B’Berry Tablet Passes Best Buy Expectations

The BlackBerry PlayBook beat sales expectations at Best Buy, claimed the retailer over a week after the tablet went on sale.

“Best Buy has had great success selling BlackBerry smartphones in North America, so our sales expectations for the BlackBerry PlayBook were very high,” Best Buy said Thursday. “To date, we have far exceeded those expectations and we’re finding that customers are even more interested in purchasing once they’ve tested the PlayBook in the store,” said Best Buy.

The 7-inch PlayBook began selling on April 19, but it met disfavor with many reviewers who complained it lacked a built-in email client (it relies on a tether to your BlackBerry phone for email). Some also said the software was buggy.

Still, the device sold about 50,000 units on day one, estimates RBC Capital Markets, possibly more than the Motorola’s Xoom or Galaxy Tab in early sales, notes PC World. Apple sold 4.69 million iPads in the recent quarter.

Meanwhile BlackBerry maker Research in Motion is facing challenges in sales of its smartphones. It issued a warning this week of lower sales for the BlackBerry this quarter, which sent its stock tumbling 11 percent in after hours trading, said The Wall Street Journal, which called the warning “fresh evidence that RIM is struggling to compete with Apple Inc. and other smartphone makers, especially in the U.S. market.”

Part of RIM’s woes are that it is delaying a release of new BlackBerry phones until later this year, as it shifts over to products with touch screens and that run on a new operating system.

Source: PC World, The Wall Street Journal

Howard Stern Begins Shorter Work Week

Yesterday the self-proclaimed king of all media, Howard Stern affirmed that he’ll start cutting back to 3- or 4-day a week appearances on Sirius XM. His reduced hours should begin next week, said Radio-Info.com.

Previously Stern told Rolling Stone that the he’d probably cut back his hours as part of his second 5-year contract with Sirius XM.

The Examiner quoted Stern as saying, “I don’t want to hear any nonsense about it, because the option was either leave or work a few less days…I figured it was better if we showed up three days a week, sometimes four days a week or whatever, be here for you, touch base and do a good show.”

Source: Radio-Info.com, The Examiner

Why the White iPhone was Delayed

The white iPhone that finally landed in Apple Stores Thursday, was off to a good start in sales, at least in China, where people were lining up by the hundreds, said Digital Trends.

In the U.S., the white version of iPhone 4 is available on both Verizon and AT&T services and is expected to be available through both carriers’ stores as well as other select retailers.

The white iPhone 4 was repeatedly delayed over 10 months as producing a phone white, turns out to be more complex than just changing the color of the case.  The whiteness confused the phone’s proximity sensor, which detects when the phone is held near your head to turn off the touchscreen (as you talk) to preserve battery life, said CNN. Photos on the phone were also blurry.

Let’s hope the problems have been solved.

Source: Digital Trends, CNN

Photo of Apple’s Steve Jobs with white iPhone via CNN

Forbes Pegs Pandora Valuation at $1B

You may be interested to know, since Pandora pulled off a sweep of the car audio aftermarket, which is expected to be followed by a sweep of the new car market,  that Forbes thinks Pandora will be have a near $1 billion valuation as it goes public.

One reason Forbes gave it a $984 million valuation is that Pandora is successfully “strengthening its partnerships with consumer electronics manufacturers and looking to grow its presence in the automobile market for integration of Pandora’s music services in automobiles.”

The high valuation is just another sign that Pandora is likely to become a car audio staple.

Forbes also notes that Pandora is positioned to become a widely used advertising platform. It has over 80 million registered users, adding a new user almost every second. Its listener base is diverse and Pandora lets advertisers reach users based on their demographic and music tastes. So we’re guessing the Frank Sinatra listeners might appeal to one advertiser and the Lady Gaga listeners to another.

Pandora claims over 50 percent market share in Internet radio listening.

It  filed for an initial public offering in February 11 and is now in a quiet period.

Source: Forbes

iSimple Updates GateWay

iSimple announced new a firmware update for its GateWay iPod/iPhone car kit which makes it compatible with 60 percent more Honda and Acura car applications.

The firmware update lets the GateWay kit connect to the Honda/Acura radio as a CD changer instead of a satellite tuner. This allows it to be compatible with almost every 2004 to 2011 Honda and Acura.

The firmware upgrade works with the PXAMG GateWay or ISHD571 Honda/Acura specific kits. It can be downloaded at www.isimplesolutions.com or www.pac-audio.com.

