Airbiquity adds SDL integration for connected car infotainment alternatives

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Vehicle telematics provider Airbiquity has announced it is supporting SmartDeviceLink (SDL) technology, with a view to easier and increased access to infotainment apps for automakers.

At present, automakers are looking to standardise integration approaches that could boost application availability while limiting development time. However, the trade-offs offered by the use of SDL include a decline in cloud-based application management capabilities, fall in application policy management to...

By Connected CarTech, 17 March 2016, 0 comments. Categories: Infotainment.

Worldwide connected car market to see CAGR of over 28% until 2022

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The global connected car market is expected to grow at a CAGR of 28% between 2014, when it was valued at $24 billion (£16.8bn), and 2022, according to Grand View Research.

The researchers argue increasing disposable income, and the availability of technology across the globe is set to boost the valuation further in the run up to 2022, while major advances in telecommunication technology are also set to bolster the industry.

The North American market plays a major role in the...

By Connected CarTech, 01 February 2016, 0 comments. Categories: Infotainment.

Android Auto and Apple CarPlay to drive connected car market to $600m by 2020

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A new Juniper Research study argues the use of connected car entertainment, such as Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, will help push the market to $600 million (£420.5m) by 2020.

The report, entitled “Consumer Connected Cars: Telematics, Insurance & In-Vehicle Applications 2015-2020”, argues that following this, a range of new applications will come into being in the area of in-vehicle utilisation such as advanced traffic solutions, route optimisation, and...

By Connected CarTech, 26 January 2016, 1 comment. Categories: Infotainment.

HARMAN aims to simplify vehicle integration with latest launch

Picture credit: HARMAN

HARMAN has launched what it calls the Life Enhancing Intelligent Vehicle Solution (LIVS), with a view to bringing together separate connectvitiy and operational functions under a new automotive computing platform.

LIVS is an end-to-end system that offers adaptable and personal solutions in the car. The company will showcase the technology on the latest Rinspeed concept car, called Etos.

LIVS has the potential to transform the driving experience, HARMAN claims, and the Etos features...

By Connected CarTech, 14 January 2016, 0 comments. Categories: Connectivity, Infotainment, Navigation.

Why integration between native infotainment and apps could lead to frustration

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The existence of infotainment sources such as traditional radio alongside standalone systems such as Android Auto and Apple CarPlay has the potential to frustrate consumers, according to a report by Strategy Analytics.

Though apps such as iHeartRadio and TuneIn could replace traditional radio, consumer awareness and usage of these apps has not yet reached a point where they can be considered worthy alternatives, according to the researchers.

The study tested out the Android Auto software...

By Connected CarTech, 30 November 2015, 0 comments. Categories: Apps, Infotainment.

Why automakers should boost customer relationship with connected car services

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A report from the In-Vehicle UX (IVX) group at Strategy Analytics argues that automakers should utilise connected car services to take customer relationship to the next level.

At present, the spotlight is only on infotainment, location-based services and big data at the OEM. However, automakers now have the opportunity to boost consumer perception of their brands with vehicle-related information and services.

The report sheds light on consumer preference towards vehicle service and...

By Connected CarTech, 23 October 2015, 0 comments. Categories: Best practice, Infotainment.

Bosch develops cloud-based wrong way driver warning system

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Bosch has developed a new cloud-based driver warning system that alerts drivers within seconds if they are going in the wrong direction.

The system was designed in response to a study that found that nearly one-third of all wrong-way accidents took place within 500 metres of the vehicle entering the incorrect lane.

Conventional radio broadcasts often take minutes to warn the driver, which may often prove too late to prevent an accident. The new cloud-based warning system, on the...

By Connected CarTech, 08 September 2015, 0 comments. Categories: Apps, Big Data, Cloud, Infotainment.

Are connected cars a hacker's dream?

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Today’s cars connect to the Internet in ways never before imagined, placing amazing capabilities at the fingertips of drivers. Whether it is infotainment, navigation, safety, diagnostics, performance upgrades or fleet management, connected cars transmit data, update firmware, and deliver the latest in touchscreen, app store and voice-recognition and human sensor technologies.

With this said, connected cars are rapidly gaining market share. According to a report from...

By Thorsten Held, 05 June 2015, 0 comments. Categories: Infotainment, Privacy, Regulation, Security.

How a connected car's instrument cluster can be redesigned for contextual empathy

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The connected car is the focus of a lot of speculation about uses for contextual data feeds. The visions are exciting, whether of helmet-mounted cyclist beacons or biometric apps to stop drivers falling asleep at the wheel.

But they derive from car makers without a long track record in the kind of human-centred thinking that constitutes best practice in interaction design. Or they come from technology companies whose over-riding ambition is to transplant their operating...

By David Mingay, 04 March 2015, 0 comments. Categories: Contextual data, Data & Analytics, Devices, Infotainment.