Toyota Teams with Nintendo to Control Radio

In Japan, Toyota and Nintendo have teamed up so that you can control a Toyota navigation system with a Nintendo DS.

Passengers (presumably not drivers) can input a destination from their DS and view maps and also sightseeing information.

It requires a Kuruma de DS game card (translatation: Use the DS in the Car).  It works over Bluetooth after pairing with a Toyota Smart Navi system.

The Smart Navi system costs the US equivalent of over $2,500 and the Kuruma de DS may be purchased through Toyota for the equivalent of $92. (A DS must be purchased separately).

Source: Kotaku  

Photo via 4gamer.net

 

Audiovox Appoints New Director of LBS

Audiovox Electronics Corp. announced Wednesday the appointment of Joe Tegerdine to the post of Director of Location Based Products and Services.
Tegerdine was recently Senior Director of Business Development and U.S. General Counsel for Wistron Neweb Corp., a Taiwan based manufacturer.

At Wilstron, he successfully secured a number of multi-million dollar machine-to-machine communication (M2M)  programs covering mobile health, smart grid and transportation. He led the certification effort with Verizon, AT&T and Sprint, and secured the manufacturing contract to supply communication modules for the largest deployment of cellular smart meters in the U.S.,” said Audiovox.

“We have identified M2M and Location Based Services as significant growth opportunities for our company and as many of you saw at CES in January we unveiled our first product in this category- -Car Connection under the Audiovox brand and announced our distribution partnership with Tagg the Pet Tracker under the Qualcomm brand,” said Tom Malone, president of Audiovox Electronics Corp. “Joe brings a unique skill set to the team as he has a very thorough understanding of the market and has vast experience in creating the partner relationships required to succeed.”

Source: Audiovox Electronics

Apple Lands Patent for Steering Wheel Control

Apple was granted a patent Tuesday for a steering wheel remote control for a smartphone or iPod-like device.

It’s based on Apple’s old “click wheel” found on the original iPods.  But this time it gets a new touch-sensitive design and a system for mounting on the steering wheel, reports Patently Apple.

The patent is for a wireless device that works with a transmitter.

The “click wheel” is mounted on “clamping feet” (pictured below) that attach to the steering wheel, and the clamping feet can rotate depending on the orientation of where the device is mounted.  The face of the click wheel also rotates to suit the orientation on the steering wheel.

Since steering wheels come in different thicknesses, the clamping feet are hinged to accommodate them. The feet may be made of aluminum, plastic, fiberglass or other materials, according to the patent.

The patent was originally filed in Q1 2011 under the names of designers from Apple.

Source: Patently Apple

Massive Audio Adds to DX Drivers

Massive Audio announced it will ship this summer, additions to its DX line of coaxial OEM replacement car speakers.

It will add shallow mount driver models DX6S, DX69S  in corresponding 6.5 inch and 6 by 9 inch sizes, as well as the DX6 (6.5-inch) component kit at $69.95 and new DX2, DX3, and DX65 models.

All DX series coaxial speakers use heavy gage steel baskets, two-piece custom paintable grills (except the existing DX46 & 57) and high flux Y30 Ferrite magnets.  They also employ Hi Temp 1” ASV voice coils, laminated paper cones with pressed foam surround, polyester fiber cloth spiders and 13mm hard dome tweeters.

The line is rated at 150 to 250 watts peak power handling.

Already shipping are the DX 4, DX 5, DX6, DX46, DX 57 and a 3 way 6×9” co-axial.

The new models are designed to fit shallow mounting spots at budget prices.

Source: Massive Audio

Crux Ships Bluetooth Kits for Ford Models

Crux Interfacing Solutions, maker of car Bluetooth and radio kits, announced a version of its aftermarket Bluetooth kit for newer Ford vehicles.

The Crux BEEBF-32 kit works with Ford Focus, Edge and Fiesta cars model year 2012 or later (Ford CAN bus II radios). Many Focus vehicles do not include factory installed Bluetooth.

The Bluetooth kit is designed to rival the OEM Bluetooth products.  Crux offers integration of the factory steering wheel controls, Bluetooth audio streaming and the following features:

 

ñ  Allows calls to be heard through the factory car speakers.

