Audi Knows When Traffic Light will Change

auditrafficlighdashAudi’s new Smart City Traffic Light Assistance tell you when the traffic light will turn green.

Traffic Light Assist or TLA uses the car’s network connection, GPS and municipal traffic control information. It displays a countdown timer in the dash to show how many seconds there are before the light changes.

Gov’t 2 Require Connected Cars via V2V Tech to Avoid Crashes

intersectionWe may be driving more safely in the future when cars connect to each other. The U.S. government is looking into cars, buses and trucks communicate to each other and to the Department of Transportation to cut down on accidents, gas consumption and speeding.  After reviewing research, the government will work on laws to require vehicle data connections in future models.

It’s called Vehicle-to-Vehicle  communication in which vehicles talk to each other.  It’s sort of like data saying to your car, “I’m over here traveling a 30 mph and you’re going 25 mph, get ready for a fender bender,”  or “Watch out the drunk driving this car is going to run the stop sign!”

Motorola Filed Patent to Connect Car Photos of Pot Holes

fig3motorolaMotorola has filed a patent for connected car commuters. Motorola’s patent will identify road hazards, take photos of them and them then send the problems to drivers en route behind the car using the technology.

The patent was filed by Motorola Mobility that is now owned by Lennovo.  It is not clear if Google now owns the patent or Lennovo.

The patent is titled “Inter-Vehicle Alert System with Nagable Video Look Ahead”

PubNub Connected Car Solutions Kit for Devs

pubvehiclePubNub announced its Connected Car Solution Kit or developers to deliver , real-time transportation management and dispatch app for taxi, fleet management and delivery services.

PubNub  detects and connects dropped connections, with all messages tracked and time-stamped to the nearest nanosecond to ensure no loss of data. PubNub reports that platform insures offers real-time data.

TeleNav Scouts with Auto OTA Updates Wi-Fi

carscoutTelenav partnered with Red Bend Software to provide over-the-air (OTA) map and point of interest (POIs) updates to Scout for Cars. Telenav Scout comes in two forms Scout for Cars Built In or Brought In.

Telenav makes navigation products for Ford, Delphi, Sony and QNX Car Applications Platform

Free Connected Car Webinar for 2/13 From Telematics Update

generaldashTelematics Update will host a  “Personalize the Connected Car Using Contextual Data.’ webinar with industry analysts to show how the context oftelematics can make  driving safer, more efficient and more enjoyable.

The free webinar will be held on Thursday, February 13 at 12 noon (EST) and is open to the entire consumer telematics community. Register 

Pioneer AppRadio 3 Big Winner Connects iPhone 4/4S/5/5C/5S & Android Mirrors & Siri

appradio3Car dealers can charge thousands of dollars for head units that connect cars to music, navigation and smartphones.  Another viable options is to put an after market receiver with all the apps you need and more. Pioneer AppRadio3 devices will be available  for$399-$499. The CD-DVD player (SPH-DA210) is currently available from Amazon for $362.29 with free shipping.

Volvo Pandora New Cloud Music Update

Volvo S60 S80 XC60 XC70 Dashboard header imageVolvo along with updating Sensus Connect, on-board infotainment and navigation solutions through cloud-based services, Volvo Car Group also announced it would be the first to market with Pandora internet radio service via the Volvo Cloud.

Primer What Can Connected Cars Do?

AAAmobileappsHere is a list of connected car services that can be deployed in connected cars from the American Automobile Association (AAA):

Crash Response: Connected cars can automatically send real-time data when an accident happens with the exact location to help, saving time and helping to save lives.