Alpine slips car stereos with iTunes Tags

Alpine will soon release a trio of new head-end units for vehicles geared primarily around the iPod, the company has unintentionally revealed through a brochure (PDF) posted online. The iDA-X100, based on the earlier X001, will be one of the first car stereos to support iTunes Tagging. When listening to specific HD Radio stations through the X100, listeners will be able to flag songs and use an attached iPod to sync this information with a computer, creating a playlist of songs to be bought through the iTunes Store. It can also play audio directly from newer iPods through a USB connection, including the iPod touch.

The single-slot unit also plays some more generic music handhelds and will recognize AAC, MP3, and WMA tracks from most any USB storage device. An optional IMPRINT processor dynamically adjusts sound to fit the acoustics of the car and can also be supported by adapters for satellite radio and Bluetooth audio from cellphones. It should be available by this spring and will be supported by the lower-cost X200, which omits iTunes Tagging, and the X300, which shares the same features but reduces the number of pre-amp outputs from three to one.

The listing also makes reference to a double-slot, 7-inch touchscreen stereo system known so far as the IVA-W505; though few details are revealed, the unit will play video from supporting iPods as well as raw DivX videos. [via Audiojunkies]

Filed under: iPod, audio
Other story tags: HD Radio, Alpine, iTunes Tagging