IPD Garage Sale Was Deal

We at GROM Audio would like to report that IPD’s annual car show and swap meet event, the IPD Garage Sale, was a blast!

It was a fun afternoon with some sizzling selections of vintage Volvo vehicles. There was plenty of food and laughter. So many Volvo owners showed their love for each and their amazing Volvo’s!

We had a great time seeing old faces from previous year and meeting new Volvo lovers this years. We especially appreciated the warm welcome that IPD gave us. We always enjoy IPD’s enthusiasm and hospitality. Plus, they put on an awesome show!

Since 1963, IPD has been serving Volvo owners, providing the best in parts and services to their customers. GROM Audio has been a long term partner with Ipd, offering our car kits to Volvo owners.

We also loved to meet many Volvo lovers who were also passionate about GROM car kits. Our car kits offer a safe way of listening to music from your favorite hand-held device by connecting them through your car stereo system.

For cars not featured in the main parking lot, the Show N' Shine had a really great selection of superior Volvo’s. Show N' Shine is the area of the event where Volvo enthusiasts/owners can park their vehicles next to their compatriots, making it easy for everyone to admire and/or show-off their rides. All money raised from the Show N' Shine was donated to Nursingale Organization in Portland Oregon!

Take a look at some of the photos we took while at the event and join us next year in Portland for the 2016 IPD Garage Sale.

Photos from the show!

Join GROM for “Cars & Croissants,” the Santana Row Exotic Cars Show

On Saturday May 23, from 9am to 12pm, Cars and Croissants will take place at Santana Row in San Jose.

This exotic car show, hosted by 100|OCT, features some of the weirdest and more creative car designs in the South Bay. The level of eye candy on display will only be challenged by the awesome power featured in these performance vehicles.

GROM Audio will be there. Come by and grab goodies and participate on free giveaways with GROM and see some amazing vehicles. Learn more about our car kits while enjoying the latest and greatest in performance vehicles and the coolest creations in exotic cars. This event is free.

The exotic car show will feature automobiles like the Bentley Motors GT3R. A curvy big car, the GT3R has all the elegance of a modern luxury car with sleek performance vehicle power. There will also be vehicles like the McLaren SLR, a performance car that looks something like a spaceship with four wheeles and a million dollar paint job.

Cars and Croissants will have cars and croissants—of course—as well as coffee for everyone. The car show is hosted by Cocola of Santana Row. This is a perfect way to have a light brunch on Saturday, while filling up your senses with these incredible cars. 

GROM Audio will be offering prizes at their booth along demonstrating some of latest ideas they have for their car kits, including Blue Tooth and voice activation functionality. Learn more at our website: www.gromaudio.com

Cars and Croissants is a monthly meet for exotics and performance cars on the fourth Saturday of the month, from March to December, from 9am to 12pm.

Please come by and join the fun at the GROM’s booth!

Join us at the Biggest Volvo Event in Oregon

The annual IPD Garage Sale has become the number one event in the Volvo community around Portland, Oregon.  Some considered it the biggest Volvo gathering in the West Coast for the year.

GROM Audio is planning on being there! We will have a booth and offer prizes to people who drop to say hi.

Taking place on Saturday May 16^th from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., the show will be at 11744 NE Ainsworth Circle Portland, Oregon 97220

In addition to supporting the Volvo community and event, GROM will offering prizes and demonstrating are new ideas, from our innovative integration of mobile technology along with voice activation technology.

This event has been described as one of the largest Volvo gatherings throughout Oregon for the year.

There will be a car show in the main lot that will feature some of the most amazing Volvo restorations and modifications in the Volvo community. There will also be a “Show N’ Shine,” which is where everyday Volvo owners have an opportunity to park their Volvo’s and show them off to everyone at the event.

More importantly, the is hosting a Swap Meet. This is an excellent opportunity for Volvo owners to sell some of their old parts, which might have been lying around the garage, or buy something they couldn’t find elsewhere.   

GROM Audio’s car kits support Volvo models from 1994 to present. 

We proudly offer enhancements, via our car kits, for Volvo stereos. Learn more at our website: www.gromaudio.com

David Douglas High School will offer food at the event. You can enjoy your favorite outdoor foods and non-alcoholic beverages while supporting the David Douglas High School Cheer Squad.

Shilo Inn - Portland Airport is offering special rates for Volvo enthusiasts out of town with special rates.

For more information about the event, check out the following link: http://www.ipdusa.com/blogs/398/2015-garage-sale

Look for us at the event to win a prize and learn more about our latest car kits!

GROM Audio Forum: a New Channel in Our Car Audio Experience

Here at GROM Audio, we are passionate about our music, our car kits, and offering superior service for our customers. We are also passionate about the exciting innovations in connected car technology.

We aim to enhance car infotainment systems by offering hand-held device integration through our car kits. These innovations not only provide an exceptional listening experience, but also offer services like GPS navigation, along with other connected car features.

We know our customers share this passion. This is why GROM Audio wants to encourage a community amongst our customers.

For this reason, GROM Audio has just released a forum page on our website! This next development will be a fundamental step towards fostering community amongst our customers.

As you may be aware, forums are an excellent space to discuss products, network with other customers, offer suggestions and advice, and ask questions. Forums are also a method to search for answers to questions and problems that have already been discussed.

As always, GROM Audio also offers channels for our customers to ask questions directly to us through our contact page, along with our FAQ page with answers to key questions about our car kits.

