(Credit:
Alpine USA)
Alpine has just released its DPR-RDS1, which allows users to add iPod and iPhone playback to any car stereo with an FM stereo.
At its core, the DPR-RDS1 is essentially an FM modulator hide-away box, which converts a line input into an FM signal. The box is hardwired to the stereo's antenna input to reduce interference from competing FM broadcast signals. FM modulators aren't exactly new tech; my first CD changer was installed using an FM modulator back in the early '90s. However, the DPR-RDS1 differs from your general purpose FM modulator in a few critical ways.
Firstly, it's made for iPod/iPhone; which means that it features a 30-pin dock connector, instead of generic RCA inputs. The dock connector supports 12-volt and 5-volt power, so the DPR-RDS1 will also charge your iPod/iPhone while in use.
The dock connection cable also pulls the currently playing song's metadata and converts it to an Radio Data System (RDS) signal. FM radios that support RDS for displaying text can show the song, artist, and album title on their car stereo's display. OEM car stereo manufacturers haven't exactly been consistent about implementing RDS support into their units--and even less consistent about documenting it when they do--so, double check that your radio supports the protocol before making a purchase.
Because the DPR-RDS1 relies on FM modulation to relay audio data to your car's stereo, you can expect sound quality to be about as good as a strong radio station, which is noticeably lower in quality than CD audio, but still better and more reliable than wireless FM transmitters. Also, FM modulation is a one-way interface and there is no way to control the media player from the headunit, so you'll have to make your song selections from the iPod itself. Try not to spend too much time staring down at your iPod's screen in a moving vehicle.
The DPR-RDS1 Factory Radio Interface for iPod and iPhone is listed at an MSRP of $100 in Alpine's press release and $120 on Alpine's website, so expect to pay something in that range.
Check out the video of the DPR-RDS1 in action after the jump.
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(Credit:
CNET)
When we last saw JVC's El Kameleon car audio receiver, we awarded it our Editors' Choice award for its innovative interface and expandability. However, we wished that the unit featured a touch screen instead of a touch pad.
With the new El Kameleon KD-AVX77, we get our wish. The new El Kameleon features a superwide touch screen that fills up its entire single-DIN faceplate. But is a bigger screen always better?
I like my wide-screen movies as much as the next guy, but the new El Kameleon's super Cinemascope screen means that most movies will be stretched wide but will only be about as tall as a business card, making it less than ideal for prolonged DVD viewing.
We'd need to see a much bigger screen before we could recommended the new El Kameleon as a standalone multimedia solution. However, the El Kameleon's plethora of inputs and outputs, as well as its customizable interface make it a great starting point for controlling more complex multimedia systems with rear seat entertainment and external amplifiers.
It's no secret that a lot of NFL players choose to customize the whips they drive. Apparently, one company that many NFL stars choose to pimp their rides is Unique Auto Sports, a custom car company that even has its own TV show called "Unique Whips". These guys have delivered tricked-out rides to NFL players such as Jericho Cotchery and Larry Johnson, as well as other pop culture icons such as 50 Cent.
This vid gives you a hint of the type of work they do, as this web video depicts the delivery of a custom GMC Yukon to Bob Sanders of the Indianapolis Colts. The wheels are slick, the interior is impeccable, and the quadruple woofer set in the back is breathtaking. I'd really to have a look under the hood, but I guess we'll just have to assume it's as hot as everything we see here. Keep up the good work, Unique!
Read the full JVC KW-NX7000 review.
(Credit: Corinne Schulze/CBS Interactive)The JVC KW-NX7000 isn't cleverly named like its sibling, the El Kameleon, but it is just as cleverly designed. With its smart features, such as the proximity-based interface or the flash-memory-based navigation data, we found the KW-NX7000 extremely easy to use. We didn't like the sluggish iPod navigation or the omission of Bluetooth technology. However, the solid performance and fun little touches, like the custom greeting messages, ultimately made us fall in love with this receiver.
(Credit:
CNET Networks, Inc.)
The simple, blank faceplate of the JVC El Kameleon KD-AVX44 belies a plethora of features, including in-dash DVD/DivX playback, Bluetooth connectivity, and USB digital-audio playback, and that's just the beginning of this receiver's abilities.
(Credit:
CNET Networks/Corrine Schulze)
For a price of about $250, the DEH-P6000UB is a good-value single-DIN stereo. We like its snazzy design, its as-standard iPod control including its advanced features for navigating iPod libraries, and its many audio tweaking and customization features.
(Credit:
RetroBelt)
Whether it's an acknowledgement of mortality or a desire to relive a misspent youth, many of us have acquired a greater appreciation of classic cars, or at least parts of them. And a few are even lucky enough to celebrate their midlife crises by purchasing one. But that's where a problem often arises: What do you do about those ancient radios?
On one hand, it seems disrespectful to replace the original equipment with a new stereo that looks completely inappropriate; on the other, an AM radio just doesn't do justice to a long drive in the countryside. That's where RetroBelt's "Retro Sound" line comes in: It tries to blend the best of both worlds with a vintage look and modern technology, according to Dvice, including CD changers, mini-USB ports, and auxiliary inputs that can pipe in tunes from a digital media player.
Who knows? Maybe once people get tired of wiping the smudges off their touch screens, a backlash might bring back the knob.
(Credit:
Akihabara News)
Even in the face of monumental change in the automotive industry, it's amazing how conservative automakers can be sometimes. While they've focused increasingly on electronics and entertainment systems to differentiate their products, built-in stereo receivers still look pretty much the same as they have for the last decade.
Not the latest line from Clarion. The car electronics veteran is in some ways breaking its own mold with boxes that look more appropriate in the kitchen than the dashboard. Not only are they departing from the standard black and silver, as is made plain by the photos on Akihabara News, but one model is actually white with peach accents (gasp and double-gasp).
Some have suggested that the system even has an '80s look to it, which might make sense coming from Clarion. This is, after all, the same manufacturer that's peddling something of a retro CD player for a scooter.
(Credit:
Blaupunkt)
It was bound to happen eventually and, in fact, it's surprising that we haven't seen this sooner.
Blaupunkt's "Melbourne SD27" is the first car stereo that shuns CDs, according to SCI FI Tech, instead playing MP3 and WMA files with a front-loading SD card. To make things even easier, there's an optional adapter that can be used for an iPod, mobile phone or GPS device.
The writing was already on the wall for car stereos to go this route, but the kicker that could accelerate the trend even faster is this gadget's price of only $160. That's got to be one of the lowest entry prices for any major first-mover tech product we've seen in years.
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