CES 2009

Our heads are still spinning a bit from the onslaught that was the in-car electronics hall of CES 2009. From every direction, there were speakers the size of extralarge pizzas and flashy video displays vying for your attention. Amidst the cacophony, our (ahem) skilled Car Tech editors were able to spot a few gems and a few diamonds in the rough.

(Credit: CBS Interactive)

As evidenced by our Car Tech category Best of CES finalists, we predict that the next big thing in in-car entertainment is connectivity. Our winner, Gracenote CarStars, puts a star's avatar in your reasonably priced car by pairing a music concierge service with a subscription-based music service and beaming it all into your dashboard.

Our runners-up, AT&T CruiseCast and Ford/Microsoft Sync 3.0, also use their own forms of connectivity to the vehicle cabin experience. CruiseCast, which we got a peak at during SEMA 2008, captures 25 channels of satellite television using only a roof-mounted receptor about the size of a large mixing bowl. Sync 3.0 utilizes the ubiquitous Bluetooth-enabled mobile phone to deliver turn-by-turn directions with Internet-based traffic, weather, and point-of-interest searching.

(Credit: Blaupunkt)

While we were there, we also took note of Blaupunkt and MiRoamer's Internet radio streaming service, which also makes use of a Bluetooth-paired mobile phone with data connection.

Just announced during the show was Audiovox/Jensen's partnership with MediaFLO to bring the live mobile TV service FLO TV to Audiovox ceiling- and headrest-mounted displays. Details of the service are still coming together, but so far it looks exciting.

Don't forget to check out our First Look videos from the Car Tech Mobile Testing Lab in the center of the Car Electronics Hall, where we test the lastest from Alpine, Audiovox, JVC, Kenwood, and Sony. We even had a celebrity guest to drop by!

TomTom GO Live 740

(Credit: Corinne Schulze/CBS Interactive)

CES 2009 didn't dish up any major surprises in the GPS department, but that doesn't mean it was a complete snoozer. A handful of new portable navigation devices were introduced at the show, as well as a number of services for both standalone PNDs and GPS-enabled smartphones.

As expected, we saw a new connected GPS debut, this time from TomTom. While not the first PND to offer an Internet connection, we feel the TomTom GO 740 Live promises the best combination of features and design (compared to the current Dash Express and TeleNav Shotgun offerings) and might just be the one to get people onboard with connected GPS. As a result, we picked it as our Best of CES winner for the GPS category.

Another Best of CES GPS finalist was the Dual XNAV43HD, which is the first PND in the U.S. market to have built-in HD Radio technology. The benefit of HD Radio is that it offers more bandwidth, allowing you to receive more information about traffic and beyond, such as gas prices and weather information. The technology has been available in European GPS units, but we suspect we'll be seeing more of it in the United States this year.

Mio Technology started the year fresh with four new Moov models and revamped navigation software. Meanwhile, Garmin introduced the Garmin Nuvi 885T and the bike-specific Garmin Zumo 660. The company also announced its nuMaps Lifetime Map Update Program, and a new routing option called Garmin EcoRoute to help drivers save money and fuel. Unfortunately, there was no sign of the Garmin Nuvifone, but Pharos revealed its latest GPS-enabled smartphone, the Pharos Traveler 137.

So what does 2009 have in store for GPS? More content-driven services, such as real-time traffic, weather information, gas prices, and so forth. And while we believe standalone PNDs will continue to have their place in the market, the increasing availability and adoption of GPS-enabled cell phones, smartphones, and location-based services should not be underestimated.

(Credit: Mio Technology)

Mio Technology unveiled four new models to its Moov line of portable navigation devices at CES 2009, along with an improved software platform called Mio Spirit.