ñ  Allows user to answer and end calls using the steering wheel controls.

ñ  Allows user to make calls using voice dialing feature.*

ñ  Text to Speech (TTS) announces caller’s name or number.*

ñ  Using A2DP Technology, allows user to wirelessly stream music via internet radio (Example: Pandora)*
(Note: A2DP Audio will only be heard through the front speakers.)

ñ  DSP and Echo-Cancellation allows for clear conversations on both sides of the phone call.

ñ  Allows any previously paired mobile phone to automatically re-connect to the Bluetooth interface.

ñ  Automatically mutes any source as soon as a call is received, and resumes when call is ended.

ñ  2.1 Bluetooth Compliant

ñ  Allows the user to take calls in privacy mode.

The BEEBF-32 began shipping last week.

Source:  Crux Interfacing Solutions

Edited by CEoutlook

Audiovox Parent Sees Some Car Audio Gains

Audiovox Electronics parent VOXX Corp. announced gains in sales of OEM and traditional car audio for fiscal 2012 ended in February.

Aftermarket car audio and security sales rose but were offset by lower sales of satellite radio and fulfillment of FLO TV products (discontinued last year).

The company recently reported an increase of nearly 5 percent in combined car audio, security and OEM sales for the fiscal year ended in February compared to a year earlier.   OEM sales alone grew by 14.8 percent over the year earlier but were offset by a $20.8 million downturn in satellite radio/FLO TV fulfillment.

The satellite radio segment, however, is expected to see an increase this coming year, Pat Lavelle, VOXX President and CEO told analysts Tuesday.

VOXX also expects to be a key player in mobile DTV (digital TV for moving vehicles and portables) as the service begins to roll out more aggressively over the next 12 to 18 months.  Through VOXX’s recent purchase of antenna maker Hirschmann, a leader in mobile DTV tuners, the company believes it will have “a first mover advantage” in the segment.

VOXX is now a company made up of about $500 million annually in car audio and OEM sales, $200 million in high end audio and $200 million in accessories, it told analysts Tuesday.

Net sales for the year reached $707.1 million, up almost 26 percent from a year ago.  Net income for the year rose to $25.6 million from $23 million (but would have been slightly less than a year ago if not for a higher tax benefit this year).

Total electronics sales grew 35 percent to $561 million compared to $415.2 million a year ago. Accessories sales fell 0.3 percent to $146 million.

During the fiscal year, Klipsch, (purchased in March 2011) generated about $169.5 million in sales.

Audiovox said it expects sales to hit $900 million for fiscal 2013.

CEO Pat Lavelle noted, “Many of our core product lines are expected to grow organically this year and we see increased potential in the 2nd half of the year backed by new product introductions and new OEM programs.” These products include new car tracking systems launching with Sprint.

Kenwood Puts Driver Assist on Roadmap

Kenwood may offer driver assist products in the future, joining other suppliers such as Mobileye, Alpine and Audiovox.

“It’s on our roadmap…but it’s too soon to talk about it,” said Kenwood’s Keith Lehmann.

Audiovox also told us it is working on a prototype for a blind spot detection product, but it too is not ready to announce firm details.  In addition, Audiovox hopes to ship its delayed aftermarket lane departure warning system in about 90 days.  As announced earlier, the system will carry a price of about $599 and will be aimed at both the retail and expeditor markets.

While the driver assist category has been slow to gain headway in the aftermarket, it bears much potential say industry members. Audiovox’s Tom Malone notes the products require “intensive” reliability testing.  “There’s a lot of software involved, and a lot of different vehicle configurations so they are not easy to get into the market…..it’s got to be reliable and unique for every vehicle.”

But he believes the products will be met with strong demand.  “Absolutely, consumers are ready for this.  Blind spot detection is a great product.  The consumer gets it in about 30 seconds and it’s one of those things nice to have in the car, once it’s made affordable and people can get them at a retail store or car dealer….  and lane departure warning as well,” Malone added.

Sony said driver assist products “is not part of our future offering,” according to a spokeswoman.

In driver safety, Alpine offers an active back up camera that provides audible and visual warnings of moving objects detected behind the vehicle.  The company would not reveal future products but noted it has a full driver assist testing facility in Japan and is researching additional products and features.

