We have finished counting the votes for the Tech CARS Awards and the results show some very interesting trends. This year we had a larger presence at CES and many voters from the developer community. Three companies that had a strong presence at CES were winners–HARMAN, QNX and Ford.
HARMAN
HARMAN offers many solutions for the connected car ecosystem including MS Office and cloud integration as well as luxury audio. However, the company won for two different product categories.
HARMAN has been buying companies and forming new alliances. It recently bought Redbend software for Over-the-Air updates and TowerSec security that will be integrated into HARMAN’s 5+1 security architecture. HARMAN has a lot of fans among our readers because it is only company to win two awards this year.
The winner for AUTO Connected CAR News’ Tech CARS Award for Best Security Device or Software for Automotive Cybersecurity goes to HARMAN’s 5 + 1 Security Framework with 32% of the votes, followed closely by whiteCryption with 29% of the votes.
HARMAN’s popularity also showed in the Bluetooth aftermarket device category The winner for AUTO Connected CAR News’ Tech CARS Award for Best aftermarket Bluetooth, Aux or Speakerphone Device under $100 is the JBL Trip portable Bluetooth Speakerphone that clips on the visor and can be taken out of the car to be used as a speaker. There will some interesting write-in votes for “none” “Voyo” “Vinli” and “Mopar Connect.”
QNX
QNX recently introduced many new ADAS, autonomous, acoustic and Augmented Reality features and has a strong presence in the connected car industry. They continually make concept cars that show the how the latest technology can be deployed. The company has as strong presence at CES, the Connected Car Expo and other events.
The winner for the AUTO Connected News’ Tech CARS Award for Best Backhaul Software or Development Platform for Automakers goes to QNX with a vast majority of the votes. QNX consistently offers a platform for automakers that speeds up production and streamlines development.
FORD Goes Further with Votes
Ford made many announcements at CES including offering Android Auto and Apple CarPlay in future models and working with wearable smart devices. It partnered with QNX for to deliver SmartDevice Link. Ford hosts the Ford Developer Conference allowing developers to use advanced voice recognition and touchscreen user interface to create apps in SYNC 3.
In SYNC 3 on-screen complexity is reduced and control options used most are prioritized. The home screen features three zones – Navigation, Audio and Phone. Tile-like icons dominate, with a quick access function tray along the bottom making for a more straightforward user experience.Phone contacts are searchable via a simple swipe of the finger to scroll through the alphabet. With One Box Search, users can look up points of interest or enter addresses in much the same way they use an Internet search engine. SYNC 3 works with the Microsoft Azure Cloud.
In the meantime, Ford SYNC 3 was very popular with our readers’ votes.
The Winner for the AUTO Connected News’ Tech CARS Award for Overall Best Car Infotainment Software by Automaker is Ford SYNC3 with 36% of the votes followed closely by the popular Volvo Sensus Connect with 31% of the votes. We were given a demo of the Ford SYNC3 at the LA Auto Show and it could easily connect Bluetooth to smartphones without a hassle. The new SYNC3 interface is cleaner and larger. It also works with Siri Eyes Free.
If you are winner please be sure to read our Rules and Permissions policy for rights/usage.
Please check back daily for the announcements for the other category winners.