Thursday, October 18, 2012

The iPhone 5 may finally force the car audio industry into the digital age by creating a new class of in-dash products that use HDMI connections.

If Apple provides its licensees information on the iPhone 5’s new digital video format soon, it may lead to a new high end for car audio of iPhone 5-ready head units. The earliest we might see these would be at the Consumer Electronics Show in January, or several months later, said suppliers.
The radios would likely cost at least $100 more to end users, by one estimate, to pay for new circuitry and an HDMI connector.
Pioneer Director of Marketing for Car Electronics Ted Cardenas explained that with new iPhone 5 video-ready head units, “There will be a cost associated with adapting to the technology. You will see in 2013 a variety of products that support this. ” He confirmed it’s possible the products could appear at CES, but this would be the very earliest.
If these new radios also include HD screens, the cost to the consumer could go up even higher.
Here’s the full story:
Because the iPhone 5 has a new digital video output, car radio makers are waiting on Apple to outline the specifications of drawing video out of the phone. Such specifications include format, resolution and Digital Rights Management.
Some industry members believe Apple will provide special HDMI and VGA connectors that will allow the iPhone 5 to send video to many existing TVs and other products. But 95 percent of car radios use a composite video connection, and many say it’s unlikely that Apple will release a composite video adapter. So car audio suppliers may need to retool products to make them iPhone 5-video ready.
JVC Mobile, like other suppliers is waiting on Apple. GM of Marketing Chad Vogelsong said, “Everyone out there is in the same boat. If Apple does supply some information…and it requires our engineers to go in with more circuitry or code, yes, I’m sure there will be price premium. It’s all part of the engineering.”
But he noted, “If it’s a $30 adapter, then nothing changes. But no one knows.”
But maybe the iPhone 5 shift to all digital video will serve as a wakeup call to the car audio industry that it’s time to offer the same class of connections used in smartphones and TVs if it wants to avoid compatibility issues down the road.
Audiovox by DICE closely follows Apple technology issues. Executive VP Steve Witt says the smartphone is really dictating what kind of hardware you need. “In North America, we’re up to around 57 or 58 percent penetration for smartphones. So we’ve reached a tipping point. More than 50 percent of the market is now carrying a smartphone. Once you reach a tipping point in any market, everything begins to shift.”
He adds, “Automotive is not living in a world by itself.”
Sony didn’t want to comment specifically on the matter but said, “We realize the importance of HDMI for car stereo,” according to Yusuke Sakuraba, Product Manager for Mobile Electronics.

Wednesday, October 17, 2012

Directed says it is now the first remote start company to let Siri remote start a car by voice command.

The company has just updated its Viper SmartStart app so users can actually tell an iPhone to “Start my car,” and it’s done.
The new Viper 3.0.1 app allows users to launch the SmartStart app by voice and then execute one other spoken command, either “Start my car,” “Lock my car,” or “Unlock my car.”
Previously, Directed’s Viper SmartStart system allowed these functions only by tapping the phone screen.
The app update also permits it to work with Apple’s new Maps function for GPS tracking and finding your parked car.
And it includes new in-app controls over text and email notifications.
To support the new Siri function, users must have an iPhone 4/4S running iOS 6 or an iPhone 5.
An Android version of 3.0.1 is also now available that offers a number of tweaks including more flexibility in setting text message and email alerts.
SmartStart requires an installed remote start system and a special module in order to allow your phone to remote start the car (using the SmartStart app).

Tuesday, October 16, 2012

GPS tracking has been around for over a decade with only middling success, but the service may have finally found its market– as an add-on feature for remote start from your phone.

