Filed under: Audio, Gadgets, Tech, Volkswagen

You might say that, in terms of broad market appeal, the iPod is the VW of personal electronics. If that's the case, then what happens when Volkswagen comes out with a digital media player of its own?

The German automaker has teamed up with LG to produce a special MP3 player designed and branded as the Beetle of personal music devices. Rather than simply slapping a Vee-Dub logo on any old contraption, LG designed a fresh product for Volkswagen. Although the shape is the same rounded-corner block as any other on the market, it has a user interface said to be inspired by the New Beetle and is offered in Volkswagen colors including Salsa Red, Shadow Blue and Sunflower Yellow. Of course, it also comes emblazoned with Volkswagen logos, but it seems the designers couldn't fit a bud vase anywhere on the unit.

[Source: Computer World via Motorpasion]

 

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Filed under: Audio, Coupes, Audi

Audi has done a great job of staying in the news lately, and the one product that's gotten the most face time is the brand-new A5. From the minute pictures of Audi's newest coupe were released to the media dogs, the A5 has been everywhere. We've posted several times on the A5 and S5, and about possible convertible and RS models. You've all seen the pics, but most of us hasn't heard the roar of the engine, or the sound of the... turn signal?

The good folks over at the German Car Blog have five different audio clips of the A5 in action, with audio of the engine starting, taking off, honking the horn, the warning chime, and even the turn signal. If you're looking forward to seeing the A5 on the roads, take a listen. It just may be enough to hold you over until the A5's release.

 

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Filed under: Audio, Tech, Audi, Mitsubishi

Radio is on a roll. While BMW and Jaguar have allied themselves with HD Radio and Infiniti's gotten in bed with XM Satellite Radio, Audi and and Mitsubishi have taken sides with SIRIUS Satellite Radio. Audi will offer SIRIUS as standard equipment on the S4, RS 4, A6, A8, R8, and specific Q7 variants. Mitsubishi will make SIRIUS standard on the new Eclipse Spyder, and make it part of the premium sound system on the 2008 Galant, Raider, Endeavor, Outlander, Lancer, Eclipse and Lancer Evolution. For some reason, the Montero appears to have been left out of the party.

The fact that automakers are taking continuous steps to offer customers more and better choices is a good thing, and having the radio installed as standard means buyers don't have to check any costly option boxes. If there is any downside, it's that until (and only if) the merger of SIRIUS and XM is completed, carmakers have made your choice for you about which satellite service you'll receive, and you still have to pay for the subscription. Mitsubishi will at least pay for the first six months of the subscription, a move that should greatly increase uptake. If you're an XM listener in the market for an Audi, though, prepare to keep lugging your portable receiver around.

Increasing choice means customers win, and for radio -- a medium drowning in broadcasts about its demise -- the news is two more steps in the right direction.

Continue reading Audi, Mitsubishi making Sirius standard on some models

 

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Filed under: Audio, Ford

Until Ford spun off Visteon as a separate, barely financially viable company a few years ago, it was pretty much the exclusive supplier of in-vehicle entertainment systems for Ford cars and trucks. More recently, most Fords have had a common Delphi-manufactured head unit installed from the factory. Now comes word that Ford has signed a deal with Sony to offer the latter's audio systems.

The first vehicle to be equipped with a Sony branded stereo system will be unveiled next week at the New York Auto Show. Since the Ford Flex (the production version of the Fairlane concept) will be shown there, it will likely be the first Sony-equipped Ford. This isn't the first Sony offering for Ford, with limited edition Focus models having been available previously and several European models including the Mondeo, C-Max and others offering Sony equipment currently.

[Source: Ford]

 

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Filed under: Audio, Tech

We had an idea that the XM/Sirius merger wasn't exactly going to be a win for the customer, and now we hear that XM and Sirius will be offering tiered pricing with plans that are both lower and higher-priced than their current $12.95/month service. Certain "a-la carte" plans will actually come in at a price below existing rates, which should fit the needs of a select few subscribers. There will still be a $12.95 package, with what Sirius described in a federal finding as "substantially similar" offerings to what customers are getting now for the same price. The soon-to-be merged companies will try to build additional revenue with upper-tier packages that will give customers more than what they're getting now, for less than the cost of getting both services.

Senator Herb Kohl (D-WI), chairman of the Senate Subcommittee on Antitrust, Competition Policy and Consumer Rights, said that the merger could be a "real bad deal" for customers, and with this news, we tend to agree. When the two companies were fighting each other for subscription dollars, they gave us everything they could afford and some things they probably couldn't. If the merger is approved (and how often are they not) the combined company will slice and dice service cable tv-style, and customers will be left to either compromise what they really want in the name of price, or simply pay more for everything. Monopoly is more fun when it's the board game. We're not exactly political activists, but if you think this sounds like a bum deal, you can always send Senator Kohl a note.

