from USA Today: Chevrolet will introduce an entertainment-system option on its Uplander minivan this spring that has hard-drive memory capable of storing 40 movies, 10,000 song tracks or basic video games. It will be offered in General Motors’ other minivans by the year’s end.
Storing music and movies on the hard drive cuts clutter. “As the mother of two kids, you have CDs and DVDs floating around the vehicle. It’s nice to consolidate,” GM spokeswoman Lynda Messina says.
The system is made by Los Angeles technology company PhatNoise, which has produced an audio-only version as a dealer option for Volkswagen and Audi since 2003.
It’s “like an automotive iPod,” CEO Sharon Graves says. The units are built into the car like regular car stereos. To load music, owners download their CD collection onto a personal computer, then transfer the data to a cartridge, which is inserted into the car player.
