By Amy Gilroy
Sony (NYSE:SNE) announced 4 new car radios on Monday including 2 models with MirrorLink (formerly known as Terminal Mode). It lets the car radio screen literally mirror the display on your smartphone screen, and controls many of the phone’s apps from the radio.
Sony said its new XAV-701HD and XAV-601BT car AV radios will undergo MirrorLink testing and certification and it expects to receive formal certification in the next 4 weeks.
MirrorLink works with Google (NASDAQ:GOOG) Android and Nokia (NYSE:NOK) Symbian phones but not the Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL) iPhone or Research in Motion’s (NASDAQ:RIMM) BlackBerry. For the iPhone, however, the new radios have a “Passenger App Control” feature that allows “mirroring” of video from the iPhone and some app control. For example, users can control a GPS app from Telenav from the radios.
“Android has the largest market share by now in smartphones so we are focusing on Android connectivity, but we also offer for the iPhone, where you can project the image onto the head unit,” said Sony Business Manager for Mobile, Taka Noguchi. “Our engineers have closely worked with TeleNav to not only project the screen image from the phone but to control it from the head unit.”
Both car radios also will work with an optional TomTom module to add navigation, as well.
The radios use WVGA screens with full touch screen capability.
Sony also has a new user interface with 3D visuals and quick response times.
The radios work with Pandora (NYSE:P) for iPhone, Android, and Blackberry phones, and are Sirius XM Radio (NASDAQ:SIRI) ready.
The XAV-701HD has built-in HD radio with Apple iTunes Tagging, and the XAV-601BT has a fully detachable faceplate.
They are joined by two entry level AV receivers—the XAV-63 and XAV-64BT, also with app control for iPhone and iPod, and the new user interface. The 64BT also gives you Bluetooth and can control Pandora music streaming from an Android or BlackBerry phone.
Models XAV-701HD, XAV-601BT, XAV-64BT and XAV-63 AV receivers will be available this spring and summer for about $700, $550, $400 and $350, respectively.
Two other Sony car radios have Bluetooth with Pandora streaming including the MEX-BT4000P and MEX-BT3000P.
At the 2012 Consumer Electronics Show (CES), Sony is also showing a line of GS amplifiers, speakers and subwoofers and new marine audio units including a marine audio receiver for about $140.
Source: Sony
Amy Gilroy is the Editor of CEoutlook and a Contributing Author to Market Playground and Satellite Radio Playground.