[Source: Reuters]

 

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Filed under: Audio, Car Buying, Economy, Hatchbacks, SMART

European model PASSION CABRIO shown

We alerted you to the fact that smart would be taking $99 reservations for its U.S. bound fortwo and the day has come when you can officially get in line for a fee. A registration page has been set up that will take your vital info, including your drivers license number, as well as what model fortwo you'd like and the color of the body panels, trident safety cell and interior. The $99 fee doesn't guarantee you a car, as it's meant to help DaimlerChrysler distribute the vehicles they'll have to the regions where demand is greatest. If you do manage to buy one, the fee will be added to the cost of your vehicle. If you don't get one, they'll refund the money.

According to the registration page, the U.S. fortwo will start at under $12,000 for the PURE model (just a note - it appears the PURE comes sans stereo with a "radio-ready dash). The slightly uplevel PASSION model (with an AM/FM radio and CD player) will begin under $14,000, and the PASSION CABRIO just under $17,000. While this pricing is most likely not final, it can't be far off. Color us impressed, as we were expecting a base smart fortwo to start in the $15k to $16k range based on the kitsch factor of smart's image alone. Beginning at $12,000, however, means DCX will have to worry about supply much more than what we expect to be extremely high demand for this urban runabout.

Thanks for the tip, Matt!

[Source: Smart USA]

 

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Filed under: Audio, Gadgets, Ferrari

If you're going to introduce one of the world's most advanced automotive media systems, you might as well showcase it in one of the world's best vehicles. Bose has chosen the Ferrari 612 Scaglietti as its debut model. The new Bose Media System features customized 5.1-channel surround sound, an AM/FM/XM satellite radio tuner that can be accessed by genre, a 200 hours hard-drive, navigation system, Bluetooth, iPod connectivity with access through the system's display and a USB 2.0 input.

Oh, and it has an industry-first multi-format disc player. It can read and play virtually any type of disc you feed into it: CDs, DVD audio discs, DVD video discs, Super Audio CDs, MP3s, AAC and practically every other format available on recordable CDs and DVDs. It even has the Bose uMusic intelligent playback system that uses tags to identify listener "moods" and calls up similar songs from the hard drive. Of course the speakers have been optimized for the 612, as well. The system looks fairly easy to control with two large knobs and an upper and lower bank of preset function buttons. Follow the read link for more details on the system.

[Source: Bose]

 

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Filed under: Aftermarket, Audio, Gadgets, CES

Adding a really loud, powerful horn to a very small car has been causing fits of laughter for a while now... but if that is too passe' for you, why not consider the Hornstones FX-550? First seen at CES, this device allows you to play almost any audio file that can be transferred via USB as your honk. The FX-550 can store eight songs or audio files at a time. We can think of a few good songs for specific cars, like "Little GTO" in your classic Pontiac, "409", "Little Deuce Coupe"... the list goes on and on. Or, how about "Rollin" (language) by Limp Bizkit, or Tupac's "Picture Me Rollin" (language)? It boggles the mind. And then there are the "road rage" set who will just record their own voice screaming obscenities -- maybe this isn't such a good idea.

[Source: Uber Review]

 

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Filed under: Audio, Gadgets, CES

In Part IV, the final installment in our CES Car Show, you get VW Beetles and a four-door GTI used as a guitar amp, a Roush Mustang, a mostly untouched (thank god!), bright red Lotus Exige and various other autos we saw around the show.

While we didn't get to hear the GTI in play, but the Beetles actually sounded quite good. We know some amateur bands that have amps that sound much worse than the car's speakers. Then again, it could be their guitar-playing abilities. We can't wait until someone puts together a concert with about 20 Beetles on stage as amplifiers. Could you bill it as The Beetles United?

Enjoy all 22 high-res 1280x photos in our gallery.

 

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Filed under: Audio, Gadgets, CES

More cow-sized speakers, more LCDs, more more more more. And some really odd appliques for your car's otherwise blandly smooth body panels. The gray VW Beetle's ground shaking booms could be heard all over the show floor. Amazing such impressive sound could come from such a tiny car.

Check out the gallery for 34 more 1280x photos of flash and whiplash from CES 2007.

 

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Filed under: Audio, Gadgets, CES

Even within the international geekfest that is CES, we found a few interesting machines. From old school to new school, to no school, the vehicles of CES ran the gamut of taste. About the only place we didn't see an LCD monitor installed in a car was under the gas cap. We've seen car trunks filled with monitors, but on the underside of the trunk lid? Really? Is that necessary? Maybe your kidnap victims can entertain themselves with a music video.

