Parrot has released a car stereo at IAA designed for iPhones and iPods. The Rki8400 uses Bluetooth, has a USB port for hard drives or USB keys, SD Card reader and a double line-in socket for analogue sources. It provides hands-free telephony functions and another great feature is a storage compartment behind the removable front panel that hides and recharges your iPod or iPhone. That means no more cords tangling around gear shifts, or iPhones sliding around the vehicle during braking or cornering maneuvers. Plus, of course, a bit of extra security.
There’s no shortage of full-on sound either – the Rki4800 is equipped with a 200W MOS-FET amplifier which delivers great music and iPhone conversations through the vehicle’s speakers. This is a truly fully-integrated car audio system.
The Parrot RKi8400 features a connection dedicated to iPhone and iPod and therefore achieves the double official Apple license ‘Made for iPod’ and ‘Works with iPhone’.
The unit’s large dial and full-color 2.4-inch TFT screen enable it to display album covers stored in your iPod/iPhone and make it easy to search through playlists. When your cell phone rings, the system automatically switches to hands-free mode.
Parrot RKi8400 Bluetooth wireless technology also lets users play music sent from the iPhone 3.0 and from other Bluetooth mobile phones or players, via Bluetooth Stereo A2DP.
Got more music than the typical listener? No problems, because the Parrot RKi8400 features a USB port for portable hard drive or USB key, SD card reader and a double line-in socket for analogue sources.
The Parrot RKi8400 features speech synthesis automatic synchronization with your phonebook and makes the user experience even easier, thanks to training-free voice recognition. It also has a double microphone designed to eliminate background noise both inside and outside the vehicle.
“With the RKi8400, Parrot allows users to take advantage of the iPhone in-car through a system that is easy to use and fully integrated in any vehicle,” said Henri Seydoux, founder and CEO of Parrot. “All iPhone functions — music, navigation of the music directory and playlists and Bluetooth phone capabilities — have been adapted for in-car use. Parrot’s application of its renowned acoustic quality and voice recognition capabilities to the iPhone is sure to please even the most discerning listeners.”
Parrot says the inclusion of the removable front panel in the RKi8400 resulted from an in-depth ergonomic study of the preferences of car stereo users. The device is equipped with magnets for simple insertion and removal of the front panel with one hand, technology that is patented by Parrot.
Like all Parrot solutions, Parrot RKi8400 will benefit from regular software updates, available for free online, which can be downloaded on USB keys for an easy update.
The Parrot RKi8400 is available for USD$399.99.