Over 50 percent of Compustar’s DroneMobile remote-start-from-a-phone buyers have purchased a GPS tracking plan, so they may view the location of the car or track a teen from a phone.
“So we’re shocked,” said CompuStar Director of Sales & Marketing Jason Kaminski. “We’re pleasantly surprised by how many people are upgrading to the tracking plan.”
Directed offers a version of its SmartStart remote start-from-a-phone with GPS tracking. It costs an extra $100 for the hardware ($399 versus $299) and about an extra $10 a year in service fees. The company said the uptake by consumers for GPS tracking “has exceeded our expectations,” according to VP Product Planning James Turner.
For DroneMobile, GPS tracking adds about $100 a year in service fees but there’s no extra charge in hardware.
Buyers of the tracking plan include parents of teens, small businesses who want to keep track of vehicles and customers who simply want all the bells and whistles, said Kaminski.
Audiovox just began offering a GPS tracking option for its Car Link remote start-from-a-phone module last month. Although it’s too soon to report on its success, Audiovox Electronics President Tom Malone said, ” If the consumer can get the added value of the location of the vehicle, they think it’s a cool feature and its not a big cost adder, so why not have it.”
With GPS tracking, users see a real time location of the car on their smartphone. On some products, they get a full status update on the car (are doors locked, what’s the battery voltage and temperature of the cabin?). GPS tracking also provides teen tracking features that alert you if your teen travels out of a proscribed area or exceeds a preset speed.
Car Toys, Seattle, WA., a 50+ store chain, said of GPS tracking, “We’re seeing good traction now – this is a growth area of the business,” according to Jim Warren, SVP Merchanding. He added, “I wouldn’t say it’s suddenly catching on. We are, though, seeing steady growth and reliable sales

Friday, August 3, 2012

Alpine Ships Car Radio with 8” Screen

Tuesday, July 31, 2012

Apple is planning a September 12 event to introduce the next version of the iPhone, several news agencies are reporting.

The next generation of the iPhone is expected to sport a thinner but larger screen and it may offer 4G LTE service. It is also expected to have a smaller dock connector, which could cause temporary headaches for car radios, kits and other iPhone docking products

Thursday, July 12, 2012

There have been plenty of false starts for getting Mobile DTV off the ground, but Audiovox told analysts today that it will market Mobile DTV products (that allow digital broadcast TV in a moving vehicle) next year.
“Everybody involved [in Mobile DTV] is in the process of getting ready for next year…We are in the pre-launch stage. We expect to see sales of mobile DTV in the U.S. some time next year,” said Pat Lavelle, CEO of VOXX (parent of Audiovox Electronics).
Audiovox said it has unique capabilities in receivers and it “plans to exploit that,” according to Lavelle.
It has aligned with MCV–one of two groups of broadcasters pushing Mobile DTV. MCV includes NBC, Fox, and ABC and CBS affiliates and other major TV station groups. It now has 91 stations on the air with Mobile DTV, reaching 55 percent of TV homes. (The second broadcaster group is Mobile 500).
VOXX also reported that its sales were up for fiscal Q1 ending in May but it had a net loss for the period due to a patent litigation settlement and other fees related to the purchase of Hirschmann (antenna maker).

Mobile Electronics sales were down, mainly due to remote starters and the timing of certain OEM deals. A Ford deal ended in the prior quarter but two new Ford contracts plus a Nissan contract begin in Q2, said the company.
VOXX had a charge of $8.4 million to settle a patent litigation suit with MPEG-LA regarding its 2003 MPEG-2 Patent Portfolio License.
Overall sales for VOXX rose 17.4 percent to $194 million for the quarter compared to a year ago.
Electronics sales rose 15.5 percent to $152.8 million compared to $132.3 million a year ago. Hirschmann (acquired in March) accounted for all of the plus sales, or $36.6 million.
About $5.4 million in lost sales is due to the company’s de-emphasis of low margin products.
Accessories sales increased 24.8 percent over last year to $41.2 million.
Electronics represents 78.8 percent of VOXX sales, while the remainder is in accessories.
VOXX maintains its sales target of $900 million for the year and gross profit margins of 28 percent

BMW is adding 4G LTE service to its new infotainment system and new voice control powered by Nuance.

