In-car entertainment

It's official -- the best feature of SiriusXM's iPhone (and now Android app) has been removed from many of its most popular stations. Version 2.0.2 of the iPhone app confirmed what many subscribers suspected: licensing contracts got in the way of convenience and technology.

The satellite radio company updated its iPhone app on April 16 to version 2.0.1. Many listeners who updated reported network errors preventing them from using the app, and others lucky enough to connect to SiriusXM bemoaned the loss of an exit button and were left wondering why 5-hour rewind was … Read more

If you're a SiriusXM mobile subscriber and haven't already updated to the latest version of the iPhone app, you'll want to hold off. The 2.0.1 update on April 16 is advertised on iTunes to include faster channel changes and some bug fixes, but it looks like it also introduced a lot of new bugs and maybe eliminated some of the old features.

Last December, SiriusXM introduced a rewind capability with the 2.0 mobile app release. Listeners could tune into any station and replay content that aired up to five hours earlier. However, the 2.0.1 release seems to have restricted this feature on several of the popular news and entertainment stations, including ESPN, Howard100, and MSNBC.

Reviews of the latest version of the app on the App Store report network errors that prevent users from connecting to the service. Many commenters on AppComments.com report that the rewind feature is either broken or has been disabled on some of their favorite channels.

A CNET reader, who first alerted this writer of the change, e-mailed a list of the stations that no longer permit five-hour rewind: … Read more

Intel has announced that its Atom processor will power Nissan's next-generation infotainment systems in select vehicles starting in 2013.

The chip giant, which is looking to broaden its reach, also forged a deal with Toyota in late 2011. Under that pact, Intel and Toyota would research new infotainment systems. Intel also has Atom deals with BMW and Mercedes-Benz infotainment systems.

Ton Steenman, vice president of intelligent systems at Intel, said the effort with Nissan is about "extending the digital lifestyle of consumers from home to vehicles." And yes, Intel could move a lot of chips by locking … Read more

A few years ago, we tested a Suzuki SX4 that was equipped with a Garmin navigation system. Of course, that system consisted of a Garmin Nuvi portable navigation device that integrated with the Suzuki's stereo via a specialized cradle. That hacked-together solution was one of our first overt experiences with Garmin as an OEM automotive navigation supplier, so it's fitting that Garmin's next step is taken again with Suzuki with the announcement that the navigation provider will be supplying its first fully integrated, factory-installed infotainment system for the automaker's 2013 model year vehicles.

This is no … Read more

Tricking out a car with Windows sounds, well, sort of lame on its face. But suppose it came with a heads-up display that let passengers play Call of Duty against their buddies?

Or cameras around the car that let you use your smartphones to check out who might be eyeballing your ride? Or turning that phone into a microphone you could use to ask -- nicely, of course -- lookie loos to step away from the car?

That's what the folks at West Coast Customs, working with developer evangelists at Microsoft, have put together for their television program, Inside … Read more

Going through lists of amps, speakers, and subwoofers in a quest to upgrade your car's audio can be baffling. OEM Audio Plus removes the confusion, at least for Scion owners, by providing a complete package.

CNET tested the company's audio upgrade in the Scion tC. OEM Audio Plus also offers sound system upgrades for the xB and iQ, and is working on a package for the FR-S and xD.

The upgrade consists of replacements for all the existing speakers, and the addition of an eight-channel 360-watt amp and an 8-inch subwoofer with a 130-watt amp to power it. … Read more

The automobile is fast becoming the largest mobile electronics device, and in just a few years having a car that connects to the Internet will be the new standard.

Juniper Research studied the automotive telematics market in eight key global regions, and predicts more than 92 million vehicles with Internet connectivity will be on the road by 2016. Smartphones integrating with vehicle electronics platforms will fuel the growth.

Infotainment systems such as Ford's Sync AppLink, GM's IntelliLink, BMW's ConnectedDrive, and Toyota's Entune are key players driving this trend. In just a few years, these advanced technology … Read more

Bjarne Sorenson, Bang & Olufsen's Automotive Technology Director, is a very lucky guy. As we sat in the Aston Martin DBS listening to music, he described the approval process for the company's recent work with BMW. As BMW was putting the final touches on its new 6-series, Sorenson got to spend a few days driving the Autobahn at 100 mph in the car, making sure the optional Bang & Olufsen audio system produced the same perfect sound at high speeds as it did at a stop.

Sorenson has also been lucky in launching Bang & Olufsen's automotive … Read more

Harman International, in looking for a way to personalize the in-car experience, found that the most unique thing everyone carries is a phone. In its demonstration of a new dashboard electronics system, Harman pointed out that people are more likely to loan someone else their car keys than their phones.

At the 2012 Geneva auto show, Harman used Rinspeed's Dock+Go concept car to show off the new system. In the car we had a number of smartphones, each equipped with near field communications, belonging to a variety of different people (set up for the purposes of the demonstration). … Read more