With My Mind On My Money, and My Money On This Receiver

Together At Last

Wow, the future is here. First we got terrestrial radio, even though that was ages and ages ago. So we were spoiled from the start. But then came a flurry of additional options in no specific order: satellite radio, internet radio, FM/AM delivered to our cell phones and Walkmans, among a plethora of other options. I suppose that society has been too fortunate with all of these technological innovations, but that’s how society runs. We deserve it, after all, to get all of the benefits of cutting edge media that is developed. We worked hard for it. No thank you’s needed, right? Leave it up to the big dogs (scientists) to figure things out for us.

Well, let me be the first to say, thank you. There, I feel like I’ve finally earned my Sirius stripes. Now, I can begin to discuss the newest technological innovation to come our way in the world of radio. We all knew it was coming, and it’s finally going to arrive come April: internet in a car. AutoNet, a company that is teaming up with Avis rental cars, plans to put a Wi-Fi receiver in every rental car that Avis has. The receiver plugs conveniently into your cigarette lighter (sorry to all you smokers out there) and is about the size of a book. It broadcasts a signal throughout your car, in addition to a little beyond it, allowing you to check your e-mail, download that hot MP3 you just heard on your favorite FM station, and even watch a streaming music video, all while driving your car (safety isn’t the issue here, folks). But while this will do wonders for all, it is going to significantly affect how people listen to the radio. Let’s investigate.

AutoNet prides itself on the fact that it can swing from high-speed internet streams to low-speed ones without having to buffer or stutter. And that does wonders for the average internet radio listener; I can’t tell you how many times I’ve shouted at my computer screen for buffering right when whatever I’m watching/listening to is about to get good. The whole point of the product is to make the internet available to you on-the-go, and it could forever change the world of radio for the fact that internet radio can only be listened to on the computer. This will cut out the stationary computer and allow internet radio to be received almost anywhere. And since the company prides its product on its ability to broadcast outside of the car to a certain range, that means you’ll be able to pull over to the grassy meadow on your road trip across the American terrain and stream the latest Fergie album, all while taking in the beauty of the wheat fields. Basically, technology and nature will finally (and peacefully) coexist.

But I’m not planning on buying it anytime soon. Sure, it’s a great deal for people who are renting their cars from Avis, but that’s only for businessmen and people visiting other states or cities for a short period of time. To activate the service in the Avis rental, you have to pay $10.95 a day to make your car a Wi-Fi hotspot. Doesn’t sound like too much if you’re going to be driving all day and would like to be able to check your e-mail at all times. But I’ve never even rented a car. Granted, I’m not old enough (25 years old is a ways away) to rent one, but if I were 25, I would probably never do it. I don’t have a reason. And like me, many people don’t rent cars unless they have to, which is seldom to rare on the frequency scale.

If you want this in your car permanently, though, you have to fork over a smidgen more. $399 just to buy the receiver, then $49.95 per month for unlimited data (shaving off a dollar and five cents makes it seem cheaper, but don’t let it fool you; it’s $400 and $50). That’s a lot. The internet in my apartment didn’t even cost that much. And our monthly plan is $20 cheaper. So what’s the benefit? Well, you get the internet in your car. Ok, that is kind of cool. But as it relates to the blog, I have to talk about internet radio. This will make internet radio so much easier to get, and will make it much more of a commodity. Internet radio stations will have a reason to charge listeners, rather than give it away for free. This equals $$ for them, which is great, considering some don’t even make a dime. But there are downsides, as there always are.

The receiver claims to be able to swing from high- to low-speed internet without breaking the stream. But you have to consider the fact that not everywhere is a hot-spot for Wi-Fi. In fact, there are very few places that have streaming Wi-Fi. And even in those places, they don’t have every single piece of land covered; the stream goes in and out, and you have to be in the right place. So if I’m listening to Breakthru Radio in my car while driving through a town that has Wi-Fi capabilities everywhere, I’ll most likely enjoy it for the span of time it takes to cross the city. But once I’m out, so is the signal. Get my drift? You wouldn’t be able to get it all. So there’s flaw #1.

#2 is a bit on the speculative side. Since internet radio stations are currently under fire from Congress (see post below), the stations may not even be able to stick around much longer. Congress will be able to prove that it’s unfair for them to give music away for free when their artists should be getting royalty payments. Just another reason to put the stations under. Plus, everyone will soon want to put out a station. Competition will ensue, people will give up, and internet radio will probably be dominated by a select few (who will most likely end up getting purchased by Google… they own it all). With these obstacles in place, internet radio will become a sure target. And these receivers will only stand in the way of their freedom.

If this does succeed, though, and internet radio becomes a hit in the car, it could significantly impact the radio industry. Terrestrial radio listeners are mostly endemic to cars, since drivers have nothing else to listen to while they drive. Now they can have so many more options, and won’t have to succumb to satellite radio’s pressuring. And it’s a fair deal. Just like society deserves more choices in technology, people deserve more choices in what they listen to. And if AutoNet manages to grab, say, a million customers who want internet in their cars, then they might be onto something, and if internet radio benefits, then I say let’s make it popular. After all, I could be blogging from my car by the end of this month. So keep checking in… I’ll let you know how it’s going on my trip from New York to California, and I’ll be sure to sign each blog entry with the addition of the station I’m tuned into. Sounds good? See you on the highway, both information super and other kind.