By Amy Gilroy
Sony (NYSE:SNE) revamped the low to mid-end segment of its car audio line to include what it termed breakthrough pricing on Pandora (NYSE:P) and Sirius XM (NASDAQ:SIRI) decks.
It will also deliver next month the first aftermarket car radio that can control Pandora on an Android or BlackBerry phone, said Sony’s Mike Kahn, director of Alpha cameras and mobile music.
At the heart of the new line is a near-basement priced radio with Satellite Radio capability. At $100 SRP, the CDX-GT56UI CD receiver works with a new Sirius XM SXV100 tuner at $69 (with some TiVo-like features). It also offers full Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL) iPod and iPhone control.
“It’s the first aftermarket head unit to be compatible with satellite radio under $100. We think there’s still a lot of versatility and usability left in Satellite Radio,” said Kahn.
There’s an even lower priced version–CDX-GT360MP–for $90 that works with the new sat radio tuner, but this model lacks iPod control and it has a single pre-out.
Sony is also aggressively pricing two Pandora CD receivers. At $130, a CDX-GT565UP controls an iPhone and controls Pandora. You can mark songs with a thumbs up or thumbs down. It’s joined by a version that is identical but for a slide-down face plate at $150.
Pandora control is also found on 2 new Sony radios that lack CD mechanisms. For Android and BlackBerry owners is a DSX-S310BTX that controls Pandora via a Bluetooth connection between the phone and the radio. The same radio will also control Pandora on an iPhone via USB at $280.
A second CD-less deck, the DSX-S210X, controls Pandora from an iPhone only at $200. Both models use Sony’s Tune Tray feature — the radio slides open so your iPod can be stored inside (without dangling wires).
The line refresh will be available next month starting with the leader model CDX-GT260MP at $70. It has a simple front USB slot and aux-in plus MP3 capability. It’s $10 cheaper than Sony’s current price leader and it includes new chip technology to improve radio reception.
There’s also a CDX-GT40U that permits use of a USB drive. It is iPod compatible (without radio control) at $95.
Source: Sony Electronics
Amy Gilroy is the Editor of CEoutlook and a Contributing Author to Market Playground and Satellite Radio Playground.
