infotainment
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GMC’s next Sierra HD pickup can see through trailers
GMC has unveiled its 2020 Sierra Heavy Duty pickup truck, which packs in 445 horsepower and a 10-speed transmission -- along with plenty of tech, of course. It offers 15 camera views, including a transparent trailer view that lets you see what's behind your trailer. The feature blends what a tailgate-mounted camera sees with the view from an accessory camera you can affix to the back of the trailer. You can also install and connect to a camera inside your trailer to make sure no loose items are causing chaos.
Spotify's in-car music player may go on sale this year
Spotify's rumored in-car music device appears to be taking shape. Financial Times sources claim the service plans to launch the in-car player sometime later in 2019 for roughly $100. There are more details as to how it would work, too. While the earlier leak mentioned voice control, the add-on would also include preset buttons that take you directly to playlists. You could play the soundtrack for your morning commute with a quick press. The hardware would pair to your car's sound system through Bluetooth, so you wouldn't need an aux-in cable to start listening.
BMW launches a performance 7 Series PHEV
BMW has launched its 2020 7 Series sedans, and controversy about the ginormous grill aside, they're some of the company's highest-tech models yet. The 745e xDrive has a plug-in hybrid 389 HP inline six-cylinder with a 12.0 kWh battery that should allow for some grocery-getting purely on electrons (BMW hasn't released range figures yet). That combo will accelerate you to 60 mph in just 4.9 seconds, but if that's not fast enough, there's also a 523 HP V8 on the 750i xDrive or a 600-horsepower twin-turbo V12 on the 760i.
Soon you won’t need a wake word to talk to your car
Voice assistants typically need a little nudge to listen to your commands. From "Hey, Siri," to "Hello, Google," to "Alexa," they all need to hear something (called a wake word or phrase) before doing your bidding. It's the same in the car. With the MBUX system you have to say, "Hey, Mercedes," to get the car to listen to you. Nuance, the company behind MBUX and a whole host of other automaker voice-assistant systems wants to do better.
GM goes full-smartphone with its latest infotainment system
Many of us are using CarPlay and Android Auto to essentially replace the infotainment systems in our cars. Automakers like Audi, Mercedes and really anyone putting metal on four tires is taking notice of this trend and have started working hard to win those smartphone users back to their systems. The latest is GM which has taken quite a lot of cues from the tech world for its latest offering.
Apple CarPlay will add Google Maps and Waze support with iOS 12
Other than a few small updates over the years, Apple's CarPlay infotainment system hasn't changed much. Fortunately, for fans of plugging their iPhone into their cars, CarPlay is getting the number one requested feature; the ability to use third-party navigation apps.
Tesla releases source code for some of its in-car tech
Tesla doesn't have many fans in the open source crowd. It based its car platforms on open platforms like Linux and BusyBox, but it has gone years without sharing the source code their license (the GPL) requires. The company is finally setting things right, though -- more or less, that is. It has posted the source code for both the material that builds the Autopilot system image as well as the kernels for the Autopilot boards and the NVIDIA Tegra-based infotainment system used in the Model S and Model X. While they don't represent the absolute latest code, Tesla is promising to keep pace with newer releases.
Acura skips the touchscreen for its infotainment system
It really started with smartphones. Once we started filling our pockets with touchscreens it was only a matter of time before our fingers replaced the touchpad, mouse and stylus on almost all devices. Eventually, our digits started interacting with the infotainment systems in our cars. It makes sense: It's easy to learn and navigate something you can poke and swipe. But is it actually the best way to navigate your car's display? Acura has an infotainment system built from the ground up and the one thing it doesn't have is a touchscreen, and that's totally fine.
Wireless Android Auto is available for Google phones
JVCKenwood was a tad premature in announcing head units with wireless Android Auto given that phones weren't officially ready for it, but that support is finally here... more or less. Google has enabled cord-free Android Auto in vehicles that have an Android Auto Wireless-compatible infotainment system (built-in or aftermarket), but only if you have a relatively recent Google phone running Oreo -- that means a Pixel, Pixel 2, Nexus 5X or Nexus 6P. Sorry, folks, your LG- or Samsung-branded phone will have to wait. You'll also need a USB cable for the initial setup, so don't leave the wire at home the first time around.
Spotify wants to improve in-car streaming, starting with Cadillacs
More than 70 million people subscribe to Spotify's streaming music, and a significant chunk of those subscribers use the service in their cars. The problem is, the experience of using Spotify in a car can vary pretty wildly from the experience the company has built for other screens. In a bid to change that, Spotify and Cadillac teamed up to create an app that runs on those Caddies themselves and streams music over their built-in LTE connections. Right now, owners of the XTS, CTS, ATS, CTS-V and ATS-V can start using the app, but it'll appear on upcoming 2019 Cadillacs and still more GMC vehicles shortly.