The GateWay kit lets you connect an iPhone or iPod to a factory radio. Then you can control your music from the radio instead of the iPod or iPhone. It also charges most iPod/ iPhones. You can also add to the GateWay to add HD Radio, Bluetooth and satellite radio to the factory radio. –Lynn Shannon

Source: iSimple

Pandora Now Available on BMW

While almost every auto maker is promising Pandora control, the feature actually only became available on BMW cars Thursday, plus it’s on two Ford models: the 2011 Fiesta and 2012 Mustang.

BMW will now let you control Pandora from the radio when you connect your iPhone. You then get customized Internet Radio with thumb-up and thumb down ratings and the ability to create new custom stations. You can also bookmark songs.

It’s available on model year 2012 and 2011 BMWs produced from March on and you must also purchase the BMW Apps option for $250.

You must also download the latest version of the free Pandora app from iTunes App Store.

Ford points out that its Sync offers voice control over Pandora on an iPhone while the BMW offers only manual radio control. Additional Ford models will offer Pandora control later this year, said the company.–Bill Damsky and Amy Gilroy

Source: BMW and CEoutlook

Alpine Shifts Sales Team

Alpine Electronics has revamped its sales team, moving one of its Southern California sales reps, Bill Vickers to the new post of regional manager, Southern sales, and hiring Jason Fine from Calwest Marketing as its new Southern California sales rep.

Alpine says that at a time when other companies are downsizing their field management, it is enlarging its team.

Vickers will oversee sales in North and South Carolina, Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi, Tennessee, Florida, Oklahoma, Louisiana, Arkansas and Texas.  He’s a 19-year Alpine veteran.

Fine’s territory includes the South Bay and Orange County areas.  In addition to serving as a sales rep at Calwest for over ten year, Fine has also held assistant manager posts at Al & Ed’s Autosound and Car Toys.

Source: Alpine Electronics

Earthquake Ships Horn Driver

Earthquake is now shipping a new horn driver that accepts three different sizes of horns.

The HD250X driver specifically handles mid to high frequencies (just as a subwoofer is dedicated to lower frequencies). The speaker has a die cast aluminum housing with a Kapton voice coil. The horns can screw on by the user and they vary in size to produce different musical effects.

The horn driver itself has a suggested retail price of $89 and the add-on horns range from $9 to $19.

Source: Earthquake Sound

Entry Car Speaker line from Boston

Boston Acoustics announced a new SE series entry-level car audio speaker line of 11 models, which ship the first week of May.

The line replaces the former S series. It uses a new tweeter baffle that provides a 20 percent improvement in off-axis response (when the speakers are not aimed directly at your ear) compared to the previous design, says Boston.

Models range in price from $69.95/pair for the SE35, 2-way, 3 ½-inch coaxial speaker to $149.95 for the SE953 6 x 9 coaxial, or SE50 5 1/4 inch 2-way component or the SE60 6 ½ inch component.

The series includes Boston’s Type-S3 ¾-inch soft dome tweeter with neodymium magnets and Ferrofluid cooling. All SE woofers use 1 inch voice coils.

Specifics on the full line are below:

Coaxial Speakers (round) Coaxial Speakers (oval) Component Speakers
SE35 SE75 SE50
2-way 3 1/2” Coaxial 2-way 4 x 6” Coaxial 2-way 5 1/4” Component
US MSRP $69.95pr US MSRP $79.95pr US MSRP $149.95pr

SE45 SE85 SE60
2-way 4” Coaxial 2-way 5 x 7” Coaxial 2-way 6 1/2” Component
US MSRP $79.95pr US MSRP $119.95pr US MSRP $149.95pr

SE55 SE95
2-way 5 1/4” Coaxial 2-way 6 x 9” Coaxial
US MSRP $99.95pr US MSRP $129.95pr

SE65 SE953
2-way 6 1/2” Coaxial 3-way 6 x 9” Coaxial
US MSRP $119.95pr US MSRP $149.95pr

SE65RC
2-way 6” Coaxial
US MSRP $119.95pr

Source: Boston Acoustics

New Study Says Consumers Want Better 12V Solutions

A recent study conducted for the radio industry found that consumers want better aftermarket products and it once again demonstrated that there’s a demand for add-on car audio products.

Although the study appeared to be aimed at gauging demand for radio listening,  it had some interesting findings relating to car electronics.

It found that most of the 18 to 44 year-olds studied who said they listen to streaming audio in the car, reported they want better technical solutions for listening in their cars including aftermarket devices and factory installed in-dash systems.

The study by KnowDigital concluded, “This portrays a greater willingness on the part of consumers to pay for these technologies than many pundits assume.”

This jives with research presented several years ago at the 12 Volt Summit stating there’s demand for car electronics products, but a key problem is lack of awareness.