The company’s new BMW LTE Car Hotspot lets you plug in your own 4G SIM card to bring Internet into the car. The device has its own battery and antenna so you can use it as a portable hotspot as well. It should be available in November, says The Verge.
With the new BMW ConnectedDrive system, drivers can now respond to text messages and emails by voice as they drive (not just listen to them read aloud as BMW offered in the past).
Also there’s a new controller, first spotted in a prototype A3 interior at the Consumer Electronics Show in January. Called the iDrive Touch, it adds a touch pad to the company’s earlier hockey-puck-like controller knob in the console (that you can manipulate like a joystick).
With the new system, BMW catches up to and exceeds some of Audi’s tech offerings. Audi was one of the first automakers to provide embedded 4G service.
The new BMW system also has some trick navigation features made possible by a 1.3 GHZ processor and dedicated graphics chip, says Autopia. At different distances to the next turn, you get different navigation views. The system offers virtual 3-D views of course.
The new Nuance voice control will become available this month in the 2012 7 series and it will move to the 3 Series and ActiveHybrid models later in the year.

Wednesday, June 20, 2012

Kenwood will begin selling 2 car radio models at Walmart stores beginning in September, the company confirmed.

The radios are entry-level models including a $95 radio and will be “derivatives,” offering slightly different features than typical Kenwood radios.
Alpine would then become the only remaining top 5 car radio brand that is not sold through Walmart.
Kenwood said it made the difficult decision to enter Walmart in order “to sustain volume in a flat business environment. We felt this was the most controllable and responsible way to do it, as opposed to online marketplace merchants,” said Senior VP Consumer Electronics Keith Lehmann.
He noted, that Kenwood is only offering 2 SKUs through the mass merchant. “There’s no attempt whatsoever to place the full line of product at Walmart.”
Lehmann said the Walmart deal will give Kenwood the incremental sales that will help it keep the Excelon program for car audio specialists intact.
Kicker will also enter Walmart in September with a limited number of car amplifiers and speakers.

http://www.parkwaycarstereo.com/brands.html

Tuesday, June 12, 2012

Starting this fall, Apple will offer its own Maps feature that can give you turn-by-turn directions and traffic, all voice controlled via Siri.

The Maps offer a cool feature called “Flyover,” which allows users to see a 3D view of buildings. Apple gathered its own imagery by using planes and helicopters to collect data for the 3D models, said Technology Review by MIT. Users can use their fingers to zoom in and out of the 3D view, a feature similar to one debuted by Google last week for Google Maps.
Apple Maps will also offer turn-by-turn direction (for the first time from Apple) with traffic updates collected by anonymous data from iOS users (crowdsourced, real-time traffic).
TomTom provides the maps for the feature (replacing Google).
The Maps are linked to Siri so users can ask for directions to the nearest gas station, for example. They are part of the new iOS6 Apple operating system that is released this fall.

Monday, June 11, 2012

Updated! Apple announced today at its Worldwide Developers Conference that Siri will be offered via a steering wheel control button by 9 leading car makers within the next 12 months.

BMW, GM, Mercedes, Land Rover, Jaguar, Audi, Toyota, Chysler, and Honda will provide a button on the steering wheel that will work with Siri—Apple’s voice driven personal assistant, which also received an update Monday. (Notice, Ford, with its Sync and MyFord Touch is not included in the mix).

Scott Forstall, head of Apple iOS development. introduced the steering wheel feature calling it “eyes free.” As it “Lets you keep hands on steering wheel while you’re using your phone,” according to a live blog of the event via MacWorld.
Siri, under new iO6, will also now deliver sports information, movie information, send your tweets and launch apps.
Siri will also be integrated with Facebook so you can just speak to post on Facebook. (See our story earlier today, which just may be completely wrong now).
The new version of Siri can also activate a new Maps function from Apple that includes turn-by-turn directions. Maps also has re-routing and the ability to zoom out to see a wider surrounding area.
The new Siri also allows you to make restaurant reservations through integration with OpenTable and Yelp.
In terms of sports, you will be able to ask, “What was the score of the last Giants game?” Siri will tell you players’ stats by name, and show a player “card” displayed on the screen, said Barron’s live blog of the presentation.
You may recall Apple recently patented a steering wheel control device. The controls pictured during the conference (via Gizmodo) showed a simple Siri button but not the “click wheel” in the Apple patent.
By the way, the new iOS6 also permits FaceTime video chat over 3G (not just WiFi, as in the past). It will be available, along with the new Siri features this fall.