Alpine’s Steve Crawford said the category represents an opportunity for specialists since they are better positioned than mass merchants to explain the products to customers and install them.

Steelmate confirms it is on track to offer, what may be the first blind spot detection device for the aftermarket this September.  The device plugs into the car’s OBDII port and is expected to cost about $399.

Source: CEoutlook

Pioneer Transforms Aftermarket Navigation in Japan

Pioneer announced delivery in Japan this July of its head up display that now adds augmented reality navigation.  A holographic image on the windshield shows the car in real time, photo realistically moving down the road, with information on the next turn.

The system can be mounted on 70 percent of existing cars.  The head up display projector mounts where the sun visor sits on the driver’s side.

Not for penny pinchers, the unit costs the equivalent of about $4,000.   Pioneer showed a scaled down version of the system at CES for the past 2 years, and said that it would eventually come to the U.S. market.  A spokesman in Japan said the product will not come to our shores this year, however,

The device is called “Cyber Navi.”   It can work with a front mounted camera, displaying the image from the camera while superimposing information on it.

The system gives you a 37-inch long color image with a resolution of 720 by 260 pixels. Bluetooth is used to communicate between the head up display (HUD) and the navigation system.

The HUD was developed with U.S.-based MicroVision.  It uses red, green and blue lasers for the light source and MEMS mirrors, said Nikkei Business Publications.

Also, it captures images of speed limit signs and gives the driver an audible alert.

Source: CEoutlook,  Nikkei Business Publications via Engadget

Photo via Engadget

MirrorLink Standard to Determine Best Apps for Car

Not every app works well on the dashboard at 50mph.  So the Car Connectivity Consortium (which developed the MirrorLink standard for mirroring your smartphone onto the car radio) is creating a standard for certifying which apps are acceptable for MirrorLink, it confirmed.

The certification process should be finalized in October.

The Consortium believes that MirrorLink car radios will be a standard feature on cars by 2014, said PCMag. Toyota already offers MirrorLink radios in Europe and Sony and Alpine and planning to bring aftermarket MirrorLink radios to the U.S. this year. A MirrorLink phone, the Samsung Galaxy SIII comes to the U.S. this summer.

To ensure that only safe apps will be accessible while driving, the Consortium is creating 2 classes of apps: restricted and unrestricted.   The former category would include apps that might only be accessible when the car is parked.

Approved apps might require a minimum font size and a maximum number of text lines per screen.  A texting app, for example, would be required to go into voice command only, when the car is running.

“The consortium’s goal to have the world’s most popular apps approved as soon as possible,” said Alfred Tom, Ecosystem Workgroup Chair of the group.

Source: Car Connectivity Consortium via PCmag.com

iOnRoad Wins CTIA Wireless E-Tech Award

At the CTIA wireless show this week,  iOnRoad was selected as the E-Tech Award winner in the Automotive, Safe Driving and Transportation category. .

iOnRoad is a driving safety app that uses the smartphone’s native camera and sensors to warn drivers of a potential collision.  It can detect your lane and the cars  in front of your vehicle, so it alerts the driver in time to take action when it detects danger.

It also claims to improve your driving in  real-time using augmented reality feedback of your driving to encourage safe driving habits.

“This CTIA E-Tech award, especially when pitted against so many worthy technology companies, means a lot to the whole iOnRoad team,” said Alon Atsmon, CEO of iOnRoad. “What started as an idea to try to make driving safer has propelled iOnRoad to achieve so much in just the past year since we launched the product, including multiple users who have written to us telling us that iOnRoad saved their lives.”

iOnRoad also won  Gartner’s Top Automotive Vendors CES 2012 showcase award, Best AR Android app for 2011 and Best Israeli app for 2011.

Source: iOnRoad

 

Scosche Ships Mazda 5 Car Radio Kit

 Oxnard, Calif., May 9, 2012 – Scosche Industries   is now shipping a new installation kit for the Mazda 5.   As part of its  Scosche “Custom Kit, Factory Fit”, the MA1548B provides seamless installation of an aftermarket head unit.

The MA1548B will accommodate either an ISO single DIN mount with pocket or an ISO double DIN mount.  The kit is made with high strength ABS/PC material, contour and color matched to the factory dash.  The kit comes with a pocket, mounting brackets and retention clips, making an aftermarket installation simple.

