bopal writes:
"The German news site heise.de writes [German language only] that soon you can interact with your iPhone from the built-in touchscreen of their cars. The idea is shown in this youtube.com video."
The press release speaks of the advantages (in sales-speak) of integrating a large portrait-oriented touch screen with an advanced voice control system like Siri.
This comes at a time, where Switzerland is contemplating of moving against large built-in screens in cars, as they are distracting for the driver http://readzer.com/."
Related Stories
In February, Volvo had announced that in 2017 it would test 100 autonomous cars on certain roads in Gothenburg, Sweden.
At this week's Los Angeles Auto Show, Volvo showed its prototype of what the interior of an autonomous car might look like. It features a folding tray table built into the driver's door, a 25-inch video display in the glove compartment, and a tablet-like screen in the center console.
The Chinese-owned automaker demonstrated three different configurations of the interior: "Drive," in which a person drives the car; "Create," in which the occupants occupy themselves with reading or using a laptop computer; and "Relax," in which the driver's-side seat reclines and the occupants look at videos on the 25-inch screen.
Björn Annwall, a senior vice president at the company, said that its planned autonomous cars would be developed together with Microsoft, and that the two companies are "exploring a number of different collaborations."
[Additional Coverage After the Break]
(Score: 3, Funny) by EvilJim on Wednesday March 05 2014, @04:37AM
Volvos are so safe for the occupants that we can give them a huge touchscreen to play with, other car drivers can eat bumper and panels for breakfast for we give 0 fucks about them.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday March 05 2014, @08:03AM
And if you buy your Volvo in the next 30 minutes, we will throw in a FREE elbow-pad clip for your iPhone, color matched to your brown cordoruoy jacket. We also include a friendly reminder message if you forgot to put on your peaked cap.
(Score: 3, Funny) by EvilJim on Wednesday March 05 2014, @04:40AM
I meant... FIRST!
Gritz it up Natalie.
(Score: 4, Funny) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday March 05 2014, @04:44AM
It's just pathetic when you can't even get first post on SN.
(Score: 3, Funny) by EvilJim on Wednesday March 05 2014, @04:50AM
I did get first post, but I wasted it on an actual comment. not paying enough attention.
(Score: 2, Funny) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday March 05 2014, @04:53AM
Well done sir, I apologize.
(Score: 3, Insightful) by Konomi on Wednesday March 05 2014, @06:17AM
Now all we need is a guide to remove it and replace it with a raspberry pi, I wonder if there will be jail break your Volvo guides? I get really disturbed about apple becoming some sort of quasi standard especially when I don't really own said device I just seem to rent it since I have zero control over what it does at a lower level.
(Score: 5, Interesting) by Urlax on Wednesday March 05 2014, @11:33AM
It works over lightning, which supports hdmi out.
so this is probably a hdmi LCD screen with USB touchscreen. the wheel control button(s) is probably also just a USB HID device.
should be possible to create an adapter for each and every standard PC. however, the lightning connection is proprietary, and streams some kind of MPEG video:a v-adapter-surprise/ [panic.com]
https://www.panic.com/blog/the-lightning-digital-
so if we want to hook up an Android device, rPI, laptop or desktop, you need to rip out the apple adapter and find the bare video signal.
so the idea is fantastic, up to date maps, contact sync, voice control, app store it will be a while before this works with android/linux. it may even be prohibited by the apple agreement. (slapping a made for iPhone/iPad logo forbids them of creating an hdmi(mhl)->lightning adapter)
(Score: 2) by mojo chan on Wednesday March 05 2014, @01:41PM
It works over lightning, which supports hdmi out.
Actually it doesn't. The HDMI adapter is an AirPlay receiver with HDMI output, as you alluded to. It probably doesn't matter much on a small car screen but on a TV you can see the compression artefacts clearly. Actually maybe it does matter in a car if there is additional latency.
Toyota's head units support MirrorLink, which is based on the VNC protocol so works over both wired and wireless connections. Quite a few Android devices support it. My guess is that Apple didn't want to use it because of both a desire for lock-in and because it supports multiple resolutions. Apple prefer to have fixed resolutions and iOS would need major changes to support arbitrary ones. Toyota also have HDMI input which can be used with an MHI adapter, which gives true uncompressed digital video but of course doesn't support touch input.
const int one = 65536; (Silvermoon, Texture.cs)
(Score: 1) by aclarke on Wednesday March 05 2014, @05:12PM
An automaker supporting CarPlay is good for iPhone users but it doesn't mean everyone else is automatically left out of the party.
(Score: 1) by ArhcAngel on Wednesday March 05 2014, @06:19PM
No need to worry. This is actually a BlackBerry (QNX Car) system with an iOS module to allow CarPlay. QNX Car supports any number of interfaces including MirrorLink which does exactly the same thing as CarPlay but is an open standard. Hell Nokia created it so it even works with Symbian phones. Of course the auto maker has to enable the features for you to get them. CarPlay is just one option you can purchase.
(Score: 4, Insightful) by frojack on Wednesday March 05 2014, @07:17AM
4 Years too late.
The iPhone is over. Almost as passe as your cars.
No, you are mistaken. I've always had this sig.
(Score: 2, Interesting) by memememe on Wednesday March 05 2014, @07:38AM
Why are Volvos passe, pray tell me?
Apart from that, it is evident they have to support more integration standards than CarPlay. I imagine it would be an add-on option for the multimedia system option
PS: Why yes, I do drive a 2013 Volvo. With a 2009 iPhone ;-) (Looking to replace that one with a Nexus 5 for my birthday this week, though)
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday March 05 2014, @09:22AM
Last time they won a race was before the War -- seems pretty passé to me...
(Score: 4, Interesting) by memememe on Wednesday March 05 2014, @09:45AM
What is the added value of a standard car maker involving itself financially and manpower-wise to win races, when they could have used that money and effort to develop better commuter vehicles? And no. I don't race cars.
Do you even own one?
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday March 05 2014, @10:04AM
Do I own a Volvo? No.
Do I own a car? Yes.
Would I consider replacing it with a Volvo? No.
Might the answer to the last question be different if Volvo still made something akin to the OV4 (the only car that even managed to finish the 1928 Moscow-Leningrad-Moscow rally without penalty)? Quite possibly.
Do I race cars? No. But I do place tangible extra value on a car that can withstand such gruelling treatment so admirably (if it can do that, chances are it will never have any problem with anything I might need to do with it)
(Score: 4, Interesting) by mojo chan on Wednesday March 05 2014, @01:36PM
The technology developed for racing filters down to passenger cars. Not just things designed to make the cars go faster, things that make them safer, lighter, more fuel efficient and more reliable. Le Mans is a good example, with many cars failing to even finish due to mechanical breakdown.
const int one = 65536; (Silvermoon, Texture.cs)
(Score: 2) by EvilJim on Wednesday March 05 2014, @09:03PM
my folks test drove a pontiac lemans once, what a piece of shit. suspension was far too hard for regular city driving, may have been ok on a race track but I wouldn't know.
(Score: 3, Informative) by AnonTechie on Wednesday March 05 2014, @09:32AM
Android version coming soon ...
Albert Einstein - "Only two things are infinite, the universe and human stupidity, and I'm not sure about the former."
(Score: 2) by mmcmonster on Wednesday March 05 2014, @03:51PM
Does that mean I have to swap out my car when I switch from an iPhone to an Android or vice versa?
Whatever happened to standardization? Bluetooth and video over USB 3.0 should be able to do this.