First Hands On The Oxygen Audio O-Car

I was lucky enough to have a look at Oxygen Audio's brand new concept, the O-Car, earlier this month at the M.E.N. Expo 2011. This is what I thought of possibly 2011's product of the year.

To say I was looking forward to getting my hands on an O-Car was an understatement, I had actually contacted Oxygen directly months ago in the hope of securing a demo model. On first impressions the unit looks quite basic and unappealing unless you know what this product is all about. Once you dock your iPhone into the surprisingly sturdy docking system the whole things bursts into life.

The dock itself is nothing short of impressive. It comes with a special protective case for your iPhone which also helps you locate it when placing you phone into the dock. The dock comes out from the unit around 2 inches and allows you to swivel the iPhone in a 360 x 180 arc meaning that you can eliminate any glare or ensure that you can always see where your sat nav is taking you. Should you choose to, the dock will also go flat to the stereo allowing the iPhone to sit horizontally on the front of the unit creating the illusion that the iPhone is actually part of the stereo itself.

The O-Car's greatest strength comes from its lack of features and controls. This may sound like I have lost my marbles but let me explain. Unlike conventional stereos where an iPhone connects via cable and you can select songs to play using the stereos controls, the O-Car does not have any controls. The only thing you can do is turn the volume up and down. The O-Cars features and controls are purely down to what apps you have installed onto your iPhone. If you have the TomTom or similar app then you have a fully built in Satnav, if you have a Pandora app then you have Internet Radio built into your car. Changing the features is as simple as visiting the Apple store and picking up the latest apps. Oxygen Audio have even released their own apps to allow you to control the basic radio and equalizer functions.

Oxygen have meant business with this product and are set to take on the big boys in car audio such as Sony with there TuneTray DSX range. All the components are high quality and the built in 52x4w amp sounds nice and crisp. Unfortunately the demo unit I had chance to use did not have any sub woofers or tweeters hooked up so it would be unfair of me to rate the true quality of the music from this stereo yet. I will be doing a full test in the next fortnight when we receive our first shipment. In my eyes the ?250 price tag that has been placed on these units is extremely reasonable. When you consider the competition in this price bracket, the Oxygen O-Car is in a league of its own.

My expectations for the Oxygen O-Car were very high with all the hype and media frenzy that has built up over the last 6 months. On the first impression, I can see that it has been worth the wait. Despite only using the stereo for a short space of time it has given me a glimpse of what is possible and I want more. This will be the biggest car entertainment product of 2011 and rightly so. I will be testing the unit over the next few months with a full review to come soon after.

The Oxygen O-Car is set to take the car audio world by storm. This will the product of the year, possibly even the decade.

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Sony TuneTray Vs Oxygen O-Car: Two Revolutionary Car Stereo Ideas

It is now a well known fact that car stereos are moving to digital media at an ever increasing pace. 10Years ago a car stereo that did not play CD's or even cassettes would have been a ludicrous idea, nowadays its what people want. Why carry a large wallet of CD's that will get scratched and damaged when you can have your whole music collection on a card the size of your thumb nail?

There have been two major developments in the last 12months in the way we connect digital media to our vehicles, namely our iPods. Sony released their latest concept, the TuneTray, last September. This was met with much anticipation from the industry and public alike, featuring full speed digital media control and a connect anything attitude, Sony have had a big success with the DSX range. Starting at only ?100, the TuneTray is not a technology that is exclusively for the rich and famous, it is available to everyone.

You may have never heard of Oxygen Audio. They were a fairly small French audio manufacturer until they had an idea that will again change the way we use our digital media. The O-Car is Oxygen Audio's take on how we should integrate digital media into our daily lives. It features a similar concept to the TuneTray in that it only caters for the digital world of music, leaving CD and Cassette firmly behind however it currently only for iPhones. What it does with the iPhone is why I am sat here today comparing these two innovations. Conventional stereo's will connect your iPhone via a cable or USB port, the O-Car allows your iPhone to BECOME the stereo.

I have had chance to use both systems recently, below are my findings.

Idea

The TuneTray was and still is a fantastic and innovative idea. The ability to connect any piece of USB hardware and hide it away within the stereo is unrivalled. No other stereo on the market can do what the TuneTray range can.

The O-Car is also innovative in how it turns your iPhone into a car stereo. This is easily the best way to integrate your iPhone into your car. The down side to this particular idea is that it has to be an iPhone 3GS or newer and has to be plugged into the stereo for anything to be heard. The radio tuner is an app that you can download for your iPhone.

Features

The TuneTray range has a huge list of features including bluetooth, multiple USB ports and high end equalizer controls. It comes with everything you would expect from a high end car stereo.

The O-Car allows you to provide the features! It comes with the standard RCA pre outs and high power amplifier that you would expect but it also enables you to use any features or apps that you have downloaded to your iPhone. You can use a TomTom sat nav app with it whilst listening to music, or make calls using a connected microphone. You can even turn your car into Digital Radio using apps such as Pandora or Spotify. The possibilities are only limited by the apps you buy.

Cost

Sony have been very clever in the way that they have branded the TuneTray. They haven't just made it exclusive to a single, high priced model in there range, they have created a whole range around the idea. Starting at only ?100 for the basic model and reaching ?200 for the best, Sony have made the TuneTray accessible for everyone.

Oxygen Audio do not have the luxury of having multiple models due to the concept behind the unit. They have however priced the O-Car at a price that is very affordable. At ?250 the O-Car is towards the top of the Single Din price range but for the features and quality of the unit I would still class it as very good value for money.

Ease of Use

This is where the Sony TuneTray is at a disadvantage when compared to the Oxygen O-Car. Displaying the full iPod menus on a 4line display is tricky and to do it right, Sony have had to make the control a little complicated at times. It is still a case of Albums, Artists and Playlists but there are hidden features like the searching by letter and quick search that when pressed by accident can throw you off target. When combined with the fiddly thumb stick control this accounts for a sometimes frustrating user interface.

The O-Car is the complete opposite, simply insert the iPhone into the dock and use it in as you would naturally. The O-Car does not impose onto the iPhone, even the Radio and Equalizer settings are altered using Oxygen's Apps that were developed in house specifically for this stereo.

When put side by side these two huge step forwards are both equal to one another. The only difference is that they are two huge steps in slightly different directions. If you have an iPhone, you will want the Oxygen O-Car, it is simply the best iPhone compatible stereo on the market. If you have an iPod or any other USB device, the Sony TuneTray range is easily the best choice for you. No-body will be disappointed with either of the stereo's I have featured in this article, it will be purely based on your own personal preference as to which will suit you best.

The Oxygen O-Car really is revolutionary in how it integrates your iPhone into your cars entertainment system. It is set to be the biggest product of 2011 and is going to take the world by storm!

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