The Death of Radio?

Streaming Internet services take aim at the car radio....

The Internet's tentacles seem to have no limit, reaching out and strangling everything from CDs and book stores to newspapers and magazines. Now it has its sights set on the car radio.

Many people are already accustomed to plugging an iPod into the car to listen to their library of Chet Baker or Arcade Fire tracks rather than CDs. And many vehicles have auxiliary plugs and USB ports to accommodate digital music fans. But now a new movement is afoot that could really threaten traditional broadcast radio: Internet music services such as Pandora, Slacker, and Last.fm--already popular with computer and smart phone owners--are being tailored by software developers, consumer electronics companies, and even auto makers to work more seamlessly with car stereo systems. So, while video didn't end up killing the radio star, this time the Internet might just succeed.

The devices responsible for this trend are smart phones like Apple's iPhone, RIM's line of Blackberries, and phones based on Google's Android software. These handsets all have free applications that play customized music channels streamed over the Internet using the phone's 3G wireless data connection. The services are generally free, although smart phone owners typically pay about $30 a month on top of regular voice service for unlimited data usage.

The attraction is that rather than being shackled to the same old hits from local radio stations, music fans can customize the music channel to suit their individual tastes. Pandora boasts about 750,000 songs and 40 million listeners. Put in the name of your favorite artist, say Chairlift, and Pandora creates a station that features Chairlift and similar groups, such as Metric.

But until now using such a service on a phone in the car meant looking away from the road to switch channels or skip a song on the phone--a major distraction. So companies are now marrying these services to existing in-car controls, essentially making it no different from switching between 1010WINS and Q104.

Car stereo maker Alpine, for example, offers the $400 Alpine iDA-X305S Digital Media Receiver with Pandora Link. Using a special iPhone-compatible cable, the in-dash receiver lets listeners skip through their customized stations and even give songs a thumbs up or thumbs down by pushing in and turning the receiver's front dial. The downside is that drivers still have to look down at the stereo's display to find what can be a needle in a haystack of endless channel choices.

Pioneer recently introduced a more elegant solution that adds voice control to its Pandora option. The AVIC X920BT costs $1,200 (plus the price of a professional installation), but it throws everything into one package--a 6.1-inch LCD touch screen, turn-by-turn navigation, AM/FM/CD, and carbon-conscious features such as an Eco Graph display that tells you how your driving habits are hurting (or helping) the planet. But plug in an iPhone to the system using an optional $50 cable, and it really shines. Not only will the in-dash display list your iPhone music library but it also controls an about-to-be-released Pandora app specifically designed to work with the Pioneer system.

Video Cameras Watch From Afar

How to keep an eye on your home while you're on the road...

Daydreams about getting away for the summer (or for just the weekend) can quickly lead to anxiety: Will my home be safe while I'm away? Will the kids obey the rules or throw some wild party? Is my neighbor really checking on the cats?

Enter the high-tech solution: Video cameras to monitor your place from afar.

While Web cams have been around for many years, they have typically been either expensive standalone systems (meaning professional installation required) or about as much fun to set up as chewing tin foil. Thankfully, a new generation of Web cam monitoring systems promises to be easier to install and easier on the wallet.

The classic approach to monitoring your home on your own is to use a video camera that can be connected directly to a home network without the aid of a PC. Panasonic has long been one of the leaders in this area (the company also makes professional surveillance systems). The company's $200 BL-C210A Network Camera can be plugged directly into a home router and accessed through its own Internet address (supplied for free by Panasonic).

Such an arrangement means all the computers at home can be off (or have crashed, as mine tend to do), and you'll still get a picture from the Panasonic camera over the Internet connection. You can pan and tilt the image remotely over the Web, and it can even be viewed on a mobile phone. The camera can even detect motion, heat, and sound, and then send you an e-mail alert should something pass across its view. If you can't string cables, a wireless version of the same camera is available from Panasonic for $300.

Easier still, but not quite as versatile, is Logitech's $300 Indoor Video Security Master System. The basic package includes a camera, a power line adapter that plugs into a computer, and Logitech's WiLife control software. It only takes about 20 minutes to set up. The adapter and camera communicate using the existing electrical circuits in the home, but it requires that the computer that it's connected to be on and connected to the Internet.

JQ on Technology

The Death of Radio?

Video Cameras Watch From Afar