The companies' claim of creating the world's first Internet radio for the car must be taken with a grain of salt, however, as Internet radio has been available in cars for a couple of years now - albeit not with such an elegant in-dash interface. For example, in 2007 Ford released a video showing how its SYNC system could be used in conjunction with a smartphone to access Internet radio in-car.
The new system from Blaupunkt and miRoamer promises to be easier to use, however, and that rather than linking devices via Bluetooth to the car, users can "access AM/FM stations or Internet radio’s thousands of music, entertainment, news and talk stations from around the world" by simply pushing a button.
Blaupunkt will be showing a couple of prototypes of the system at next week's Consumer Electronics Show, and the company also claims that the new stereo will be available as a factory-installed option on certain vehicles, although exactly which brands or models will be getting the system is still a mystery.
The new system will hopefully herald a consumer rush towards in-car Internet radio thanks to its simple interface and lack of third-party accessories needed. Summing up today's consumer mentality, miRoamer states that these days "users want to jump in their car and go – no pulling out third-party devices or plugging in cords to access their music and information".