“Competition is not only the basis of protection to the consumer, but is the incentive to progress.” ~ President Herbert Hoover, State Of The Union Address, 1930.
Opportunities and choices abound for any consumer, company or entrepreneur attempting to connect the car. An in-vehicle dashboard can contain applications pre-installed in the unit or your smartphone app can connect via Bluetooth and offer content in the car. The applications world is moving to the car with consumers pleading at the chance to connect to the Internet in their vehicles.
If you are interested in the connected car, there are four main types of development for in-car connectivity:
- In-vehicle infotainment (IVI)
- Smartphone link
- In-car telematics
- Onboard diagnostics
In-Vehicle Infotainment
In-vehicle infotainment systems are the catch-all of the connected car. Frequently provided in the form of screens in car dashboards an in backseats, IVI can provide specific media and communications abilities to the driver and passengers. Consumers interested in connected cars in 2014 expect that the hardware and software in their cars will have the same capabilities and app as their smartphones, PCs and televisions, just more finely attuned to a vehicular experience. Hence any company building IVI dashboard and backseat systems need to realize that all capabilities of a smartphone are on the table, including SMS and Internet-based instant messaging (like Google Hangouts or Facebook Messenger), social channels like Twitter, music downloads and streaming like iTunes and Spotify and any navigation system the consumer so chooses.
Every company that builds software platforms wants in on the car … in a big way. Intel has long led the charge with the idea of making its Atom processor the de facto in-car computer chip. To achieve this end, Intel has long supported various Linux-based operating systems that run HTML-based applications. Currently, Intel is focusing its efforts on Tizen, the operating system that is part of the Linux Foundation and steered by Intel and Samsung.
OnStar is a subsidiary of General Motors and has been working hard to bring 4G LTE capabilities to the car along with both dashboard and backseat consoles. Other vehicle manufacturers have proprietary IVI systems, including Ford (SYNC), Kia, Toyota and Fiat.
Outside of the burgeoning if still nascent Tizen operating system, BlackBerry’s QNX operating system has a long history in cars and other industrial equipment (like air control towers).
The biggest yet least recognizable of IVI systems may actually be Windows Embedded. Microsoft may not tout the adoption rate for Windows Embedded, but it can be found in nearly everything that is not, technically, a computer or a smartphone. Windows Embedded can be found in ATM’s and kiosks at the movie theater, point-of-sale machines and, yes, cars.
Google and Apple both have some say in the future of the connected car. With the power of Android and iOS, they may even have the consumer on their side.
Smartphone Link
Let’s get one thing straight: the only reason we are really having this connected car discussion is because the smartphone has exploded in popularity, creating new consumer expectations and enabling countless new technological integrations. The car, like TV and home appliances, are squarely in the target of the smartphone platforms expansion.
In the connected car nomenclature, attaching a smartphone to a vehicle (through any variety of means) is call a “smartphone link.” ASmartphone link can integrate with the car in three different formats:
- Bluetooth connection where the steering wheel buttons and built-in voice recognition controls the application.
- Smartphone voice assistance such as Apple’s Siri or Google Now can be used to control applications on the in-vehicle infotainment system.
- The IVI system mirrors your smartphone display (Windows in the Car, Apple CarPlay and Android Auto).
A smartphone link can be as simple as plugging an iPhone or and Android smartphone into the auxiliary plug in newer cars, or using the radio to tune into unused radio stations bands through and adapter. Some people still use cassette decks that they plug into their smartphones to play audio files. The simplest and most basic of smartphone links to a car are what Apple and Google hope to enhance and evolve with CarPlay and Android Auto.
Moving Past In-Car Telematics
Telematics is a general term of any onboard computing system that a vehicle might have. Before we ever got to this notion of the “connected car,” we had telematics. In 2014, telematics gets interesting when you add cellular and cloud technology to the mix, allowing cars to not only performs various necessary functions, but storing that data in the cloud to be accessible from anywhere.
Available for decades, in-car telematics systems offer enable road-side assistance, car location, and fleet management. And now, remote API access to these systems allows developers to build experiences for smartphones that allow drivers to remotely access their vehicle’s automated controls. Beeping the horn, locking the car, adjusting the climate system, and integrating with the home are just a few of the ways remote APIs can create a modern, novel, and exciting experience for the driver.
Telematics mixed with the cloud mixed with cellular technology has the potential to change logistics—the business of shipping and receiving that is the lifeblood of American commerce. Fleet management through telematics and connected vehicles makes the tracking and management of fleets will provide logistics with a degree of data and transparency that has the potential to dramatically change the industry.
Diagnostic Tools For Fun And Profit
Lastly, smartphones can now interact with the on-board diagnostics tool that is built in all models after 1996 per federal law. Developers now have the ability to create applications on any device that can communicate with the OBD II port to display real-time vehicle information. With this method, the application doesn’t typically run in the car, but on your smartphone, laptop or other network. The OBD-II port allows developers to create an app that gives drivers feedback on how they drive, location of the nearest gas station and even vehicle maintenance requirements.
The most recognizable example of connected diagnostics may be the Progressive commercials starring “Flo” peddling the OBD (on-board diagnostics) dongle that helps the insurance company track users driving habits. Other insurance companies provide similar dongles for safe-driving discounts.
Dash—a startup that creates an connected OBD II dongle—calls itself, “the FitBit for cars.” Dash provides diagnostics for the car but also navigation, driving logs and real-time feedback into driving habits and connects it to a smartphone in the car.
Developers have many opportunities to launch applications in the connected car market whether it is built into the vehicle from the OEM, linked via Bluetooth from your smartphone, remote accessing your car from a smartphone or creating an app that interacts with the OBD-II port. It is important to remember that as the market rapidly grows, users will adapt to the technology and will require more content, and a perfect experience every time. Testing in real cars and in the real world will ensure that your application delivers the perfect experience.
The post 4 Solutions To Build Apps For The Connected Car appeared first on ARC.
