QNX Software Systems Limited, which creates the operating system for hundreds of different vehicles, this week announced it is expanding its software infotainment platform to include Android apps.
QNX Technology Concept Car - Bentley Continental GT (courtesy image)NOVI, MI- New car buyers should expect to see Android apps on their vehicle infotainment systems, according to officials.
QNX Software Systems Limited, which creates the operating system for hundreds of different vehicles, this week announced it is expanding its software infotainment platform to include Android apps.
The QNX CAR Platform already supports both HTML5 and OpenGL ES, the two most popular open standards for mobile app development. With the new version, 2.1, the platform extends its reach to support Android apps, as well as apps and human machine interfaces.
The BlackBerry subsidiary’s QNX CAR Platform for Infotainment gives developers of car infotainment systems a blank canvas to leverage a broad choice of mobile apps and content, according to company officials.
“Really, it’s flexibility is the option,” Andy Gryc, QNX senior automotive product marketing manager, told MLive at the Telematics Detroit 2013 conference in Novi. “Flexibility and really trying to make sure the car maker has all the different options at their fingertips (is the main goal).”
The QNX CAR Platform for Infotainment 2.1 will be available in July to select automotive customers. Product availability is scheduled for late-2013.
Also at the conference, QNX showcased the possibilities of its current system with a 17 inch monitor inside of a Bentley Continental GT.
“This is really what you can do with it in terms of some of the cool features you can do,” Gryc said.
The center stack that uses DLP display technology from Texas Instruments (TI), a reconfigurable digital instrument cluster, video conferencing with realistic telepresence, and other unique infotainment features.
Gryc said even though the system is their design, the company worked with Bentley to ensure what it was doing was true to their brand.
That kind of partnership is a new concept for many automakers. Historically, automakers liked to keep things internal, but with the rapid expansion of in-vehicle technologies automakers are combining with software and technology companies.
“What we’re increasingly seeing is the way carmakers are differentiating their brands isn’t all just about engines or trimming and that kind of stuff,” Gryc said. “It’s about the electronics, the HMI, the interface they provide to the user and some of the functionality they can enable.
“It’s a fundamental shift in how the carmaker thinks about what needs to go into the car and what the car environment is about.”