With the latest and greatest gadgets, you can easily transform your car radio into an internet radio. So many cars are latching onto the idea of streaming radio devices. Ford, BMW, and other major car manufacturers are making cars that have internet streaming already integrated to the radio consoles. And for older cars, or cars made by manufacturers not offering this yet, there are plenty of external devices that can be added to your vehicle’s dash to make internet radio streaming readily available on the go.One cool device is the Livio Bluetooth Internet Radio Car Kit. This little device is so small it can fit in the palm of your hand. There are some bulky devices out there, but this one is small, compact, and does the job. Think of this device as the middleman from your internet-ready smartphone to your car’s radio. You can easily transform your car radio into an internet radio to add over 45,000 AM, FM, and internet-only stations in your car without any monthly fees.
This device takes about 5 minutes to set up, plugs right into your car’s cigarette lighter adapter, syncs with your iPhone or Android phone, and you can be streaming internet radio in just a couple pushes of a button. Built-in RDS capabilities (Radio Data System) will even display the artist name and track title from the internet radio station to your car radio, provided both support the service. For the size of this little kit, it’s pretty handy…you can even use it to answer phone calls for hands-free talking. As soon as your call is over, your internet radio streaming picks right back up. This is a great investment for only $119 bucks.
Sony is also releasing their version. They will bring control of Pandora's internet radio app and SiriusXM's universal satellite radio tuner to a wide range of aftermarket head units. Starting at $150, you can control Pandora via a simple USB cable.
The DSX-S310BTX ($280) will be the first aftermarket head unit to use Bluetooth's AVRC profile to control all functions of the Pandora app on smartphones. There’s also the traditional CD slot and auxiliary port to connect other MP3 players. These head units must be custom installed into your car, but still a great investment if you want to listen to internet radio stations on the go.
Companies keep coming out with more internet radio devices, and some cars have lots of these basic features already. If you aren’t streaming your station online yet, you better get on the ball. In time, most cars will come standard with streaming-ready consoles. Imagine grabbing listeners across the country. Onlinestreaming makes this possible.
Kerry Brewer is Sr. Managing Director at Securenet Systems, a leading provider of online streaming services to the worldwide radio industry. He can be reached at kbrewer@securenetsystems.net or on LinkedIn at www.linkedin.com/in/kerrybrewer.
