International CTIA WIRELESS® 2012 this week awarded an Emerging Technology (E-Tech) Award to Aha by HARMAN, the infotainment platform that makes Web content safe for drivers. A panel of recognized industry experts, media and analysts awarded Aha the best mobile application in the category of “Social, Content, Media & Entertainment” where it competed with apps by AT&T, Disney, Doro and T-Mobile. Aha was also a finalist for best mobile application for Automotive, Safe Driving & Transportation. Aha’s free apps are available for download in the iTunes store and Google Play.

The E-Tech Award finalists represent the industry’s most innovative wireless products and services in the areas of mobile apps, consumer electronics, enterprise and vertical markets and network infrastructure. Submissions were judged on innovation, functionality, technological importance, implementation and overall “wow” factor.

“We are proud to have won the CTIA E-Tech award, particularly against this prestigious field of competitors,” said Chia-Lin Simmons, HARMAN Vice President of Marketing and Content for Aha. “Aha’s latest mobile apps for Android and iPhone combine smart design with thousands of stations of web-based content to give consumers the best infotainment service out there. We encourage everyone to download and customize Aha’s mobile app for a truly personalized listening experience.”

Aha users can choose from tens of thousands of audio stations, including web content like Internet radio, on-demand music, live news, podcasts, audio books, Facebook and Twitter newsfeeds, personalized points of interest information and much more. Aha delivers a unique infotainment experience by letting listeners prioritize the stations they want, and customize audio stations like “Hungry” and “Coffee” to suit their tastes. When Aha’s app is connected to a compatible in-car entertainment system, the users’ top stations become radio preset buttons, so drivers can put down the phone and safely switch between stations just like traditional radio. When they arrive at their destination and exit the car, users can continue enjoying their content from the smart phone.

Aha has recently announced integration deals with Acura, Honda and Subaru as well as Kenwood and Pioneer, and new vehicles integrating Aha services will be in the market later this year.

The Aha service is currently live in the US, Canada, and Western Europe. The group is working with multiple automotive and consumer electronics manufacturers on additional integrations that will launch throughout the year. Aha is a part of HARMAN International the premium global audio and infotainment group. For more information, images and news, please visit Aha’s online press room.

About Aha by HARMAN

Aha, a unit of HARMAN International Industries, is the interactive platform that makes Web content safe for drivers and as easy to use as radio. Aha organizes content from the Web into personalized, live and on-demand radio stations that consumers can listen to from anywhere – at home, on the go, or safely from the driver’s seat. Aha is currently working with five automotive manufacturers who will be launching model 2013 vehicles with consumer services based on Aha’s cloud-based platform, including Acura, Honda and Subaru. The Aha Platform and Service was started in 2008 by a group of Web and multimedia veterans with a shared passion for delivering an “always-on” audio experience to connect drivers to the content they really want. HARMAN, the company that designs, manufactures and markets a wide range of audio and infotainment solutions for the automotive, consumer and professional markets, acquired Aha in September 2010. For more information, visit www.aharadio.com.

© 2012 HARMAN International Industries, Incorporated. All rights reserved. Harman Kardon, Infinity, JBL, Lexicon and Mark Levinson are trademarks of HARMAN International Industries, Incorporated, registered in the United States and/or other countries. AKG is a trademark of AKG Acoustics GmbH, registered in the United States and/or other countries.