The MA1548B vehicle specific installation kit will retail at $49.95 and includes all the necessary hardware and detailed installation instructions. For a complete aftermarket installation, Scosche also manufacturers the matching harness, the MA03B which retails for $19.95 and the antenna adapter, HAAB retailing for $19.95.  The new 2012 Mazda 5 kit and all Scosche products are available at specialty retailers across the nation. Visit www.scosche.com for more information on this and other “Custom Kit, Factory Fit” products.

About Scosche Industries

Scosche Industries is an award-winning innovator of car audio and portable electronics accessories. Scosche is founded on its commitment to quality, value and customer service. With 133 patents and countless industry awards it is easy to see that Scosche is consistently at the forefront of technology and innovation.  Scosche Industries is the parent company of several distinct brands including: Scosche, REALM, EFX, BlueFusion and Accumat. Founded in 1980, Scosche is still 100% family owned and operated with over 120 great people alongside them. For more information visit our website at www.scosche.com or follow us on twitter or facebook.

 Edited by CEoutlook

 

 

Audiovox to Develop Bongiovi DSP for Expeditors, OEM

VOXX International, parent of Audiovox Electronics, announced it finalized an agreement with AVG Inc.  to become the exclusive distributor of the Bongiovi Digital Power Station (DPS) for the car expeditor and OEM markets.

The Bongiovi DPS enhances the sound of a traditional car stereo, and the deal allows Audiovox to market premium sound systems.

VOXX and AVG will also work together to develop applications for the technology for the OEM market.  And they are working on new applications for the Audiovox expeditor network, as the technology “easily integrates with both new and used cars,” said President of Audiovox Electronics, Tom Malone.

“The addition of DPS technology based applications enhances our automotive solutions for our OE partners, and will enable them to lower their acquisition costs for premium car sound while helping them differentiate their value-added solutions,” said Malone, adding, “…We believe the patented DPS technology applications can potentially change the automotive sound landscape as it provides car manufacturers with the ability to take a basic factory sound system and dramatically improve audio quality without the need to upgrade to higher-end systems. Additionally, this will resonate well with consumers who want a premium sound experience in their vehicles.”

DPS was developed by Tony Bongiovi, the critically acclaimed sound engineer and record producer for Bongiovi Acoustics. It digitally re-masters the audio signal in real-time to compensate for acoustical problems in the car.  VOXX says the technology “extends the frequency response of car speakers and maximizes the frequency-specific power distribution of a vehicle’s head-unit amplifier.”

DPS applications are also designed and tuned for the individual vehicle so they are as custom as the other OE components.

12V Web Radio from HTC

Phone maker HTC released a new video showing its Car Stereo Clip in action.  An HTC Bluetooth USB accessory automatically flips the HTC phone into car mode where it may access 60,000 web radio stations around the globe.  The interface permits easy touch and swipe control.   And if you type in a favorite song title, the phone will seek through stations around the globe to find one that’s playing it now.

See the quick video for yourself:

Source:RAIN

Quick Video of Clarion Next GATE

The short video below puts Clarion’s Next GATE—a relatively unique product for the aftermarket—through its paces.

The 7-inch “tablet” is basically a dummy unit with no standalone functions until it’s connected to an iPhone 4 or 4S.  The Next GATE takes the apps on your phone and converts them to an easy to read user interface on the 7 inch screen.

You can launch Siri by pressing and holding one icon on the Next GATE screen. You get the benefit of the device’s built in microphone.  Another icon lets you make phone calls through Next GATE, said The Verge.

The device gives you  a safer way to operate the iPhone in the car, without swapping out the car radio.  It works with a handful of apps out of the box, but Clarion will add more later.  Apps include Pandora, TuneIn, Vlingo, INRIX Traffic and Infogation.  The unit is available June 1 at $269.

Source: The Verge

Crimestoper Navigation Mirror Now Shipping

Simi Valley, CA – Crimestopper is now shipping the SafetyPlus SV9160.N Navigation Mirror Monitor featuring a 4.3” TFT LCD color screen.  It replaces the factory mirror to provide a safer means of accessing GPS while driving.