Ford is updating Sync with Waze and a driving assistant
Ford is updating its Sync infotainment software with a few new navigation options. Sygic is a name we haven't heard in quite awhile, but the GPS company will bring its voice assistant to certain Ford vehicles. If your blue-oval-clad ride has Sync 3 and you've got Sygic's nav app installed on your phone, you'll be able to press a button on your steering wheel to activate Sygic's new voice-powered Driving Assistant. According to TechCrunch, you can ask Driving Assistant for traffic info, gas prices and parking advice, among other tasks. It sounds quite a bit easier than using voice commands while driving with Siri, or fiddling with your car's infotainment screen.
Toyota caves to pressure and adds CarPlay to new models
Many car manufacturers have joined the modern era by adopting Android Auto, Apple CarPlay or both, but not Toyota. It insisted on going its own way, and that has usually meant skipping its cars entirely if you cared about smartphone integration. Thankfully, the automaker has seen the light. The 2019 Avalon and future models (including Lexus vehicles) with an Entune 3.0 or Enform 2.0 system will support Apple CarPlay, letting you use the more sophisticated apps from your iPhone instead of making do with limited built-in features. CarPlay will be standard on all Avalon trim levels when the sedan goes on sale in late spring, although that's no guarantee it'll be standard on other models.
JVC and Kenwood's new head units pack wireless Android Auto
After a tease at the end of 2017, JVCKenwood has spilled the beans on its head units (yes, plural) with wireless Android Auto support. Its core JVC brand has unveiled two models, the DVD-equipped KW-V940BW and disc-free KW-M845BW, which let you keep your Android phone in your pocket while using its in-car interface on your center stack. They also support Apple CarPlay, as the image above suggests, as well as JVC's WebLink (for controlling apps like Waze, YouTube and Yelp). Music fans can control Spotify, iHeartRadio and Pandora directly from the receiver or stream music from up to five phones with a DJ feature.
Tesla switches from NVIDIA to Intel for its infotainment systems
Ever since Tesla took the wraps off the Model S, its electric cars have had NVIDIA hardware powering the infotainment system and the giant touchscreen that controls it. However, it's apparently breaking with tradition: Bloomberg sources hear that the automaker has switched to Intel. Reportedly, the Model 3 and new versions of other cars will be the first to make the leap. It's not certain what prompted the move (Intel, NVIDIA and Tesla have all declined to comment), but it's a huge coup if true.
Toyota's latest infotainment system is powered by Linux
Toyota will be the first US automaker to use "Automotive Grade Linux (AGL)" for its 2018 Toyota Camry. In case you're understandably confused by all the competing infotaintment platforms, AGL is an open-source system based on, you guessed it, Linux. It boasts 200 members from various sectors including Toyota, Honda, Mercedes, Qualcomm, Intel and Samsung. The system is designed as an option to offerings from tech companies like Google and Apple, giving automakers a solid base that they can easily customize and update.
Jaguar and Shell partner for in-car fuel payments
Luxury automaker Jaguar Land Rover has partnered with Shell to make fueling up a touch more convenient. That's because everyone who owns a vehicle equipped with the company's InControl Apps will be able to pay for gas without ever leaving the driver's seat. All you need is the Shell mobile app, either a PayPal or Apple Pay account and at least $40,000 for one of the supported cars and you too can take advantage of the new feature.
Panasonic unveils an Android-powered car infotainment system
Panasonic and Qualcomm have launched an Android-based in-vehicle infotainment (IVI) platform, but as with a similar offering from Google and Fiat Chrysler, it isn't Android Auto. Rather, the companies are aiming create a smartphone-like Android Nougat system with high-end specs, including a Qualcomm Snapdragon 820Am automotive processor with Adreno 530 graphics, 680 DSP and a high-speed LTE modem. Automakers can then customize it to their own specs and install it as a factory OEM system.
Car makers can let Alexa ride shotgun later this year
Amazon's Alexa assistant can already communicate with some cars, but the conversations are a little one-sided. You can tell your home-bound Echo to start warming up your Hyundai on a frosty day, for example, or send directions to your BMW ahead of setting off. But when you're on the road, you're on your own. Later this year, though, car makers will be able to put Alexa in the passenger seat, giving drivers a virtual assistant that'll put on some tunes, load up an audiobook and carry out many other tasks while their hands are stuck to the wheel.
Google and Fiat Chrysler work together on Android car tech
The team-up between Google and Fiat Chrysler is about to extend well beyond self-driving minivans. The two companies have revealed an 8.4-inch Uconnect concept system based on Android. No, not Android Auto -- we're talking full-fledged Android Nougat. While it still uses the familiar Uconnect interface (for better or for worse), the Android underpinnings give it "seamless integration" with core Google services like Assistant and Maps. It should play nicely with third-party Android apps, too, including NPR One, Pocket Casts and Spotify.
GM will use Watson AI to recommend services on the road
Artificial intelligence isn't just being used to automate cars... it's finding a home in conventional cars, too. GM has unveiled a partnership with IBM that will see the Watson cognitive computing platform power OnStar Go, its latest in-car service offering. The AI technology will suggest stores and services based on your location, your decisions and your habits. If you're driving home from work, for example, OnStar can remind you to pick up shopping on the way back. It can also recommend restaurants when you arrive in a new city, or tell you that a store order is ready for pickup.
