All cars can have USB Stereos - My car has one and I use a 2GB cyberkey memory stick (fingerprint) to listen to my music. No more CD's at all. And I can delete and put new music into it.
Stereo makers say they want to accommodate both digital music players and thumb drives to give customers choice. "The whole point is people want music their way," says Amy Gilroy, senior editor for This Week in Consumer Electronics.
There seems to be demand. Best Buy's Insignia model stereo, with thumb drive port, has been selling briskly at $120 since it launched in the fall. Other stereo makers are getting into the market, too:
•Kenwood. In Las Vegas, Kenwood will show off several stereo units Thursday that have thumb drive ports on their faceplates. The stereos can also play music from an iPod with a special adapter. Two units will have USB ports in the front and five will have USB-attachment wires from the back. They will be priced from $199 to $499.
•JVC. Several units with USB ports will be introduced as soon as February, priced from $220 to $400.
•Clarion. A USB-port stereo unit will be introduced Thursday. It will sell for less than $300 when it goes on sale in March.
USB Car Stereo • Plug N’ Play™ your MP3‘s and WMAs, Wire-Free from your USBFlash Drive and SD Card • Compatible with MP3, WMA and CD/CD-R/CD-RW • Stereo/AUX Input • 30 Preset Stations • 4 Speaker Channels • 2 Channel RCA Preamp Outputs •*180 Watts Total Maximum Power (4x45 Watts) • 4 X 21 Watts RMS • Electronic Detachable Face Plate
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