Calling 2009 a "watershed year for Mio," the GPS manufacturer debuted the Mio Moov S300, Mio Moov S500, Mio Moov S556, and Mio Moov S700, which will all come preloaded with the Mio Spirit navigation software. The revamped interface was designed to simplify map views and searches, including those for points of interest and other key navigation tools. Responding to customer feedback, the new search capabilities make it easier to search for POI close to your current location, destination, or along your route. Mio has also increased the POI database to include 12 million entries.

As far as the individual products, here's a breakdown of what each has to offer. All models are expected to ship during the first half of 2009.

Mio Moov S300: The entry-level Moov S300 features a 3.5-inch touch screen and comes preloaded with maps of the United States and Canada. Text-to-speech functionality is also available in English, Spanish, and French. The S300 will cost $199.99.

Mio Moov S500 has a 4.7-inch touch screen.

(Credit: Mio)

Mio Moov S500: The $249.99 Moov S500 offers all the same features as the S300 but bumps up the screen size to 4.7 inches.

Mio Moov S556: A bit more on the high end, the Moov S556 sports a sleeker design and a flat 4.7-inch touch screen. The core features are the same as the previously mentioned models, but you also get integrated Bluetooth, lane guidance, and 3D junction view, which will present realistic 3D views of major roads and signs. Suggested retail price is $299.99.

Mio Moov S700: Last but not least, the Moov S700 is designed for campers and RVs and comes equipped with an extra-large 7-inch touch screen and MAD Maps, which offer scenic routes. It also comes preloaded with maps of North America and 12 million points of interest. The Moov S700 is priced at $299.99.

LAS VEGAS--You've seen the grainy "night vision" thermal imaging pictures from Baghdad, and now you can see them on the dashboard of passenger cars. At the Consumer Electronics Show, Larry Magid talks with Andrew Teich, the president of Flir Systems, which makes thermal imaging devices for both military and personal automotive use.

See our complete news coverage from CES here

(Credit: Visteon)

With touch-panel technology, Visteon is doing away with buttons and knobs in car dashboards. These new dashboards, on display at CES 2009, look like opaque, blank panels, but when you put your hand near the surface, a proximity sensor lights up button areas. Visteon has mapped standard car controls onto its touch panel, such as climate control and audio. The panels use haptic technology so you can feel it click. The company had a few other innovations on display, including a 3D navigation display and a driver alertness monitor.

See what dashboards in future cars will look like with our photos.

The Blaupunkt New Jersey integrates Internet radio stations.

(Credit: Blaupunkt)

CES is all about convergence, and one of the more interesting examples is Internet radio station aggregator miRoamer and car stereo maker Blaupunkt. The result of this union is two stereo head units from Blaupunkt that receive and play Internet radio, giving you over 16,000 choices for streamed music while you drive. The first hurdle with a system like this is getting the Internet stream to the car. The Blaupunkt miRoamer system uses the data connection for a paired Bluetooth phone, connecting to the miRoamer server. Obviously you will need a phone with a data plan, preferably unlimited.

The Hamburg is a smaller Internet radio head unit.

(Credit: Blaupunkt)

Blauplunkt will release two stereo head units, the single DIN Hamburg and the double DIN New Jersey, with miRoamer integrated later this year. Because so many radio stations are available, the interface in the head unit isn't designed for users to search through stations. Instead, you create a profile on the miRoamer Web site with your favorite radio stations. When you get in the car, the head unit logs into miRoamer and shows your radio stations as presets.

At this time, we don't know how good the audio quality will be, or if the streams will come through largely uninterrupted.

(Credit: Alpine USA)

The Alpine iXA-W404 takes the fantastic interface of Alpine's line of digital media receivers, stretches it vertically, and adds a new feature: a touch screen.

Now, you can control the unit using the lightning fast double-encoder knob or by lightly dragging your finger across and tapping the 4.3-inch QVGA color touch-screen monitor. The interface more or less apes Apple's coverflow, so users of iPods and iTunes should find it familiar.

The unit, like all of Alpine's digital media receivers, features a full-speed USB connection that's optimized for iPod, which you'll be getting a great deal of mileage out of due to the iXA-W404's lack of an optical drive.