Friday, June 8, 2012

Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood, said at a press conference yesterday that the Feds will “examine voice commands for hands-free functions” and may draft guidelines for use of GPS devices, cellphones and iPod-type portables in cars.

Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, NHTSA, said it is researching whether hands- free systems distract drivers and if so, how that distraction level compares to handheld devices, reported Bloomberg.
“Americans have gotten into very dangerous behavior with their cell phones and their texting devices to think they can use them behind the wheel of a car,” he said.
The Transportation Department has already issued voluntary guidelines for car makers regarding built-in infotainment and navigation systems. In February it said no task for drivers should take longer than two seconds and that cars must be placed in park before drivers can enter navigation commands or use sites like Facebook and Twitter. The guidelines are non-binding.
The news followed Verizon Wireless’ announcement that it will join with leading car makers to offer 4G in cars.
“We want to make sure they understand, and that’s why we put out the voluntary guidelines that we did, that the ability to download Facebook, the ability to access information while you’re driving the car is not exactly a safe way to drive,” LaHood said.

Monday, June 4, 2012

In an unusual act to improve their fortunes, competing Florida car audio retailers are banding together to hire a sales trainer.

Del Ellis of Del Ellis Sales Training

The trainer, Del Ellis, ran an award winning car audio shop and has led several seminars at the annual MERA KnowledgeFest. He claims that some businesses have more than doubled their sales following his training, for which he usually charges $3,500 for 3 days.
The Florida retailers, led by Parish Tanner of Ocala Car Audio, are collectively flying Ellis to Tampa to hold a one-day seminar at rep MAG Sales. The first 4 retailers to sign up 4 or more salesmen will get additional training at their store. The fee is $150 per salesman.
Tanner doesn’t mind that the shop down the street might also get the same sales training.
“If a hack shop has a customer that comes in and has a bad experience, it pushes the customer out of the industry and he may never come back….part of my goal is to make my region as strong as possible.”

Ocala Car Audio is spearheading Florida sales training

http://www.parkwaycarstereo.com/remotestart.htmlTanner, a former rep and distributor adds, “In sports, competition brings success. If you have a couple of good competitors, everyone does better.” For example, many local dealers can raise labor rates to be more profitable. “If my labor rate is $65 and the guy down the street is $35, he can bump it to $45 and still be the cheapest in town.”
For those who sign up for in-store training, Ellis will come to the shop, observe and critique and hold a follow-up meeting after the store closes.
During the training Ellis says, “We attack the telephone: how to get people in from the phone without quoting prices. If you are the cheapest in town, it makes it difficult to make more money, so why start with that?” He also addresses, “How to get someone in from the phone if they ask about a brand you don’t carry.”
He addresses how to greet people (Hint: He doesn’t suggestion ‘How can I help you.’”)
As for Tanner, his shop in Ocala , FL is only 3 years old and expects to bring in over $750,000 this year after grossing over $600,000 last year.
He says, “I’d like to encourage other retailers in different regions to come together as a region to help grow their industry with training.”http://www.parkwaycarstereo.com/remotestart.html

After first showing it at CES, Directed has launched the SmartStart 3.0 update that lets your car “talk” to you, or at least text you and ask if you want it to remote start the car.

http://www.parkwaycarstereo.com/remotestart.html
With the new update, the app now relies on the cloud to let you remote start the car from a phone and deliver a several new features.
If your check engine light comes on, your phone can tell you the reason why.
The app may be set so that the car will automatically text you if the temperature falls below a preset level and its time to leave for work. “Your car can initiate the conversation now. It can tell you to ‘remote start me. It’s 7:30 am and the temperature is15 degrees,’” said a spokesman.
Additionally, the car stereo dealer can assign buttons to different phone-to-car features through auxiliary channels. So you can control the sunroof from the phone or roll down the windows or pop the trunk from the phone. You can also link the phone to the car’s suspension so it can be lowered and raised.
When you command your phone to start the car, it relays a confirmation that the car has actually started (not just that the signal was received), said Directed.
“This is only the beginning…We have a lot more to come for our customers,” said Directed President Mike Simmons.
The company is also releasing a Bluetooth SmartStart in-car module at $129 so you don’t need to be within range of cellular service to remote start the car from the phone. Your phone pairs with the module.
The SmartStart 3.0 app was released Thursday for the iPhone as a free firmware upgrade. An Android version is expected to be available by the close of day, and other phones will be supported later.
SmartStart requires a module starting at $199 for the car and a remote starter.http://www.parkwaycarstereo.com/remotestart.html

