In-car entertainment

Even in the face of monumental change in the automotive industry, it's amazing how conservative automakers can be sometimes. While they've focused increasingly on electronics and entertainment systems to differentiate their products, built-in stereo receivers still look pretty much the same as they have for the last decade.

Not the latest line from Clarion. The car electronics veteran is in some ways breaking its own mold with boxes that look more appropriate in the kitchen than the dashboard. Not only are they departing from the standard black and silver, as is made plain by the photos on Akihabara … Read more

With a few honorable exceptions, car stereo manufacturers are reluctant to build satellite radio tuners into their products, preferring instead to flog you clunky--and expensive--proprietary add-on modules to go with your XM or Sirius subscription.

Perhaps realizing that this model wasn't in the interests of increased adoption of its service, XM has just released the Audiovox XM Direct 2, a (relatively) streamlined, universal adapter that works with nearly all satellite-ready car stereos, irrespective of their manufacturers. In addition to its car compatibility, the device can also be plugged into XM-ready home audio products and XM2go portable radios. According to … Read more

We get a hands-on test of the new Ford Sync system. We try out its text reading, Bluetooth music streaming, and its voice command system, which lets you tell it the name of any artist in your music collection you want it to play.

Ford Sync will be available in Ford, Lincoln, and Mercury models starting this November. Next year, it will be standard in all Lincoln models and generally available as an option in other models for around $400.

If you're planning to be a motorcycle cop for Halloween, this is the perfect accessory to complete the ensemble.

Parrot's SK 4000 Bluetooth headset will make you look like you just pulled out of a presidential motorcade, with a purported 10 hours of standy battery time and an FM stereo when the parties get boring, according to Engadget. Once back in the saddle, you can use the handlebar-mounted remote to call discreetly for reinforcements at the nearest bar.

Premium car audio systems from Bose and Mark Levinson are all too commonplace, so it's about time one of the world's leading high-end speaker manufacturers, Bowers & Wilkins (B&W) joined the fray with its all-new system for Jaguar's gorgeous XF sedan. At a joint press event last week in New York City Jaguar and Bowers & Wilkins showed an advance prototype of the 2008 XF model.

Unlike most car audio/auto manufacturer relationships where the audio supplier is forced to work with the "leftover" spaces to place its speakers and electronics, Bower & … Read more

If Zune owners are having problems making friends, perhaps they need to take more aggressive action--such as getting in their cars to find each other.

To that end, the "Car Pack FM Transmitter" will help make the new Zune more mobile while automatically choosing the clearest channel to use for playing your music on the car stereo. Gadgetell says it will also charge the media player at the same time while gripping the dashboard with so it won't go flying out the window.

Crave disclaimer: We offer no guarantee that your social life will improve significantly as … Read more

When we got the JVC KD-NX5000 in for review earlier this year, we were so impressed with the single-DIN navigation/multimedia device that we slapped a CNET Editors' Choice on it. Now JVC Mobile is following the release of this year's "hero" product with a couple of other in-dash devices that make use of the same design. With its bright, 3.5-inch color LCD display, the KD-AVX33 boasts many of the same multimedia capabilities as its navigation-enabled cousin. While it doesn't have a built-in hard drive a la the KD-NX5000, the KD-AVX33 comes with a range … Read more

With the launch of the IVA-W205, Alpine becomes the second aftermarket manufacturer to combine mobile- and in-dash navigation. Unlike the Eclipse AVN2210p, which uses a similar combination of in-dash dock connected to a portable TomTom GPS device, the IVA-W205 can be purchased--and used--independently of its portable Blackbird PMD-B200 component. With the Blackbird installed behind the faceplate, the IVA-W205 becomes a useful in-dash system; without the Blackbird portable, the IVA-W205 is a simple--but versatile--multimedia player in the vein of the Alpine IVA-200. Read the full review here.

Is it possible to get a quality dashboard-mounted GPS system that can play video and MP3s for $175? We don't know about the quality part, but there's a new product that advertises all of the above, as well as a 3.5-inch color touch screen.

DealExtreme, an online retailer that habitually teases us with interesting products that offer frustratingly little detail, has done it again with this no-name item. The unit, which can apparently be removed from its mount and carried away from the car, also features an SD card slot, a car charger and USB cable, according … Read more