Infotainment
-
What's the most advanced computer in a modern car? The ECU controlling your car's fuelling, ignition, throttle and more? Or perhaps it's the in-car infotainment systems with satellite navigation and downloadable apps? None of the above, says Lexus. The most advanced computer in the modern car is you, the driver. You're the computer Lexus knows least about, but also the one that can process more information than any other and with more ultimate safety outcome than any of the other in-car systems. That's why Lexus has built a hugely expensive and, well, just huge driving simulator, to monitor...
-
2012 Toyota Yaris: Focus On Infotainment With Touch & Go
As we're seeing with cars like the 2011 Ford Fiesta, small size no longer means a small specification list. The 2012 Toyota Yaris will be no different. The car has just been launched in Europe and more details have been revealed about what toys you can expect to have in Toyota's smallest model. The...
Antony Ingram -
Store'n'Go With Tiny Verbatim Micro USB Car Audio Drive
It's official: In-car CD players are so last century. If you're not listening to your music via a portable MP3 player or USB drive in your car, then you may as well give up on the luxuries of modern motoring altogether. Okay, we won't be that harsh on you, but flash drives and in-car MP3...
Antony Ingram -
2012 BMW 1-Series: Larger, More EfficientDynamics Technology
You can make your own mind up about the styling of the upcoming 2012 BMW 1-Series hatchback, but one thing is for certain: with larger dimensions and more efficiency, the appeal of BMW's smallest model will be broader than ever. Most exciting for tech fans will be the EfficientDynamics and...
Antony Ingram -
J.D. Power: Consumers Want Vehicle Diagnostics Technology
What electronic feature would you most like from your next car? That's what J.D. Power and Associates asked 18,000 vehicle owners, and 55 percent were interested in a vehicle diagnostics service. A system that allows your vehicle to send and receive information on car troubles to an engineer was...
Antony Ingram -
Volkswagen And Microsoft Working On New In-Car Movie Technology
While in the past we’ve seen Microsoft work closely with Fiat in the auto industry to develop the Blue&Me electronic interface, the software giant is now partnering with Volkswagen to help develop the next-generation of in-car entertainment technology, and possibly do-away with in-car DVD...
Viknesh Vijayenthiran -
Integrating smartphones with in-car vehicle technology is nothing new. Bluetooth connection for making calls, and playing music and plugging in via USB has been around for years. Full integration of smartphones into a car's systems hasn't really been seen yet beyond the concept stage. One of the main issues is the much slower model cycle of a car. A flashy integrated phone at a vehicle's launch quickly becomes out of date as the phones themselves are replaced year-on-year. Jaguar Land Rover (JLR), BlackBerry, Denso and RealVNC have been working on a new integrated infotainment system. The new...
-
Extra Media Storage Turns VWs Into Rolling Movie Theatres
Kids these days don't know how good they have it. The most entertainment many of us could muster on a long journey was playing I-spy, or maybe kicking our siblings and getting away with it when they complained. In-car DVD has made long trips a much quieter experience for parents, and now a deal...
Antony Ingram -
In-Car Screens Could Soon Use 3D Image Technology
Nintendo's 3DS has caused something of a stir in the world of 3D imaging. Rather than using unfashionable and unwieldy 3D glasses to view a stereoscopic image, the 3DS and some other recent gadgets use autostereoscopy, utilizing two layered screens to display an image that appears 3D to the user...
Antony Ingram -
2012 Volvo XC70 And S80 Get New Safety And Infotainment Technology
Volvo is updating its XC70 crossover and S80 flagship sedan for the 2012 model year, adding its latest safety and infotainment technologies to the new models in an effort to keep sales chugging along against a much newer range of competitors. The new features include the latest Volvo...
Viknesh Vijayenthiran -
Toyota Teams With Microsoft For Azure-Based Telematics System
Straight outta Redmond, Toyota and Microsoft will be pairing up for a new Windows Azure-based telematics platform that Toyota is pitching as a "contribution to society," designed to save energy in every aspect of your life. Microsoft's tendrils are about to reach even more deeply into your life. At...
Nelson Ireson -
Toyota, Microsoft Announce Next-Gen Azure Telematics Project
A new strategic partnership between Toyota and Microsoft will see the next generation of telematics systems built on the Microsoft Azure platform, allowing the incorporation of GPS, energy management, multimedia, and more within a single platform. Microsoft's SYNC system, already several years old...
