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SwiftKey's predictive text input makes its way into your car stereo
It's no secret that we're pretty big fans of SwiftKey 'round these parts, but even we couldn't have predicted where it'd wind up next. Today, the keyboard app announced that its adaptive text-entry will be integrated with Clarion's forthcoming AX1 head unit. It might seem odd at first, but since Clarion's kit has native apps for email and web browsing, predictive text (compared to a standard keyboard) ought to make the device easier to use. As SwiftKey tells it, the company is taking everything it's learned from the mobile environment, and applying it to other areas where it makes sense. In other words, this likely isn't the last time we'll see the third-party keyboard somewhere other than a phone or tablet. The AX1 is expected to release sometime this quarter for $800, and if you're feeling antsy you can pre-order one right now.
Clarion Next Gate hands-on (video)
CTIA, while focused on mobile technology, often gives us the chance to peek at other devices that bridge into our beloved mobile world. Clarion's Next Gate is one such device, running on a 7-inch WVGA display and interfacing with your iPhone via the dock connector. Once you're hooked up -- which should be straightforward as it only needs plugging in -- the Next Gate allows control of apps on your device. First off, we like the idea that your iPhone is controlled by the Next Gate -- in fact when firing up an app in the demo you can see it cycle open on the iPhone display -- but its lower resolution screen, hung adjacent to an iPad, made us immediately yearn for an upgraded panel. The selection of usable apps includes such niceties as Twitter, Facebook, streaming radio and of course navigation. All the apps we saw seemed to perform quite well, though we weren't on the open road in bright sunlight with the top down and the quadruplets screaming bloody murder in the back seat, thankfully. If you're jonesing for one of these distraction-inducing gizmos, it can be all yours beginning June 1st for $270. Have a peek at the video and gallery below for a tour of the interface and some of its functionality.
Clarion Next Gate brings iPhone apps (and distractions) to your windshield
Clarion is primarily known for its aftermarket car audio and navigation solutions, but it's increasingly moving into the realm of smartphone integration. Looking to court iPhone users who'd appreciate the connectivity and convenience of Pioneer's AppRadio, but don't care to fuss with the installation, Clarion's Next Gate can be easily mounted to one's windshield. It offers access to popular apps such as TuneIn and Pandora, along with navigation, hands-free calling and voice-dialing functionality. Scarily enough, users will even be able to access Facebook and Twitter via the voice-activated Vlingo app -- please, just promise to keep your focus on the road. The display itself is a 7-inch, WVGA affair, and as you'd expect, the unit is powered by the vehicle's 12 volt accessory jack -- otherwise known as the cigarette lighter receptacle. Similarly, the Next Gate connects to the iPhone via Apple's dock connector, which means that users will need to manage a bit of cable clutter. All in all, the Clarion Next Gate could certainly be a compelling solution for some, and its $270 price is within the realm of reason. While we're a bit concerned about what it entails for driving distractions, the unit shouldn't be any worse of a diversion than the ol' smartphone itself. In fact, we're most disappointed that there's no support for Android. Those in the privileged iPhone community will be able to purchase the Next Gate as of June 1st, and you'll find the full PR after the break.
Clarion's Android-running Mirage IVI: a head unit that can play Angry Birds
Remember the Clarion Malaysia IVI that was teased back in December? The company's just unveiled the finished product, which you can call Mr. Clarion Mirage. The Android-running car stereo, head unit, erm, In-Vehicle Infotainment system is a hefty Double DIN unit, with a 6.5-inch display up front and plenty of tech packed inside. Intel's embedded systems division Wind River supplied the customized version of Froyo, Navigon offered up a navigation engine and industrial designers Plextek helped design the hardware. The Clarion Mirage has USB and AV-out ports, an SD card slot and is designed to be as flexible as a smartphone: capable of playing back music and video, running apps from Google Play or working as a display repeater with consoles. There's no official word on pricing or availability, but the scuttlebutt says it'll arrive in Q4 of this year. We've reached out and will update if we learn more.
