#CES2011 — Pioneer Press Conference Wrap Up.

In the world of high-end car audio, one of the biggest names you’ll constantly hear is that of Pioneer. For many years, they’ve been known for their audio products. However, they are so much more than that. In fact, the biggest focus on today’s press conference didn’t have anything to do with the traditional Pioneer audio electronics, and instead focused solely on integration with smartphones — particularly the iPhone — as well as social and multimedia services. There’s plenty more to know, however. Hop inside for the full rundown…

SmartCradle

While in-car audio is still very much an important presence of Pioneer’s CES line-up, it is the SmartCradle GPS-enabled docking station for iPhone and iPod Touch that stole the limelight today. The SmartCradle hardware features its own external GPS sensor, accelerometer, and gyroscope in order to offer “enhanced” location services to the aforementioned devices.

Pandora and Web Integration

Building on the smartphone focus comes by way of Pioneers’ announcement stating that there will now be 9 head units total that support Pandora functionality — up from the previous high of 2. But the internet is fully of so many more things than just Pandora.

With that said, Pioneer has designed the SmartCradle to showcase their PAIS (Platform for Aggregation of Internet Services) developer interface which effectively removes the middleman from the equation. The need to develop specific apps for a particular piece of hardware is dwindling thanks to technologies such as PAIS which act more as an aggregator than a traditional “app”. While the approach may not be as popular now, the exploding market for mobile devices means creating specific apps will become harder and less cost effective.

Apps and “App Mode”

While GPS navigation is obviously the focus of the new SmartCradle, the various web-enabled services create almost unlimited potential for supporting units. One such feature, App Mode, allows you to use the SmartCradle for other third party apps. It’s worth noting that App Mode can only be engaged when the vehicle is completely stopped and the brake is in “park”. Safety first.

Look for more Pioneer news including traditional car audio starting tomorrow once CES kicks off.