Livio Radio’s newest Internet Radio car kit may be the most inclusive to date.
Joining the Carmen introduced last year, the new $80 kit connects you to Pandora, Livio Radio (42,000 radio stations), Grooveshark (which claims to be “the fastest, easiest way to listen to any song in the world for free”) as well as NPR and other apps. And you also get hands free calling from the phone.
It’s a plug and play device that connects to your phone via Bluetooth (A2DP, stereo) and then to your radio via an FM transmitter.
Called the “Livio Radio Bluetooth Internet Radio Car Kit,” it works with apps on an Android phone or iPhone.
The kit is a controller sitting on a “gooseneck stalk” that plugs into the car‘s cigarette lighter. Livio Radio says it takes a user only 5 minutes to set up. The FM transmitter automatically searches out a free FM station to set up the wireless connection to the radio.
The Livio Radio kit gives Grooveshark a portable platform beyond the PC. Last year, the service tried to launch an iPhone app, but it was pulled from the App Store after a complaint from Universal Music Group UK, said PC Magazine.
Grooveshark has 20 million unique visitors and claims to have more songs available than any other on-demand music service.
The Livio Radio kit also includes a USB charger, aux in jack and line output.
It was introduced at the Consumer Electronics Show along with other Internet Radio kits shown by DICE Electronics.
Source: Livio Radio, PC Magazine
