General Motors announced Friday that it is moving toward a more connected in-car experience with the upcoming integration of Google Assistant and embedded Google applications, including navigation via Google Maps. With this announcement, GM joins automakers such as Volvo in expanding in-car...Read More»
Google will usher in a sleeker look for Android Auto this summer, the technology company announced on Monday. Android Auto's first major overhaul turns the interface into a sexier system with a cleaner menu and more controls placed in user-friendly portions of the screen. Google said the most...Read More»
Long gone are the days of calling for a pizza. Soon, all it'll take will be a few taps on a car's touchscreen to order a Domino's Pizza. The pizza chain on Monday debuted a new pizza-ordering platform that will be pre-loaded onto certain new cars that use the Xevo in-vehicle commerce service...Read More»
Honda will bring more connectivity to drivers and passengers in the near future with its "Honda Dream Drive" infotainment system. The prototype system, revealed at the 2019 Consumer Electronics Show on Tuesday, will let drivers make purchases on the go and open up entertainment to keep passengers...Read More»
Jaguar, Land Rover, and Range Rover cars and SUVs will add Apple CarPlay and Android Auto compatibility in 2019 models and some older models, a spokesman said Wednesday. Dealers should be able to add the software functionality soon, a spokesman told The Car Connection. Jaguar Land Rover, which is...Read More»
Smartphone compatibility is a major selling point in new cars, with a majority of new vehicles offering either Apple CarPlay, Android Auto, or both with their standard infotainment systems. Nissan and Mitsubishi, members of the aptly-named Renault Nissan Mitsubishi Alliance, are taking things a...Read More»
The Venn diagram overlap between Toyota shoppers, Apple iOS users, and Amazon Prime members now includes the 2019 Toyota Camry mid-size sedan and 2019 Toyota Sienna minivan. According to Cars Direct, the 2019 Camry and 2019 Sienna will come with Apple CarPlay and Amazon Alexa compatibility when...Read More»
Forgot to turn your smart thermostat down at home before leaving? No problem, Amazon said Thursday. Just ask your car to do it. The e-commerce giant released an Alexa Auto Software Development Kit for new vehicles as a way to incorporate key functions of the voice-activated software into vehicle...Read More»
If you find the infotainment system in your new car to be a bit of a distraction more often than it is useful, you’re not alone. As Automotive News reported, according to a study by the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety and the University of Utah, smartphone-projection technologies like Apple...Read More»
"OK Volvo play me more songs by Siouxsie and the Banshees and find the nearest Natural Grocers." Volvo announced Monday that its next infotainment system will integrate more popular features from Google, including Google Maps, Play Store, and Google Assistant. Those apps are part of a larger...Read More»
In the next few weeks, Google will launch an update to its Android Auto service and make the popular Waze navigation service available directly through a compatible vehicle’s infotainment system. If you’re one of Waze’s many devotees, you’re probably doing a happy dance. And...Read More»
Nearly two years ago, Toyota stunned much of the auto world when it revealed that it had no plans to offer Apple CarPlay or Android Auto on any of its vehicles. Instead, Toyota said that it was going to build an infotainment system of its own. New reports indicate that work on that system is...Read More»
For most new car buyers, a functional touchscreen might be the second-most important input on a car—not far behind the steering wheel. (Gas and brake pedals? Meh.) An intuitive, smart infotainment system with all the controls we want—but none of the headache—should be a "gimme" by...Read More»
So far, automakers have done a pretty terrible job of designing infotainment systems. Those systems are so bad, they're causing quality scores to plummet and inspiring unpleasant lawsuits. And yet, automakers stubbornly keep churning out wonky in-dash tech. Toyota went so far as to say that it...Read More»
Remember MyFord Touch and MyLincoln touch, the infotainment systems that shoppers loved and loved to hate? Three years ago, owners sued Ford over the systems' glitchy, underwhelming performance. Now, many of those cases have been wrapped into a class-action lawsuit, which could mean a big payout...Read More»
This week, Google held its annual I/O conference for developers. At least one of the company's announcements could have automakers shaking in their boots or jumping for joy, depending on their point of view. The announcement came by way of a beautifully tricked-out dashboard on a Maserati Ghibli...Read More»
You certainly wouldn't be an outlier to think that a vehicle dash that's cluttered with individual buttons looks so dated. It’s been nine years since Apple introduced the first iPhone, which replaced the typical cellphone’s suite of buttons and replaced it with a capacitive touch screen...Read More»
Over the past decade and a half, much of the world has changed the way that it consumes media. We download music in seconds, rather than visiting record shops. We use gadgets like Roku and apps like Sling instead of keeping pricey cable TV subscriptions. And most of us emptied our gloveboxes of...Read More»
Apple fans have waited more than two years for the CarPlay infotainment system to arrive. Now that the roll-out has finally begun, we can ask: has it been worth the wait? According to some dealers, the answer is a resounding "yes". In fact, reports from the field suggest that CarPlay may be a big...Read More»
