If Google is successful here, we may be looking at the future of both in-car infotainment as well as command and control. Google is looking at doing more than just extending Android Auto as we know it, with a full, Android-powered turn-key platform for cars.
Google is building on the fact that many car manufacturers are already using Android as the underlying layer of their existing systems, through a partnership with Google they can harness those same benefits and more. We have been hearing about a special build of Android for cars, and it looks like this could be it. Google have built into Android N new features to support the in-car experience including:
- OS level support for AM/FM radio
- HVAC (heating, ventilation, and air conditioning)
- Bluetooth calling and media streaming
- Multi-channel audio
- Digital instrument clusters, and
- An infotainment user interface that’s built for driving
Through the use of Android, car makers will get all of these features pre-built as well as all of the Android Auto applications available for their systems.
The images below are from a Concept Car Google and Qualcomm partnered to build to show off the potential of the system (running on Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 820 automotive chip of course). The concept car shows off Android N running as the built-in infotainment platform on a 15″ 4K main display and 720P digital cluster, with the new Android infotainment user interface and apps from Google and the Android developer ecosystem. Check it out in the gallery below.
If we thought Android Auto integration in our vehicles was a long while off I wonder how long it will take for this to become a reality?
Do you want an Android-powered vehicle to be you next, or perhaps one after that, car? Let us know below.
