Alpine Now Shipping IDA-X305S, World’s First Head Unit With Pandora Control

Fans of Pandora Internet Radio now can enjoy an integrated Pandora experience in the car with the iDA-X305S Digital Media Receiver, currently shipping from Alpine The iDA-X305S is the world’s first receiver to provide direct, in-dash control of Pandora Internet Radio for the in-vehicle environment.

Alpine iDA-X305S

Pandora is a free, personalized Internet radio service that allows users to create their own stations with music they like, based on musical characteristics from an artist or song. The iDA-X305S gives users control of their Pandora stations via the iPhone®.

Pandora Control From The Dash

Stations previously created on a user’s Pandora account can be played and further personalized through the iDA-X305S using the iPhone and the PandoraLink for Alpine App, which is available now as a free download from the App Store. Pandora’s thumbs up/down rating system is optimized in the dash by using the double-action rotary encoder knob on the iDA-X305S. Pressing the exterior ring of the knob and turning it to the right activates the thumbs up command, indicating positive feedback for the song, which provides the feedback to Pandora to add similar songs to your station. Pressing the ring and turning it to the left activates the thumbs down command. Thumbs up/down icons are displayed on the iDA-X305S’s high-resolution 2.2-inch color TFT screen, which also shows artist, album, song title information and album art. Another convenient feature is the ability to bookmark songs for later purchase, through a simple press of the “Preset/Bookmark” button on the face of the iDA-X305S.

“The iDA-X305S represents an expansion of a fully engaged Pandora experience into vehicles,” said Mike Anderson, assistant vice president, sales, Alpine Electronics. “Features such as song rating and bookmarking, combined with Alpine’s legendary sound quality, make this an innovative, industry-leading product.”

“With the explosion of Pandora mobile in the past 18 months, the message from our users has been clear: get Pandora into the car!” said Pandora’s Founder, Tim Westergren. “Nearly half of all radio listening happens in the car and we’re extremely pleased that innovative products such as Alpine’s iDA-X305S are going to fulfill consumer demand in an easy-to-use manner. The car is an important arena to Pandora, and we’re thrilled that Alpine is a part of enabling us to play in that space.”

Digital USB Connection For Superior Sound Quality

The iDA-X305S has a digital USB connection for superb sound from the iPod®, iPhone or other digital media sources. It also allows for connectivity to USB memory devices and other MTP-compatible portable MP3 players. The iDA-X305S meets the specifications for “Made for iPod®” and “Works with iPhone®” and is compatible with an iPhone or any iPod with a 30-PIN dock connector. Alpine’s own Quick Search™ file navigation feature allows for fast and logical access to large iPod and iPhone playlists.

The iDA-X305S can serve as the starting point for building a system that includes other digital media sources and playback formats. Add-on options include satellite radio, HD Radio™, and Bluetooth® wireless technology for hands-free phone calling. (Separate tuners/adapters and subscriptions may be required.)

Specifications, Pricing And Availability

The iDA-X305S is available now for $400 SRI at authorized Alpine dealers in the U.S.