Apple Siri Integration Weekly Brief—3.18.2013
In this week’s Brief: Apple, Opel, Chevrolet, Ferrari, HARMAN, Subaru, Telenav, FleetCor Technologies, Renault, TomTom, Coyote Series, Google, FUJITSU TEN, Telenor Connexion, BMW, and NOW Innovations!
As the Geneva Motor Show swung into the home stretch this week, Apple and Siri stayed center stage in Switzerland. Last week at GMS we detailed Opel’s new Siri integration into IntelliLink and Chevrolet’s new Siri Eyes Free voice recognition integration into MyLink. This week Ferrari announced the integration of Apple’s Siri into the latest Ferrari FF model, which comes courtesy of a system integration by HARMAN.
A long press of the infotainment system’s menu button on the steering wheel activates Siri, while commands and audio feedback are picked up clearly and played through built-in microphones and the car’s audio system. Additionally, the volume is adjusted for better comprehensibility— just like the mobile phone, where Siri stops any music being played once it is activated.
“This Siri integration is an important milestone in the cooperation between HARMAN and Ferrari,” says Michael Mauser, HARMAN’s Executive Vice President. “By transferring the known modus operandi to the car, Ferrari offers its customers the ease of use of their mobile devices with an embedded premium HARMAN infotainment system.”
Across the exhibition floor, Subaru showcased the VIZIV Hybrid, a concept car decked out with eco-friendly ADAS features. “Eco-Cruise” mode provides coordinated control in conjunction with the “EyeSight” driving assistance system.
The EyeSight’s stereo camera detects and captures travel conditions and uses this information to continuously fine-tune control of engine and motor power, creating an intelligent driving feature designed for safety and environmental friendliness.
Subaru hopes to integrate such features into future street-ready hybrids.
Outside of GMS, Telenav announced that its enterprise business has been acquired by FleetCor Technologies, a leading global provider of fuel cards and workforce payment products to businesses.
The Telenav enterprise business’s flagship product line is a set of mobile handset applications (compatible with both Apple and Android) that provide mobile workforces with tracking and other productivity tools.
Terms of the transaction were not disclosed.
Renault made its new R-Link, a connected, in-dash multimedia tablet, available for sale as an option costing €590 depending on model and market.
For the system’s launch, the Renault R-Link store lists more than 50 applications that can be downloaded directly to the vehicle. R-Link comes with a free trial of TomTom LIVE and Coyote Series connected services for three months.
Several US states reached a settlement with Google regarding its unauthorized collection of data for Street View between 2008 and 2010. Google has been plagued by a number of Street View lawsuits in the US and in Europe, where governments allege that Google harnessed unsecure wireless networks to collect data from its Street View vehicles.
The state of Delaware announced a $7-million settlement with Google on behalf of several states. Other lawsuits remain pending.
In Japan, the Tier 1 automotive supplier FUJITSU TEN selected Telenor Connexion to provide a connected service solution for its Remote Engine Start telematics service, which is an aftermarket product to be deployed globally.
Telenor Connexion will provide an end-to-end connectivity solution from FUJITSU TEN’s on-board ECU telematics unit to the FUJITSU Group Data Center, allowing car owners to take advantage of a variety of services including remotely starting the engine or checking the status of a car with a smartphone.
Finally, BMW enlisted the support of NOW! Innovations, a global provider of mobile payment and billing solutions, to help extend the scope of BMW’s mobile parking service.
BMW plans to start including on-street parking alongside parking garages in its ParkNow service, which allows users to reserve and pay for their parking place in advance.
“In the era of smartphones, applications and platforms, we are fascinated by the opportunity to improve the daily lives of all motorists,” says Üllar Jaaksoo, CEO of NOW! Innovations. “Seamless parking payments and personalized services are our ultimate goal.”
For exclusive business analysis and insight about telematics applications, see Industry Insight: Telematics and Apps
For all the latest information and trends in V2X and driver safety, visit V2X for Auto Safety and Mobility Europe 2013 on February 20-21 in Frankfurt.
Coming up in 2013: V2X for Auto Safety and Mobility Europe 2013 on February 19-20 in Frankfurt, Telematics for Fleet Management Europe 2013 on March 19-20 in Amsterdam, Insurance Telematics Europe 2013 on May 8-9 in London and Telematics India and South Asia 2013 on June 5-7 in India.
For exclusive telematics business analysis and insight, check out TU’s reports on In-Vehicle Smartphone Integration Report, Human Machine Interface Technologies and Smart Vehicle Technology: The Future of Insurance Telematics.
