CES 2009 Preview: Internet radio in the car
At next week's Consumer Electronics Show, Blaupunkt and miRoamer will announce the first in-dash Internet radio receiver. The press release we received says the radios will be offered as "built-in original equipment" but doesn't go into detail about what automakers will offer the system or even how the radios receive the data.
"The beauty of Internet car radio is the customized user experience," said George Parthimos, Founder and CEO of miRoamer said in a press release. "Today, users want to jump in their car and go – no pulling out third-party devices or plugging in cords to access their music and information. miRoamer's development with Blaupunkt is the first seamless Internet radio solution. Now, with the simple push of a button, users can access AM/FM stations or Internet radio's thousands of music, entertainment, news and talk stations from around the world, all from the same car stereo."
Users of the new head units will be able to tune into Internet radio stations offered by miRoamer as well as add stations of their choosing by simply inputting the URL. The photo above is of Blaupunkt's prototype New Jersey head unit.
We're looking forward to getitng the details on this next week, and will put up a post as soon as we do.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
firstplace 4:42PM (1/04/2009)
I wonder if it will work everywhere...
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geneharrisjr 12:30AM (3/10/2009)
I am ready to buy it already so I can listen to GroovinU.com in my Riviera.
summazooma 4:59PM (1/04/2009)
I understand the potential for virtually unlimited stations (vs., for example, XM/Sirius' "limited" offerings) but I really want to see the "business case" for me, personally, vs. my XM/Sirius factory-installed radio.
I'm happy with the offerings that I listen to (6-10 regular channels plus another 6-10 occasional channels plus the once or twice/ year that I listen to something else on XM/Sirius) and, so far, I don't mind the monthly charges for two radios, though I wish they'd stuck with (at least, XM's) original model for once charge regardless of radios per household.
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Randy 5:23PM (1/04/2009)
Can't wait to begin receiving uninterrupted KEXP broadcasts. I'm sick of lame, local commercial stations in SLC. Bring it on!
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Randy 5:27PM (1/04/2009)
Additionally, that has got to be the best looking Blaupunkt unit to date. Just hope its sound quality measures up with its looks.
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greg ramsaran 5:35PM (1/04/2009)
Does it have GPS? internet radio is nice, so is local & Satellite radio- but will it take me to the nearest Starbucks?
Looks nice also - hope it fits in my dashboard... time for an audio upgrade (if the price is nice also).
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Fox 5:38PM (1/04/2009)
I have been waiting for this option for years now...It will be nice to listen to whatever I choose...
Sirius/XM offer no flexibility with their programming and overcharge for it...
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Steve 6:19PM (1/04/2009)
What would also be nice is implementation with VOIP, having Skype available would be an excellent benefit.
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Eldiablo 6:26PM (1/04/2009)
I'm guessing it will require 3G, possibly edge at a stretch. I wonder if they have 'preapproved' data tarrifs with mobile companies, otherwise Id hate to see what charges a heavy user might build up. Having said that, I've tried it with my phone on a 10 mile commute through Britain's 2nd City and it worked ok.
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Groagun 7:10PM (1/04/2009)
I already see one HUGE problem with the head unit itself. The USB input is a micro/mini USB port. Over the last 2 months I have had huge problems finding an IPod connector that terminates in a micro/mini USB. This problem has rendered my IPod useless in the car because my factory head unit has such a connection, what an F'in head ache! Most everything else seems great about the idea and execution but please Blaupunkd, change the input to a stand USB input on the face.
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tankd0g 8:47PM (1/04/2009)
I'm sure Apple has one at their store for $60 and the car dealership for $99 :)
Chris 8:38PM (1/04/2009)
If it works with Slacker radio, I want it.
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tankd0g 8:47PM (1/04/2009)
Doesn't everyone do this with their smart phones already? What's the BFD?
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RockStoneSteel 9:20PM (1/04/2009)
What has seriously been missing from car stereo is wide band receivers which can not only pick up AM and FM, but TV also (and satellite as well as internet). And with the advent of digital tv arriving in February, why not the audio (and perhaps video) from those broadcasts. This is one area of vehicles where advanced technology has been available for decades, but manufacturers have pathetically refused to install it. Car stereos should have had auxiliary inputs for the past four decades, yet only in this century has anyone finally gotten a clue. And please explain to me why, oh why, do stereos still lose their presets when the battery is unplugged? Why must clocks still be manually set in cars today? Hey automakers, pick up the pace!
And while we're at it, somebody please tell the after market manufacturers to get a clue. The zillion dainty buttons, mismatched display colors, and idiotic press and hold features don't look good or function well in modern automobiles.
Whenever I go to a stereo display at Best Buy or wherever, I have to ask myself if my parents could operate a given car stereo. The answer is generally no, because of the silly dainty buttons and the lack of a straight forward method of simply turning the radio On and Off. And why would you ever associate the Off feature with a press and hold button (labeled ambiguously as Source) in a moving vehicle? That's all we need is for folks to be spending more time poking at their cell phones and stereos while driving.
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Kaveh 11:44PM (1/04/2009)
looks cool, be cool in the future to have one with a hard drive and GPS.
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jared 10:55AM (1/05/2009)
"The beauty" of this has nothing to do with factory integration, and everything to do with a) higher bitrate streams as mobile internet gets faster (but already starting out better than Sirius/XM or HD Radio), and b) non-proprietary formats for all of the streams.
Useless for truckers (for the time being), but great for metropolis-locked commuters.
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