The French government makes a decision on speed camera warning devices, as the GENIVI Alliance unveils its new Compliance Program

The GENIVI Alliance made its new Compliance Program available to its member companies. The Compliance Program defines a detailed set of technical requirements that automotive OEMs can require software suppliers to demonstrate when providing in-vehicle infotainment systems. The program resulted from 14 months of research and investigation among expert groups with broad representation across GENIVI’s membership. GENIVI members Canonical, Mentor Graphics, MontaVista, and Wind River are the first to have offerings approved as GENIVI compliant. “This program embodies the natural flow within GENIVI from aligned requirements to identified components which meet those requirements to a packaged, re-usable platform,” says Steve Crumb, executive director, GENIVI Alliance. “The program clarifies what is expected for members wishing to provide compliant software solutions.”

The French government and the French Association of Suppliers and Users of Driving Assistance Technologies (AFFTAC) signed a Memorandum of Understanding. The two had locked horns over the topic of speed camera warnings. In the Memorandum, AFFTAC grants that drivers will no longer be able to indicate the location of fixed and mobile radars and roadside inspections made by police. In turn, the government grants that drivers can use the technologies to indicate dangerous sections of road and specific danger points. Manufacturers will not distribute products that fail to meet this protocol within four months.

Garmin unveiled the Garmin StreetPilot App for the iPhone and iPad. The app offers users in the UK and Ireland mapping, free real-time speed camera alerts, and traffic avoidance options. Preloaded maps with ultra-fast drawing, panning and zooming continue to operate when there is little or no mobile signal available. Advanced navigation features like PhotoReal junction view, lane guidance, and 3D buildings are also available. The app costs £44.99.

OnStar launched a pilot for Family Link, a service that allows subscribers to stay connected to family members when driving OnStar-equipped vehicles. Pilot services will include “Vehicle Locate,” which allows subscribers to log on to the Family Link website and view a map with a vehicle's exact location at any time, and “Vehicle Location Alert,” which lets subscribers set up email or text message notifications with the location of a family member's vehicle. Participation in the invitation-only pilot will include roughly 10,000 U.S. OnStar subscribers.

Ford announced a $100 price drop for Ford SYNC. It also expanded availability of Ford SYNC by offering it as an option on base trim levels for the first time. The move marks the company’s latest push to make voice control the primary and safest way for customers to access their favorite mobile devices while driving, a capability that Ford believes more and more drivers desire. Internal research shows that more than 85 percent of SYNC users employ voice controls while driving, up from 60 percent in previous studies.

Shipments of commercial telematics systems are forecasted to grow at a compound annual growth rate of 27 percent, according to new market data from ABI Research. Fleet management and trailer tracking system shipments will reach 6.4 million by 2016. The research also suggests that the hundreds of vendors of these systems will consolidate into 10 or fewer major global players in the coming years. Qualcomm, TomTom Business Solutions, Mix Telematics, Daimler Trucks, Volvo Trucks, Digicore/Ctrack, and Trimble have already emerged as global players.

u-blox and Rohde & Schwarz successfully concluded tests of u-blox’s LEON GSM modem, which experts have identified as a key requirement to support vehicle-mounted eCall equipment. The core functionality of eCall, as well as Russia’s similar ERA Glonass initiative, requires an embedded computer that continuously monitors crash sensors and GPS receivers in order to initiate an automated call via a dedicated GSM modem in case of an emergency condition. The tests proved that u-blox’s solution is ready to deliver.

The Nissan LEAF app for smartphones, which allows LEAF owners to be in direct contact with their vehicles at all times, launched for use on Blackberry and Android operating systems. With the app, users can access critical information points for their Nissan LEAF, such as charging, pre-cooling and heating, and monitoring the status of their vehicles. Specifically, users can check the state of the battery charge, begin charging, check when battery charge is complete, see estimated driving range, and turn the climate control system on or off. The app has been available on the iPhone since the car's release in December 2010.

Infotainment