Back in 2008, Coyote Insight found:

• 6 – 11 percent of consumers are thinking about buying a car stereo aftermarket product

• ¼ of consumers do not believe car AV aftermarket products are too expensive

• awareness of car AV aftermarket products was down by 1/3rd compared to a decade ago

Once again, the industry could benefit from some strong consumer promotions.

Source: Yahoo! Finance

PNDs Fall Faster than Planned: TomTom

Total U.S. portable navigation device (PND) sales for Q1 fell to 2.1 million units, compared to 2.6 million units a year earlier, said TomTom.

CEO Harold Goddijn noted that PND sales in North America, “showed a more negative trend towards the end of the quarter.”

But TomTom continues to evolve from a PND maker into an automotive supplier and provider of other location based services. For Q1, its automotive revenues grew by 53 percent to 60 million euros and its content and services revenues climbed 36 percent.

As a result its net profit soared to 11 million euros in calendar Q1, compared to 3 million a year ago as the new business areas offset losses in PNDs.

TomTom’s consumer business unit, which includes PNDs, fell by 30 million euros to 157 million euros, compared to the year ago quarter.

In PNDs, TomTom said it increased its U.S. market share to 24 percent during the quarter, up from 22 percent a year ago.

Source: TomTom

New Pioneer iPhone-Like Car Radio?

The folks at CrunchGear claim they unearthed a new, unreleased Pioneer Electronics AppRadio in the FCC database called the model SPH-DA01.

Today’s new Pioneer radios already support lots of apps, but this one reportedly has a new user interface that is more like an iPhone, with a home screen showing rows of app icons. AND, finally…..the radio has a fast capacitive 6.1 inch multi-touch screen, says the report! That means you get the same kind of responsive touch screen available on a smartphone or tablet, which would be a first for car stereo, to our knowledge.

There’s even a home button as on any Apple device plus a volume rocker switch.

CrunchGear explains the radio doesn’t actually run Apple’s iOS, but its user interface is very similar.

As in today’s car radios, users can connect their iOS device to the car radio via USB to access the apps. And apps can be downloaded via a microSD card. This is all based on a single report plus a tipster to CrunchGear, so it’s in the rumor stage.
We sent an inquiry to Pioneer about the report, but it’s still pretty early in the morning in Long Beach, CA.

You can see the CrunchGear report here.

Source: CrunchGear

Photo: Mockup of Pioneer AppRadio via CrunchGear

Massive Appoints Big Bear Marketing

Massive Audio announced it appointed Big Bear Marketing of Milton, WA for its sales and distribution in the Northwest.

Dave Friesen, Steven Friesen and Curt Christensen of Big Bear will cover Washington, Oregon, W. Idaho, Boise and Alaska.

Scosche Ships Car Audio USB Drive

Scosche is now shipping the car stereo-aimed USB drive with a “low profile” so it won’t be easily knocked out of the car radio by the driver or passenger. Retailers may sell it along with a car radio to add some profit to the sale, said the company.

Instead of protruding the usual 1 to 2 inches out of the radio face, it extends less than a 1/2 inch, said Scosche. The drive holds 2GB of music and is called the model FSH2G, at a suggested retail price of $14.99. We first mentioned it 10 days ago with an undisclosed ship date and price.

Source: CEoutlook

Dual Delays 1st Specialty Line Til Summer

Dual Electronics said it has delayed the launch of its first specialist-aimed car radios until this summer. And it will also add multimedia products to the specialist line named Axxera.

It will be Dual Electronics’ first car radio series to support a set Minimum Advertised Price (MAP), said Ed Sachs, new Dual president of sales, and formerly president of Pioneer Electronics’ mobile division.

Axxera was shown in January at the Consumer Electronics Show, with a March delivery date, as a handful of audio-only CD radios, some with built-in Bluetooth. It was delayed due to “outstanding issues,” said Sachs. The line will now also feature two double DIN AV radios, as well as 6 x 9 and 6.5 -inch speakers with most models shipping in June, July and August.

The company is also “having conversations” about adding Pandora control, he said.

Axxera will offer high margins, said Sachs. Details were not available on the multimedia radios, but the audio-only radios remain similar to those introduced in January. At that time the company announced a double DIN CD radio with a $249 suggested price with built-in stereo Bluetooth. It was shown as the X2DMA500, with dual USB inputs (front and rear), an SD card slot and steering wheel interface. Another feature was HD Radio compatibility and iPod/iPhone radio control or manual control. An XDMA 7800CD at $229 was shown as the single DIN version.

Also unveiled was an XDMA7600 at $179 with the same Bluetooth and dual USB but without the HD Radio compatibility. It was joined by an XDMA7200 at $159 and an XDMA7100 at $129 with direct control for an iPod, a front panel USB input and SD card slot.

