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Akihabaranews: Kenwood’s new I-K900 is not your average 1Din Car audio System, indeed, instead of offering the usual FM/AM and CD Player Combo; Kenwood dedicated entirely its new player to both the iPod and iPhone. With just 512MB of internal memory allowing you to store some Audio files but also some video ones and some photos, all your contents will directly comes from either your iPod or iPhone. Once connected you will be able to control your phone or Dap audio library directly from the I-K900 User interface and control button as well as displaying all relevant information, including tack data, Cover… on its 3” Wide Display.
The I-K900 will be sold in Japan within this summer and sold at around 42,000 Yen.

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NaviGadget: At CES 2011 last week in Las Vegas Kenwood introduced four new in-dash GPS navigation + multimedia units where navigation was handled by Garmin. (more…)

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In the midst of a hall packed with countless car audio and multimedia devices were the latest offerings to come from major brands such as Pioneer, Kenwood and Sony. While some brands appear to have followed more of an evolutionary path than revolutionary, others, like Sony, have revealed new head units with substantially more technology than was available just last year.

Sony teams up with TomTom
Sony’s flagship navigation unit for 2011 comes in the form of the XNV-770BT, which is an all-new device that features fully integrated TomTom-based navigation and maps and a removable cartridge. This is an example of a revolutionary product for Sony, as there was no product in 2010 that shared the XNV’s approach to navigation.

This unit is also motorized for flip-out action, but still takes up a full two-din space and features a seven-inch WVGA touch screen. As expected, this model also features iPod and Bluetooth connectivity, as well as four-volt pre-outs and a built-in amp.

The XNV-770BT retails for $1,299.95 and is available now.

Pioneer goes bananas for Apple
While Sony decided to team up with TomTom for its latest navigation head unit, Pioneer decided to turn its flagship navigation units into extensions of the iPhone – essentially creating user-friendly docking stations that can make use of the many apps already developed for the mobile phone.

While iPhone’s navigation feature might function well for a walk downtown, or in the hands of a passenger relaying the information, Pioneer decided to integrate the iPhone into its AVIC-Z130BT and AVIC-X930BTin-dash navigation models so that the driver could utilize smartphone connectivity to Aha Radio for Facebook, Twitter, Yelp, traffic, podcasts, Pandora internet radio and App Mode.

“By providing a larger touchscreen unit installed in the dash that features a user interface specifically designed for the automotive environment and complemented by voice control features, we reduce the risk of distraction while driving,” said Ted Cardenas, director of marketing for the car electronics division of Pioneer.

The higher-end model of the two, the AVIC-Z130BT, also features 4 GB of flash memory, a seven-inch WVGA touch screen display, a 3D graphics accelerator, DVD playback and more.

The AVIC-X930BT will be available in March, while the AVIC-Z130BT will be available in April for suggested prices of $800 and $1,200, respectively.

Kenwood kicks it up a notch for 2011
For its 2011 lineup Kenwood has a broad range of models, with traditional single-din units as well as double-din navigation devices. Kenwood decided to take a similar route to both Sony and Pioneer – combined – by creating the DNX9980HD flagship navigation unit that features both iPhone integration as well as outside help from a navigation specialist or two with Germin navigation and Navteq Traffic integration.

Other key features for the device include a 6.95-inch WVGA motorized screen, voice recognition, HD radio, five-volt pre-outs and a 5.1-channel surround sound processor with DTA control.

This unit will retail for $2,00 and is expected to hit shelves in March of this year.

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iPodNN: Kenwood Japan has launched the CLX-70 iPod and iPhone speaker dock. The designer speaker system incorporates DTS Envelo speakers, which provide a three-dimensional soundstage and are powered by a 30W amp. In addition to the 30- pin dock connector, it also includes a USB port, an SD card slot, and an MP3 compatible CD slot for playing music from a wide range of alternative sources.

The CLX-70 is compatible with the iPhone 3G, 3GS and iPhone 4. It is also compatible with the iPod touch, second gen iPod nano and the iPod classic. The Kenwood CLX-70 is available in three colors and will hit the Japanese market this month.

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Bloomberg: Kenwood Holdings Inc., a Japanese maker of stereo and car electronics, has abandoned plans to sell its music business, company spokesman Takaaki Nose said today.JVC has also dropped any thought of acquiring Hoya Corp.’s Pentax camera business, Nose said. The Nikkei newspaper first reported JVC’s plan today, citing an interview with Chairman and President Haruo Kawahara.

The Yomiuri newspaper said on Nov. 4 JVC was in talks with Konami Corp. to sell its Victor Entertainment music unit and was considering a purchase of the Pentax camera brand. Yesterday, the company named a new head for its music division along with plans to rejuvenate the money-losing unit.

