In Car Blog | In-Car & Car Audio Blog: Industry Updates & Expert Views » 2009

A bad batch of iPods?

Wednesday, August 26th, 2009

There have been a few news reports lately regarding a bad batch of iPods which have been “exploding”. News reports suggest that an 11 year old girl from liverpool had heard hissing noises from her iPod before it popped and she could smell burning. Apple had thrown out reports of a bad batch and suggested it was an “isolated incident”. News quickly got around and before long, quite a number of people were “claiming” that their iPods had gone faulty on forums and around the internet. Apple released a statement saying that these were simple lies and that only a very limited number of Apple iPods had been replaced with these faults, less than 10 infact.

As this has became big news, a few people have jumped on the bandwaggon. All isn’t bad though, some fun and games has arrived from this media hype. A game was developed called “iPop – Make iPods Safe”. Its a nice quick game to cure some boredom. Check it out here.

Posted in General, Uncategorized, iPod Car Kits, ipod accessories, ipod car kit, ipodcarkitdirect | Comments Off

Bluetooth for the Business Man / Woman

Tuesday, August 25th, 2009

For anyone who is self-employed, or travels a lot for his or her job, a cell phone is a necessity. Missing calls while on the road is simply not an option for those who own their own business, or need to be contacted by employers or customers on a regular basis. With the creation of bylaws in many States / countys and towns prohibiting the use of cell phones while driving, a Bluetooth device is a necessity for those who use their cell phones on the road. Everyone has missed a call at some point while driving – whether because they can’t hear the phone ring, or because the phone falls under a seat or in another inaccessible location. Missing a call while driving can be a much bigger problem for self-employed people, or those who travel for work, than for the average person, who uses their mobile phone only for personal purposes.

With a Bluetooth headset, the problems inherent with using a cell phone while driving are ameliorated, or eliminated. Missed calls are a thing of the past, because the Bluetooth device is always accessible, and audible. Users won’t have to worry about being pulled over and cited for using a phone while driving, because in most of the places where using a mobile phone is prohibited, Bluetooth devices are still allowed, because the driver can still keep his or her hands on the wheel while talking. Also, the chances of getting involved in a collision are lessened, because drivers’ reaction time is unimpeded with a hands-free device. And for those who spend a large portion of their time driving company vehicles, or their own commercial vehicles, anything that lessens the chances of a collision is certainly a benefit.
A Bluetooth Car Kit is a device that provides a safe and convenient way to communicate whilst driving. Your Phone can connect to the Car Bluetooth and ensure you and other road users remain safe.

Posted in Bluetooth Adapters, Bluetooth Car Kits | Comments Off

Hifonics Release 09/10 range of Brutus Amps

Wednesday, August 12th, 2009

Maxxsonics’ new Hifonics Brutus amplifier line up offers the most versatile and comprehensive Super D-Class series than ever before.

For years, Brutus BXI amplifiers have been recognized the world over as some of the best subwoofer amplifiers in their class. The new Brutus amps are 1-Ohm stable, but also run at 4- or 2-Ohms for a much tighter bass response.

Simply put, watt for watt, a Brutus amplifier produces more output with less impact on a car’s battery and charging system, than many other amps available today. Translated into cost, that’s more wattage output with less battery current used, equaling more watts per dollar.

For SPL, nothing compares to the Super D-Class grade microprocessors developed exclusively by Hifonics. In relying on this super-speed enhanced chip-set, Brutus BXI amplifiers offer higher current capacities and more precise digital to analog conversion. The result is very low distortion, even at high listening levels. For high performance sound, Hifonics doesn’t miss a beat by also including a Brutus A/BClass amplifier in the line.

According to John Studley, Vice President Product Development, “Our Brutus amps not only sound great, but look great with an extruded aluminum chassis and an illuminated Hifonics logo. We spend just as much time and detail on the technology of our products as we do on the exterior.” Studley concluded by saying, “Even the Hifonics logo was designed so that it has a soft haloed illumination that is tasteful and not distracting.”

See the Brutus series and complete line up from Hifonics at the Maxxsonics booth, North Hall 1809 at CES.

