Sound Advice “Model” Car Audio Shop Opens

Sound Advice, Ft. Lauderdale, FL., opened the doors on its car stereo department, with plans to become a cutting edge ‘model shop’ for car electronics retailing.

Run by former senior VP merchandising for Car Toys, Dan Jeancola, the department is offering some unique installation practices and implementing test trials for suppliers that may lead to shifts in car stereo merchandising.

First, Sound Advice  is testing a new merchandising display for JL Audio Stealthboxes (custom woofer enclosures for individual cars). The display shows pieces of the Stealthbox installed in a car. These are not active displays, but they show the speaker in a real life setting so the customer gets a visual image.

“These are larger ticket items that are tough to communicate to the customer. They are form fitted to each vehicle, so it’s not something you put on a regular car audio display,” said Jeancola.

Another unusual store practice will be to allow consumers to enter the install bay to watch his install and ask questions.

Where most stores try to keep customers out of the bay, Sound Advice wants to get the customer involved.

“They’ll see us pop panels…we really feel that if they see how this stuff goes in and see what they bought and how it integrates and what else can be done, it gives us an opportunity for add-on sales,” said Jeancola.

The installer can recommend sound deadening mats, or an upgrade from coax speakers to components. It also gives the store another chance to sell Bluetooth kits or an HD Radio upgrade.

The shop will also test trial some store-within-a-store concepts to be announced later.

A new configurator will go up on the web site within 10 days that will show customers not only which decks and speakers work with his car, but also which smartphones and iPod kits work with his system.

Jeancola explains the new approach; “We went to all the vendors and said, ‘If we keep doing the same things, we’ll get the same results.’ So we let the vendors test some things in the stores. If they work well here, and we can prove there were added sales, they will be made available to other retailers.”

The store, which also sells home theater, has the capacity to handle six car installations at a time. Sound Advice hopes to expand to 10 stores in the next four years.

Sound Advice was once a leading 35-store chain. It was sold by CEO Peter Beshouri around 2001 to Tweeter, which entered bankruptcy starting 5 years later. Beshouri re-opened a single Sound Advice store this February and was reunited with Dan Jeancola, who originally ran the car audio departments for Sound Advice.

Source: CEoutlook

Scosche Ships New Nissan Dash Kits

Scosche Industries is shipping three Nissan dash kits to give aftermarket radios a “custom fit” in the dash.

New models include the NN1669B for the 2011 Nissan Quest, the NN1670B for the 2011 Nissan Rogue, and the NN1666B for the 2010 Nissan Sentra.

The kits works with double or single DIN radios and are priced at $19.95, $24.95 and $39.95, respectively. A matching harness and antenna adapter is also available.

Source: Scosche

Audison Discontinues Speaker Line

Update!  We have been contacted by Larry Penn, Elettromedia Italy’s Area Manager for the U.S.  While he confirms that the company is indeed phasing out the Thesis speaker line from Audison, he said it is due to many factors, not just the cost of neodymium.  He adds, “We are not abandoning the category.”

Penn said he will contact us tomorrow with additional information.  In the duration, he claimed certain comments below were incorrect.

We’ll update the story when we hear back from him.

High end Italian car audio maker Audison has discontinued its Thesis line of car speakers due to the escalating cost of neodymium, confirmed the company.

With the cost of neodymium up by 1,800 percent in the past year and a half, “it just got to the point where the cost of the materials makes the product cost ridiculous,” said Larry Frederick, technical director of Elettromedia which makes Audison, Hertz and Connection brands.

The general pricing rule is cost of materials times 5. “So if something goes up by 20 times, maybe it’s only a buck, but then it’s really 20 times 5,” he said.

The line was discontinued late last week and the company is just about of stock. It is possible that Audison will show new Thesis speakers as early as January, which will be redesigned to include less neodymium.

“I think you are going to see all suppliers of products with larger drivers that use neodymium either pass on the cost or discontinue the products,” said Frederick. He noted that with smaller drivers like tweeters, there’s less of cost problem as they may only weigh an ounce or less.

“From what I gather, China has the largest deposits of neodymium and with the onslaught of electric cars and trains, neodymium has become super important for those products, so car audio is a low priority,” he added.

