Monday, January 30, 2012

Making Music Integration Easy


Driving is a fundamental tool for getting from point A to point B.  That’s a given.  In most cases, we need something to cut the monotony of driving day in and day out.  Listening to music in the car has always been a great way to pass that long morning drive in traffic.  If your favorite song is blaring through the speakers, it’s hard not to remember a nostalgic memory tied to a rock ballad from the 70’s, or a classical piece of music that rivets the soul.  In today’s blog, we’re going a step further.  We’re going to provide you with some innovative ways to listen to music in your car.  Feel free to read below and add your own comments.

Cassette tapes, CDs and if you’re ‘seasoned’ enough, 8-tracks were always a distraction in the car.  Now, with the emergence of mp3 players like the iPod, you can hold thousands of music files in one small device.  You can connect your iPod four ways:
1.    Aux-in connection: this is a common feature in most cars and only requires an Auxiliary cable (which you can pick up for about $2 on Amazon) to be plugged into a car’s aux-in jack on one end and the music player’s headphone jack on the other.  Then, just select AUX on a car’s stereo and viola!
2.    USB Port: most carmakers offer a computer-style connection.  You can plug in your iPod/iPhone using the computer-sync cable it was supplied with.  This allows you to control your device easily.
3.    Proprietary connection: This relies on a cable supplied by the automaker that plugs into the iPod’s 30-pin connector on one end, just as a USB cable does.  The other end plugs into a connection that's unique to the vehicle. Another connection setup uses a two-pronged cable that has to plug into both the aux-in jack and a USB port.
4.    Bluetooth Audio: allows you to transfer a conversation from a mobile phone to a car’s stereo that also let you wirelessly stream music between compatible devices.  Typically, the only features available are pause/play. 

These are just some of the ways music technology is making waves in the auto industry.  Choose the most convenient for you and run with it!

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