Wind River and Clarion pair up to bring Android to your imported street racer
Wind River, Intel's embedded systems arm has been the subject of some misty-eyed advances from car stereo makers Clarion. Ol' Windy (as we're trying to get it called) will be providing a custom version of its Android implementation to power the forthcoming "Clarion Malaysia IVI" in-vehicle-info-tainment kit. The device will be powered by a Freescale i.MX processor (a heavy duty ARM implementation that can utilize multiple cores) and pack Clarion's usual range of high-end multimedia, GPS and reversing camera functionality. We're excited to see this bad boy roll off the production line, but remember that, at least in Illinois, it's illegal to enjoy the "tainment" part whilst driving.
ASSA ABLOY trials remote hotel check-ins, unlocking your room with NFC cellphones (video)
Just think of it, no more hanging around your hotel's front desk like some unrefined homo erectus. The Clarion Hotel in Stockholm is starting up a new pilot program to allow visitors to check in and collect their room key without the repugnant need for speaking to an actual human being -- it can all be done with an NFC-equipped mobile phone. Provided your smartphone can do the near-field communications dance, all your information can be remotely downloaded, stored, and wiped (if need be), and you can even check out from a room using the accompanying application. Samsung handsets are being provided to selected customers during the period of this trial, though once its four-month incubation period is over, you'll have to bring your own bit of advanced telephony to avoid the queues. We're sure you'll think of something. Video and full press release after the break.
Clarion joins Nokia's Terminal Mode movement for the greater infotainment good
We're living in the post-smartphone world, where restaurant reviews and silly time-wasting games are never more than a fingerprint away, and now it's hard to see us as anything but tippy-toeing into the smartcar revolution. While there are plenty of competing implementations out there, Nokia seems to be doing the best at unifying the playing field, announcing a partnership with Clarion to bring its Terminal Mode infotainment integration to yet another major brand. This follows on deals with Alpine, Harman, and nearly every major European auto manufacturer. That's a lot of partnerships, but as of now no actual products, leaving us feeling a bit indifferent about the whole thing -- for the moment at least.
EVE video corner: "Clarion Call 2: Pantheon"
Whether you're a full-on EVE Online junkie or you don't play the game at all, EVE has undeniably produced some great stories and incredible gameplay videos. Just over a year ago in my weekly EVE Evolved column, I looked at ten of the best EVE videos of all time but since then a lot more videos have been made. In this new irregular segment, I aim to showcase some of EVE's best video productions and shine a spotlight on their creators. Once or twice per month I'll highlight a video that has particularly caught my attention, from high-class productions that play like a sci-fi film to gritty PvP videos showing real gameplay. What better way to kick off this first edition of the EVE video corner than with the sequel to an old favourite? The original "Clarion Call: Triage Special" video came in fourth place in my top ten list last year and its sequel "Clarion Call 2: Pantheon" doesn't disappoint. Like the original, the video follows Rooks and Kings alliance as they engage in capital warfare against terrible odds. Once again the video takes an instructional tone, with Princess Aricia of Fairlight Corp providing explanation of the tactics being used as each fight progresses. In this video, Rooks and Kings unveil a new strategy they call "Pantheon", which is designed to combat the growing usage of specialised Triage tactics. Whether you play EVE or not, this is definitely a video to watch. Skip past the cut to watch 10 minutes of scenes from this goliath 22 minute video. The full version is available for download from the video's page at the EVE forums.
