The system has been designed by Livio in such a way that is compatible with both Macs and PCs. The user takes Carmen, plugs it into the computer via a USB cable and, using the provided software, downloads content from the Internet.
According to Livio, Carmen can store content from 42,000 AM/FM and Internet-only radio stations from all over the world. By taking Carmen into the car and plugging her into the 12-volt socket, the system is able to play back the stored audio library (up to 2 GB of storage or 45 hours of content).
And this is exactly the tricky part. Advertised as a portable Internet radio solution, the system is not actually a tool which brings Internet into your car, but merely records what is streamed from the web, just like a DVR does with TV stations.
“The Carmen is all about further expanding Internet radio consumption to the car,” Livio Radio founder Jake Sigal said. “We designed Carmen with DVR in mind. It gives users access to local stations from across America and around the world – their music, news and talk radio – plus genres that you can’t find anywhere on AM/FM for plug-and-play listening and enjoyment in any vehicle.”
Carmen will be on display at the Pepcom Digital Experience! in New York on June 23, where demos of the technology will be made available. It will go on sale later this summer, for a price of $59.99.
PS. Pirates will love it.
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