Sony Expects MirrorLink’s Star to Rise This Year

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Sony XAV-701_

MirrorLink should gain popularity in 2013 as more smartphones become available to work with the technology that lets you easily control your smartphone on a car radio screen, said Sony.

In 2012 there were almost no smartphones in the U.S. that supported the feature.  But Saku Yusuke, Sony Product Manager, Audio  expects a big jump in availability of MirrorLink capable phones this year that will work with Sony’s  XAV-701HD and XAV-601BT car AV decks (the first two decks to be MirrorLink capable).

“We believe in 2013 a huge expansion in MirrorLink smartphones will happen with Samsung, Sony and we believe other manufacturers,” he said.

Sony announced two MirrorLink-capable phones at CES that will work with its MirrorLink radios.  However, no ship date or carrier info for the phones was released for the phones –the Xperia Z and ZL.

Sony WX-GT90BT
Sony WX-GT90BT

The industry continues to wait for Samsung to release an app that will permit MirrorLink in its Galaxy S3.

Separately, at CES Sony announced a new double DIN audio-only car radio (DIN WX-GT90BT) that rounds out the original line of GS head units launched last fall.   Like other GS models, it reads aloud your incoming text messages from an Android phone.  A text such as “Your flight is on time,” is audible through the car’s speakers.

Voice texting is part of a cluster of features that Sony calls “App Remote.”  It also enables the car radio to control certain Android and iPhone apps on your smartphone, and conversely, allows your smartphone to act as a remote control for the car radio.

App Remote is a free app on both Google Play and iTunes, and it first launched in the fall last year.

The new WX-GT90BT car audio receiver also includes Bluetooth music streaming and handsfree calling and it works with Pandora (on iPhone, Android and BlackBerry), plus it is SiriusXM ready.  It ships in March at $199.99.

It’s joined by a new 8-inch subwoofer, the XS-GS80LS that handles up 280 watts RMS of power.  The 4 ohm, single voice coil subwoofer will ship in May at $99.99.

Source:  Sony

 

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