Thesis speakers, among the best in car audio, carried a price of $2,500 for a pair of 6 inch models. Frederick said, they are some of the fastest speakers ever made in terms of ability to respond to the audio signal.

Audison‘s Voce line remains intact as Voce speakers use less neodymium. Also Thesis car amplifiers are still available.

Source: CEoutlook
Thanks D.

Why You Should Care About the Kindle “Fire”

News of Amazon’s official unveiling of the Kindle “Fire,” Amazon’s first tablet, blazed across the blogosphere as the 7-inch device, at only $199– less than half the price of an iPad–might truly give Apple some worthy competition.

What’s it to you?

A 7-inch tablet that would fit nicely in a headrest from a top brand at $200 could set the rear seat entertainment market on its ear.

The Fire is not just another Android tablet. It runs a highly customized version of Android that gives you access to Amazon apps. You can also stream movies and TV shows from Amazon. It goes on sale November 15 and pre-orders begin Wednesday.

Amazon is expected to ship between 2 and 3 million of the devices in Q4, says Janney Capital Markets. (By contrast only 200,000 BlackBerry PlayBook 7-inch tablets shipped in the recent quarter from Research in Motion).

Why you shouldn’t panic.

The device does have some limitations. It’s not 3G capable…yet. The WiFi only model also has limited access to apps compared to the iPad. And it has no camera or microphone.

Janney Capital says Amazon may offer a better appointed 10-inch version with dual processor early next year.

If the larger device proves far more popular, the car stereo industry may yet be spared the disruption of a 7-inch blockbuster tablet for a few more years.

At any rate, Amazon’s Fire will be closely watched. Amazon is offering a low cost, easy-to-use device on a mega-high traffic web site. That formula worked well for the Kindle, notes The Wall Street Journal.

Another Note for Specialists

Internet shopping. The Kindle Fire may make shopping from the Internet even more ubiquitous. Bloomberg notes the Fire is ”… a sit-back-on-the-sofa- and-shop device… If the Fire and its inevitable sequels are successful, they will add even more might to one of the fastest-growing retail operations the world has ever seen.”

Apple has sold 28.7 million iPads, and that has been enough to cause a shift in ecommerce sales. A fifth of all mobile ecommerce is now purchased from a tablet, reports Forrester Research.

We’re saying this every day: get your web site up and ready and updated frequently.

Source: The Wall Street Journal, Bloomberg

Best Buy Cuts Holiday Hiring in Half

Best Buy will cut its hiring of holiday workers in half this year.

The largest consumer electronics chain in the world will hire 15,000 temporary workers this holiday season, compared to 29,000 last year. In compensation, it is asking full-time employees to work overtime.

Best Buy CEO Brian Dunn told Reuters the company is expecting consumers will be tight on spending during the holidays. “The consumer is being really careful about where he or she is spending the dollars, and I think that will continue through the holidays,” he said.

Advisory firm, Deloitte predicts overall holiday retail sales growth of 2.5 to 3 percent compared to last year. This is lower than last year’s growth of 5.9 percent.

Online, catalog and TV shopping sales should grow 14 percent this year, with most of the gains in online sales.

(Hint: If you aren’t updating your web site weekly, it’s time to start.)

Best Buy notes that 60 percent of its customers visit its web site before coming into the store!

Deloitte says holiday shoppers will be researching online and on their smartphones before buying and during their trips to the stores. Retailers with a strong web strategy will have the advantage, said Deloitte’s Alison Paul. “The brick-and-mortar store is still central to the shopper experience. Retailers that integrate the power of the sensory experience in-store with relevant, timely information via their websites and mobile applications are well-positioned to lead the way this holiday season.”

For its part, Best Buy has been feeling the pinch from Walmart and Amazon and other online stores.

Earlier this month, the chain reported a net income loss of 30 percent for the second quarter, hitting $177 million, which is down from $254 million last year.

Best Buy same store revenues fell 2.8 percent during the quarter.

Note: If you didn’t get the message the first time, make sure you have a great web site that is updated frequently.

Source: Reuters , Deloitte

Auto Page Offers Special Order C3 Remote Start

Auto Page is offering a special order only 6-channel remote starter that is compatible with C3 technology to start the car from a smartphone.