Clarion MiND MID handles infotainment duties in i MiEV electric car
We've no idea if this is Intel's unwanted future for the seemingly unwanted Mobile Internet Device, but only a few months after seeing Clarion's frequently discounted MiND popping up in Nissan's Cube, the very same MID has now found a seat within Mitsubishi's famously adorable i MiEV. Here at CEATEC, the Intel-branded whip was proudly shown with a MiND-based infotainment system, and while we can't promise that any of these zero-emission vehicles will ever hit dealerships with an Intel Inside sticker just beneath the VIN number, we can say that it wouldn't surprise us in the least. The MID seems to be a solid fit for a GPS / multimedia system within a cute, commuter-centric car such as this, and being that it's removable, the fun doesn't have to stop when the drive does. Has the MID finally found its calling, or is the search to be loved still on?%Gallery-74739%
Clarion's MiND finds a home in LA-area Nissan Cubes
With the whole "direct to consumer" approach failing epically, Clarion has evidently resorted to pushing remaining inventory of its largely unwanted MiND mobile internet device onto Nissan dealers in Los Angeles. In all fairness, we do suspect that these are moving more briskly than, say, Celio's REDFLY, but we can count the amount of MIDs we've seen in public on two or three hands. At any rate, Nissan has signed on to offer the multifaceted Atom-powered device as an optional accessory in its Cube, but at least initially, it'll only be made available at select dealers in the LA area. For those opting to outfit their new whip with one of these, Nissan will include a dedicated docking kit harmonized to the vehicle's instrument panel, and the user interface will also be tweaked for in-car usage. Look -- this is absolutely better than those lackluster, overpriced NAV units shoved into most dashboards, but at $799 plus installation, it's not like you're getting the steal of the century here.[Via Pocketables]
Clarion MiND price falls nearly 50 percent, makes beeline for cereal boxes
Hey, industry -- are you seeing this? People just aren't that into MIDs, sorry! Nary eight months after Clarion's Atom-powered MiND MID went on sale for the not-at-all-seductive price of $649.99, the evidently undesirable device has dropped to around $350. Right now on Amazon, the red and white units are priced at $342.83 and $360.87, respectively, while the black version is still holding its value just a wee bit better. Unfortunately, something tells us this thing is on the REDFLY plan, which should put it within a cheap plastic bag in your Frosted Flakes by the year's end.[Via Pocketables]
Atom-powered ClarionMiND MID hands-on at CeBIT
While we've seen the latest and greatest ClarionMiND reviewed since it got stuffed with Intel's Atom and optional WWAN, we've yet to actually catch one in person... until today, that is. Over at Clarion's spacious CeBIT booth, we took the liberty of snapping a few shots of this here MID. After toying with it for a few minutes, we were less than impressed by the finicky screen response, and the noticeable lag between application changes got annoying pretty quickly. Still, the main home screen looked mighty slick, so we suppose there's nothing horribly wrong that a minor firmware update can't fix. Anywho, dive on into the gallery below should you find yourself intrigued.%Gallery-46454%
ClarionMind MID / PND gets reviewed
Clarion's ClarionMiND MID / PND has been a long time coming but, with the first few non-3G-equipped units now out there in the wild, we're finally starting to get some reviews of the device, one of which comes from the folks at Mobile Tech Review. As you might expect, there's quite a bit of compromises to be found both as an MID and a GPS device, although it does seem to be considerably more well-suited to the latter task than the former. The biggest drawback on that front, it seems, is a weak built-in speaker that may not be powerful enough to overcome road noise. Things seem to be decidedly more lackluster when used as an MID, however, a situation that isn't helped by its underpowered 800MHz Z500 processor, its 850mAh battery, or its custom Linux distribution, which handles the basic internet-browsing tasks just fine but makes it difficult to install any third party apps. Hit up the link below for the complete rundown.
