Harman details its first wireless CarPlay infotainment system for automakers
JBL announces its Legend CP100 head unit with support for CarPlay
Harman today has announced the JBL Legend CP100 in-car infotainment system. The JBL Legend CP100 marks the company’s first in-car solution that is compatible with Apple’s CarPlay system, joining the growing number of aftermarket solutions for obtaining Apple’s car infotainment system in older vehicles.
Harman debuts touchscreen-free CarPlay solution, Integrated Essentials Cockpit
Demonstrating how Apple’s CarPlay will be integrated into upcoming budget vehicles, Harman has shown the Integrated Essentials Cockpit, a new OEM solution that does away with direct touchscreen interaction in favor of a steering wheel-mounted touchpad. The Integrated Essentials Cockpit eliminates the currently popular center console-mounted screen, instead bringing Apple’s CarPlay interface directly into the dashboard behind the steering wheel.
Unusually, the CarPlay UI then sits between a left-side speedometer and a right-side tachometer, below a bar with a thermometer and above a fuel gauge and odometer. More pictures and details are below.
Harman and Philips announce noise-cancelling headphones, drawing power from Lightning without batteries
Harman JBL Reflect Aware left, Philips Fidelio NC1L right
Noise-cancelling headphones are great, but they do have one big drawback: noise-cancellation requires power, giving you yet another device to charge. Harman and Philips have each removed that pain-point, announcing noise-cancelling devices with a Lightning connector instead of a 3.5mm headphone jack, drawing their power from the iPhone, iPad or iPod touch.
The Harman JBL Reflect Aware are earphones aimed at sports use, allowing you to choose the level of noise-cancellation – handy for times when you are on the street and want to retain some awareness of things like traffic noise. They come in at a reasonably wallet-friendly $149. Harman has them at CES, but no word yet on availability …
Expand
Expanding
Close
Review: Harman Kardon Esquire Mini is the best iPhone speakerphone you can fit in your pocket
not me
I reviewed two portable Bluetooth speakerphone options earlier this year: The Philips WeCall ($145) vs. Logitech P710e ($125) . Both are square and have internal batteries and make conference calling easy. But for their ~$150 price tag, I wondered if you could get more portability and style without sacrificing sound quality.
The answer to those questions is the Harman Kardon Esquire line of portable speakerphones. Below, I take a look at the Esquire Mini which retails for $149.99 and can be found as low as $145 at Amazon or $135 at World Wide Stereo.
Expand
Expanding
Close
Holiday Shopping Guide: Every single great Lightning accessory we could find
With Apple’s latest MFi summit taking place earlier this month to school accessory makers on adopting Apple’s new smaller Lightning connector standard, many accessories from reputable companies are quickly starting to roll out. Unfortunately, the delay in getting the new standard out to third-party accessory manufacturers means many well-known companies might not get a product on the market in time for the holidays. Some that have released products are unable to keep up with demand and ship before the Dec 25.
For those of you looking for a Lightning dock, car chargers, adapter, or any other accessory before the holidays, we put together a guide to all the Lightning accessories currently available to order.
Many of the products below are also discounted for Black Friday and through the weekend:
Expand
Expanding
Close