MODEL	RMS POWER	MSRP
A/B-Class
BXI610	1 x 150 W @ 4 Ω, 1 x 300 W @ 2 Ω, 1 x 600 W @ 1 Ω	$ 449.95
*D-Class*
BXI1210D	1 x 450 W @ 4 Ω, 1 x 900 W @ 2 Ω, 1 x 1200 W @ 1 Ω	$ 649.95
BXI1610D	1 x 550 W @ 4 Ω, 1 x 1100 W @ 2 Ω, 1 x 1600 W @ 1 Ω	$ 799.95
BXI2010D	1 x 650 W @ 4 Ω, 1 x 1300 W @ 2 Ω, 1 x 2000 W @ 1 Ω	$ 999.95
BXI2610D	1 x 850 W @ 4 Ω, 1 x 1700 W @ 2 Ω, 1 x 2600 W @ 1 Ω	$1199.95

Posted in Audio Assault, Car Audio, Quality Car Audio | Comments Off

Car Audio Plus; pleased to announce becoming an official retailer of JBL Car Audio

Wednesday, August 12th, 2009

Here at Car Audio Plus, we know that sometimes your car audio budgets arent always going to run into the thousands. This is why we have brought back the best ever budget car audio brand; JBL Car Audio!

JBL Car Audio have been around, well, forever it seems! They are the masters of budget car audio and we have them to thank for bringing car audio to the masses. Before JBL there wasnt much choice unless you wanted to spend upwards of £1000 for a speaker and subwoofer system to connect up to your classic cassette stereo. When JBL arrived on the scene, this all changed with the first sub £100 car audio subwoofer and soon released a huge range of speakers, amplifiers and even more subwoofers.

JBL’s UK distribution had faltered in recent years but has now settled and Car Audio Plus are proud to announce that we will finally be restocking all JBL products. Your car audio options just got a whole lot better.

Posted in Amps, Audio Assault, Car Audio, Car Audio Plus, General, JBL Car Audio | Comments Off

Customer Case Study… iPod Car Kit Direct Vs Dealer

Wednesday, August 12th, 2009

We were contacted by a customer at the start of this month who was desperate to get his iPod working in his car. He had already been given false information by 4 companies and he saw his only logical route to be through his dealer (who you would expect knew his car and its options inside out & back to front). £1400 and two weeks (without his car) later, the only thing that he had extra to before his vehicle went over to his dealer was an even bigger headache!

The dealer had sold him a kit for nearly triple the price that we charge (we charge £140, the dealer charged £400) and then charged a whopping £1000 for installation which took an entire two weeks! When this was complete it turned out that the iPod car kit didnt even work! He took it back and had it tested, they agreed to swap it over. Still no joy! In the end, 3 kits were tested and none worked. Our customer managed to get his £400 back for the iPod Car Kit but they wouldnt pay up for the installation costs. This has obviously left sour grapes in the mouth of the customer who was understandably very annoyed. This is where iPod Car Kit Direct come in, proving that we are a long way ahead of the game when it comes to getting an In Car iPod.

We had a call around 9:15am asking if we could offer any advice. We obviously knew the vehicle very well having successfully integrated around 5000 iPod Car Kits into thus far. We knew exactly what the issue was and suggested we could sell the Dension Gateway 100 kit at £140 and install it for £50. Our installers went over to our customers place of work two days later and installed the kit within 1 hour. Fully tested and fully working.

Needless to say that our customer was extremely pleased that he could now play his iPod in his car. He is also pursuing the lost £1000 with trading standards and is very close to a happy ending.

This story goes to show that there really is no replacement for expereince. We dont like blowing our own trumpets but we have twice the experience than any of our competitors and have ben the only company to have been dealing with iPod Car Kits since the very first iPod Car Kit was designed.

Posted in Dension Gateway, Dice Silverline, Dice iPod Car Kit, Dice iPod Video Cradle, General, iPod Car Accessories, iPod Car Kits, iPod Kit, ipod accessories, ipod car kit, ipodcarkitdirect | Comments Off

Do Parrot Bluetooth Kits Improve Driver Safety?

Tuesday, August 11th, 2009

The Roads in the UK are very dangerous, more and more vehicles are released on to them every year, as well as the millions of older vehicles already motoring. More people are learning to drive and people are staying on the roads for longer durations, whether it is through profession, leisure or convenience.

The problem that we face now is a craze that started at the time of the mass production of mobile phones. People have become dependent on phones ever since they were made mobile, especially when an incoming call is made. Obviously when driving it’s much more dangerous to be involved in a manual phone call, not only endangering the life of the driver but the lives of other road users.

The Danger comes two fold, firstly the act of physically removing your hands from the steering wheel, reducing the ability to react to any situation that may occur in front. Although many people think they are capable driving with effectively one arm studies show that driving performance is reduced significantly

The Second and more important problem occurs with braking eye contact from the road while looking for the mobile phone. Obviously while you aren’t looking what’s happening in front when driving you can’t react to anything that may happen. Significantly reducing the time in which the driver has to react. This is in most cases the more dangerous factor.

