Motorola and Verizon are paying attention to the car as they prepare to launch the new Droid X Android phone July 15 (announced Wednesday). The Droid X will offer an optional car cradle that gives you quick Internet radio and navigation access from the phone. When the phone docks in the cradle it triggers a dashboard app that includes turn-by-turn GPS, music, voice search, Internet radio and other features. The $40 car kit also offers hands free capability.

But the cradle does NOT play the audio from the Droid X through the car’s sound system, Motorola told us.

A simpler vent/dash mount will also be available for the Droid X at $20, reports Gearlog. A car cradle was also offered for the first Motorola Droid.

The Droid X was unveiled Wednesday by Verizon which presented the phone as “home theater in your pocket.” It can playback content you capture on the phone in 720p through its HDMI output. And it’s 8MP camera can record HD video. The Android-based slim (9.9mm) phone will sell for $200 with a 2-year contract after rebate. It has a 4.3-inch screen, the ability to run Flash software, a new faster 1GHZ processor and it can serve as a mobile hotspot for five other devices if you pay an extra $20 per month.

Google also announced that 160,000 Android phones are activated daily. This is up from an estimated of 100,000 per day offered in by Google in May.
Source:Motorola, Gearlog, Dow Jones via Fox Business

Clarion is joining Alpine and others who are developing radios that will work with Nokia phones. And they are using a standard proposied for all smartphones so that car radios could work with apps, maps and music on many smartphones.

Clarion said both its aftermarket and OEM radios will be able to control and stream apps from a Nokia phone and Nokia’s Ovi Store (app store) via either Bluetooth or USB. The radios will also be able to display turn-by-turn directions from Nokia phones, providing a larger, easier-to-read display.

In March, Alpine announced a similar agreement with Nokia.

The background here is that last month, Nokia joined with the CE4A (Consumer Electronics for Automotive) group that includes 5 key auto makers and announced a specification for integrating Nokia phones in cars called the Terminal Mode spec. CE4A members Audi, BMW, Daimler, Porsche and Volkswagen all support the spec and are pushing for it to become an industry standard not only for Nokia phones but other phones as well, said Clarion. The standard could apply to aftermarket radios too, Clarion added.

Under the Terminal Mode standard, head units would not need to embed navigation as it could be streamed from a phone.

Sources: Clarion, Alpine, InformationWeek, engadget

Photo: View of future dash with smartphone connection via engadget

We were amazed by the depth and breadth of the comments posted on the Sonic Electronix and Al & Ed’s call to action stories regarding transshipping and MAP (Minimum Advertised Price).

We will follow up on the topic but for now, in the hope that some constructive actions might be taken on the problem, we offer some of the key takeaway points and questions raised from your comments:

Is MAP still a useful tool? Should we get rid of MAP?

Or, should retailers go to the other extreme and stick to only brands that strictly enforce MAP?

What should suppliers do when they have 2,000 units left that none of their authorized dealers will buy?

A thoughtful post from “Steve” says retailers are to blame in an unexpected way:

“Wanna know why customers go to the net? It’s not always about price! Look at your stores, most are dirty and ugly. Most employees are too busy playing on the internet or their phones to actually learn anything about the products they sell. Look at your inventory, you cherry pick the lines because you want to clerk the easy stuff not actually sell anything. Do you actually advertise to the youth in a way they understand or do you just yell “1000 watts amp $99!” Most independents act like the internet. In the words of Eddy Kay “With all things equal, I’ll shop at the lowest price”

Should specialists organize in some way to fight discounters?

Thank you for the great comments and we hope you add more!

Could Mobile DTV be a hit with consumers? The first indication of how U.S. consumers will react to free over-the-air digital TV to portable (or car electronics) devices looks promising. People taking part in a Washington, D.C. test trial were asked how excited they were about the potential of Mobile DTV and gave the technology a rating of “7” out of “10” with “10” signifying “extremely excited.”

The results are from 150 viewers who provided more than 2,800 comments. People are watching the service multiple times a day and when they watch Mobile DTV, 2/3rd of the time they are on the go. News and daytime shows are the popular programs with the trial viewers who are using a Samsung Moment phone that is modified to receive Mobile DTV.

This week, people in the trial will start using a Dell Inspiron Mini 10 netbook. In the future, an LG portable DVD/Mobile DTV player and a Tivizen add-on receiver for a smartphone or other devices from Valups will be added. The trial began in May with 9 broadcasters airing 23 stations.

Mobile DTV is a popular service in Korea and Japan but has yet to be proven in the U.S. The technology is expected to get a full commercial launch towards the end of the year once an archaic law prohibiting digital-only tuners is amended by the FCC, if all goes according to plan. Suppliers are also waiting to see more coverage by broadcasters who are now transmitting Mobile DTV in New York, Detroit, Philadelphia, Charlotte, Raleigh, Atlanta, Orlando, Chicago, Austin, Columbus (OH), Omaha, Los Angeles, San Jose, Fresno, and other cities, in addition to Washington, D.C. said the Open Mobile Video Coalition (OMVC) a consortium of broadcasters which is promoting the technology and overseeing the trial. (But some of the cities only have one or two stations).
Source: OMVC
Photo: LG’s portable DVD/mobile DTV player DP570MH

InstallerNet’s network of car electronics specialists will act as the installers for a new anti-drunk driving electronic device from SafeKey.

The SafeKey product is a key fob with built-in electronic test buttons and flashing LED lights that test your reaction time. If you pass the test the car will start. If you fail, on the third try your car won’t start until you try the test again after at least an hour.

The SafeKey also uses a black box that’s installed typically under the dash. The keyfob + black box carries a $249 price and may be purchased at safekey.com. The installation at an InstallerNet retailer costs $90.

InstallerNet operates a network of car, home and commercial installers that includes 3,600 car AV retail installers, 1,110 of which are Best Buy outlets. The company also owns the Mobile Electronics Retailers Assn. which sponsors the car electronics trade event, KnowledgeFest.
Source: Install

As of now, the best Audi audio system you can upgrade to is the Bang & Olufsen 14 speaker setup, and take it from me, it’s pretty bangin’. But it sure is nice to see that Audi engineers aren’t easily satisfied. They’re working on a concept audio system they’re calling Wave Field Synthesis (WFT), a computer controlled system that can reproduce natural, accurate sound directionally to anyone in the cabin. It includes five tweeters up front, five woofers in the doors including a large one in the back, and 52 mids scattered around the cabin.

Auto Page is the second supplier this week to announce new actions against transshipping (following Clarion).
Auto Page said it launched its first Authorized Internet Reseller agreement. It requires Internet resellers to comply with MAP (Minimum Advertised Price) agreements, standard warranties, etc. It also stipulates that resellers invest in quality customer service.
The problem of Internet retailers discounting below MAP and the role of suppliers in permitting such discounting is taking on new urgency as a sluggish economy and other factors continue to tax car stereo profits. The comments on the stories here and here this week speak for themselves. We thank everyone who took time out from their busy day to post their reaction.
Source: Auto Page
Photo: Auto Page C3-RS1100
Photo:

Homer Simpson last year, now Sponge Bob. TomTom’s latest offering of “character” voices include SpongeBob SquarePants and Dora the Explorer. On a TomTom device you might now hear: “Hey, I don’t have a license to drive. So is it illegal when I drive Mr. Krabs crazy?” in SpongeBob’s voice. Users can download the voices from TomTom HOME or www.tomtom.com/page/nickelodeon for $13 each.
Source: TomTom