Since the iPod and iPhone are two of the best-known and most popular electronic products around the world, pretty much everyone is trying to bank on their success. And we're not talking here just about no-name OEM's that come up with all sorts of crazy accessories for these two iconic devices, but also some of the major names in the industry. And one of the latest companies to release such a product is Kenwood, whose I-K50 car stereo system has been specifically designed to interact with Apple's portable entertainment devices.

In order to interact with the aforementioned devices, the new car audio system from Kenwood has been equipped with a USB connector. What's interesting to note here is that, when connected to the I-K50, users will be able to connect all of the iPods functions (including playlist browsing) right from the stereo unit's buttons, rather than the player/mobile phone.

Quite obviously, the USB port can also be used for connecting another external storage device (such as a USB flash drive) and play the music stored in its memory, which can be stored in MP3, WMA or AAC formats. Besides, there's also a built-in audio-in interface, which can be used for connecting just about any type of portable music player. And if none of the aforementioned storage media works for you, then there's always that optical drive for playing plain ol' MP3 CDs.

Additionally, the new Kenwood car audio system features an integrated amplifier, which has been rated at a maximum power of 50W x 4 and has a built-in dB equalizer PRO function that lets users dial in a two-step bass boost. There's also an AM/FM tuner included in the package for those drivers who simply love listening to their favorite radio show while going to work in the morning.

Fortunately, this very interesting car audio system is not even that expensive, since it will retail for around 23,100 Japanese Yen (about 260 US dollars) when it hits the shelves in Japan, towards the middle of January 2009. Unfortunately, there's no word on the possible release date for the Western markets, but given the price/features/performance this device is capable of providing, it's sure to make it to shops around the world quite shortly.


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