A look into the future: Secure connected cars

Picture credit: Denis Bocquet

The number of people living in cities is expected to double by 2050, meaning congestion and pollution will increasingly be a problem for city dwellers. As a result the cities of the future will demand smarter traffic management solutions and more intelligent vehicles.

Experts say that the car industry will develop more in the next decade than it has in the last fifty years due to the rise in connectivity and mobile technology. The industry is gearing itself up for the age of the...

Harman creates separate audio ‘zones’ for each passenger

Infotainment manufacturer Harman has designed a new system for cars that is capable of giving each person their own audio without it interrupting their fellow passengers.

Harman’s Individual Sound Zones build on a vehicle’s regular audio system by adding a number of other speakers to the inside of a car, each aimed at giving passengers their own virtual pod for listening.

The idea is to avoid circumstances in the car that might be distracting for passengers, for example navigation and phone calls...

By Simon Holland, 08 January 2015, 0 comments. Categories: Devices, Infotainment, Navigation.

Nuance offers voice-activated biometrics for personalised infotainment

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Personalisation is set to be the next significant hurdle for car manufacturers and Nuance thinks it has the perfect solution with a fresh new update to its Dragon Drive product.

In today’s economical era of car use, there is a high chance that one vehicle will have more than a single driver. In these cases, each specific driver will have their own preference for configuring different aspects of the car.

Rather than having to tweak a whole host of settings before a driver...

Qualcomm’s new auto-focused CPU wants to be the master of multitasking

Semiconductor designer Qualcomm has let loose the 602A on the vehicle world, its latest Snapdragon silicon aimed at the connected car.

Qualcomm’s automotive-grade infotainment chipset seems to have been built with an emphasis on modern car technology having to perform a number of different processing tasks for its drivers and passengers.

The 602A supports multiple operating systems, complex user applications, enhanced 3D navigation, high-resolution, sophisticated graphics and human-machine interfaces,...

By Simon Holland, 07 January 2015, 0 comments. Categories: Devices, Infotainment, Mirrorlink.

Infotainment updates in cars: Why delta technology is better than compression

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There is a lot of talk about software revolutionising the automotive industry and the conversation is growing because of how software management will impact the whole business of recalls.

The outrageous amount of good money going after bad is the reason why car manufacturers and tier one suppliers are looking for an optimised and alternative way to reduce the amount of time it takes to deliver a software update, reducing the cost associated with recalls and improving customer...

By Yoram Berholtz, 06 January 2015, 0 comments. Categories: Android, Apps, Connectivity, Devices, Ecosystems, Infotainment, iOS, Navigation.

Nvidia unveils two new ‘supercomputers’ for the car

Graphics chipset designer Nvidia has launched the Drive PX and Drive CX products, its first foray into the world of production road vehicles.

Based on architecture that can also be found in modern supercomputers, each of Nvidia’s new products houses all the hardware that a vehicle manufacturer might need to get its in-car software running.

While there are many companies already developing hardware for cars, Nvidia is trying to stand out from the crowd by drawing on its background in personal computing...

By Simon Holland, 05 January 2015, 0 comments. Categories: Artificial Intelligence, Devices, Driverless, Infotainment, Navigation.

Ford launches Sync 3, switches from Microsoft to BlackBerry

US Car manufacturer Ford has announced Sync 3, the latest edition of its communications and entertainment system.

Ford’s new system signals a switch in allegiance too, with the company dispensing with Microsoft Auto and opting for BlackBerry’s QNX platform instead. Early signs suggest that it has been a good move for the car manufacturer.

Prior to Sync 3, Ford’s earlier attempts at touch-screen infotainment left a little to be desired. Problems ranged from minor bugs to sporadic hard resets...

How will the connected car fit into the internet of things?

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There has been a lot of talk recently of the connected car becoming a major component in the Internet of Things (IoT). A world in which cars know their drivers and communicate with the world around them is enticing and full of potential, at the very least. But it also begs the question: just what role will smart vehicles play in the broader connected world?

One thing is for certain: the connected car will play a critical role in the Internet of Things...

By Tim Evavold, 11 December 2014, 0 comments. Categories: Android, Devices, Ecosystems, Infotainment, iOS, Payments.

Intel’s Tizen OS makes the jump to Connected Car hardware

Picture credit: RealVNC

Infotainment communications system MirrorLink has announced the successful integration of its technology with the Intel-based Tizen in-vehicle infotainment (IVI) reference platform.

Remote access technology provider RealVNC was behind the port of its VNC Automotive SDK to Tizen IVI, the automotive profile of the Tizen open source platform, which means Intel’s Tizen OS will now be able to communicate with Mirrorlink-enabled devices including Samsung, Nokia and HTC.

VNC...

By Simon Holland, 09 December 2014, 0 comments. Categories: Devices, Infotainment, Mirrorlink, Navigation, Video and audio.

Google makes Android Auto APIs available to developers

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Prospective car app developers can now get their hands on the first two Android Auto APIs after Google announced their availability.

Android’s car-focused sibling lets drivers extend smartphone apps onto their car dashboard in a way that is optimised for the driving experience, with support for head-unit display, steering wheel buttons and more.

The APIs support Android 5 or higher in a bid to reach across manufacturers, models, and regions, meaning developers only need to tailor...

By Simon Holland, 24 November 2014, 0 comments. Categories: Android, Devices, Ecosystems, Infotainment, Video and audio.