New Apps for Clarion SmartAccess Platform Keeps Drivers Apprised of What's Happening in Their Immediate Proximity

CYPRESS, Calif., Jan. 5, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Clarion Corporation of America, a leader in automotive infotainment and advanced driver safety and assistance systems, announced today the addition of two new apps to its SmartAccess platform that will help users stay abreast of exciting social events going on near them, as well as help drivers connect with their inner ornithologist. eBird and eventseeker are two new additions to the ever-growing portfolio of informative and fun apps and services available to drivers directly on the infotainment system equipped with Clarion's Smart Access™ cloud-based infotainment platform.

"eventseeker" powered by WCITIES. COM, INC. is an app designed to help people discover and learn more about events of all kinds taking place within a local proximity. Whether users are looking for solo adventure, or need great date-night ideas, eventseeker is the premier source for events, concerts, nightlife, festivals, sports and more. The app offers users personalized event calendar and lets them share events with friends directly from the infotainment system screen in their car.

"We created eventseeker to help people feel like locals no matter what city they're in," said Fraser Campbell, CEO of WCITIES. COM, INC. "By working with Clarion and pushing our hyper-localized event database through cars, we're changing the way commuters and road-trippers plan their days by filtering concerts, sporting events, festivals and more directly from the infotainment system in their cars."

The Cornell Lab of Ornithology's app helps you enjoy the wonder of the birds around you by showing you what birds are being seen near the infotainment systems of Clarion Smart Access equipped vehicles. Want to see Great Blue Heron or Osprey? Use the app to find one near you and navigate to find those and many more birds. The app seamlessly links you with eBird—a global online database of bird records used by hundreds of thousands of birders around the world. This free resource makes it easy to keep track of what users see, while making those data openly available for scientific research, education, and conservation.

"We are thrilled to be able to partner with Clarion to create a dedicated application for bird watchers that will help them explore the natural world," said Chris Wood from the Cornell Lab's Information Science team. "Whether someone is looking for a place to take a walk to look for birds, or are trying to find a specific species, like a Bald Eagle or Peregrine Falcon, the eBird app will make your birding more rewarding. Having eBird available on Smart Access equipped vehicles makes it easier than ever to start birdwatching, and to quickly find new places and new species."

Exclusive to Clarion, Smart Access is the world's most advanced and extensive cloud-based information access, analysis and sharing platform. Smart Access is a fully scalable connectivity platform designed to provide proactive real-time analysis of destination routes on the go, allow for customization of entertainment options, enable safe and easy access to social media networks, monitor status of the vehicle, and provide an easy, distraction free way to use many of the popular smartphone apps while driving. Learn more on the web at www.clarion.com.

"The idea behind our SmartAccess platform is to take the smartphone apps users traditionally rely on and translate the user experience directly to the screens of their car's infotainment system," said Allen H. Gharapetian, VP of Marketing and Product Planning at Clarion Corporation of America. "We have become programmed to immediately pull out our phones to access our favorite apps when we want to find something. However, this behavior while driving is not only unsafe, it's illegal in many states and countries. We believe that information should always be accessible in a safe manner, and because of that, we are always looking for new and exciting apps to add to our SmartAccess platform, helping drivers stay connected to their favorite apps in a distraction-free way when behind the wheel."

About Cornell Lab of Ornithology  
The Cornell Lab of Ornithology is a membership institution dedicated to interpreting and conserving the earth's biological diversity through research, education, and citizen science focused on birds. Visit the Cornell Lab's website at http://www.birds.cornell.edu

About Clarion  
Headquartered in Cypress, California, Clarion Corporation of America is a subsidiary of Japan-based Clarion Co. Ltd, which has been a consolidated subsidiary of the Hitachi Group since 2006. Clarion has been an international leader in car audio and electronics since 1940. The company is engaged in the research, development, engineering, design, manufacturing, sales and marketing of mobile entertainment, navigation, infotainment, communication, safety and security products for the automotive, marine, recreational vehicle, commercial fleet and heavy industry environments. Clarion has been the recipient of numerous excellence awards for design, innovation, support, manufacturing and product reliability from independent organizations. The company has marketing and sales affiliates in Europe, North and South America, Asia and Australia. Clarion is located on the web at www.clarion.com/us.

SOURCE Clarion Corporation of America

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