ClarionMiND MID on sale in the US for $649.99
Americans have been waiting with bated breath for months on end for Clarion's MiND mobile internet device to launch, and just as we were promised in September, said device is finally on sale in the month of November. Available in black, red or white hues, the MID boasts a 4.8-inch WVGA (800 x 480) touchscreen, preloaded maps of the entire US and Canada, built-in RealPlayer, Linux OS, an Intel Atom CPU, 512MB of RAM, a 4GB SSD, Firefox browser, Bluetooth 2.0 / WiFi, a microSD card slot, 2 USB ports and a battery good for around 1.5-hours of usage. Pop one under the tree for that someone special in your life for just $649.99. Or get them a full-fledged netbook for less, your call.[Via Pocketables]
ClarionMiND MID re-introduced with Atom, optional 3G
We haven't heard from Clarion since June, and as fate would have it, it was then when the company told us to expect a GPS-equipped MiND in the foreseeable future. Fast forward a few months, and here we have the formal (re)introduction of the ClarionMiND. Definitely dubbed a MID, this Atom-powered handheld is currently scheduled for release in US / Canada this November, while Europeans will have to wait until January 2009. Outside of the oh-so-fresh CPU, you'll find a 4.8-inch (800 x 480 resolution) display, 512MB of RAM, a 4GB SSD, 802.11b/g WiFi, Bluetooth 2.0+EDR, a SiRFstarIII GPS module and a rechargeable Li-ion good for two hours (four hours with the optional extended cell). You'll also get a pair of USB 2.0 ports, a microSD card slot and optional real-time traffic support. The just described "standard" model will demand $649.99; the way-more-delicious Premium version doesn't yet have a price, but it should be out next Spring with integrated 3G.[Via Pocketables]
Clarion to introduce GPS-equipped MiND, acronym guidebook lands another
Really, Clarion? You couldn't find it in your heart to just settle on UMPC or MID? Instead, what we've got is yet another combination of letters that really means nothing at all -- the MiND (Mobile internet and Navigation Device) is little more than a rather awkwardly-shaped UMPC with built-in GPS, which by our estimation, doesn't deem it worthy of its own moniker. All angst aside, the Linux-based machine will reportedly roll out in America later this year (and Europe the next), and while the standard version will come equipped with Bluetooth and WiFi, a premium iteration should be available with WWAN. Word from the Computex floor pegs the starting price at around $700.[Via SlashGear]
Clarion intros MAP680 and MAP780 navigators for Europe
Check it, Europeans -- Clarion has just dumped a new duo of PNDs on the market, and they're both geared up to route you all over your humble lands. It appears that the only major difference between the MAP680 and MAP780 are the actual maps loaded in; the former is available in four regional versions, while the latter features a full 43 European countries. Specs wise, we're lookin' at a 4.3-inch widescreen display, text-to-speech, built-in TMC tuner, 3D display of buildings / POIs, lane assistant, Bluetooth (with phone book transfer and audio streaming), a 400MHz CPU, multimedia player and 2GB (MAP780) / 1GB (MAP680) of internal memory. No word on a price or any of that good stuff just yet, but feel free to get more acquainted with the pair in the gallery below.[Via NaviGadget] %Gallery-22307%
Clarion intros NAX973HD HDD-based navigation unit
Though it's hard to see where Clarion's NAX973HD fits in between in-dash units installed at the factory and portable navigators, we suppose folks already drawn to a dedicated display or totally infatuated with this thing's software may be in love. Marketed as a nav system that will churn out directions in Europe much quicker than those disc-based systems, this unit features a 30GB internal hard drive, 12-channel GPS receiver, built-in gyro sensor / RDS-TMC tuner for traffic information, pre-loaded NAVTEQ maps of 30 countries, voice recognition / text-to-speech capabilities, 2D / 3D map views and a VGA output to boot. Unfortunately, word on the street pegs this thing at £795 ($1,579) without a display, so we'd probably steer clear unless you're crazy about automotive installations.[Via Tech Digest]
Clarion's EZDrive EZD580 navigator gets announced
Clarion's making sure Garmin doesn't steal the limelight here at CES in the GPS department by introducing the fairly attractive EZDrive (EZD580). Among the features on this one is a 4.3-inch touchscreen, 2GB of flash memory, 64MB of built-in RAM, 12 million POIs, text-to-speech / turn-by-turn guidance, maps of the US and Canada, Bluetooth and an SD / SDHC / MMC expansion slot. Furthermore, you'll find an integrated media player, a built-in speaker / microphone, USB 2.0, a rechargeable Li-ion battery and in-car mounting hardware. The pain? $399.99 -- available in the Spring.[Via NaviGadget]
Clarion automotive A/V gear headed into space
It looks like Clarion is about to get some considerable new bragging rights (shared only by the likes of Tang), as some of its automotive A/V gear has recently been approved by NASA and is now awaiting deployment into space. That includes the company's RX935VD in-dash multimedia center and VCZ625 6-disc DVD changer, each of which have been fitted into a specially designed unit and will soon be used to entertain crew members on the International Space Station. As Clarion points out, that makes those the first car A/V components to be installed in the ISS, with their reliance 12 volt automotive systems (the same voltage as the space station) working largely in their favor. No word on an exact launch date just yet, but the gear is now ready and waiting in Star City for the next available spot to free up.[Via audiojunkies]
