'Blueprint for Mobility' Weekly Brief—3.5.2012

In this week's Brief: Ford, Intel Capital, Samsung, Toyota, Renault, ALK Technologies, RealVNC, Sony, and BMW

During his keynote address at Mobile World Congress 2012 in Barcelona, Bill Ford, executive chairman of Ford, argued that connected cars will help the world avoid a future of crippling congestion.

The number of cars on the world’s roads is forecast to grow from one billion to four billion by mid-century, Ford said, thus necessitating a global transportation network that utilizes communication between vehicles, transport infrastructure and individual mobile devices.

Ford unveiled a new “Blueprint for Mobility,” which defines the start of Ford’s thinking on what transportation will look like in 2025 and beyond and the technologies, business models and partnerships needed to get there.

“If we do nothing, we face the prospect of ‘global gridlock,’ a never-ending traffic jam that wastes time, energy and resources and even compromises the flow of commerce and healthcare,” Ford said. “The cooperation needed between the automotive and telecommunications industries will be greater than ever as we prepare for and manage the future.”

As part of the initiative launch, Ford announced that AppLink, a feature which delivers voice control of smartphone apps from the driver’s seat, will be introduced globally as part of the SYNC voice-control and in-car connectivity system.

Ford also confirmed that it is bringing Ford SYNC to the European market. The platform will debut on the environmentally friendly B-Max model at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, confirming that it is to bring its SYNC connectivity system to Europe for the first time.

Intel Capital announced a $100-million investment fund to help accelerate innovation and the adoption of new technology and services in the automotive industry.

The Intel Capital Connected Car Fund will be invested globally over the next four or five years in hardware, software and services companies developing technologies to promote new, compelling in-vehicle applications and to enable the seamless connection between vehicles and any connected device, including mobile devices and sensors.

Samsung announced a collaboration with Toyota to create Samsung Car Mode Application, an in-car solution that seamlessly connects Samsung smartphones to Toyota’s In-Vehicle Infotainment system.

The collaboration will see the integration of a wide array of Samsung’s smartphone and mobile communication technologies with Toyota’s IVI to add enhanced connectivity, multimedia capabilities and internet services.

Renault selected the CoPilot Live app as a key player in its iPhone-based infotainment system in the new Twingo.

CoPilot Live supplies full navigation services and responds to verbal commands delivered into the car’s built-in speakers.

It also automutes radio playback while it delivers directions and real time traffic updates. Renault previously partnered with TomTom for its navigation services.

ALK Technologies, parent company of CoPilot Live, announced CoPilot GPS, a free route planning and on-board mapping app for iPhone, iPad and Android devices.

CoPilot GPS helps drivers sift through millions of pre-installed places of interest and provides the best route to the door. Bing Search and Wikipedia help locate local businesses and attractions.

The app also stores detailed street maps of an entire country or region, so the app works in offline mode.

RealVNC and Sony announced that Xperia smartphones will now feature RealVNC’s remote access technology.

With RealVNC technology, drivers with Xperia smartphones can access content on their Xperia smartphone such as navigation applications, traffic updates, music libraries and internet radio stations.

Built-in mechanisms interlock speed and access to mobile applications to meet regulatory requirements, reducing driver distraction and enhancing safety.

Following the launch of the Pandora and MOG music services for the US product range in 2011, BMW announced that it will launch the AUPEO! Personal Radio iPhone app for European audiences in 2012.

AUPEO! is a customizable internet radio service that uses a recommender system to allow music to be matched to listeners’ individual tastes. The AUPEO! database includes nearly a million tracks.

When directors enter a genre or artist, an algorithm recommends tracks that match their own personal taste. The free app will soon be available for all current BMW and MINI models.