SSI America, a two-year old company focusing on portables, is planning to enter the car audio aftermarket with a hard-drive based MP3 recorder and a portable mobile video screen.
According to SSI president James Buchheim, the company will begin selling the Neo Car MP3 Jukebox to Best Buy in April and is in the process of signing up retailer/installer accounts.
The Neo is about the size of a CD changer and it stores between 10GB and 80GB of music. It comes with two bays, one for the car and one which plugs into the USB port of a PC for transferring MP3 files or copying CDs. The device is recognized by the PC as another hard drive. A third bay is also available for attachment to a home stereo, said the company. The Jukebox has an FM modulator for use with any radio and it also comes with RCA connectors for use with available adapters for different cars. Suggested retail price for the unit starts at $399 for the 10GB version up to $699 for the 80GB player.
The Neo will be joined by a 5-inch car TV/montior which plugs into the cigarette lighter. It comes with a built-in TV tuner and antenna and a 12-volt DC adapter for use outside the car. The screen may be used for DVD, VHS, car navigation or game consoles. It comes with a remote control and carries a suggested retail price of $350.
SSI America’s Israeli parent company, SSI, is based near Jerusalem.