The SafetyPlus system features touch screen function and includes a mounting adapter to fit most vehicles. When the vehicle is in reverse gear, a back-up camera will appear on the 4.3” screen.

Other  features include Bluetooth hands-free function, built-in microphone, built-in speaker and the ability to switch to other video sources, such as DVD player or to a smart phone.

The mirror is available at a suggested retail price of : $499.95.

Edited by CEoutlook

 

Larry Frederick Joins Diamond, Cerwin Vega

It appears Diamond Audio/Cerwin Vega parent, Domestic Investment Group, is trading key managers with Hertz parent Elettromedia.

Larry Frederick, a veteran industry product developer, has just joined Domestic Investment Group as Domestic Sales & Marketing Director after leaving Elettromedia.

This follows, in direct reverse,  the exit of Rob Wempe as Domestic’s National Sales Manager who moved to  Elettromedia as Director of Elettromedia-USA in December.

Also Jason Digos, who was Regional Sales Manager for Domestic  just moved to Elettromedia as Regional Sales Manager and Manager of Dealer Training and Technical Service.

Frederick said, “I can’t wait to hit the streets with our reps and retailers and show them what we have to offer.  The future that I see looks really bright as we go into 2012 and 2013 as we are already working on new and innovative products.”

Frederick is  considered one of the pioneers of high end car audio and  has developed over a 1,000 car audio products over his 25-year career.

Bob Chanthavongsa remains Director of Sales, Worldwide for Domestic Investment Group.

In addition to Diamond Audio and Cerwin Vega, Domestic Investment Group LLC owns the Caché, and IQ Smart Solutions brands.

Source: Domestic Investment Group

 

New Smartphone Breaks 12 Volt Ground

The new Samsung Galaxy SIII won headlines last week for its many intelligent features plus a dazzling screen even larger than that of the hot selling SII.

You can see some of the phone’s cool features below.

For the car market, the device breaks ground as the first MirrorLink ready phone in the U.S. to the best of our knowledge.   It now looks like MirrorLink will get an official stateside launch this summer,  when the SIII is due for U.S. release and when the first two MirrorLink car radios will launch in the aftermarket—the  XAV-701HD ($700) and XAV-601BT ($550)—from Sony.  Both are both AV receivers with  full control over Android, Nokia and Windows Phone smartphones.  Apps appear as mirrored onto the car radio and users may control them from the radio.  iPhone apps will also appear mirrored on the radio.

The Sony 601 is expected to ship at the end of this month while the 701 should ship in August.

Sony’s Taka Noguchi has said in the recent past, “MirrorLink is becoming the defacto standard in the industry—in the OE industry, the aftermarket, as well as the mobile phone industry.  You can easily connect a smartphone and car audio.”

MirrorLink’s aim is to allow most phones to work with most car radios (OEM and aftermarket).  It permits a mirror image of your phone to appear on the car radio screen, and let the radio control the phone.

You can see a 17 second video clip of MirrorLink on the Galaxy SIII below:

The Galaxy SIII should “help MirrorLink get established and get early volume sales,” said IHS iSuppli analyst Egil Juliussen.  Samsung sells a staggering 20,000 Galaxy phones every hour. And one in four phone sold around the globe are by Samsung, now the leading phone maker.

But Juliussen notes that MirrorLink is only one of four smartphone-to-car radio standards vying for a place in the automobile. Two others are Harman’s Aha Radio and Pioneer’s Zypr.   And the strongest competitor may yet be HTML5.   The new Cadillac Cue due next month will support HTML5, said Juliussen.    An Audi spokesman at CES in January told CEoutlook that HTML5 will be a strong platform for car radios.

As for the new Samsung Galaxy SIII, it provides Siri-like voice control, and it has facial recognition so if you take a photo of your friends, you can automatically send them all a copy.   It “knows” when you are still using the phone so it won’t go into lock mode because it tracks your eye movement.   It runs Android 4.0 and will be available later this year in 4G.

CNET says: “The Samsung Galaxy S3 brings a gorgeous 4.8-inch 720p display, quad-core processor and 8-megapixel camera, all crammed into a good-looking, impossibly slim and light casing. At this point we have few concerns, and this smart phone looks set to reproduce the Galaxy S2′s success.”

