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Toyota Will Reportedly Adopt Android Auto

posted by chromas on Tuesday September 25 2018, @03:33AM   
from the join-us dept.

takyon writes:

Toyota reportedly ready to put Android Auto in its cars

Toyota may finally relent and allow Android Auto to work in its cars, according to Bloomberg. An official announcement reportedly could come as soon as next month.

The giant Japanese carmaker was one of the last major automakers to announce CarPlay compatibility. After holding out for years, Toyota announced this past January that Apple's own in-car infotainment service would show up in its cars starting with the 2019 Avalon. However, the company has continued to eschew Android Auto, with security concerns being cited as one of the reasons for the delayed adoption. In the meantime, Toyota has spent the last few years building its in-car infotainment experience around the Ford-born SmartDeviceLink platform, which allows some iOS and Android apps to be mirrored on a vehicle's screen.

[...] Android Auto is compatible with nearly 50 different car brands around the globe, which is slightly behind the 60 or so that Apple has made deals with. Google has been working hard to push automakers in a different direction, though — it will soon provide Volvo with an entire Android-powered infotainment operating system, and recently announced plans to do the same for the Renault-Nissan-Mitsubishi alliance.

Also at Bloomberg and Engadget.

Related: Will Linux Make the New Toyota Camry a Better Car?

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Original Submission

• Why? (Score: 5, Interesting) by MostCynical on Tuesday September 25 2018, @04:10AM

  by MostCynical (2589) on Tuesday September 25 2018, @04:10AM (#739539) Journal

  why do "infotainment" systems need to have any interaction with operational systems?

  Engine, brakes, suspension, exhaust and gearbox can all be "changed" through the infotainment screens.

  Is it because it is "easier" to program that way?

  Exposing any of the safety/control systems to the infotainmant is just asking for trouble.

  Allowing the infotaimnent system to talk to other devices or "the internet" is even worse (yes, "over the air updates" are a thing, but not a *neccessary" thing)

  --
  "I guess once you start doubting, there's no end to it." -Batou, Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex

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