scosche

Scosche announces its first car stereo and there's an app for it

LAS VEGAS--Scosche has been manufacturing car stereo dashboard mounting kits, wire harnesses, and installation accessories for so many years, but it has never offered a car stereo receiver of its own...until now.

At the 2012 SEMA Show, Scosche showed off the SCDBTA60 Car Stereo Receiver. This unit features an internal four-channel amplifier that outputs a maximum of 40 watts per channel and three preamp outputs for adding external amps. It's got a CD player and an SD card slot, and can connect to your smartphone via Bluetooth (HFP and A2DP), USB, or an auxiliary input. By itself, it'… Read more

iPad your car with the Backstage Pro

Rear-seat entertainment systems often run more than $1,000 for a factory-installed system, yet many people find a $500 iPad works just as well. The Scosche Backstage Pro works as a rear-seat mount for iPads.

The Backstage Pro clamps on to the front-seat headrest posts, with the iPad holder facing the rear-seat occupant. The package includes a long cord that can connect the Backstage Pro to a 12-volt outlet in the car, keeping the iPad charged while in use.

The iPad holder and the mount make up the two major pieces of the Backstage Pro, with the holder sliding easily into place on the mount. This is a smart arrangement for a couple of reasons. First, it makes clamping the mount to the headrest posts easier, because the holder is out of the way. Second, once installed, the holder can easily be taken out of the car, leaving the unobtrusive mount in place. … Read more

Scosche 'reference grade' Bluetooth headphones raise eyebrows

LAS VEGAS--Scosche's contribution to the CES fray includes three new headphone models added to its Realm dynamic range of headphones.

First up are the RH1056mdbt "reference-grade" Bluetooth headphones with a 33-foot range and side-mounted earcup controls. Few other details are included in the presser, but with no indication of additional codec technology like aptX included, it's hard to believe that these sound any better than your standard A2DP Bluetooth profile.

… Read more

Turn your iPhone into a radiation detector

The earthquake and tsunami in Japan earlier this year left a swath of destruction and a legacy of lingering nuclear radiation concerns. Efforts have already been under way to get geiger counters into the hands of people throughout the country.

More iPhones will have the opportunity to join in. Scosche has just expanded its RDTX line of radiation detectors for iPhone and iPod Touch that combines external hardware with a metering app.… Read more

iPhone recharging on the run: Case vs. case

The best way to review products meant to be used out in the trenches is to hit the trenches with those products in tow, going head-to-head in practical (preferably emergency) situations. In this case, we're talking iPhone cases that recharge your smartphone while protecting it.

Our two combatants in this intensely unscientific test are the Scosche Switchback Surge G4 backup battery case with kickstand for iPhone 4 and the PowerSkin recharging soft case.

The battleground was the parade for Chevrolet's 100th anniversary, part of the 2011 Woodward Avenue Dream Cruise car weekend in Detroit. With more than 1 million car lovers flocking to Motor City to view more than 40,000 custom cars, opportunities to take photos and videos were more prevalent than Chevy Small Block V8 engines. To the non-gearheads, there were a lot.

For two straight days, morning until night, I cruised Woodward in a 2011 Camaro as elite and custom cars came and went. Taking all of those photos and HD videos drains an iPhone's battery fast. So, I went into that crazy traffic jam with both the Scosche Switchback Surge G4 and the PowerSkin charged and ready. I tested how much protection they provided, how long they lasted, and how well they recharged an iPhone in constant use. … Read more

Scosche's SneakPeek auto video cable charges while playing

If you've been looking for a way to get video from your iPod, iPad, or iPhone to your vehicle's rear seat entertainment system, Scosche may have a solution for you with its SneakPeek auto. This combination cable and charger adds an iPod input to any in-car video receiver with RCA connections.

Externally, the SneakPeek auto's construction is rather simple. The 9-foot shielded cable features a 30-pin Apple dock connector on one end and a trio of analog gold- and nickel-plated RCA connections at the other. Somewhere along the line, there's a black box that handles the … Read more

Scosche motorMouth II now available

Remember the Scosche motorMouth II Bluetooth hands-free kit we covered back in July? Well, it's available now.

Essentially, the motorMouth II is a Bluetooth-enabled microphone that plugs into your vehicle's 3.5mm auxiliary input sending hand-sfree calls and A2DP streamed audio through the vehicle's speakers. Scosche says that DSP echo cancellation technology ensures that, even in noisy cars, calls will be clear.

We'll have a motorMouth II in for review soon, but those of you who can't wait will be able to find the motorMouth II for $79.99 at Scosche's Web site. In … Read more

Scosche motorMouth II adds Bluetooth to car stereos

Looking for an easy way to add Bluetooth wireless to your vehicle? If your car stereo features an analog auxiliary input (you know, the one that looks like a headphone jack), Scosche's new motorMouth II stereo Bluetooth adapter could have you streaming audio and making hands-free calls within minutes.

The motorMouth is about the size of a large Bluetooth headset, but with an enlarged microphone that features noise-canceling DSP technology. In place of the unit's earpiece is a male stereo minijack plug. After pairing a Bluetooth-enabled phone to the unit using a four-digit PIN, users then plug the … Read more

Scosche iKit replaces car stereo with iPad

We've seen a few custom iPad dashboard mounts from the guys at SoundMan car audio. Now Scosche, manufacturer of car audio accessories, is stepping up to the plate and developing its own iPad dashboard mount kit, appropriately--and predictably--known as the Scosche iKit.

Unlike the iPhone mounts that we've seen from this manufacturer, the iKit actually starts a double-DIN module that replaces your car's stereo with an auxiliary audio input and a powered USB port for charging. Protruding from this module is a mounting knob onto which an iPad-mounting cradle is attached. You can then position the iPad … Read more