Thursday, May 31, 2012

Harman has been putting a lot of focus on home and portable audio and is now investing in the car stereo aftermarket, said new Senior Sales Manager for the Mobile Aftermarket, Glenn Ihrke (formerly with Alpine).
“Harman has identified the aftermarket as a potential growth area for the company…not necessarily a growth category, but a growth area for the company. But in the last several years we haven’t had the programs or products for the aftermarket,” he said.

Harman's Glenn Ihrke

The company is already making changes to court the specialist as it believes it can triple its market share in car audio through the specialty channel.
It has implemented new programs such as adjusting freight requirements so they are more easily met by smaller shops. The product lines will also be more profitable, Ihrke said.
Next month, the company will ship a new JBL GTO speaker line to match the amps shipped earlier in the year. Ihrke says it uses “high tech” materials but maintains a reasonable price range from about $120 to $200. Also a new Infinity Kappa line is due this summer. Next year, the company will focus on filling out the MS line of add-on electronics for the car.
Harman said it will beef up its presence at the MERA KnowledgeFest this summer with a larger booth and it will run two training seminars.

Wednesday, May 30, 2012

State Farm Insurance has joined with Ford to allow owners of some Sync radios to receive discounts on their insurance payments.

Drivers who enroll in the program initially save about 5 percent on their auto coverage.
Since the Sync has a built-in Vehicle Health Report, it can send to the insurance companies direct odometer readings on the number of miles you’ve driven. Under the program, every six months, your discount is re-evaluated. Those driving the national average of 1,000 miles per month will typically get a 10 percent discount. Those driving less can save up to 40 percent.
Sync’s Vehicle Health Report is a standard, no-subscription feature that allows owners to request a diagnostic report about their vehicle’s performance and maintenance. Since it pulls the odometer reading directly from the engine computer, the mileage from the report is considered verified and can be shared with State Farm representatives, said Ford.
The discounts will be part of State Farm’s Drive Safe & Save program and will launch first in Utah, followed by other states.

Thursday, May 24, 2012

Garmin showed a new concept for OEM car infotainment systems that uses a large controller knob filled with sensors for many functions, instead of a touchscreen.
It also uses gesture control.

Separate from the dash screen is a large knob with four buttons with IR sensors. When a hand approaches the knob it “wakes” up before being touched. Then it lets you control modes such as audio, apps, navigation and “communications.”
Stations presets are also separate from the radio, below it. And they also have built-in sensors too, so you don’t have to look at them. As your hand nears the preset, an image of it appears on the dash screen so no need to look down.
When you are not using the system, it reverts to a simple display on the screen that shows basics like song title and radio station.
The idea is to minimize driver distraction and ‘eyes off the road.’

Garmin believes the screen should be higher on the dash too, where the driver can better see it.
The concept system was developed by Garmin’s auto OEM group to help provide research on reducing driver distraction. As Garmin supplies aviation GPS to pilots, it knows a bit about user interfaces designed for use at high speeds.
Garmin’s system can also be tied into HVAC controls and connected services.
The first fully designed car audio system from Garmin will be available in most 2013 Suzuki models.

Proline Brings the WOW!!! Factor to Brooklyn

Spectators jam the display area at the Proline event.

BROOKLYN, NY (05.23.12) – Proline’s May 20th Car Show produced record setting sales. Traffic on Utica Avenue, a main Brooklyn artery, was virtually shut down for several blocks in each direction.
Shef Sadik, related to 12voltnews.com “We worked on the planning of this event for for several months. Through the years we have had many very successful promotions. We wanted this to the the best. At the end of the day, Sunday May 20th, the cash register told us our 2012 event was the largest to date.”

