink software is designed to make app use safe in the car.

Ford’s Doug VanDagens said, “Ford has worked hard to be a step ahead or at least in step with the speed of the consumer electronics market, and to leverage the technologies, features and services we know our customers want to be connected to while driving.”

Here’s the schedule of availability for the Ford Sync-ready apps on different phones:

Pandora
Apple iPhone: Coming early 2011
Android: Available now (V1.5.3 or higher)
BlackBerry: Available now (Version 1.1.6 or higher)

Stitcher
Apple iPhone: Coming early 2011
Android: Coming early 2011
BlackBerry: Coming late 2011

OpenBeak
BlackBerry: Available now from http://m.openbeak.com and soon in Blackberry App World (Version 1.4 or higher)

Source: Ford

German Maestro Distributes Ground Zero

German Maestro announced it will distribute Ground Zero car audio products in the U.S. as the brand makes its return stateside after departing during the last decade.

The Ground Zero line will formally resurface at the Consumer Electronics Show in January. German Maestro will be responsible for all sales, warranty and business activities for Ground Zero, which is said to have helped establish new SPL records in the 1990s.

German Maestro said Ground Zero products will fall under virtually all of the current German Maestro business policies. “There will be a few minor differences in warranty and freight programs but the fundamentals of our approach to market will hold true for Ground Zero,” said German Maestro’s Ray Windsor.

Sample quantities will be available for shipment at CES.

Source: German Maestro

About 8 Million Kindles Will Sell in 2010

Amazon.com is on track to sell more than 8 million Kindles this year, said Businessweek citing 2 sources close to Amazon.

To put that in perspective, that’s about twice the number of eReaders sold by all suppliers in the U.S. last year. And it’s about 60 percent higher than analysts had predicted.

Analysts had forecast about 5 million Kindles would sell this year. Last year an estimated 2.4 million Kindles reached consumer hands.

There appears to be plenty of demand in eReaders—at least for the top brands such as the Kindle—despite the success of the Apple iPad. Of course, the iPad literally pushed both Amazon’s Kindle and Barnes & Noble’s Nook down to the lower price tier, under $200 for the basic versions.

Apple said it sold 7.46 million iPads from the launch of the tablet in April through September.

Source: Businessweek

Microsoft Ships 1.5M Windows Phone 7 Smartphones

Microsoft has been tight-lipped until now on sales of smartphones running its new Windows Phone 7 OS.

But today it revealed 1.5 million Windows Phone 7 smartphones sold into carriers and stores in the first six weeks of shipments. That’s “sell-in” data to stores, not “sell through” data to consumers, but it’s more than we’ve heard from Microsoft so far.

In an story posted by Microsoft, the company’s Achim Berg said more than 4,000 apps are now in Microsoft’s marketplace, “with more pouring in daily.”

He said the first of several updates to Windows Phone 7 will be released “in the next couple of months.”

Smartphones on Windows Phone 7 launched in the U.S. on November 8 accompanied by a $100 million ad campaign.

Source: Microsoft via Engadget

Photo: Samsung Focus

Visteon to Show iPad Car System at CES

Visteon hinted it will show at CES a new iPad system for the car and a smartphone-to-car system using the GENIVI platform.

A Visteon press invite said it will show the iPad “as an interface to the in-vehicle infotainment system.” It will also show its own app marketplace for navigation, traffic, and other car related apps.

We’ll have to wait for CES for more details but we bet you will be hearing a lot more about the GENIVI platform at CES so we thought we’d give you a refresher on that.

Basically it costs right now about $100 million for a tier 1 supplier to create a fancy touch panel radio to be used in many different car models. You have to tweak the radios for each car model and it gets expensive. So GENIVI is a platform that has pre-written software to allow a supplier to create high tech smartphone-to-car and other radios that can work on many different cars.

About 100 companies are supporting GENIVI to help streamline the rollout of Linux based, easy to customize car radio systems that can link to your smartphone. Some members include BMW Group, General Motors, Intel, Delphi, Visteon, Nokia, NEC, Renault, Hyundai, Jaguar, SAIC (an up and coming Chinese car maker).

There are some GENIVI-based car radios in production now that we’ll see in the 2013 model year, said GENIVI’s Joel Hoffman who is also Intel’s market development manager for the automotive group.

Source: Visteon and The GENIVI Alliance

OnStar Tracks Santa on Christmas Eve

When you are on the way to visit Grandma on Christmas Eve, the kids can track Santa via OnStar.

Subscribers can press the OnStar button to receive location-based updates on Santa’s whereabouts from 6 am Eastern on Christmas Eve to 5 am Christmas morning.

OnStar can achieve this difficult task through its partnership with the North American Aerospace Defense Command. For more than 54 years, NORAD has used its North Warning Radar System and geo-synchronous satellites with infrared sensors to monitor Santa on Christmas Eve.

“OnStar adds another layer to the program,” NORAD spokesman James Graybeal said. “In addition to tracking Santa on the Web or by calling in to the operations center, it’s neat that you can locate Santa by pushing a button in your car, wherever you are.”

If you don’t subscribe to OnStar, you can still track Santa by calling 877-HI-NORAD or visiting www.noradsanta.org.

Source: AutoWeek

Creative ZiiO Tablet On Sale

Creative Technology’s 7-inch tablet called the ZiiO is now on sale, promising to bring better than usual audio to an Android tablet.

The device at $249 and $269 (for 8GB and 16GB versions) has a “Pure Android Audio App” with built in sound enhancement technology, says Creative, which is known for its MP3 players and audio products.

The ZiiO runs Android 2.1, with a front facing camera, WiFi, Bluetooth and HD video out.

Source: Creative Technology via MobileWhack

Steelmate USA Parking Assist Install Contest

Steelmate USA is holding a competition for the best install of parking assist systems.

Over 60 days, Steelmate retailers may submit photos of their most creative and advanced back up installations. The installs will be judged by fit and finish, unusual applications, high end installations and placement of sensors and the camera.

First prize winners for each of the four categories will win a PTSV401 parking assist system. Second and third prize parking assist systems will also be awarded. All entrants receive a Steelmate tool box and SKEW brand Weekend PRO screwdriver kit.

All installation photos will be posted on the Steelmate Web site.

The “Hit us with your best shot” contest ends February 15. Dealers may sign up at info@steelmateUSA.com.

Source: Steelmate USA

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