Alpine is also expected to offer a MirrorLink car radio in the U.S. this year.

Source: CEoutlook

 

Directus Changes Name; Ships Audi Kit

Directus, maker of the Prodigy One and other car aftermarket solutions has changed its name to Intraphex as of May 1.

In addition, the company announced a new navigation solution for Audi vehicles, which also has options for WiFi, Bluetooth and other features.

Thirdly, the company announced that its hardware factory, Wondetroup, in Taiwan has purchased a minority stake in Directus, now Intraphex.  This gives Intraphex immediate access to a team of 20 additional software and hardware engineers based in Asia and the U.S., it said.

“Even though the branding is changing the core company ownership and values are still in place under the new Intraphex brand name,” said the company.  All other aspects of the business remain the same and Intraphex will support all warranty issues of Directus products, it said.

The new Audi system falls under Intraphex’s Prodigy One series.  The kit lets Audi owners add navigation with a factory look and feel and touch screen operation.  It applies to A4, A5, A6, A8, Q5 and Q7 owners 2007 to present who did not purchase navigation as a factory installed option.

The system includes a glass overlay to the factory screen so users get touch screen control over navigation and a media player.  The system also adds a USB port for phone charging or flash drivers and capability for a backup camera.  Options that may be added to the Prodigy One system include Bluetooth, in-car WiFi and radar detection.   The system has a suggested retail price of $1,699 and ships on May 15.

This is the 10^th Prodigy One OEM solution.  Versions of the system are also available for aftermarket brands Pioneer, Jensen and Clarion.

Intraphex, a Tatmar LLC company was founded in 2009.  It says its sales were up 185 percent last year over the prior year and are on track to climb another 100 percent this year.

Source: Intraphex

CEA Responds to NTSB on Safe Driving

The Consumer Electronics Association (CEA) told a Federal safety board that it disagrees with the board’s recommendation that technology for the car should disable portable devices within reach of the driver to prevent driver distraction.

In a letter Tuesday, the CEA told the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), there is no real world evidence to support a blanket ban of use of portable devices by drivers. Instead, the CEA supports banning texting while driving and it supports laws restricting mobile phone use for novice drivers.

The CEA said, “the private sector has aggressively responded to market demand with innovative products and applications that increase driver safety. Current and future technologies could never see the light of day under the NTSB’s broad recommendations, which would inhibit the very innovation that promises safer roadways.”

The CEA response is to a letter from the NTSB dated February 7 asking both the CEA and CTIA Wireless Association to “encourage the development of technology that disables the function of portable electronics devices within reach of the driver when a vehicle is in motion” (except for emergency use).

The NTSB noted that in 2009, nearly 5,500 people died and 450,000 were injured in distraction-related accidents.  It pointed to a Virginia Tech Transportation Institute study that found drivers were 23 times more likely to get into a some form of accident if they were texting while driving. A study by the same Institute performed in a simulator found drivers engaged in texting has 35 percent slower reaction times.

The CEA concluded, “CEA stands ready to partner with the NTSB and any other organization to advocate for safe driving policies that are based on real-world data, and that enable innovation and embrace personal responsibility.”

Source: CEA

Single DIN Car Radio has 9.3-Inch Screen

A single DIN car radio with an outsized 9.3-inch tablet for a screen from Power Acoustik is selling as fast at the company can supply them.

The unit fits about 95 percent of cars if used with popular radio kits, said the company.

“We are selling tens of thousands a month,” said Gene Norvell, VP national sales for Power Acoustik, which began shipping the product, model PD-931NB, in January.

The $399 device includes an in-dash radio section with CD/DVD plus a detachable tablet. The tablet uses a proprietary operating system and a 500MHz processor.  It’s authorized for Apple so you can connect an iPhone to play music or access navigation.  The user interface allows you to drag and drop widgets.

The unit also offers USB and SD card connections. It can work with the car’s steering wheel controls when used with a separate Metra ASWC kit.  Power Acoustik also offers a $249 kit to provide on-board GPS with Navteq maps of the U.S. and Canada.

Then a third kit lets the tablet act a standalone media player, when removed from the car. Yet another option adds digital TV.

Power Acoustik plans to release similar radios with outsized tablet screens in the future, it said.

Source: CEoutlook

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