Shef Sadik

Staff members virtually moved all the product in the showroom out to the parking lot in front of the store for the event. “Our idea was to put our ridiculous specials right in front of competitors in the sound off and car show. “Head-to-head” loudest vehicle and “Cleanest” vehicle contests are huge in the New York. Well over 200 luxury imports, SUV’s, pick-ups and bikes were on hand. Our specials caught their eyes and the wallets came out” Sadik added.

This overhead shot shows the expanse of the show area.

Car audio gear across the board was the big mover at the Proline event – amps, speakers and subs.

Morris Hartman

Big Daddy’s Morris Hartman was right in the middle of the action. “What a selling show. The entire day was more than crazy. I got to tell you that a show like this is really exciting – for Proline, the industry and for me personally” Morris Hartman told 12volt news.com in a very excited voice. Hartman and Big Daddy’s supported the Proline event with MTX, Lightning Audio, BOYO, Renegade and Clarion.

Will Sullivan

“We need more individuals like Morris in our industry. He was selling his balls off” Proline’s Will Sullivan told 12voltnews.com. “He was at the microphone and barking out the special deals and raffle items. Somehow he still had his voice at day’s end.”

There was gridlock on Utica Avenue in front of the Proline's location in Brooklyn.

Industry support for the Proline event was strong with JL Audio, Rockford Fosgate, Kenwood, Audio Control, MTX, AutoPage, Viper, Renegade, Escort and Lightning Audio providing ammunition for the event. Jeff Schultz, Kevin Stelling and Dave Berry were vendor representatives spotted in the middle of the action.

A word to all 12 volt dealers: Bring the WOW factor back to your customer. When most dealers are complaining about internet prices killing their business embrace it and sell your self – not the product. Quality and reliability can’t be bought online. I tell the staff we’re different from the next shop down the street because we are Proline - and that you can’t shop! Shef Sadik – Proline

“It was wall to wall at the Proline event” DEI’s Bob Hernandez stated to 12voltnews.com. “Cars were double parked on Utica Avenue for as far as as anyone could see in both directions. Proline is a very good Viper account and we wanted to be on hand to participate in the big event.”

Proline promoted their event with email campaigns, text messaging, hard calls and social media. Flyers and mailings to targeted zip-codes preceded the event 2 months out.

A private security firm was hired and local authorities were notified of the event well in advance.
Sullivan and Sadik both expressed great appreciation for the great job their staff did throughout the entire event process and the super vendor support.

Wednesday, May 23, 2012

Imagine Siri that’s robust enough to work well in the car. Nuance announced it now has such a product. It’s due to roll out in production vehicles this summer, and may be heading to the aftermarket.

Nuance said it is in talks with leading aftermarket suppliers including traditional Japanese suppliers to include the product in their radios.
“The head unit manufacturers are all very interested in this type of connected capability. Several of them are already seriously considering it. We’re engaged with them in discussions,” said Ed Chrumka Nuance Senior Product Manager for Connected Car Services.
Nuance’s new voice control platform is called Dragon Drive! It works around background noise in the car and uses natural language with better than 90 percent accuracy in word recognition Just as with Siri on an iPhone, it lets you send a text message such as “I’m stuck in traffic,” via dictation. Or you can ask it to post the same message to Facebook or Twitter.
You can command it to “Listen to the email from Alex,” and then have it read the text aloud in human-like speech. You can also search for any song on Internet Radio or on your connected device. And you can ask to have newspaper headlines read aloud to you.
The system has a higher sampling rate than others on the market, say Chrumka. And it’s trained to recognize a speaker who is talking into a microphone located a couple feet away, with road noise and passengers chatting in the background. Further, the more you talk to it, the more it recognizes your particular speech.

Nuance provides the speech engine for the Ford Sync, GM’s OnStar, Garmin devices and many of the other voice control systems available. Nuance works with most of the top 10 automakers and it works with Apple, but it wouldn’t confirm that it makes the engine behind Siri.
As noted, the first production car to include the new Dragon Drive! Engine will be available this summer and more than one auto maker will offer the service this year.
Dragon Drive! may be marketed on a subscription basis to the end user.