The C3-RSTK915 provides two-way confirmation that the car started and one mile range. The remote control transmitter comes in a “heavy metal” case with a 7-color LCD screen and SST paging.

Also included is a second one-way metal, 5-button extended range remote control transmitter.

The unit has 5 on-board relays for parking lights, starter, accessories, and ignition 1&2. The system also features C3 compatible data port for C3 Telematics integration and O.E.M. bypass integration.

It is available now for special order at $499 in master cartons of 12.

Source: Auto Page

Vais Tech Expands MediaLinQ

VAIS Technology has expanded its MediaLinQ + car kit that adds Pandora control and iPod Out and iPod Video Out to a Toyota or Lexus radio with navigation.

The kit is now compatible with the Lexus LS and LX models.

This joins models supported earlier including IS, ES, GS, CT, GX, HS, RX.

The ML+ iPod/iPhone kit lets you use the touch screen controls on the factory radio to control Pandora on an iPhone. You also get thumbs up/thumbs down touch screen controls.

The kit provides iPod Out and iPod Video Out so that the radio screen displays a near identical user interface to that of an iPod, and it lets you play movies, video and audio from an iOS device on the radio screen.

The ML+ kit also allows you to add a flash drive and other devices to the radio.

The $500 kit connects directly into the automobile’s bus system to simplify installation. It was first introduced with iPod Out in December followed by an upgrade for Pandora control in July.

Source: CEoutlook

Apple Event Official on October 4

Apple finally sent out press invitations for an event next Tuesday, October 4 to ‘talk’ about a new iPhone.

Also at the event, Facebook is expected to announce an iPad app and a newly designed iPhone app as it strives to become the social network of the mobile universe, reports Mashable.

We still don’t know whether Apple will introduce more than one phone (including a lower cost version of the iPhone 4), and if it will support 4G. Rumors persist that the new iPhone will be offered by Sprint, in addition to AT&T and Verizon.

No doubt, until next Tuesday, we’ll be hearing the usual frenzy of speculation as well as ongoing guesses at what the picture on the invite (above) symbolizes.

Source: Engadget, Mashable via CNN

New BMW Ties Radio to Engine

Here’s the latest form of tying the radio to car functions. The 2012 BMW M5 car radio mimics the sound of the car’s engine revving and whining as you drive.

BMW apparently had to keep the engine noise (external) to legal guidelines but didn’t want drivers to miss the sweet roar of acceleration. So it tied the DSP of the sound system directly to the engine management system, “allowing it to reflect the engine’s revs and torque, and the car’s speed over the road,” said page 34 of a 47 page press release for the car that will formally debut in a few months at the Frankfurt Auto Show.

BMW calls this “Active Sound Design” technology and it was specially developed for the new M5.

The fake engine noise seems to be in real time because the system “takes its cues from the firing sequence of the eight-cylinder engine and the frequency range of the exhaust system. This gives the driver an extremely accurate impression of current engine load and an even more intense sensation of the V8’s high-performance characteristics,” said BMW.

When you switch the car into “Sport” mode, the simulated engine noise intensifies.

CNET notes this audio feature is the polar opposite of the noise cancellation technology in the Honda Odyssey minivan, which uses the car audio system to cancel out cabin noise through out-of-phase sound waves. Also the Prius uses external speakers so the quiet engine doesn’t go unnoticed by pedestrians.

 

BMW did not respond to a request for more information.

Above is a video of a rare public test drive of the car, where you can hear the engine simulation when the car goes up to 180 miles.  The F10 Forum says it sounds like a jet.

Source: Engadget, CNET, F10 Forums

Clarion Launches Facebook Contest for Marine Audio

Clarion is offering a Facebook “End of Summer Boat Photo” contest to win a CMD7 marine audio CD/USB receiver and an MW1 remote control.

Facebook visitors can submit photos of themselves or their boats to enter. The contest will run from September 19-30th and then voting begins on October 3.

Click here for details.

Magnum Fall Customer Appreciation Event

Phoenix, AZ–Magnum Sales and Distribution Southwest will host a sales and product training event at their Phoenix location on Thursday evening, October 6, 2011.