Nelson Ireson -
Luxury brand announces its technological sophistication by partnering with AT&T's now-downwardly-mobile 'cheap brand.' -- For those of us who have already been reading seemingly endless reports and speculation about the proposed merging of operations of two major U.S. cellular providers, it was hard not to see Audi's apparently-only-ill-timed release as that. Audi gave the official nod to T-Mobile as its official U.S. service provider for its Audi Connect navigation and infotainment system—the day after it was announced that cellular provider AT&T had offered to buy T-Mobile...
-
GM, Honda, And Others Launch Car Connectivity Consortium To Set Standards For In-Car Apps
New technology is exciting, but like most exciting things it's also fraught with peril -- and that's doubly true for developers. Think of all the tsoris caused by the great VHS vs. Beta battles of the 1980s, or the far more recent Blu-ray vs. HD DVD war, both of which cost manufacturers billions of...
Richard Read -
Video: MINI Goes In-Depth On MINI Connected
At the 2011 Consumer Electronics Show (CES) we brought you news of MINI Connected's first app: Pandora. Today, MINI expands on what Connected adds to the in-car experience with this detailed video highlighting its key features. Want to link your iPhone to Twitter, Facebook, Google Local Search, or...
Nelson Ireson -
Video: Saab IQon Turns Your Car Into An Android Smartphone
As we reported earlier, Saab is working on a new telematics and infotainment system for its future cars called Saab IQon. The new system, previewed this week in Saab’s striking PhoeniX concept, is essentially a new car communications platform based on Google’s Android operating system...
Viknesh Vijayenthiran -
Chevrolet Launches MyLink Infotainment System on Volt, Equinox
Tonight, Chevrolet unveiled its new Chevy MyLink in-car infotainment package, which lets drivers control integrated online services like Pandora internet radio and Stitcher SmartRadio using either touch-screen menu options or voice commands to control smart phones via Bluetooth connectivity. While...
John Voelcker -
Smart Cars And The Need For Smarter Software
There were a couple of more interesting articles the past few days involving software in cars. Early last week, Markus Waibul over on the Automaton blog and I both wrote (here and here) on the concept of "car platooning." I also noted in my post the Ford development effort involving a new crash...
IEEE Spectrum -
A few days ago we brought you the full details on the new prototype OnStar telematics/infotainment system launched at CES this week. Today, we have a screenshot tour showing you what it looks like, and an interesting tidbit of info from OnStar's senior systems engineer Mark Frye. According to Frye, the prototype installed in the Buick LaCrosse at the CES was developed in a total of 6 months, start to finish--very rapid prototyping. Though we lamented the lack of plans or time frames for bringing the system to market in our original article, Frye says that if OnStar were to decide to implement...
-
CES 2011: Audi Announces Next-Gen MMI Plans
Rupert Stadler, Audi chairman, gave a keynote speech at CES this morning. While he spoke very little of specifics, he did lay out a missions statement for the company to continue to be a leader and to break new ground in in-car electronics. The first step in that direction is the new MMI interface...
Nelson Ireson -
CES 2011: A Closer Look At Chrysler's Uconnect Touch
If you're into in-car infotainment systems (and you are) you've probably heard about Chrysler's Uconnect Touch system. Built in collaboration by Garmin and Chrysler, the system's launch vehicle was the 2011 Jeep Grand Cherokee, and it's available on a number of other 2011 Chrysler vehicles...
Nelson Ireson -
CES 2011: GM's 4G OnStar Prototype: Video Skype, So Much More
Just yesterday AT&T and BMW announced their partnership for in-car cellular Web connectivity, but it's today's OnStar-Verizon prototype that's really proving to be interesting, if ephemeral. Why? Because the proposed tech allows things like Skype video chat, voice-to-text, vehicle and home...
Nelson Ireson -
CES 2011: Toyota Entune Multimedia System Unveiled
Eyes on the road, hands on the wheel, apps in the car? That's the formula for Toyota's new Entune multimedia/app system, announced today at the 2011 Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas. From iheartradio's 750 local radio stations to movie tickets, real-time traffic, and more, the Entune system...
Nelson Ireson -
Volkswagen Calling On Public To Help Develop Future Infotainment Systems
Volkswagen is inviting designers, programmers, developers and interested users to help develop applications for the infotainment systems of the future as part of the new contest App My Ride. In the contest users can jointly develop new infotainment applications with Volkswagen. A jury of experts...
Viknesh Vijayenthiran