Bluetooth handsfree, HD Radio with iTunes tagging, and satellite radio add-on modules are available, as is Alpine's IMPRINT digital-audio processing module. Final pricing for the unit is still up in the air.

In other news, Alpine has also released its iDA-X305. This is, for all intents and purposes, identical to the current iDA-X100 with the exceptions of an updated aesthetic, 5 more watts of max power (now 50 watt by 4 channels), and a "Works with iPhone" sticker on the box, which is interesting because, if we're not mistaken, the previous iDA-X100 and iDA-X100 already unofficially supported the iPhone.

AT&T stopped by the Car Tech booth at CES 2009 to give us a look at its CruiseCast mobile satellite TV service. The details of the service haven't changed much since the unveiling just a few months ago at the 2008 SEMA Show, but today we received a bit of news that means you may be able to experience CruiseCast for yourself sooner than you think.

RaySat Broadcasting Corp. (co-creator of CruiseCast along with AT&T) and Avis Budget Group are teaming up to offer Avis and Budget Rent A Car customers the use of AT&T CruiseCast's news, family, sports, comedy, and music channels while traveling.

AT&T's CruiseCast satellite antenna mounted in the Car Tech CES 2009 booth.

(Credit: CBS Interactive)

Starting in the second quarter of 2009, Avis and Budget customers can rent AT&T CruiseCast at select locations for $8.95 per day or $62.65 per week. The unit uses the same hide-away receiver and compact, low-profile external antenna offered on the consumer unit to provide 22 satellite television channels and 20 satellite radio channels to a rear-seat entertainment unit.

AT&T CruiseCast utilizes about 1GB of video-buffering technology to automatically store up to 3 minutes of content so that viewers can continually watch programs even if there are obstructions such as an overpass, a cluster of tall buildings, or when passing through a tunnel. The channel line-up includes the Disney Channel, Disney XD, Discovery Kids, Animal Planet, Nickelodeon, Cartoon Network Mobile, USA, Comedy Central, MSNBC, CNN Mobile Live, and CNBC.

The CruiseCast service will be sold though auto dealerships and 12-volt retailers when it debuts in Spring 2009 at an estimated MSRP or $1,299 with a $28 monthly subscription.

Ford Sync 3.0 offers turn-by-turn directions.

(Credit: Microsoft)

We've been pretty impressed by Sync's Bluetooth phone and MP3 player connectivity, but Version 3.0 of Sync gains a whole new dimension with an array of connected services that includes navigation, traffic conditions, business search, weather, and other information sources. To use these services, you hit the voice command button in a Sync-equipped car and request services. The system uses your Bluetooth paired phone to connect with a server where you can request, by voice, directions, traffic conditions, a local business search, and other services.

The really innovative aspect of this system is that Ford can easily add new services, because they are loaded into a centralized server. For new services, car owners may need to update their version of Sync, but that can be as simple as downloading an update file from Ford's SyncMyRide Web site, putting it on a USB drive, and hooking it up to the car. However, this new version of Sync requires a GPS chip, which wasn't installed with earlier versions of Sync, so there won't be backward compatibility.

Sync can use this simple monochrome display for a variety of services.

(Credit: Microsoft)

The system doesn't require an LCD screen or factory navigation system, either. When you request directions to an address, Sync uses the GPS chip to send your location to the server, which computes your turn-by-turn directions and sends them to the car. If you get off the route, you can ask the system to update the directions, and it will send down a new set based on your current location. Likewise, with business search, you can request a business type by saying florist, or hardware, and it will find the nearest business of that type and send it to the car. With the traffic conditions feature, the system will advise you of any bad traffic on your route, and then suggest an alternative.

Ford will make this new version of Sync available on almost all 2010 Ford, Mercury, and Lincoln models. There is no subscription fee for the first three years of ownership. Ford will determine any future fees at a later date.