Dual Electronics' head-unit/adapter combo integrates PlaysForSure DAPs

Dual Electronics, a subsidiary of Namsung America, will be releasing a car head-unit and interface adapter that will allow select PlaysForSure-compatible DAPs (they don't specify which) to be controlled through the stereo. The XDMP680 head-unit will also be able to display metadeta from whatever player is connected through the EAUSB20 Media Player Interface Adapter, which is sold separately but required to make the system work. Available in Q2, the two components together will retail for around $300.

[Pic via USA Today]

[Aerith @ Jan 12th 2006 4:05PM]

So... It will play Blu-ray dvd's? XD

[CC @ Jan 12th 2006 4:10PM]

Why are care stereos so ugly these days?

[Mike @ Jan 12th 2006 4:25PM]

If my SMT5600 is supported (and the Mazda6 didn't have a non-standard stereo system...) I'd be all over this.

[jorellh @ Jan 12th 2006 4:49PM]

#2 Same reason sneakers are s ugly. You're old.

[Bo @ Jan 12th 2006 5:33PM]

#4 Haha. No It's not cause we are old, i'm 23, sneakers are ugly and have been for the passed 6 years. And car stereos are looking more and more ugly and I think it's cause they are trying to pack so much into such a small area.

[DD @ Jan 12th 2006 5:49PM]

Finally, something for the non-Ipod users of the world...all fifteen of us. Seriously, this looks pretty cool.

[XGM @ Jan 12th 2006 6:18PM]

#2, #4 & #5 - They try to somewat make it look cool and all with those nice flasy blue LED's. Im 15 and i can only say that those are more of a light show that anything else XD



Seriously there trying too much on the looks and its just getting ugly now.

[Sam @ Jan 12th 2006 6:18PM]

yeh weezer

[ZekeS @ Jan 12th 2006 7:26PM]

It looks ugly because they are trying WAY too hard to make it flashy and noticable. If they make it SIMPLE, it'll look good, and maybe even match a car or two. I personally think something like the Delphi SkyFI is pretty good, myself ... but then again, I never got into the flashy things ...



On another note, how hard is it to put in a frikkin LCD/pixel-based display?!! The segments look like crap, IMHO ...



Signed,

An 18yo member of the No iPod, Don't Want One group.

[LiveSquid @ Jan 12th 2006 9:48PM]

Did they say Namsung? Did they [i]mean[/i] Namsung? Who the hell is Namsung?

[Cloud @ Jan 12th 2006 11:45PM]

go to www.live.com and notice how simple that is. I want to see something that simple on a car stereo.

[tcc3 @ Jan 13th 2006 3:56AM]

Doesnt "select Plays for Sure devices" defeat the purpose of Plays for Sure? Thats just lazy. They'd sell one to all 15 of us if it handled everything from Samsung, to Creative, to my Treo running Pocket Tunes. This Plays for maybe-if-we-feel-like-supporting-it.

[Galley @ Jan 13th 2006 4:31AM]

Yeah, live.com is so "simple" in Opera that is nothing but a header, and a blank page.

[jesusfreak @ Jan 13th 2006 11:21AM]

Me personally, i think that digital music is fine on portable players or PCs, but when it comes to cars, they would be way too distracting (i reference BMW's iDrive as an example)the menu system, even of the ipods, does not translate well to cras, especially when you are driving. is it really that hard to create a mix cd of songs that you like??? or have a CD-RW that you can erase many times over?

[jesusfreak @ Jan 13th 2006 11:23AM]

i meant cars, not "cras"

[carl @ Jan 13th 2006 1:03PM]

From CNET:



"Car stereo manufacturer Dual is one of the first to show off Microsoft PlaysForSure technology in a head unit, giving MP3 players, as well as iPods, full car integration."



Evidently the ipod isn't an mp3 player...



Anywho, I like the concept, don't dig the looks. Simple and understated would be preferable to me, rather than "hey, you! break the window and steal me!"

[ocellnuri @ Jan 13th 2006 2:21PM]

#16: Well I guess that's fair, because I say "Online tech news sites, and Cnet, are reporting," cause I don't really consider Cnet a real news site.





Ugly head units are something I've been frustrated over for 5 years now. I think it's because after MP3CD support, they ran out of places to innovate. Even built-in amp technology has seemed to have hit a wall. Now with every new release they can only try to make the unit LOOK "cooler". Though as already mentioned, they don't seem to realize that a dot-matrix LCD would do WONDERS, instead of the segmented LCDs most of the units have. The cleanest unit I've seen recently was a touch-screen Panasonic that's black glass when powered off and a colored dot-matrix LCD when on. They need to update that product line, and I'm all over it.

[DD @ Jan 18th 2006 3:49PM]

Here is the official Press Release.

[DD @ Jan 18th 2006 3:49PM]

http://www.dualav.com/press/2006/1.html

[Becca B. @ Feb 2nd 2006 8:51PM]

YES! WEEZER ROCKS!