Speakers are a tremendously popular trend -- the more the better and the bigger the badder. Extra points are awarded for the number of seats taken up by your sound system, apparently. One Scion xB even had an extendable rear hatch full of speakers and the requisite LCDs. The only thing bigger than the CES cars' speakers were their shoes. The largest might have been the 30s seen on the Alpine RLS, but others came close. Popular colors were orange, orange, and a dark orange-like orange. And who knew automotive nitrous came in solid-rocket-booster-sized bottles? The Batmobile and Monkee mobile were in attendance, as was one pavement-rubbing, mega-slammed classic Caddy.

Check out the high-res (1280x) gallery of 33 photos of all the wild CES vehicles, with more to come.



UPDATE: After checking out the Part I gallery, Parts II, III, and IV are now available if you haven't had enough.

 

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Filed under: Audio, Gadgets, CES

Alpine had more on its plate lately than just their RLS show car. Thankfully. No, they too have introduced their all-singing, all-dancing wonderunit for your car. But, unlike their competitors, the Alpine unit's portable GPS module goes inside instead of on top of the head unit.

Alpine's IVA-W205 has every electronic gadget you need in your dash, and at the push of a button, opens to reveal a slot for your Alpine Blackbird PBD-P200 GPS unit. Once the Blackbird is inserted into the head unit, the W205 not only gains GPS capability, but also the Blackbird's Bluetooth connectivity. Touching a button on the W205's screen closes the front.

The hideaway GPS garnered Alpine a CES Best of Innovators award this year. Expect to see the W205 on sale in May for $899, and the Blackbird seperately soon after for an as yet undetermined price.

 

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Filed under: Audio, Gadgets, CES

Pioneer electronics rolled out two custom cars as platforms to show off their latest mobile electronics.

Keith Losier and his team of plasma-torch-wielding Canadians converted an 2006 Pontiac Solstice to a neon green hardtop street racer with a 500 hp supercharged powerplant, 20s on the front, 22s on the back, and a completely reworked plush interior. And, of course, it's packed with Pioneer gadgets. A 6-disc DVD changer feeds numerous monitors, while Pioneer's Premier amps overcome the wind noise from all those body mods (and, we assume, the road noise from those 22s).

The 2005 tC was custom-built by Sixth Avenue Electronics using 19-inch wheels, and, in the tC's trunk, you'll find two 10-inch subs visible through the car's rear window connected to four PRS amps cranking out a heart-stopping 4,000 watts of power.

Check out the gallery for 25 more high-res, 1280x photos available for your personal use.

 

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Filed under: Audio, Gadgets, CES

UPDATE: Click here for Alpine's unveiling of the RLS

Click the image above for a full gallery.

Alpine is well known for their great-sounding home and car electronics. They're also known for their, um, shockingly overdone show cars. You might remember last year's Sinister Six. This year Alpine started with a Mercedes R350 on which to build a showcase their new gadgets. Gary Bell looked to the CLS's roofline as inspiration for the beginnings of Alpine's RLS. From there he borrowed from Bentley and other classic marques for design cues trying to keep this year's car as classy as possible. "We started out saying we wouldn't do anything on this car we wouldn't do on a Bentley," a proud Gary said immediately after the unveiling. The radically altered R class rides on 30" wheels wrapped with Pirelli rubber.

Make the jump for the rest of the story.

Be sure to check out the gallery for 50 images of the RLS.

Continue reading CES 2007: Alpine debuts the Mercedes RLS

 

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Filed under: Audio, Gadgets, CES

From our viewpoint here at CES, it looks like automotive electronics manufacturers want nothing more than to fill that gaping hole where your 8-track once was with anything but an 8-track.

So far, Pioneer, Eclipse, TomTom, and even Microsoft are among those introducing all-in-one navigation-giving, MP3-playing, iPod-connecting, Bluetooth-equipped, satellite radio-lovin', in-car entertainment systems. All are the same, in that they take a bunch of those gadgets off the top of your dash and squash 'em into a box in the dash.

Microsoft CEO Bill Gates gave his 10th keynote address at CES Sunday night, where he talked about Vista and how it would unify communication in and outside the home. Your car too. Ford's Executive Vice President Mark Fields flew in from Detroit to join Gates in announcing Sync to a huge CES crowd. Gates started the Sync introduction by saying Microsoft wants to give drivers a safer, "single command" automotive interface that combines all elements of vehicle electronics.

Fields said Sync would be available on a dozen models of early 2008 Fords, Lincolns and Mercurys, including the Edge and the new Focus. Sync will bring together man, machine, mp3 player and mobile phone, allowing drivers to integrate all those devices with their cars. Sync will download, via Bluetooth, all address books and personal ringtones from mobile phones. The system can even be set up to read text messages to drivers, and will translate shorthand like LOL and emoticons. Somehow. But we don't see how that could be a good thing. Remember the loathed talking cars of the 80s? Ugh.

Descriptions of Pioneer's and Eclipe's all-in-ones, and a few more CES keynote photos after the jump.

