Today SONR Labs, a Chicago-based company that has created the SONR Android Dock, announced the launch of an SDK and developer version of an Android speaker dock. This launch is important for two simple reasons.
1. Smartphone docks are the shared Internet music entry point for mainsteam homes. None of their more glamorous cousins have a fraction of the penetration that speaker docks have. They are simply the easiest, least expensive means to get Internet music to the home, and every indication is that they will remain so.
2. Nailing “casual interactivity” is a fundamental to bringing the richness of Internet music to mass adoption in living rooms and kitchens. And that’s true for all product configurations, not just the dock. Pandora with no interactivity is only marginally better than FM radio, and requiring interaction with a touchscreen for ALL interactivity alienates too many listeners in too many important use cases. Getting the humble remote control right for Internet audio is the key to unlocking a lot of pent up demand.
It is true that the bulk of geeks resist being separated from their phones, but overall, over half of all smartphone users regularly dock or plug in their phones at home. We targeted our first reference designs at speaker docks because we wanted to directly target mainstream users with an inexpensive, accessible category that could make the most impact in the shortest amount of time. If we’re relegated to nightstands for early adopters, we feel it’s enough of a base to build from over time.
The product and SDK just became available today, we hope you’ll let your readers know. As always, your comments and feedback are deeply appreciated.
