car-stereo

Parrot's Asteroid was one of the first car stereo systems to be based and powered by the Android operating system, but it won't be the last after the Asteroid Smart, the Asteroid Tablet, and the Asteroid Mini join the original later this month.

The Asteroid Smart will sit at the top of the new lineup, packing a 6.2-inch capacitive, multitouch screen. The unit fits into a standard double-DIN car stereo and, like the rest of the Asteroid lineup, is powered by a heavily customized version of Android 2.3 (Gingerbread). The unit features four standard USB ports (… Read more

Users want to know the best way to use their iPhones and iPads in the car, and we explain why Apple will never just build its own version of the AppRadio.

BMW says touch me, Ford takes mirrors high tech for quiet, the Chevy Volt is off the hook with the Feds, and how much would you pay for Obama's Chrysler 300? And we drive the Chrysler 300 SRT8.

The Chevy Volt gets the feds look at the safety of all electric cars, Nissan makes a fast charge cheaper (sort of), Toyota puts Intel Inside, and Mercedes reworks the lowly windshield wiper.

SHOW NOTES

For a driving enthusiast, there's nothing like the throaty roar of a well-tuned engine. However, as vehicle noise regulations, technological advances, and general increases in build quality have continued to make vehicles ever quieter both outside and inside, some automakers have been seeking ways to preserve and enhance the visceral sound of an angry engine for their performance-oriented models. For example, Ford includes a sort of sound pipe that channels induction noise into the Mustang's cabin. BMW, on the other hand, has taken a different approach with the new M5's Active Sound Design technology, which artificially replicates … Read more

To go along with the consolidation of the Sirius and XM satellite radio services, the new SiriusXM rolled out a unified hardware platform: the SXV100 SiriusXM Connect vehicle tuner. We've already seen the first receiver to offer compatibility with the SiriusXM Connect from Alpine. Now, Sony strikes back with the second, third, fourth, and fifth as most of its new CDX line of CD receivers is now compatible with SiriusXM's module.

Four of the six new CDX receivers feature compatibility with the SXV100 SiriusXM Connect module ($60) and connect to the module's proprietary connection. The SXV100 draws … Read more

Alpine Electronics puts its weight behind SiriusXM satellite radio in the car with its announcement of a new line of single-DIN CD receivers that will bear the new SiriusXM-Ready badge, marking their compatibility with the car audio supplier's new SVX100 SiriusXM Connect Vehicle Tuner Kit. For the first time, Alpine is offering a bundled SiriusXM tuner and CD receiver package, giving customers a turn-key option for getting satellite radio content through their cars' speakers.

The star of the show is the SXV100 SiriusXM tuner, which provides access to a number of advanced satellite radio features in addition to the … Read more

Yesterday, Sony added four new single-DIN in-dash receivers to its Xplod line of car audio equipment, replacing last year's CDX-GT line. The new CDX-GT650UI, CDX-GT550UI, CDX-GT350MP, and CDX-GT250MP will all be available in the coming weeks with prices ranging from $80 for the most basic GT250MP to $160 for the most fully-featured unit, the GT650UI.

The top-of-the-line CDX-GT650UI and CDX-GT550UI have USB ports on their faceplates to connect with iPods, iPhones, Sony's Walkman, and other USB mass storage devices, as well as analog auxiliary inputs. Both units also feature Sony's ZAPPIN, Quick-BrowZer, and Jump Mode search technologies … Read more

Wednesday's video was a basic overview of how to wire up an amplifier to your car stereo system. Well, today's clip is a practical demonstration of grinding grounds, soldering the terminals, and running the power cable from the front end of the car all the way to the back.

To run the wire from the front of the car where your alternator and battery are, you'll need to find or make a hole big enough for your wire to make it into the interior of the vehicle. (Don't worry, the narrator describes where to look for … Read more