Ferndale's Livio Unveils Web Radio For The Car
It's finally happened. Car radio has gone from the 20 or 30 stations available in most metro areas to the 200-plus stations of satellite radio to the more than 42,000 (and counting) radio streams on the Internet.
Ferndale-based Livio Radio is heading to Pepcom's Digital Experience in New York on June 23, where they'll debut the Carmen, a portable Internet radio solution for use in the vehicle.
Compatible with the Mac or PC, the Carmen connects to the computer with a USB cable and, using the client software, records and stores content from more than 42,000 AM, FM and Internet-only radio stations streamed from around the world.
Users may then connect the portable Carmen to the vehicle's 12-volt socket and play back the stored audio library through the car stereo using an open FM channel or auxiliary input.
Shipping to retail stores nationwide this summer, the Carmen is designed to make Internet audio programming available on the road and on-demand. Carmen is simple to use out of the box and easily records the programming users want, in the same manner that DVR revolutionized TV consumption and behavior. The client software allows users to browse stations by genre, language, location or keyword for radio recording, in addition to other common audio files including music and podcasts. In the vehicle, Carmen's user-friendly interface includes fast-forward, rewind, and skip functions.
"The Carmen is all about further expanding Internet radio consumption to the car," Livio Radio founder and COO Jake Sigal said. "We designed Carmen with DVR in mind. It gives users access to local stations from across America and around the world -- their music, news and talk radio -- plus genres that you can't find anywhere on AM/FM for plug-and-play listening and enjoyment in any vehicle."
The Carmen Internet radio player carries an manufacturer's suggested retail price of $59.99 and will be available for distribution and retail sale this summer.
This latest release comes on the heels of Livio Radio's most recent product, the Livio Car Internet Radio app for iPhone. Currently available on the App Store for $4.99, the app allows users to play back more than 42,000 AM, FM and Internet-only radio stations available online through the phone's 3G/EDGE data connection, using an intuitive interface designed from the ground up for use in a vehicle.
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