News ways to interact with media in your car are all the rage. Here’s another of note. Parrot says its new Asteroid system should be selling in the United States in the second quarter. It’s “the car receiver with Web service apps, voice recognition and hands-free telephone.” It uses the Android OS.
The system, shown at the just-concluded CES, lets drivers make hands-free phone calls, listen to music from various sources and connect to GPS or the Internet.
Paris-based Parrot says it has developed a range of hands-free systems now on the market, including wireless multimedia products for cars, motorbikes and scooters. The publicly traded company was founded in 1994 by Henri Seydoux.
Asteroid enables listening to music from various sources: USB key, iPhone/iPod, MP3 player, SD card and now Web radio stations where 3G connectivity is available.
Music files can also be sent on the car receiver from a mobile phone and via Bluetooth. Parrot Asteroid offers functions of a traditional car receiver like an AM/FM tuner and RDS Radio Text+ service, according to the company.
Parrot says Asteroid will be available in Europe in the first quarter of 2011, and in the U.S. in the second quarter. Price is to be announced.
