Nothing too groundbreaking here, but Acoustic Research has a new pair of WiFi radios on tap at CES. The first one is the ARIR200 Infinite Radio, which pulls double duty as an internet / AM / FM radio and a traditional alarm clock. It provides direct access to Slacker content and comes bundled with a prepaid subscription to WeatherBug. Moving onto greener pastures, we’ve got the ARIR600i, which adds in a “subwooer” and includes an iPod dock for charging your PMP and playing back tunes while docked. They’ll be available in February / mid-May, respectively for $129.99 / $199.99.
Acoustic Research Internet Radios Bring Music, Talk and More without a PC Tether
Built-In Wi-Fi Connectivity, Simple Set-up and Personalization of
Web Content and Major Content Partners Differentiate the New Line
LAS VEGAS – January 7, 2009, International CES, Booth 11006-10506 - Audiovox
Corporation (NASDAQ: VOXX). As Internet radio gains popularity in the U.S., Acoustic
Research is debuting two new products that should help increase online listeners by
disconnecting traditional Internet cables and adding desirable music and weather features. The
two models offer built-in wireless connectivity, AM/FM radio, USB and Ethernet connections
and 512MB memory for up to 10 hours of recording off the Internet as well as the AM/FM
bands. Additionally, the AR Infinite Radio is simple to use and customize on the Personal
Portal, listen to Slacker™ Personal Radio stations and get immediate weather alerts from
WeatherBug®.
“With virtually millions of Americans tuning into Internet radio each week, we wanted to cut the
PC tether and bring the vast Internet radio station experience into other rooms of the home in a
way unmatched by any competitive product,” said Tom Malone, president, Audiovox Electronics
Corporation. “We added connectivity and customization partners that will bring consumers an
enhanced level of enjoyment available exclusively in the AR Infinite Radios.”
Bringing Acoustic Research Infinite Radio To a New Level
The AR Infinite Radio experience starts with the Personal Portal, which
allows the consumer to access premium content features that come with
AR Infinite Radio through innovative content partnerships. The portal
lets a consumer add custom stations and URLs - select from more than
12,000 stations and store favorite presets and genres.”
The Acoustic Research Slacker partnership allows direct connect to
Slacker Personal Radio Music Service with millions of tracks, 100
genre stations and more than 10,000 artist stations, all in high-quality
sound equal to HD and satellite radio. Users can create their own music
libraries using Slacker content.
Weather is one of the most frequently searched content sections
for any Web site, making the WeatherBug partnership
important to consumers. This free benefit includes one and three-day forecasts, continuous
emergency weather alerts and instant text-to-speech conversion from four synthesized voices.
(more)
Acoustic Research Introduces Infinite Radio … Page 2
The ARIR200 Infinite Radio does double-duty as a high-performing Internet
radio and an alarm clock radio with wake-up options ranging from Internet to
terrestrial content and includes snooze and sleep options. It provides direct
access to Slacker Personal Radio and a pre-paid subscription to WeatherBug
service. Its stylish design looks as good on a desk as it does in a living room or
on a bedroom nightstand. The ARIR200 lets users listen to and rate songs using
the Heart, Ban and Tag options. It also has an AM/FM tuner with six
preset buttons per source. At retail mid-February. MSRP: $129.99.
The ARIR600i Infinite Radio is a high-performing Internet radio with an iPod dock. It includes
access to Slacker Personal Radio and a pre-paid WeatherBug service subscription, a -watt
subwoofer multi-room sound system for superior audio performance and doubles as an iPod®
dock for playback and charging. Six preset buttons per AM/FM source and a Remote control are
included. At retail mid-May. MSRP $199.99.
“At Acoustic Research, we were determined that our customer’s Internet
radio experience would include content options that give superior access
to the Internet without sacrificing the consumer expectation for AR for
quality products and state of the art features and design. The AR Infinite
radio line combines the most basic elements like alarms and clock radio
features to the most sophisticated like USB/Ethernet connections for
networking and data transferring. They are easy to install and activate.
For our retail partners we have provided an easy to use gateway into
Internet radio that will open new sales and profit opportunities,” Malone
concluded.
For the latest news from the Audiovox family of brands, visit www.AudiovoxNews.com.
Acoustic Research ARIR200
Acoustic Research ARIR600i
