Google & Partners to Bring Android Into Vehicles

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Commuters of all kinds, rejoice! News has broken that Google is planning to partner with car manufacturers Hyundai, General Motors (GM), Honda, and Audi to bring the Android ecosystem into your next vehicle. Together they will form the Open Automotive Alliance (OAA), “a global partnership” designed to bring Android into your car and create a set of industry-leading standards for integration between vehicles, their owners, and the owners’ mobile devices. Technology giant Nvidia also joins the OAA, presumably to help power the Android integration.

Courtesy KitGuru.net

The potential for this is staggering for both consumers and the companies involved. The OAA is planning to bring an adapted version of Android to vehicles in addition to the aforementioned improved connectivity between devices and cars. Imagine getting into your car only to find your favorite Spotify playlist already qeued up on your dashboard, ready for streaming through your car speakers. Not only is that just downright helpful, it’s also just as easy to browse the on-screen menus as it is to browse the Spotify app you were just using on your phone ten minutes ago.

Besides all that, the OAA is looking to boost driver safety and reduce distractions. Which seems like the more distracting way to access Google Maps to you: Shifting your attention completely off the road to focus on your smartphone’s small screen or glancing at the screen mounted in the dashboard much like how you already glance at your mirrors? The former is more distracting, surely.

Using Android to power the vehicle’s user interface will give these companies a serious advantage over other manufacturers if it’s executed well. Increased awareness for Android, increased revenue streams, and brand loyalty will all play their part as Google attempts to enter new territory with Android. Car manufacturers have a history of creating clunky on-board navigation and operating systems that fail to deliver on promised innovation. By creating an industry standard that is both shockingly familiar and easy for customers to use, Google, Audi, and the like will set the bar high for other car manufacturers.

Source: The Next Web

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Last Updated on July 4, 2014.

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