Car Tech

New car technology that connects to the connected car

Car buyers want seamless connected car connectivity + luxury infotainment

frostsullivanFrost & Sullivan’s analysis of the North American advanced connected car and ADAS systems found that consumers demand seamless connectivity and high-end infotainment features in cars. The company also noted that the industry is on its way to 000 (zero emissions, zero accidents and zero fatalities.

The research also found that night vision assist with pedestrian detection or collision warning and mitigation using augmented reality (AR) which were considered to be of higher importance compared to other features like power liftgate or ambient lighting in the vehicle.

2015 Mustang’s faster USB & triple audio choices

MUStangThere will be three styles of audio for the 2015 Ford Mustang and is the first Ford vehicle to feature a high-power, 2.1-amp USB port that charges phones and other devices twice as fast as other ports. Mustangs will also offer CD playing, steering wheel button audio control, voice control. AUX connectivity and Bluetooth connectivity.

Ford claims that the solid foundation enables the audio system to provide cleaner, clearer sound. Improved aerodynamics significantly reduces wind noise, especially at highway speeds.

There are the standard six-speaker a premium package, nine-speaker system with an eight-inch touch-screen or a 12-speaker ShakerPro with trunk-mounted subwoofer.

Seats to sense you in connected cars may keep you alert or send for help

sensorseatYour driver’s seat may sense that you are drowsy and falling asleep are being developed by Nottingham Trent University researchers.

Professor Tilak Dias and William Hurley of the University’s Advanced Textile Research Group with Plessey are working to integrate an Electrocardiogram (ECG) sensors directly into the fabric of car seats.

CEA CES call for connected car safety products/services deadline 8/15

otterappThe Consumer Electronics Association (CEA) is working on a technical report,  showing consumer electronic products and services that make driving  safer.

The report coming at at the 2015 International CES, January 6-9, 2015 in Las Vegas.

Companies that offer products or services to increase driver safety and reduce distracted driving should to submit descriptions to appear in the report.

Linux Auto Grade open to connected car devs, CarPlay & More

lf_automotive_logoA collaborative open source project  Automotive Grade Linux (AGL), first open source software release is available for download from the Linux Foundation. Recently, BearingPoint GmbH and Systena joined the organization and are participating in the Automotive Grade Linux (AGL) Steering Committee.

Linus Auto Grade offers an optimized embedded Linux OS stack as a starting point for engineering work. It builds on Tizen IVI supported by Intel and Samsung.

MirrorLink is connected car compatible with HTC One b4 CarPlay

MirroLink Head UnitCar Connectivity Consortium (CCC) announced that the HTC One (M8) is now compatible  MirrorLink. MirrorLink  compatibility will arrive via a software upgrade to current HTC One (M8). More HTC devices will be compatible in the future.

MirrorLink is car-smartphone mirroring with a simple interface that works with many operating systems.  MirrorLink will be distributed to millions via this partnership.

Nokia connects to connected cars by funding Zubie

ZubieConnected car services company Zubie announced an $8 million investment from Nokia Growth Partners (NGP) this morning from Nokia’s $100 million connected car fund.

Nokia is also investing in Zubie with Nokia Growth Fund Partner,  Paul Asel joining the Board of Directors.

Zubie connects to the OBDII port on cars made after 1996.