NEW YORK, June 26 — The search company’s answer to Apple’s CarPlay will, like the iPhone system, project smartphone apps and functionality to consumers’ car dashboards, and the first vehicle to boast the new system will be the Volvo XC90, which goes on sale at the end of 2014.
And the XC90 will be followed in 2015 by cars from Audi, General Motors, Hyundai and Honda that will all feature the system.
The point of Android Auto is to make it safer and more intuitive to use a phone while driving. So, when a handset is connected to a car, certain apps won’t be accessible—for example video streaming or anything that presents dense text—that could increase distraction, and those that are accessible will be slightly tweaked for the same reason.
So, there’s an in-car version of Google Maps and certain non-Google apps will also appear on screen, like Spotify, but for the most part Google’s core features are front and centre but in voice operation mode. You can dictate text messages while driving and have the system read received messages to you, and saying “OK Google” will access Google Now or initiate a web search.
As the smartphone becomes more and more indispensable to modern life, so do the risks of them being the cause of a road traffic accident. A 2013 study by the University of Utah, highlights the risks that mobile devices, including those with in-car settings can cause. It found that even smartphones with full hands-free functionality can lack effectiveness as although the driver’s eyes remained fixed on the road, his or her concentration is split between the driving conditions and interacting with devices.
As Volvo’s Senior Vice President, Product Strategy & Vehicle Line Management, Lex Kerssemakers, said about the company’s decision to sign up to Google’s system: “Volvo Car Group’s philosophy when it comes to the use of the technology in our cars reflects our customers’ desire to get the best from their lives without adding complexity. Android Auto represents another step towards creating a unique, enjoyable and easy-to-use experience in Volvo cars.”
Both Google and Apple are trying to cut these risks by developing in-car systems and although some are worried that the competitive tactics the two tech titans typically adopt could lead to entire car companies being incompatible with a phone’s operating system—e.g., General Motors is Android but Ford is iOS, --nothing could be further from the truth.
Following Android Auto’s official unveiling at the Google I/O developers conference, 15 car makers and a host of after-market companies announced that they would be supporting the system, and many of them, including Honda, Volvo, Ford and Nissan, have already pledged to support Apple’s CarPlay system too. — AFP-Relaxnews
