Well, we can only hope that enough people do not share your opinion so that we remain profitable. When my dad first listened to the Beatles in a record store, he commented to his buddies, “no one will remember these guys in a month”. And while he never did buy a Beetles album (he was a Bee Gees guy) there were many who held a different opinion 😉
-Vehroot LLC

Other than wireless charging and CVC, this doesn’t offer much that’s not already in the market vastly. A $69 Pioneer head unit works with steering wheel controls if you add a $40 adapter. And yes, you can remap the controls anyway you want with those. CVC may be nice, but it’s not some world-changing tech when that same $69 Pioneer has an external mic that many find acceptable. And heck, Qi certified charging pads are like 20 bucks on Amazon. I’m sorry you guys chose the most expensive option for every single feature. All that cost clearly adds up. But you need to look at the game-changing differences that are obvious to the untrained average customer versus a cheap head unit from Pioneer. At the end of the day, it’s a mechless screenless double-din head unit that you’re trying to charge 500 bucks for.

https://vehroot.com/pages/prototype-giveaway

The Shelf offers HD Bluetooth audio which is a $1,500 entry option on Sony car stereos. The Shelf also uses Qualcomm’s Clear Voice Capture (CVC) for hands-free calling, the latest industry standards with wireless (QI) charging, built-in microphones, and a long list of high quality features. Check out Vehroot’s social media and website for more details. Or better yet, message us directly at social@vehroot.com. We’d love to debate cost with you 😉
Vehroot LLC

Visit our Facebook page and see why!

http://www.facebook.com/vehrootllc/posts/1388313581295440?comment_id=1398552270271571&comment_tracking=%7B%22tn%22%3A%22R%22%7D

Vehroot LLC

Vehroot LLC

Steve Downing from Gentex said it best “VOXX is an automotive electronics and distribution powerhouse”. And if Vehroot ever shows up on their radar I hope we can work together!
Vehroot LLC

Sony is innovative with car audio but hasn’t delivered a car stereo to hold a tablet. The Sony XSP-N1BT stereo did hold a smartphone on the dash but doesn’t support larger phones like the iPhone Plus series. Sony has never made a car stereo to support any size device, or with wireless (QI) charging, or with an always-on USB charging port, or with an AI trigger button, or supporting multiple device Bluetooth pairing, or with built-in microphones. The Shelf is unlike any other car stereo ever.
Vehroot LLC

The Shelf provides technology required to remove mobile devices from people’s hands. If we reduce current features (and cost) people will continue to set their phone on their lap while navigating, or hold it in their hand while talking, or text on small keyboards, or open apps, and continue to do some or all of the dangerous things everyone does today. While aware of the dangers, we just refuse to set the mother-lovin phone down while driving. The Self’s value is mostly in its ability to enable drivers to release their grip on phones and tablets while driving.
1) The Shelf integrates with the vehicle steering controls. The Shelf maps every mobile device audio control function, along with a patented AI trigger, to your vehicle steering controls. This patented technology is expensive to integrate within our circuitry and software, and is not available in any other vehicle stereo. This cost enables your mobile device to operate fully as the vehicle stereo, without looking at or touching the device.
2) The Shelf offers dual microphones set directly on the circuit board (not an external mic) and that use QUALCOMM’s Clear Voice Capture (CVC) technology for hands-free calling and AI dialogue. Our microphones (Knowles) and noise-cancellation software (QUALCOMM) are the same used in high-end phones. Very few aftermarket stereos (I could argue none) provide good (or even decent) hands-free calling solutions. And no other vehicle stereo provides direct, full function dialogue with Siri and Google.
3) The Shelf grip materials keep your device securely in place. Perhaps the least understood aspect of the Shelf is its unique method to secure devices. The grip materials are custom made for Vehroot to provide a simple and reliable method of storage. We are currently filming Baja drivers using the Shelf with an iPad mini while driving and jumping (airborne!) over rocks. We’ve invested heavily into these gripping materials and you will not find anything like them on any other product. These gripping surfaces are not tacky to the touch, do not leave residue, will maintain positive grip in extreme driving conditions, and provide simplified placement and removal.
We have cut costs already in every way possible not affecting safety. For example, we scraped NFC integration, removed OBD-II diagnostic integration, and have delayed all mobile device app development which will eventually provide two-way dialogue between vehicle systems and mobile devices. We will offer these additional features, and many more in the future, but today we focus on enabling safe audio, navigation, and communication with your mobile device in vehicles. True safety. With the Shelf you have full unlimited use of your mobile devices with safety equal (or greater) to that of traditional vehicle stereos. We (Vehroot) believe that removing any the Shelf’s current features, and cost, will limit access to the mobile device and limit safety.

Replying to “Honestly, it’s not a terrible idea”
First off, thanks for commenting! And yes! some vehicles dash will obstruct a 10″ tablet when they set it on the Shelf! But today’s 6″ phones fit perfectly ( and in perfect viewing ) on the Vehroot Shelf. And yes, we have integration for all steering controls that once you pair via Bluetooth your steering buttons then controls your phone! And you can choose to map one of your steering buttons to call Siri or OK Google!

It works with iOS devices and Android devices. It’s just that Samsung and Apple devices don’t yet have the APTX HD for higher res Bluetooth audio streaming.

“Users can stream music over Bluetooth to the car’s sound system and control the device through the factory steering wheel controls.”