Monday, May 21, 2012

As pointed out in USA Today, screens are getting bigger on the dashboard, just as they’ve upsized in our livingrooms.

Lexus GS screen

The trend is apparent in new vehicles and is working its way into the aftermarket.
The Lexus GS now has a 12.3-inch display so it can show a split-screen image with a map on one side and radio/HVAC controls on the other. The Tesla Model S due this summer will have a 17-inch screen.
In several Ford models, the screen is (or will soon be) 8-inches, up from 6.5 inches. The same is true in Hyundai’s 2013 Santa Fe crossover with an 8-inch screen. And the BMW 7 series display is now up to 10.2 inches.
The aftermarket is also starting to see a migration to larger screens. Alpine will ship in June, the first aftermarket head unit with an 8-inch screen—the INE-Z928 at $1,499.95. The company is also looking at other screen sizes, said VP and GM Aftermarket Business Unit, Steve Crawford.
Sony is also examining the trend and watching to see if the industry coalesces around a single larger screen size.
Of course, departing from the traditional single or double DIN opening poses several problems, said Sony Business Manager for Mobile Taka Noguchi. “We want to look at a [larger] screen size that would fit in most OEM cars, but we don’t have that info yet. So, at this moment, we should wait and see how the trend develops.”
Simply making a DIN sized radio with a large overhanging screen could pose problems as it might interfere with climate control knobs and other dash buttons. “So we have to research well,” Noguchi added.
Earlier this year Power Acoustik introduced a single DIN car radio with an overhanging 9.3 inch tablet for a screen at $399.

Thursday, May 17, 2012

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

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).

Wednesday, May 16, 2012

GM Says Facebook Ads Don't Work, Pulls $10 Million Account

Scott CarmichaelDuh.

Oaken Ashen ThorneDear GM, I use Facebook daily, like multiple times and I have yet to see a single ad from you there. Maybe you do have ads there, and other companies, but, [...]

Marcus HugginsWho pays attention to FB ads? I am on FB practically every day and I rarely notice the ads. I certainly have never purchased a product based on FB ads.

Brian StiffWOW “Facebook Ads Don’t Work” are you kidding. If you actually have ever ran a successful Facebook Ad Campaign you’d see they work very well compared to ot [...]

Foren SicpicsUsing Facebook does not equal using Facebook ads.

bryannagyI work with Facebook ads at a large ad agency and they actually work really well- much better than any other forms of online advertising. We get a much hig [...]

48 comments, 23 called-out

+ Comment now

Oaken Ashen Thorne
Dear GM, I use Facebook daily, like multiple times and I have yet to see a single ad from you there. Maybe you do have ads there, and other companies, but, [...]

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(Image credit: AFP/Getty Images via @daylife)

Just days before Facebook’s historic stock offering, General Motors said it plans to stop advertising on the social media site, concluding that its paid ads don’t have a big impact on consumers.

GM spends about $40 million a year on Facebook marketing, according to the Wall Street Journal, about $10 million of which is for paid advertisements. It will continue to post relevant content about the company and its brands on GM’s Facebook pages.

GM marketing chief Joel Ewanick told the Journal that GM “is definitely reassessing our advertising on Facebook, although the content is effective and important.”

In a statement, GM said: “We regularly review our overall media spend and make adjustments as needed. This happens as a regular course of business and it’s not unusual for us to move our spending around various media outlets – especially with the growth of multiple social and digital media outlets.
“In terms of Facebook specifically, while we currently do not plan to continue with advertising, we remain committed to an aggressive content strategy through all of our products and brands, as it continues to be a very effective tool for engaging with our customers.”
GM has been re-evaluating much of its advertising strategy over the past year, consolidating its global advertising and media-buying agencies in a bid to cut $2 billion from its marketing budget while improving the efficiency of its advertising.
The Journal, citing people familiar with GM’s thinking, said the carmaker began to question the effectiveness of its Facebook ads earlier this year and GM marketing executives, including Ewanick, met with Facebook managers to address their concerns but remained unconvinced that advertising on the website made sense.
The news comes at an awkward time for Facebook, whose $105 billion IPO is scheduled for Friday.

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

Tuesday, May 15, 2012

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.