At a CES 2010 press event, Ford Motor Company had details on the upcoming successor to SYNC, dubbed MyFord Touch, writes DailyTech while NVIDIA and Audi announced today that NVIDIA GPUs will power the navigation and entertainment systems in all 2010 Audi vehicles worldwide. Their Vibrante multimedia engine allows Audi passengers to watch DVDs; listen to music from an iPod, CD, SD card or USB memory stick; and enjoy online video content.
MyFord Touch is powered by an 8-in. touchscreen display in the center stack and two smaller 4.2-in. LCD screens to the right and left of an analog speedometer.
In the new MyFord Touch, the left screen provides practical vehicle information like a tachometer and fuel gauge, while the right screen offers MyFord Touch menus. The LCD gauges can currently be found in the Ford Fusion Hybrid.
The new system splits activities into four categories — Phone, Climate, Navigation and Entertainment.
Two five-way button thumbwheels on the steering wheel give the driver one means of interacting with MyFord Touch. Voice commands, a touch interface via the center stack screen, and a GUI (graphic user interface) via the thumbwheel controllers can also provide input.
SD card navigation, supplied by TeleNav, will be available as an option for the MyFord Touch system, activated by inserting the SD card in to the system’s built-in Media Hub. The SD card will contain the map database and voice data, 3D map graphics and enhanced point-of-interest (POI) information from Wcities.
Smart phone applications can also interact with MyFord Touch and take advantage of its voice commands. This could eventually enable streaming voice-controlled streaming internet radio apps or restaurant finder apps with selection by voice, followed by directions.
A browser can use MyFord Touch only when parked, but the proprietary (Ford designed) browser should be handy for mobile connectivity. The browser is built on WebKit, which forms the basis of Google’s Chrome and Apple’s Safari browsers. It will feature current versions of Adobe Flash and Microsoft’s Silverlight, says DailyTech.
Internet connection is provided by the a user-supplied broadband modem, which the new system will interface with via the USB slot, creating an in-car Wi-Fi hotspot.
NVIDIA will power the navigation and entertainment systems in all 2010 Audi vehicles worldwide. Their Vibrante multimedia engine allows Audi passengers to watch DVDs; listen to music from an iPod, CD, SD card or USB memory stick; and enjoy online video content.
The built-in nav system uses Google Earth with a GPRS / EDGE modem.
The LTE Connected Car project was developed by Alcatel-Lucent, QNX Software, Toyota, chumby and Kabillion.
The prototype system supports the creation of personalized and interactive connected experiences that can be tailored to the individual preferences.
Safety advocates say the companies behind these technologies are tone-deaf to mounting research showing the risks of distracted driving, reports the NY Times.
“This is irresponsible at best and pernicious at worst,” Nicholas A. Ashford, a professor of technology and policy at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, said of the new efforts to marry cars and computers.
Car control systems include Audi’s Multi Media Interface, Ford’s Sync, the Mercedes Command system, BMW’s iDrive and Toyota Telematics.
OnStar is free in GM vehicles for a year, then carries an annual subscription fee of $199 or $299. Ford’s Sync is an option with a onetime cost of under $400, but no subscription fees.
Fewer than 1 million consumers have web access in their cars today, but more than 62 million will have it by 2016, says iSuppli.
Related DailyWireless stories on transit connectivity include; Hands-free Vehicular Calling, Tracking Tools, Ford Sync Dials 911, In-Vehicle Infotainment: Death Race, CradlePoint: Mobile WiFi/WiMAX Hot Spots, Mercedes myCOMAND, BMW iDrive Gets Makeover, Handheld Intelligent Transportation, Chrysler Offers Internet Access , Chrysler Rolls Out U-connect , Ford Sync, Google Transit Maps + WiFi, Chrysler: Wi-Fi Car This Year, The Connected Bus, Hotspot for Bedouins, Chrysler Getting WiMAXed, Verizon Traffic Mapping , PePWave Mobility: Connectivity for Vehicles, Civic Booster and Microsoft Vrs OnStar.
