Radio

Autoblog Details: Clean your car's stereo the right way

Looking for the perfect car stereo to kick out the jams? Here is a list of some of our favorites.

A recent study finds that 84 percent of Americans still use the AM/FM radio in their car, and 67 percent listen to it as their main form of audio while behind the wheel.

The Detroit News reports it may not be long before AM/FM radios disappear from cars altogether. The newspaper spoke with Thilo Koslowski, vice president for the research firm Gartner, Inc., who said that "AM and FM as a delivering mechanism isn't going to be the most important in cars anymore." According to Koslowski, manufacturers will focus their efforts on smartphone integration as well as internet browsing and music streaming. That means while listeners may still enjoy their favorit

A British company is working on a new navigation system that doesn't rely on GPS satellites to track your location. BAE has created Navsop, a device that picks up errant cell phone, radio and television signals to deduce your coordinates, which means it can be used in locations where traditional GPS can't. For example, Zach Bowman

Here's another feature you can include in the 2011 Buick Regal purchase price: Pause and Play radio. It's already a feature on some of General Motors' higher-end vehicles like the Buick LaCrosse and

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.

Since the debut of the original C70, and even before, Volvo's had a hi-fi fetish. That first C70 debuted the idea of in-car surround, running a Pro Logic head unit with available Dynaudio drivers arranged around the cabin. Volvo wants to continue offering its customers a euphonic experience, so they're equipping virtually all 2009 models with HD Radio receivers beginning in late 2008. HD Radio offers expanded programming, like the satellite services, but there's no fee. The selection may vary by

Tom and Ray Magliozzi might be the first to admit that most people on the radio have faces that suit the medium, to put it delicately. There's no place to hide when you make the jump to television, but the Tappet brothers have avoided that with their new animated

Car Talk is celebrating 20 years on NPR, and the self-effacing, often goofy show is now available in iTunes. It's exciting to "play along" and see if you come up with the same answer as brothers Tom and Ray, an now you can do that at your leisure. We have our local NPR station's schedule memorized, but sometimes it's just not possible to catch the show when it airs; throwing a tantrum won't always get you your way. The show certainly has its detractors, and some of the content can tend toward so

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, Ec

It's like Pandora for your car! Slacker, a new web-based radio website has just launched this week. The channel selection is very similar to what's available on XM or Sirius, and we liken it to Pandora because the number of songs you can skip is limited, bu

UPDATE:

Fender guitars rock. Even the cheapies are easy to play and sound good in the right hands. Panasonic and Fender are teaming up to create an audio system that will be offered to auto manufacturers. Nigel and Slash have already been snagged by Volkswagen with their First Act package deal (buy a VW, they throw in the guitar that plugs into the car's audio system). We're guessing that the pitch for the Fender/Panasonic system will be along the same lines, though; and aimed at the younger demographic