Sitebytes
Kicker.com has a new look, but the site isn't just about cosmetic changes. The Web site devoted to KICKER car audio components has undergone significant renovations following users' responses. "We've kept track of what the visitors to kicker.com have been asking for, and the new Web site has a great many features created in response to those requests," says J.A. Tonsfeldt, Director of Advertising and Public Relations at Stillwater Designs. The Product and Support areas have been expanded considerably to deal with the many questions the company receives about KICKER products and how to best use them. In addition to detailed product descriptions, visitors may find manuals for KICKER products, technical tips and FAQs, performance parameters, and other items helpful in getting the most out of the various products the company offers. "We want users to be able to quickly get to the information they need," says Tonsfeldt. "Of course, we still have e-mail and phone-based help lines if more of a human touch is what it takes."
In addition to current news, vehicle profiles, event coverage, and other continually updated features, a secure Web store featuring KICKER clothes and more is also on the site. Keeping in touch with what visitors feel about various issues is just as important, so the new site incorporates a survey section which will allow for the rapid collection and expression of opinions on assorted car stereo topics. See it for yourself and tell them what you think at www.kicker.com.
Blaupunkt and Microsoft Bring Internet to Motorists
Blaupunkt, the market leader in car radios and vehicle navigation systems in Europe, Hildesheim, a member of the Bosch Group of companies, and the Microsoft will work together in the field of operating systems for vehicle multimedia and telematics applications in the automobile in the future.
With the rapid developments in the field of mobile information and communications technology such applications as digital radio, navigation, e-mail, the Internet, mobile commerce and WAP information will soon be available in the car. However, the vehicle environment also poses special challenges: quick access to the systems after car start; reliability and resistance to extreme conditions; and ease of operation.
The goal of Blaupunkt and Microsoft is to design a software platform to meet the demands of the vehicle environment and establish it on the market as the standard. "Windows CE for Automotive, Version 3.0" gives the companies a head start. This system already includes a number of suggestions made by Blaupunkt. For two years, the development engineers in both companies have been exchanging their thoughts and ideas. In the meantime, engineers from Microsoft are also closely involved in a Blaupunkt development project for future vehicle multimedia systems. The two companies have made a contractual agreement to continue work on the Microsoft system. They hope to create a platform that will allow motorists to use future Internet and telematics services in combination with the most modern operating technologies - such as voice control - with ease, thus affording greater safety on the road.