Several organisations and charities studying the effects of phone driving also suggest that people becoming too “involved” in the conversation may cause an accident, however there will be many occasions that the driver may become involved in an aspect or activity other than driving that may cause an accident.

The solution to this problem is the use of a Bluetooth Car Kit, Parrot are the market leaders in the field however other products are available. Bluetooth car kits enable you to connect your mobile phone through the car audio system wirelessly so you can make and receive calls, text messages and now more modern kits allow music streaming, iPod connections and voice recognition.

Using a Bluetooth kit reduces the two most significant dangers while phone driving, the easy answer / hang up functions means you don’t have to remove your hands from the wheel, and your eyes can remain on the road while you use the phone.The invention of the Bluetooth kits definitely improves driver safety when using the phone, and parrot continues to lead the way!
A Bluetooth Car Kit is a device that provides a safe and convenient way to communicate whilst driving. Your Phone can connect to the Car Bluetooth and ensure you and other road users remain safe.

Posted in Bluetooth Adapters, Bluetooth Car Kits, Car Audio, Car Bluetooth, Driver Safety, General, Parrot Bluetooth | Comments Off

A revolution created by bluetooth?

Tuesday, August 11th, 2009

The technology that is Bluetooth has brought about a revolution about how we work using our Bluetooth enabled devices such as phones, computers & MP3 players. The home network using two computers, printer, scanner and mobile phone can be put into existence within minutes either by using the inbuilt facilities in the computers and peripherals or using Bluetooth dongles on the computers. It would just take a few minutes to set up the whole setup to start working. You broad band connection can be shared between two computers using a blue tooth LAN. Earlier every time a new computer or piece of equipment was purchased when had to purchases a connectivity cable with it. As the devices grew the number of cables grew which made cable management hell for the poor home user. Bluetooth has simply eliminated the need of using cables by going wireless. The older peripherals had all different types of cables for each device but Bluetooth is standardized communication protocol followed by all and sundry devices.

Technology has moved even further to help the way we live our lives than possibly any other technological advance. In terms of safety; it really is up there! It is obviously the main driving force behind hands free calling and bluetooth car kits and continues to grow further. It has created a mass market for products which has certainly helped the economy and a large number of companies who specialize in making bluetooth products such as Bury THD and Parrot. If we believe what is coming from these brands development departments then the technology is also set to improve and new ideas are being thrown around which might just allow it to take even more of the gadget market!

Posted in Bluetooth Adapters, Bluetooth Car Kits | Comments Off

Dension opens the door to a world of new media for BMW vehicles

Friday, August 7th, 2009

Dension has been working hard in recent months to increase the compatibility and functionality of the BMW kits in the Dension Range. The new kits are part of the Dension gateway range and offer increased performance over the older and now obsolete Ice>link Plus in many ways. Due to the complexity of the BMW vehicles and production and installation options when purchased from new, Dension have had to design numerous variations of the BMW kits. The kits produced mainly differ in the different types of connection looms, as many head units (Stereos) have different physical compatibility. In addition to this, the software (Firmware) installed on the stereo also differs from unit to unit adding to the complexity of the Dension Gateway range.

Dension has produced two types of kit depending on which vehicle and stereo you have installed. Firstly an option of the Dension Gateway 100 or Gateway 300 for vehicles with normal wiring looms. Usually found in vehicles pre 2004/5. The Gateway 100 and 300 share the same vehicle and stereo compatibility so if one of the kits is compatible so too is the other. These kits offer a digital connection to the stereo through the CD Changer port, and provide full control of the iPod and track selection through the stereo and or steering wheel controls. The 100 & 300 also offer track display on select stereos and charge all iPods including the new 5V charging iPods and iPhone 3g and 3gs. The Dension Gateway 300 also provides an additional USB input for a mass storage device to be connected, enabling you to store 10,000’s additional tracks or if you forget you iPod you have a back up already connected and ready to use.

The Second option is the Gateway 500, Dension’s Flagship in the range. The Gateway 500 is a fibre optic kit that extends the performance of the BMW’s factory equipment tremendously. By connecting into the fibre optic system the gateway 500 provides a fully integrated iPod connection controllable through the iDrive system. The Gateway 500 also allows you to retain your factory CD Changer & is provided with a USB input (as with the 300). However it’s the optional Extra’s that open up a new world of in car entertainment for BMW. Dension has expanded developed further upgrades for the 500, increasing performance and usability of the system as a whole. The BTA1500 bluetooth adapter connects into the system to provide a hands free Bluetooth system allowing your phone to connect through the vehicle, and more importantly Dension have created a multi-source media selection device caller the AVR. The Dension AVR designed recently enables you to make full use of all the devices connected through the Gateway 500 system. Controlling multiple devices and choosing which device plays where in the vehicle, you have the iPod playing in the front while the kids are watching their favourite DVD in the Back.

