Automobile aftermarket electronics maker Alpine Electronics tells Radio World that the main features customers want in an aftermarket radio are connectivity and phone apps.
TuneIt 2.0, the next version of Alpine’s sound-tuning app for smartphones, includes compatibility with more Alpine source units. Alpine is also displaying what the manufacturer says is the aftermarket’s first 9-inch navigation system.
TuneIt debuted in 2013. It’s a sound-tuning app which offers Facebook notifications. Users download the free app onto their iPhone or Android smartphone and create a user profile with information about themselves, their vehicle, and their Alpine sound system. They can follow the instructions to adjust sound settings (like time correction, parametric EQ and crossover) for their specific vehicle, or choose from the presets in the database.
Users are notified of incoming activity on their Facebook wall through an audible alert and a blinking blue button on the receiver. If the driver chooses to accept the notification, TuneIt 2.0 will read the message back via text-to-speech.
With TuneIt, you’re mixing media sources and the application works in the car just like an app does on a phone, Alpine tells RW. Alpine gives the driver the ability to make shortcuts to get to AM/FM, Facebook or the phone, for example.
