Digital Audio Revolution Speeding Toward Cars -
[Cached Version]
Published on: 11/1/2001
Last Visited: 11/2/2001
Daniel Benyamin , a co-founder of PhatNoise Inc. , says the solution is for consumers to make playlists for their car stereos on a computer , not in a car.Later this month , PhatNoise plans to sell an add-on unit for car stereos that features a removable 20-gigabyte hard drive.The drive plugs into a docking station that's attached to a computer , where users can load and organize tracks and create playlists.PhatNoise's list price is expected to be just under $800.The company also has a 10-GB model coming from Visteon Corp. , which supplies car stereos for several major car manufacturers , early next year.No price has been disclosed for that model yet.The PhatNoise box is designed to plug into a car audio system as if it were a CD changer.
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That's why PhatNoise plans to give its products an electronic voice so they can help users find their way around their on-board collection , Benyamin said.Sonicblue used to sell a hard-drive-equipped system called the Rio Car for $1 , 200 to $2 , 000.But its focus has shifted to building units that will be marketed by other companies , including Visteon and the auto makers.