We invite you to explore our new forum page. We have several sections to discuss various topics including GROM Products, GROM Software, and Miscellaneous & Others. We also have a Welcome section that includes topics for “Announcements,” “How it Works” (GROM products), and “Install help and questions.”

At GROM, we are committed to provide as many channels of communication available for support, information, and community amongst our customers. Our new forum page is the newest part of this commitment.

We hope that this new channel becomes an important part of our audio car kit experience. Thank you for being part of this experience!

Infotainment: Successes and Challenges

In reviewing the 10 best car infotainment systems, AutoGuide gave high marks for Ford for its MyFord Touch system. Specifically, they praised the voice activation feature, saying that it “practically makes every function of the infotainment system accessible to you without having to take your hands off the steering wheel or your eyes off the road.”

Infotainment Systems are those little computer screens and buttons on the dashboard between the driver and passenger side of your car. Usually they provide electronic mapping and GPS direction information for drivers, along with offering connectivity to internet radio, mp3, and other entertainment features for everyone riding in the vehicle. This fusion of information and entertainment has led to the creation of the term “infotainment.”

Most automakers offer infotainment systems in their latest models. Each system, though having the same basic design, are none the less different from another. They offer different features and providing varying quality on different elements of the overall design of an infotainment system.

The value of MyFord Touch voice activation system is in the ease of use—the user doesn’t have touch anything or take his eyes off the road to use it. As a driver, this can be the most important feature to look for when evaluating infotainment systems.

Another example would be BMW’s iDrive system. The infotainment screen offers high-resolution visuals, 1280×480 pixels, along with 3D maps and sliding animations. The controls for the system are accessed through a small knob with surrounding buttons located by the gear shift for ease of use.

There are also challenges that many of these systems face, among them are slow response to user commands and system errors.

Looking at MyFord Touch again, although the voice activation feature is well regarded; it is also plagued with malfunctions and errors, leading to negative feedback and complaints from owners. Kia’s infotainment system, UVO, has also developed a reputation, according to AutoGuide, as “frustratingly slow to respond.”

Another problem for driver’s with these systems are interfaces that can be complicated and confusing for the driver.

Infiniti’s InTouch system; which is well regarded because of features that allow drivers to access email, social media, and Google apps; has a dual screen system where one display is controlled via a touch-screen, while the other is controlled via a knob. This has been cited as both confusing and distracting.

Likewise, Mazda’s Connect system, which has very positive marks for its interface that includes both a touch-screen and knob setup, unfortunately also it has complaints for some of its basic functions that have been cited as needlessly complicated in light of other automaker systems.

At GROM Audio, we are constantly looking at these details in infotainment systems.

The successes and challenges in those systems can also be reflected in our car audio kits. The ability to enhance driver information and entertainment services are a both new and constantly evolving form of technology. This is the case both in onboard infotainment systems or external hand-held device, made more accessible through GROM’s car kits.

GROM Audio is committed to continually studying this emerging technology to create car kits that offer the best and safest experience for our customers.

Volvo XC90 Radio removal and GROM-MST4 USB Android iPhone and Bluetooth ...

The Connected Car and How It will Change Our Future on the Road

In a recent Hollywood Action film, one of the movie’s heroes is attacked in his SUV by three phony police cars. Luckily, his truck was a highly advanced, armored super-vehicle. The SUV’s on-board computer gave him play-by-play damage updates as the bad guys tried to break into his vehicle and eliminate him. Soon, the hero was able to race away. As he did, the SUV’s computer began informing him about alarming changes in his physical, vital signs… like blood pressure.

With the bad guys right on its tail, the SUV’s computer became aware of a traffic jam from GPS data and informed the hero, who requested an alternate route. The computer told the hero where to go and soon he was able to not only evade oncoming traffic but also his deadly pursuers.

This scene isn’t only a sensational vision of a car’s connected potential, but the future of a typical car’s on-board connected services.

The term “connect car” is slowly moving into the public’s vocabulary. “Connected Car” can be defined as any vehicle that contains devices that connect to other devices within the vehicle’s system, networks, and services outside the car. This includes plug-in devices like mp3 players and smartphones. It also includes online services such as GPS navigation, traffic updates, and regional directories (local business information and so forth).

Envision your next vehicle not only providing mapping and navigation services, but also alerts on changing traffic conditions with alternate routes. Furthermore, consider your next vehicle alerting you to low fuel levels and providing suggestions for local gas stations, along with directions.
The coming generation of vehicles will also provide information about restaurants, stores, and services. Love road trips? Wouldn’t it be great to let your vehicle tell you the best places to get gas, grab lunch, or make sightseeing side-trips? These are also innovations that are being developed for future connected cars.

One can only speculate on advances to entertainment services or your car’s ability to interact with your smartphone or other handheld technologies, from Pandora to your own music library.
At GROM Audio, we are excited about all these future innovations and are constantly looking for ways for our car kits to contribute. Currently, GROM is working with Bluetooth technology to allow our customer’s cars to connect with their handheld devices wirelessly. GROM is also working to develop “hands-free” options, permitting users to safely use their handheld devices through voice activation and other safer options.

GROMAudio has been founded on the concept of the connected car and continually is seeking to be leaders in this area of car technology growth. Whatever Hollywood has envisioned for their heroes, GROM is also working to provide solutions and advantages for their customers