Jealous of the smart radios found in late model cars? Parrot has the solution: the Asteroid Smart multimedia radio, propelled by the Google Android system.
Yes, Android – the same software behind most smart phones sold in Canada. What that means is that from a 6.2-inch car radio touchscreen, Parrot has created a unit as versatile as the most powerful mobile phones on the market. Aside from the Asteroid Smart, which still comes at a hefty $600, Parrot offers two other models in this range: the Asteroid Tablet and Asteroid Mini, both smaller and more affordable. Beyond its radio, SD card slot, numerous USB ports and GPS navigation feature, the Asteroid can receive Smart Android Apps of all kinds, ranging from Skype Internet telephony to on-demand music services like Deezer, Rdio and Google Music. Still, a few significant downsides are to be noted. First, the Android version used here is not the most recent. Second, the display is only provided in landscape mode, at a resolution of 800 x 480 pixels.
And last, but certainly not least, the only applications directly accessible are the very few ones found on the Asteroid Store catalogue, which is automatically installed on the device. To fully leverage its potential, two things are required: first, park near a Wi-Fi Internet access point (or share a wireless device’s connection via Bluetooth or Wi-Fi), then set aside the very thin catalogue provided by the manufacturer and go on the hunt for third-party applications.
For example, Amazon offers on its website a direct access to its own app catalogue for Android devices, which can be installed in a snap on the Asteroid Smart. It’s also possible to store apps installed on an Android phone and copy them to the device’s external memory, then reinstall them on the radio.
In any case, a rather Spartan internal memory limits the number of applications you can install in the end.
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