Source: CEoutlook

Sony Officially Intro’s Two Tablets

Now it’s Sony’s turn to take a shot at the tablet market.

Sony will introduce two tablets, codenamed S1 and S2 this fall that claim a unique design.

The models use Android 3.0 (Honeycomb) with a new “holographic interface.” They both offer WiFi and 3G/4G service, and claim an unusual form factor.

The S1 is a 9.4-tablet whose design is tapered and thinner on the bottom to make it more comfortable to hold over long periods and to make it easier to grip. It’s actually weighted differently so one end is heavier, as well.

The S2 can be folded in half. It has dual 5.5-inch displays that can be combined to create one large screen; or users can watch a video on one screen and use the other screen for input commands. Or they can view email on one screen and type on the other. (See video).

Sony aims to combine the tablets with its own network services such as the new Qriocity1 music and video service and the PlayStation Suite for gaming. For eBooks, there’s Sony’s Reader Store2.

The tablets will also permit control of home AV devices starting with Sony’s Bravia TVs. Users can turn on the TV from the tablet and change channels and adjust the volume. The tablets will be DLNA compliant so you can “throw” your content from the tablet onto a big screen or hear music from the tablet on wireless speakers.

Source: Sony

Crimestopper Ships its First Car Audio Line

Crimestopper is shipping its Lynx Audio mini powered-subs in the car security maker’s first foray into car audio.

The active subs can be added to a factory system for a quick upgrade in fidelity.  Some of the models are low profile, and fit under the seat and others install behind the seat or elsewhere in the car.

There are 9 models in the line and some let you plug in an iPod into an aux-in on the remote control.  Some have extra channels to power the existing factory speakers.

The leader model is an 8-inch low profile sub with 80 watts RMS power into 4 ohms with 1% THD at $249 suggested retail price. The top of the line model is an SW-836D, 10 inch sub at $595 with 4 extra channels.

Crimestopper says the units are pre-tuned and install in less than an hour.

Four models ship this month followed by another 5 models next month, said the company, which first announced Lynx Audio at the Consumer Electronics Show.

Source: Crimestopper

CEA Car Stereo TV Campaign May 25

And now, some good news…The Consumer Electronics Association is sponsoring its first ever Car Tech Week, which will include a live broadcast from a car stereo installer in Washington DC on May 25 that will be picked up on morning TV and radio shows across the country, said CEA’s Steve Kidera.

Kidera will also give interviews for local TV stations throughout the day on May 25, showing off aftermarket car stereo products, and CEA will promote the products throughout the week.

Retailers may also receive promotional banners and signage from CEA in support of Car Tech Week to be held May 23 – 27. And CEA will provide consumers a ZIP code locator to find the nearest retailers. It will also educate consumers about the importance of seeking out an MECP certified installer.

The goal is “to work with manufacturers, retailers and installers to educate consumers and promote the benefits of these technologies, from entertainment and information to safety and convenience,” said Kidera, a communications specialist for CEA.

The week-long promotion is CEA’s response to it members’ desire to raise awareness for aftermarket car electronics. (Finally!) Kidera said, “CEA has done similar promotional events in the past, think 3D Demo Days last year, with great success. We expect similar success with Car Tech Week.”

For more information contact Jack Cutts at jcutts@CE.org.

Source: CEA SmartBrief, CEoutlook

Sony Chairman Who Launched the CD Passes

The story goes that a young, aspiring opera singer wrote to Sony complaining that its tape recorders delivered poor audio quality. Sony hired the man, Norio Ohga, who eventually helped launch the compact disc and became Sony’s president and chairman from 1982 to 1995.

Ohga, age 81, died Saturday of multiple organ failure, the company said.

Ohga demanded the CD be designed at 12 centimeters (4.8 inches) in diameter to hold 75 minutes of music so it could store the full Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony.

Ohga said the CD would one day replace the record album, which was denied by skeptics. But it only took 5 years for that to occur in Japan (by 1987).

For the car stereo industry, the CD ushered in years of prosperity, as drivers sought to upgrade from OEM cassette players to aftermarket CD players.

See the full obituary here.

Source: AP via Yahoo! News

PAC Adds Amp Interface

Pacific Accessory Corporation (PAC) announced an add-an-amp interface for Chrysler, Dodge and Jeep CAN-Bus vehicles. It lets you add a 4-channel aftermarket amp to the cars’ sound systems.

The kit plugs into the cars’ fixed-level pre-amp audio signal and interprets CAN bus data messages and then gives you 4-channel, full-range (20-20Hz) audio output (and you can adjust the volume).

You get car-specific harnesses and a 4-channel output harness. The kit is the C2A-CHY23 at $149.95 suggested retail price. –Lynn Shannon

Source: PAC

Next Page »