The auto infotainment game just got a new major player. Google officially announced its rival to Apple's CarPlay system today. Called Android Auto, the new system is designed to incorporate a driver's Android smartphone seamlessly into the dash of a car.
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Announced this morning at Google's annual technology conference in San Francisco, Android Auto is the first product from the Open Automotive Alliance, a partnership between Google, tech giants like NVidia, and a wide array of automakers, including Fiat Chrysler Automobiles, Audi, Honda, Volvo, and many others. Like CarPlay, Android Auto is designed to make it easier and safer to stay connected while on the go. By connecting their Android smartphone to Android Auto-equipped vehicles via USB port, drivers can essentially mirror their phone screens onto the infotainment display of the vehicle.
With the phone synced up to Android Auto, drivers will be able to access apps like Google Search, Google Maps, Google Play Music, and a wide variety of auto-optimized third-party apps, including Spotify, Pandora, MLB Game Day, and more.
Like CarPlay. Android Auto likely will complement instead of replace existing infotainment systems. For example, newer Audis equipped with the latest version of MMI, will be able to seamlessly switch back and forth from Android Auto to the MMI system currently available today.
Android Auto will likely make its way into vehicles soon. Audi and Hyundai will be among the first to incorporate Android Auto in their cars. Audi will make it available in all new-for-2015 models like the A3, while Hyundai will offer it in select 2015 vehicles like the new Sonata. Volvo will begin rolling out Android Auto on all of its new vehicles, beginning with the 2016 XC90. Honda, GM, FCA, Ford, Kia, Nissan, and the handful of other automakers in the Open Automotive Alliance will announce their Android Auto plans at a later date.
Source: Google, Audi, Hyundai, Volvo
I generally like writing—especially when it’s about cars—but I hate writing about myself. So instead of blathering on about where I was born (New York City, in case you were wondering) or what type of cars I like (all of ’em, as long as it has a certain sense of soul or purpose), I’ll answer the one question I probably get most, right after what’s your favorite car (see above): How’d you get that job? Luck. Well, mostly. Hard work, too. Lots of it. I sort of fell into my major of journalism/mass communication at St. Bonaventure University and generally liked it a lot. In order to complete my degree senior year, we had to spend our last two semesters on some sort of project. Seeing as I loved cars and already spent a good portion of my time reading about cars on sites such as Motor Trend, I opted to create a car blog. I started a Tumblr, came up with a car-related name (The Stig’s American Cousin), signed up for media access on a bunch of manufacturer’s websites, and started writing. I did everything from cover new trim levels to reviewing my friends’ cars. I even wrote a really bad April Fool’s Day post about the next Subaru Impreza WRX being Toyota-Corolla-based. It was fun, and because it was fun, it never felt like work. Sometime after my blog had gotten off the ground, I noticed that Motor Trend was hiring for what’s now our Daily News Team. I sent in my résumé and a link to my blog. I got the job, and two weeks after graduation I made the move from New York to California. I’ve been happily plugging away at a keyboard—and driving some seriously awesome hardware—ever since.
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