Dension has shown us the future of In Car Entertainment, and has a few products in the pipe line which will open more doors of opportunity for the Digital Media Age.
Dension products are available from the number one Online iPod Car Kit Store

Posted in Bluetooth Adapters, Car Audio, Dension Gateway, Quality Car Audio, Text Compatible iPod Car Kits, iPod Car Accessories, iPod Car Kits, iPod Kit, iPod Ready, ipod car kit, ipodcarkitdirect | Comments Off

Aston Martin Experts, Paralight, customize the Dension gateway 500 perfectly for Aston Martin cars!

Thursday, August 6th, 2009

Paralight are a small Aston Martin specialist company based in the Costwolds. They have been working on Aston Martin vehicle for many years and have now perfected the art of iPod integration.

Until Paralight decided to take hold of the Dension Gateway 500 MOST Fibre Optic system, iPod integration into Aston Martins was pretty much impossible. The Aston Martins use the same MOST fibre optic system as Volvo, Audi, BMW and Mercedes but with slightly different software. It has taken the techies at Paralight a few years to perfect the edited/updated software on the Paralight Gateway 500 but now its complete and working perfectly.

Paralight are so confident in this product that they are happy to guarantee the product FOR LIFE, including installation costs. They would personally fly out and uninstall the device and install a new device, leaving you with the absolute minimum of hassle.

This kit has all the features of any premium kit you would expect; full control from steering controls and from the stereo, ID3 tagging (track and album titles) information on the display, charging of all iPods including the new iPhone 3G and newer iPods.

Paralight are now working on a bluetooth interface (using Parrot hardware) which will integrate phone functions and hands free calling into your vehicle too.

It will work perfectly with all V8 Vantage’s from 05 onwards and DB9’s (all years) which were produced & built at Gaydon. If you need an iPod and Phone solution for your Aston Martin then this is certainly the kit for you!

View the Aston Martin iPod Car Kit here

Posted in Uncategorized | Comments Off

InCar Network Site Updates

Wednesday, August 5th, 2009

InCar Network has been working on updating our web sites in recent weeks. The objective is to provide a cleaner, easier to navigate web site to make it easier for our customers to understand and find the products they are looking for.

http://www.CarAudioPlus.co.uk being the first to receive an overhaul, now boasts a modern look, completely transforming the older site to a very spatial, clutter free web site. We are highly confident the new site will allow you the customer a more pleasurable shopping experience with us, as we ourselves know how frustrating it can be trying to find the item you are looking for when there is so much choice available.

http://IPodCarKitDirect.co.uk is next in line to receive an update, and to mark the launch of the new look site, we will be offering a special promotional discount to all of our customers. Keep an eye on the web site for more details, coming soon.

In addition to this, we have recently launched our new web site, http://www.BluetoothCarKitDirect.co.uk, which specialises in Bluetooth hands free car kits, ranging from standalone visor mounts, to fully integrated solutions that operate via state of the art voice recognition software through your existing stereo. Bluetooth car kits are rapidly becoming the number 1 in car accessory due to Road Legislation and Road Safety. With more people on the roads than ever before, communication on the go is in high demand. For more information please click to visit http://www.BlueToothCarKitDirect.co.uk

Finally we have been working on our Support and Technical section on our web sites. We have separated InCar-Support to individual support sites, within the main websites, so you have a dedicated support section available for each web site you visit. FAQ’s are now specific to the content available on each site, and the Technical Staff are specialised to the relevant fields ensuring you receive the very best in after sale support and technical help.

We hope you enjoy your time with us, if you have any questions, please just ask.

Posted in Audio Assault, Car Audio, Dension Gateway, General, Uncategorized, iPod Kit | Comments Off

Archive for August, 2009

A bad batch of iPods?

Bluetooth for the Business Man / Woman

Hifonics Release 09/10 range of Brutus Amps

Car Audio Plus; pleased to announce becoming an official retailer of JBL Car Audio

Customer Case Study… iPod Car Kit Direct Vs Dealer

Do Parrot Bluetooth Kits Improve Driver Safety?

A revolution created by bluetooth?

Dension opens the door to a world of new media for BMW vehicles

Aston Martin Experts, Paralight, customize the Dension gateway 500 perfectly for Aston Martin cars!

InCar Network Site Updates

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