The event is sponsored by JVC Mobile, Cerwin-Vega, Compustar, PAC, MTX and others. Sales and product training will be offered along with demo vehicles, prizes, food and refreshments.

John Ivey, president of Magnum states: “We would like to give back to our dealers and help them grow in these economic times by training them on the proper way so sell the products they have in their stores. They will learn the functions and features of products and will be able to relay that to their consumer without having to rely on price only.”

The customer appreciation evening will be open to all car electronics retailers and their salespeople and technicians.

For information, click here.

JVC Mobile Launches 84 Facebook Pages

JVC Mobile Entertainment announced the launch of a network of 84 Facebook pages designed to lure the 16 to 35 year old audience and link them to local JVC car AV retailers.

The campaign features  local JVC Facebook pages (plus a national page) that focus on topics such as music, action sports, body art, and fashion, or what JVC calls, ‘the rock and roll, celebrity lifestyle.’

“While many companies have attempted to reach their target audience on a national basis, few, if any, have attempted to build a national network of local communities in support of their brand and their customers,” said Chad Vogelsong, General Manager of Marketing for JVC Mobile Entertainment.

“We are truly building a social network inside ‘The Social Network,’” he said.

JVC will post content every day on each of the 84 local Facebook pages, as well as its national JVC Mobile Entertainment Facebook page.

By posting a wide array of new content daily to peak the interests of the brand’s 15,000 Facebook followers, JVC hopes to engage  and expand its audience with events, promotions and contests. The local Facebook pages will also provide information about JVC’s car audio products and will promote its dealers in each local region.

“For over 15 years, JVC has been involved with musicians and musical venues, action sports athletes, lifestyle events, tattoo artists and exhibitions, said Vogelsong. “Now we are taking it to another level by reaching out to individuals, independent retailers and events on a local level around the country and asking them to join us in celebrating these lifestyles.”

JVC is already running contests with prizes of musical instruments autographed by Linkin Park and Puddle of Mudd, and Alice in Chain’s guitarist Jerry Cantrell. These promos will continue through this year and beyond on the new Facebook pages and JVC’s main page.

The company is also launching a campaign to drive more traffic to the Facebook pages. “We scoured the Internet, trade associations, dealer lists and personal sources to compile as big a list of potential community members in each local area as possible and now we are starting to reach out and engage them in our local communities,” said Danny Klein, e2amp creative director for JVC’s Turn Me On campaign.

JVC said it will also work with local retailers to begin posting photos and videos of great installs. It will also announce sales and events and it will help dealers to create Facebook pages.

“We believe that this new platform is a great tool that will help us support our local retailers and our customers. This program is a long term strategy that will further support our company’s belief that it is all about the music, technology and lifestyle,” said Vogelsong.

To visit a Facebook page click here.

Source:  JVC Mobile

Pioneer Video #3 Focuses on Installation

Pioneer’s third YouTube video in a 4-part series focuses on car audio installation question for novices.

Pioneer is releasing the videos on YouTube at the rate of one per week on the topics:

• Why should you upgrade your current stereo and speakers?
• Why Pioneer products are heralded by car audio experts?
• Installation myths (your dash will still look like new after you install
a new stereo system)
• Where to buy authorized product for full post-purchase support?

See the first video here and second video here.

Source: Pioneer Electronics

Audiovox to Offer Mobile DTV with Info Channel

Audiovox said it will deliver a new Mobile DTV add-on tuner for the car that will include a new Internet back channel, to ship April next year at the earliest.

The device will bring free TV to an existing car TV screen (even at highway speeds) and it will come with a glass mount antenna and a remote control.

As put forth in new guidelines for Mobile DTV from broadcasters, the device will have an Internet data connection so broadcasters can “know” what programs the user watches (for advertising purposes).

There are already a few Mobile DTV devices on the market  which do not have the back channel that is called a conditional access system.

“That is really going to be the specification that everyone will need to follow, we believe,” said Audiovox Electronics president Tom Malone.

Audiovox has not yet decided whether its tuner will achieve this Internet connection by linking to the user’s smartphone or through a built in cellular modem.

Malone explained that if the consumer doesn’t connect to the Internet during  a one-week period, the product might ‘go dark,’ (broadcasters would cut off service).

The additional cost to the product for including conditional access is not expected to be prohibitive.