Continue reading CES 2007: Fill that void in your dash with GPS

 

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Filed under: Audio, Gadgets, Time Warp, Volkswagen

Brother blog Engadget just tipped us off to something they thought we might like just as much as they did. It's a new iPod speaker system from Jada Toys. Not that the world needed another iPod speaker system, but this one is a whole lot of fun. This one, in fact, comes in the funky shape of a classic Vee-Dub Beetle. The Jada Toys' I-Playaz VW Beetle will sell for $29.99 and is probably the perfect choice for listening to anything from the Fab Four. The Beetle comes in a classic two-tone red over white paint scheme, with chrome spinners, 3.5 mm input/output jacks that double as an aftermarket exhaust system, built-in speakers, "multicolored lights," and an on / off switch. The car actually "moves and shakes to the beat" when your iPod (or other MP3 player) is playing. And there's even a built-in jam to show off your toy while the iPod is recharging. Should go perfect with the VW Microbus LP player you picked up a couple of months ago.

[Source: Engadget]

 

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Filed under: Audio, Concept Cars, Time Warp, Sports/GTs, Etc., Chevrolet

When unveiled at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit back in January, the Chevy Camaro Concept managed to get hearts pumping. Not everybody loved it, but those who did could hear their pulse over the announcer. Until the car was started. That great American V-8 burble was the perfect compliment to the muscular looks of the car, and it drowned out just about every other sound in the hall.

Well, the car is still a couple of years away, but you too can live the dream by having that classic exhaust note available at your beck and call. Chevy has made available a Camaro ringtone. Just a few throttle blips, but enough to get your motor running every time your phone rings. Might be your Chevy dealer with an update on your deposit and order status.

Listen and download the Camaro ringtone here.

[Source: FastLane Blog]

 

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Filed under: Aftermarket, Audio, Concept Cars, SEMA, Hatchbacks, Volvo

click on image above to enlarge

As you know, we were unabashedly impressed with the C30 when it debuted as a concept at the 2006 North American International Auto Show and were equally excited to see the production version lost little of the concept's charm. It turns out that Volvo is pretty excited about the C30 too, as the Swedish brand has turned three cars over to a triumvirate of tuners who will produce custom versions for the SEMA Show in November. The companies involved include ipd, HEICO SPORTIV and EVOLVE.

The first tuner is little ipd who will make a very big statement with its C30 concept (shown above) producing 400 horsepower thanks to a belt-driven supercharger. That delicious powerband is augmented with audio courtesy of Alpine and Apple. Handling is jacked up a notch thanks to a fully adjustable coil-over suspension system and the party will come to a stop quickly thanks to a big break package. And just for fun the ipd C30 is painted with a Swedish flag theme. Nice.

(Follow the jump for more details on the other two tuner Volvos and more renderings)

[Source: Volvo]

Continue reading Volvo readies three C30 concepts for SEMA

 

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Filed under: Audio, Euro, Tech, Crossovers/CUVs, Land Rover

Land Rover, Land Rover, send surround sound over! Land Rover's all-new Freelander, to be dubbed LR2 Stateside, will be the first-ever vehicle to use Dolby(R) Pro Logic II(R) 7.1 surround sound. Sure, almost all vehicles have a rudimentary version of surround sound with speakers taking residence in dashboards, rear decks and door panels, but this is the real deal. With 14 speakers including a center channel, rear surrounds and a subwoofer, it promises home theater-like audio presentations.

Alpine developed the system with 440 watts of power, fiber optic connectors and an iPod jack to keep everyone happy. The new LR2, built on the global Ford EUCD platform, with its new transverse straight-six, better off-road capabilities, and this killer sound system should make the all-new baby Rover a pretty attractive package starting around $33,000 when it goes on sale in the Spring.

(Full press release with additional component pics after the jump.)

[Source: Land Rover]

Continue reading New small Rover packs big audio punch: Dolby Pro Logic II 7.1 debuts on LR2

 

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Filed under: Aftermarket, Audio, Gadgets, Etc., Tech

Here it is, folks, this is what you get for the tuner who has everything. Introducing the "Pimp My Heart," a system that uses sensors in the steering wheel to gauge your heart beat as you drive and subsequently pump said heart beat through your car's audio system for the ultimate beats. Using his Heart Beat Bass Booster, inventor Takehito Etani offers up "Pimp My Heart" for the "ultimate unity between car and driver."

The concept takes a look at bass thumping, its role as a marker of territory and "psychological armor," and asks some questions. What if the bass sounds are the driver's real-time heart beat instead of beats of music? Does our relationship with the vehicle/driver and the pedestrian change?

Sounds very academic, eh? While we wonder if dear Takehito has too much time on his hands over there at Carnegie Mellon, it's kind of a cool trick for the car that has everything -- it takes bass thumpin' to a whole new level.

[Source: Works by Takehito Etani via Fresh Creation]

 

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