kenwood

First Look: Kenwood DNX-8120

Kenwood dropped by the CNET Car Tech booth at CES 2009 with its DNX-8120 navigation receiver. Kenwood says that it can't keep this popular model on the shelves. With navigation by Garmin, Bluetooth by Parrot, full iPod integration with video, and two 12v accessory switches, we can completely understand why.

Dell wants to give you choice, but choice is dead

According to BusinessWeek, Dell plans on taking aim at Apple and will unveil a solution that could see companies from a bunch of industries working together to create the first solution to give consumers real choice.

The idea will be unveiled in September and will attempt to give you more choice in how you buy and consume media, BusinessWeek reports. More importantly, Dell will give its partners the software they need to establish the solution and will try to turn a profit on the sale of hardware.

"Customers want access to content from a broad variety of sources--how, when, and where they choose," Michael Dell told the publication.

"Apple wants to lock you in," Robert Enderle said to BusinessWeek. "Dell wants to lock you in to choice."

But will all those choices translate into a profit and a new standard that will take iTunes and every other proprietary service down? Will buying a song on Amazon.com and sending "it to the mobile phone of a friend or the car stereo of someone who has satellite radio" really work?

Sure, it might appeal to us and I certainly think that's a neat idea, but based on the information we have, it sounds like there are too many moving parts and too many people involved in the decision-making to make this a viable service.… Read more

A new meaning for 'red-hot'

If you've ever owned a mood ring, chances are that you'll appreciate the Kenwood Response kettle. The brushed metal kettle changes colors as you heat your water from blue to red, letting you see how close your water is to being coffee-ready.

A cool feature of this kettle is that it can be set either to boiling or to 80 degrees Celsius. Why would we care about the temperature? Boiling is boiling, right? Well, not exactly. In college, I worked a brief stint at a tea shop, where I learned the hard way that using rapidly boiling water … Read more

JVC, Kenwood officially hook up

Victor and Kenwood said Monday that they plan to become one company by October 1 this year.

The two Japanese audio equipment makers will combine to form JVC Kenwood Holdings, which will be based in Yokohama, near Tokyo. Victor, a subsidiary of electronics giant Matsushita, is best known for its JVC brand. Under the agreement, Kenwood Chairman Haruho Kawahara will become the holding company's chairman, while Victor President Kunihiko Sato will become the new company's president.

It came in fits and starts, but the two have finally settled on a merger agreement. It was first discussed last year, … Read more

The flying wedge targets the iPod

After having conquered TVs, projectors, and even mice, the Stealth invasion now has its sights on the iPod. A new Kenwood stereo dock headed for the Japanese market bears the unmistakeable flying-wedge design, but its sound doesn't exactly match the menacing appearance--its speakers put out only 1.9 watts, according to Akihabara News. With that kind of audio, you might as well get a wooden cube and save some money.

MPH provides Kenwood with digital TV at higher mph

Piping content into the car is one of the main themes on the automotive beat here at CES 2008, and Kenwood is leading the charge when it comes to the next generation of in-car television. The manufacturer is partnering with consumer electronics giant LG on development of a terrestrial digital television (DTV) receiver that will enable car occupants to watch ATSC TV at highway speeds. To date, analog receivers have enabled reception of in-car TV but only up to limited speeds. The prototype receiver that Kenwood is showing here at CES is based on the MPH (mobile, pedestrian, handheld) mobile … Read more

Flashy: Kenwood KDC-X991

Built-in storage is all the rage among carmakers and stereo manufacturers these days, and Kenwood is no exception. The vendor is using SEMA 2007 to show off its KDC-X991, which, in addition to its support for a range of digital-age audio formats (MP3, WMA, USB), comes with 512MB of internal flash memory--roughly enough for 30 albums' worth of music.

Drivers can rip CDs to the memory as they listen or import digital audio files via the stereo's USB port. A color fluorescent display and a novel jog dial controller let users navigate folders and files using an intuitive rotary … Read more

JVC, Kenwood partner on car tech development

Two of the biggest names in the aftermarket car tech world joined forces this week as Kenwood and JVC (known as Victor Co in Japan) announced they had set up a joint company to develop technologies for car electronics and home audio equipment. The new entity, called J&K Technology Corporation, will make use of the combine intellectual property rights of each company and appears to have been set up with a view to reducing distribution and development costs and harnessing economies of scale.

According to a translation of the official press release on Kenwood's Web site, the … Read more

Slide show roundup: Dance Dance Immolation, Nokia N76, and HTC Touch

The theme for today is flames. We've got pictures of a creative adaptation of Dance Dance Revolution, combining its complicated steps with the added punishment of an inferno in your face. It looks hard and scary! We also have photos of the Nokia N76, a sleek and shiny red phone. Plus, there's the HTC Touch, a phone that could fan the flames of the red-hot discussion surrounding the iPhone's June 29 release. Burn, baby, burn.

Photos: Dance Dance Immolation

At a warehouse in Oakland, Calif., Saturday night, video gamers get shot in the face with fire--but it … Read more