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DotGizmo: Kenwood has released its new CD player (catering for the shrinking number of people who still listen to CDs) that will feature DTS Surround Sensation, a new technology that helps roll out surround sound over two-channel audio systems, regardless of whether they’re headphones or stereo speakers.

Unfortunately, there is no word on a name, release date or price for this device despite Kenwood’s claim of it being the first in the world. The Japanese media are touting an April release, so we’ll just have to sit tight for slightly over a month to find out more about this mystery device.

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iPodNN: Kenwood introduced its I-K50 in-car head unit with support for Apple’s iPod players and the iPhone 3G via its front-mounted USB port.

The I-K50′s CD drive will play back MP3, WMA and AAC-encoded files, while the USB port will allow users to plug in USB flash memory keys loaded with the same supported types of audio formats.

Plugging in iPods, including the classic, nano or touch, will allow users to control them via the head unit’s controls instead of the music player’s own controls, making it easier for drivers to focus on the road. Users can search the music collections stored on their iPods, iPhones or USB keys alphabetically via the head unit.

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Electronista: Kenwood on Tuesday announced the introduction of its new mini audio system, the Prodino, or CORE-A55.

The 20W system does not have an optical drive or an FM tuner, relying on a wide range of external connections for its source files. Digital audio files stored on an SDHC, miniSDHC or microSDHC memory cards up to 32GB in capacity, where applicable, can be played back thanks to the Prodino’s front-mounted SD card slot, while the back panel has a USB connection.

A digital optical input allows users to connect a digital tuner or other PCM digital signal to the Prodino. For a connection that nets CD-quality playback, there is an auxiliary input made up of a 3.5mm stereo jack that is compatible with any device with a similar headphone jack.

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Electronista: Car audio electronics manufacturer Kenwood recently introduced two new replacement car CD receivers with the DPX303 and DPX503.

Either is rated to deliver 50W over four channels and will play MP3, WMA and AAC encoded CDs and feature an auxiliary audio jack on their front panels.

The higher-spec DPX503 adds a USB port to the faceplate that will allow users to plug in their 5th generation iPods and control them via the receiver.

The DPX503 has a multi-line display with dimmer control, and features both low- and high-pass filters for separating various frequencies. Its RCA pre-outs can be set to act as a low-pass filter and subwoofer level control.

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Electronista: Kenwood last Friday announced it will soon launch two portable media players as part of its MG-E Media Keg series with either 2GB or 4GB of internal memory. Either will sport a microSDHC card slot, allowing that memory to be expanded by another 12GB. Both feature a 1.5-inch six-line OEL display and better audio quality than older Kenwood DAPs thanks to a new and improved DAC.

Users can further customize the way their sound is delivered via an integrated 5-band graphic equalizer or quickly via any of the eight preset sound settings.

The pair of personal music players is directly compatible with Kenwood’s other new release, the UD-E77WSD mini sound system. Featuring a power rating of 2x20W, the mini-system has a CD drive and an SD card slot for instant access of up to 32GB of content. The USB port lets users connect other USB devices, include the new and old Media Keg players.

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Forbes: Shareholders of Japanese consumer electronics maker JVC and audio visual equipment maker Kenwood approved at a meeting on Friday a plan to merge the two companies on October 1, the companies said in a joint statement.

The two companies formed a strategic alliance in July last year, when they also agreed to consider merging their operations under a single holding company. Their management teams reached the merger agreement on May 12 this year.

JVC, an affiliate of Panasonic maker Matsushita Electric Industrial, produced Japan’s first television set and was also the pioneer in making VHS video recorders. But JVC has been struggling due to a lack of popular products in the digital consumer electronics market, where price competition is getting fiercer.

JVC President Kunihiko Sato will become president of the merged entity, which will be called JVC Kenwood Holdings.

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Twice: Five leading car stereo suppliers met yesterday, in what was termed an unprecedented spirit of cooperation, to plan an industry summit to raise consumer awareness about autosound.The summit, to be held in Dallas, July 16-17, was first suggested by Pioneer during International CES in January. Last week, Pioneer, Alpine, Kenwood, Clarion, and Directed met in person and by conference call to form a steering committee for the summit. The mission of the summit is to take action against a 30 percent drop in awareness for aftermarket car audio over the past five years.

Organizer of the meeting and the summit, Greg Sabatino, chairman of Sabatino Day Williamson Group, an advertising agency/seminar planning group, said the meeting was more than cooperative. “It amazed everybody. We had Pioneer and Alpine in the same room. The meeting went for an hour and 45 minutes without breaks. First, it’s very difficult to even get competitors like that together.”

He said only one subject was discussed, which was awareness. “Everyone acknowledged that hard research from more than one source has shown that awareness of the 12 volt aftermarket has dropped precipitously.” 

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