CEA CES call for connected car safety products/services deadline 8/15

otterappThe Consumer Electronics Association (CEA) is working on a technical report,  showing consumer electronic products and services that make driving  safer.

The report coming at at the 2015 International CES, January 6-9, 2015 in Las Vegas.

Companies that offer products or services to increase driver safety and reduce distracted driving should to submit descriptions to appear in the report.

Linux Auto Grade open to connected car devs, CarPlay & More

lf_automotive_logoA collaborative open source project  Automotive Grade Linux (AGL), first open source software release is available for download from the Linux Foundation. Recently, BearingPoint GmbH and Systena joined the organization and are participating in the Automotive Grade Linux (AGL) Steering Committee.

Linus Auto Grade offers an optimized embedded Linux OS stack as a starting point for engineering work. It builds on Tizen IVI supported by Intel and Samsung.

MirrorLink is connected car compatible with HTC One b4 CarPlay

MirroLink Head UnitCar Connectivity Consortium (CCC) announced that the HTC One (M8) is now compatible  MirrorLink. MirrorLink  compatibility will arrive via a software upgrade to current HTC One (M8). More HTC devices will be compatible in the future.

MirrorLink is car-smartphone mirroring with a simple interface that works with many operating systems.  MirrorLink will be distributed to millions via this partnership.

Nokia connects to connected cars by funding Zubie

ZubieConnected car services company Zubie announced an $8 million investment from Nokia Growth Partners (NGP) this morning from Nokia’s $100 million connected car fund.

Nokia is also investing in Zubie with Nokia Growth Fund Partner,  Paul Asel joining the Board of Directors.

Zubie connects to the OBDII port on cars made after 1996.

Volkswagen ELR connected car research offers driving buddies with ESP

infotainmentvwVolkswagen Group’s Electronics Research Laboratory (ERL) is working on more “intuitive” forms of driver, car and external communications, noted a news release from the company. Volkswagen group encompasses Audi, Bentley, Bugatti, Lamborghini, and VW.

ERL researchers are looking at the three elements important for connected driving, the car, mobile devices and cloud.

Criminals using radios unlock connected cars

keyfogradioCriminals using electronic devices have been alarming car owners by breaking the code to keyless entry on vehicles, however the National Insurance Crime Bureau (NICB) offers ways to prevent car break-ins.

JD Power voices voice recognition problems with connected car systems

voice_control_systemCar makers are not listening to what people want in voice recognition systems reported Kristin Kolodge, JD Power’s executive director of driver interaction.

JD Power studies in the United States have shown that voice recognition is the most common type of problem voiced by car owners.

As much as one-third of infotainment system glitches were due to voice recognition, Kolodge said during a presentation at the 2014 Management Briefing Seminars.

New HUD connected car device safer than CarPlay & Android Auto?

navdyA new device that will let you see only what is needed from your smartphone on a heads up display, called the Navdy, was announced today.  It combines a clear projector screen with voice and gesture controls to create what they call a safer, intuitive connected driving experience.

The driver sees essential information from a smartphone through the display that projects through the windshield (HUD Heads Up Display). A camera sensor allows the driver to use gestures to navigate, communicate or control music. Navdy is available for pre-order right now on for $299.99 with a release date expected in 2015.

Navdy claims that built-in consoles like Android Auto and Apple CarPlay are just bigger touchscreens that do nothing to solve the problem.