Lynn Walford

Autonomous & connected cars come to CES International

250px-DieterZetscheIAA2009It seems like everyone wants to get into the connected car autonomous vehicle act.  The Consumer Electronics Association announced today that Dr. Dieter Zetsche from Daimler AG and Head of Mercedes-Benz Cars will give a CES keynote about autonomous vehicle technology because cars are the ultimate mobile devices.  The keynote will also debut a new concept car on January 5.

Mod Smartphone Terminal adds wireless charging, antenna & NFC to console

Continental Wireless BoxContinental announced a new box for consoles or dashes to hold occupants smartphones with built-in wireless connections.

The Continental multifunctional smartphone terminal combines wireless charging of the smartphone, wireless antenna coupling, and near field communications (NFC). The features do not require a cable. A modular design allows car makers to decide which features they want to offer. It looks like it can fit in standard dash and console areas of the cockpit.

Pandora gearing up for contextual ads in cars

The advertising industry is getting ready to learn how to offer contextual advertising in cars. In a video from AdAdge, Jack Krawczyk discusses Pandora advertising in cars. Pandora is expected to be in one-third of cars sold by the end of the year.

Rearview Mirror Unit with LTE & Wi-Fi Hotspots coming from Pioneer

Pioneerrearviewmirror2Pioneer announced that it has developed a rearview mirror telematics unit with LTE that it claims will be first in the Japanese market to utilize cloud services. It appears this could be a great aftermarket technology for those who want to connect a rear view camera and GPS with Wi-Fi hotspots and use voice commands.

2015 Honda Civic Google Android 4.04 infotainment Honda Connect in Europe

Honda_Civic_ANdroid_infotainment_Paris_Motor_ShowEuropean Android fans may also become Honda Civic fans. Before to the Paris Auto Show on October 2, Honda announced that the 2015 Honda Civic will have an all new infotainment system using the Android-based Honda Connect System with a 7″ touchscreen in the car in the center stack.

The infotainment system features AM/FM, Digital Audio Broadcast Radio (Europe), internet Radio, Bluetooth connectivity, internet browsing, satellite navigation and rear-view parking camera. Honda has not announced smartphone connectivity options, yet.

Cyber Security 1st @GM for connected cars, new chief

Jeff Massimilla, GM Cyber Security Chief

Jeff Massimilla, GM Cyber Security ChiefGeneral Motors has named its first Cyber Security Chief,  Jeff Massimilla, who will manage and protect computer security features in GM automobiles. He was promoted after a review of design and engineering at the company.

AT&T Mojio carrier in USA: free service for first year

mojioMojio today announced that its connected car device will work via AT&T’s wireless network in the United States. It will work with Telus in Canada.

The Mojio  connects to an onboard diagnostic port OBDII  that is in most cars manufactured after 1996. Drivers with Mojio will be able to locate, monitor and diagnose their car from their iOS or Android smartphone. The data from the car will be delivered through AT&T’s network.