“My biggest concern is not will the module work or CAS [conditional access], it’s the awareness of the consumer that Mobile DTV exists and how are they going to get that message out that this technology is available. That’s going to be the greater risk,” said Malone in an interview.

According to new rules (“device profiles”) issued by broadcaster group the Open Mobile Video Coalition (OMVC), future Mobile DTV should use either a WiFi, 3G or 4G modem or smartphone connection to provide a way for broadcasters to monitor consumer viewing habits.

Audiovox reiterated its commitment to the category. “We feel this category is worth continuing to invest in, like we did in FLO TV. Delivering content to the car is still very desirable. We’re watching closely all developments in the area,” Malone said.

Accele, which makes a combination ATSC/Mobile DTV add on tuner (that receives both standard ATSC TV broadcasts and digital, Mobile DTV broadcasts) said it will wait and see how the market progresses before developing a new product with conditional access.

See related stories:

New Rules for Mobile DTV

Car Mobile DTV Products May Need Internet

Mobile DTV to Reach 2/3rds of US Homes in 12 Months

Source: CEoutlook

Sherman Rejoins Maxxsonics

Chicago, IL –Maxxsonics USA, Inc. announced that Brian Sherman will re-join Maxxsonics as Director of Business Development.

Sherman was an integral part of Maxxsonics’ strategy to acquire MB Quart in 2005 and he continued to develop and help grow the MB Quart brand in 2006. Now, as Maxxsonics pursues its expansion plans, the need for someone with Brian’s background is essential, said president/CEO Alden Stiefel. “We could not have found a better fit to assist Maxxsonics in its continued growth strategy. We are very excited that Brian has chosen to bring his talents back to Maxxsonics!”

Sherman is a consumer electronics industry veteran of over 20 years. His experience covers almost all car audio business aspects  including sales, installation, marketing, and product development.

In his role as Director of Business Development, Brian will work closely with sales, marketing, and product development to create value-added programs for all of Maxxsonics customers.

NAV-TV Ships Land Rover Backup Cam

NAV-TV is shipping two new backup camera modules for Land Rover vehicles.

The two modules– VTC-RR-X-CAM and OPV-iR-X-CAM—offer plug and play installation for installers without cutting or splicing wires. They permit an aftermarket reverse camera to be viewed on a factory LCD monitor. The image automatically appears when the car goes into reverse.

The new modules also unlock the navigation screen so GPS destinations can be entered while the car is in motion. And they permit a DVD to show on the screen when the car is on the road.

You can also add other aftermarket products as the OPV-iR-X-CAM gives the factory AV system an audio and video input. A new touch screen icon appears on the factory LCD screen, so you don’t need toggle switches.

The modules are compatible with 2010 and up Land Rover LR4, Range Rover Sport, Range Rover Full-Size and the European Discovery 4.

Source: NAV-TV

New Rules for Mobile DTV

New rules have been spelled out for mobile digital TV products that now call for an Internet “back channel” of some type.

Mobile DTV (ATSC m/h)  delivers free over-the-air TV even in a moving vehicle, so users can receive popular network and other TV shows without a subscription fee. Currently the service is only available in some markets as it is gradually rolled out by broadcasters.

On Thursday, two “device profiles” were announced to help guide suppliers of Mobile DTV in creating products. These are suggested guidelines from the Open Mobile Video Coalition, a group of broadcasters. It is possible that some broadcasters may not permit reception unless a product adheres to the guidelines.

The two profiles: one for basic receivers and one for more advanced receivers both require a back channel that can send information about what the customer is viewing back to broadcasters. It can also provide the means for premium (paid) programming that will supplement the free channels.

The back channel connection may include a 3G or 4G modem, or a means of connecting to a smartphone. It could be a WiFi radio, but consumers must connect to the Internet at least once a week to transmit their viewing data, said the OMVC.

“The news today is that now there is a road map on how to add conditional access, which means if I’m developing a device for the car, I have to get some information on what is being watched,” said an OMVC spokesman.

There are already a few Mobile DTV products on the market from brands including RCA, which may not have the new back channel.

For the full guidelines and full press release click here.

