Mobile Briefs

Staff On Jan 29 2001 - 8:00am

Visteon Bows MP3

LAS VEGAS —Visteon showed at CES a new OEM-style CD-receiver with MP3 capability from CD-R or CD-RW discs. The unit, with a 100mm opening, "can be self-installed in one minute," according to the company, which expects to sell the products from its website. It will be available in five different colors in March at an estimated price of $399, including installation tools.

Custom Color Faceplates Introduced By Clarion

GARDENA, CALIF. —Clarion is offering new colorful "skins" for certain new head units priced above $200. To add variety to the company's new lineup, faceplates in five different colors are available, each at a suggested retail price of $35.

MP3, XM Prototypes Unveiled By Blaupunkt

LAS VEGAS —Blaupunkt used 2001 CES as the scene for display of its prototype MP3 CD-receiver based on the company's Hamburg model. The unit accepts MP3-encoded CDs and is expected to be available during the third quarter in an X-line version as well, at the lowest price on the market or about $350, the company said. In addition, Blaupunkt showed a prototype of a XM-ready head unit, expected to be available in 2002.

Motorola Ships 2 Millionth LoJack

NORTHBROOK, ILL. —Motorola, the OEM for LoJack, announced it has shipped its 2 millionth LoJack to the LoJack company, which is selling the car locators at an increasing rate. Motorola said it shipped a million LoJack units over the past three years vs. the first 1 million units shipped, which spanned a 10-year period. LoJack said it has added seven new metro areas to the existing 12 domestic markets over the past three years, and claimed that LoJack units have resulted in the recovery of more than 42,000 vehicles, or a 90 percent recovery rate.

Beltronics Certifies Each Radar Detector

LAS VEGAS —Beltronics launched at CES the first "Performance Guarantee" for radar detectors, effective this month. The company has begun testing all Bel 2001 products at an independent testing lab for relative X, K and Ka band radar sensitivity against other detectors in the same price range. Each product will ship with a written performance guarantee, and Bel claims if a consumer's unit is not performing properly they can send it to the lab to be retested. "If it doesn't meet the standard, we'll replace it," said sales and marketing VP Donal Rich.