See related stories: Car Mobile DTV Products May Need Internet

Mobile DTV to Reach 2/3rds of US Homes in 12 Months

 

Source: OMVC via MarketWatch

Nuance Powers Voice in BMW

Burlington, Mass.– Nuance Communications, Inc.  announced Thursday that its automotive voice technologies power BMW ConnectedDrive, which now keeps BMW drivers connected to friends, family and colleagues when they’re on the go. Nuance’s innovative connected text-to-speech technology enables the readout of emails, text messages, Facebook and Twitter status updates, and RSS news feeds, minimizing distractions while allowing drivers to take advantage of BMW’s in-car connectivity features.

BMW ConnectedDrive gives drivers the option to stay connected by simply pushing the ‘Play’ button to have emails, text messages, status updates and newsfeeds read aloud with Nuance’s natural, multilingual and humanlike text-to-speech technology. And because it’s available in up to 14 different languages including US and UK English, German, French, and Italian, drivers around the world are able to stay connected, yet less distracted.

Nuance’s text-to-speech also reads aloud daily, weekly and monthly appointments in their iPhone Calendar as part of the feature of the free BMW Connected app, that lets drivers also listen to streaming Internet radio. The BMW Connected app is accessible as part of BMW’s iDrive Controller.

“Mobile consumers crave constant contact, and often find that they’re immediately disconnected as soon as they enter their car,” said Arnd Weil, general manager and vice president, Nuance Automotive. “Drivers are demanding in-car systems and mobile apps that not only keep them connected, but also minimize manual and visual distractions. Our robust and incredibly natural connected text-to-speech technologies do just that – give drivers more options and more connectivity from anywhere.”

Nuance’s voice technologies have long been available as part of BMW’s infotainment systems supporting a range of capabilities, from simple voice dialing to innovative one-shot destination and music search entry.

Availability

The BMW ConnectedDrive featuring Nuance’s text-to-speech is available in up to 14 different languages.

Today more than 50 million cars and 50 million portable navigation devices feature Nuance industry leading speech technology to enable voice destination entry or speech synthesis for voice guidance. To learn more, please visit http://www.nuance.com/automotive/

Sept. New Car Sales Upbeat

Despite a jittery economy, new car sales this month are expected to be much stronger than in August.

New retail vehicle sales in September are on track to hit the highest level since April, according to J.D. Power and Associates.

Retail auto/light truck sales for the month are projected to reach 842,000 units, which represents a seasonally adjusted rate of 10.3 million vehicles sales for the year. This is up from 9.6 million units in August and 9.5 million units a year earlier.

“Coming off a solid Labor Day sale, retail sales exhibited unexpected strength in the second week of September, as the recovering inventory levels have helped to bring buyers back into the market,” said Jeff Schuster, executive director of global forecasting at J.D. Power and Associates. “However, incentive levels remain flat compared with August and the economy remains a concern, so the sales pace in the second half of the month is expected to give back some of the gains.”

Total auto/light truck sales (including fleet) are projected to exceed 1 million units or a seasonally adjusted annualized rate of 12.9 million units.

J.D. Power forecasts retail vehicle sales at 10.2 million for the year, an increase of 11 percent over 2010. For total sales, including fleet sales, J.D. Power expects 12.6 million units, up 9 percent over 2010.

Source: J.D. Power & Associates

Photo via Bloomberg News

iPhone 5 to be Announced Oct 4: AllThingsD

A blog that is part of the Wall Street Journal network reported that Apple will introduce the next iPhone on October 4, and will ship the product within a few weeks of the announcement.

There have been numerous reports in the past few months citing either late September, or early October as the date for the much anticipated iPhone 5.

Apple CEO Tim Cook is expected to present the new phone, said AllThingsD.  And the phone may be joined by revised versions of the current iPhone 4, according to numerous reports.

A white version of the iPod touch will also be unveiled, says MacRumors.

Analyst Mark Moskowitz at JP Morgan said this week he expects to see an “iPhone 4 Plus” bearing “some improvements” over the current model. The new iPhone 5 is expected to be thinner and lighter than the iPhone 4 and it is widely expected to become available through Sprint (as well as AT&T and Verizon).

A mockup of the iPhone 5 (above) was commissioned by MacRumors.

Source: AllThingsD, MacRumors, BGR

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