Impact of ridesharing “dramatically overstated”, analyst argues

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Consumer interest may be less than expected for ridesharing and other car-related technological developments.

According to TECHnalysis Research founder Bob O'Donnell, popular automotive technologies like ridesharing and self-driving cars may not be as interesting to customers as the industry says.

Ridesharing services such as Uber and Lyft are gaining traction among investors for their larger vision of turning cars into services. This vision of...

By Connected CarTech, 31 August 2016, 0 comments. Categories: Connectivity, Ecosystems, Navigation.

Fleet management units to break 1m in Australia and New Zealand by 2020, research notes

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The number of active fleet management systems deployed in commercial vehicle fleets in Australia and New Zealand will rise from 0.5 million in the fourth quarter of 2015 to 1.1 million by 2020, at a CAGR of 16%, according to the latest note from analyst firm Berg Insight.

The market in the region is driven positively by a number of factors including regulatory developments such as health and safety regulations, road user charges and electronic work diaries.

Rickard Andersson, senior...

By Connected CarTech, 17 August 2016, 0 comments. Categories: Ecosystems, Navigation, Regulation.

Google to offer Android Auto experience on phones

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Google plans to bring the complete Android Auto experience to smartphones, removing the need to plug the phone into a compatible car.

The feature, as reported by The Verge and as explained by Google at its I/O conference, will come via an update to the Android Auto phone app towards the end of 2016. As a result, drivers can mount the phone on the dash and use the Android Auto app for...

By Connected CarTech, 20 May 2016, 0 comments. Categories: Android, Navigation.

Connected car services to bring in $40 billion in annual revenue by 2020

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A report from SNS Research estimates that connected car services will bring in nearly $40 billion (£27.3bn) in annual revenue by 2020, including infotainment, navigation and fleet management among others.

The connected car segment is the fastest growing vertical in the Internet of Things (IoT) market due to the growth in use of embedded in-vehicle connectivity and smartphone integration platforms, the researchers argue. All major automotive OEMs are investing in connected car...

By Connected CarTech, 26 April 2016, 0 comments. Categories: Ecosystems, Infotainment, Navigation.

HARMAN aims to develop blind spot detection technology

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Connected car technology manufacturer HARMAN International has announced the development of a system to remove blind spots in cars to avoid collisions with pedestrians.

Accidents involving pedestrians cause around 200 deaths and injure 15,000 people every year in the US. HARMAN's Reverse Pedestrian Detection safety system uses data from other HARMAN technologies, including a rear sensor and camera, to detect pedestrians behind a vehicle. Most importantly, it can detect smaller children...

By Connected CarTech, 18 April 2016, 0 comments. Categories: Navigation, Security.

Comtech announces two Fortune 100 client wins to improve connected car experience

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Comtech Telecommunications has announced the arrival of two major Fortune 100 customers to provide location, navigation and messaging to boost the connected car experience.

One of the customers is set to use Comtech’s navigation point-to-point routing and geocoding services. The platform centred on location functions with or without an Internet connection and combines real-time traffic to provide efficient routing. The other customer will use Comtech’s Family Locator to...

By Connected CarTech, 04 April 2016, 0 comments. Categories: Apps, Navigation.

Toyota showcases Mirai-based research vehicle equipped with satellite comms tech

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Automotive giant Toyota is planning to install a data communication module into many of its vehicles.

The company is also weighing the use of satellite communications, including high capacity satellites that provide higher data transfer rates than traditional satellite technologies. Conventional satellites need a “dish” antenna on the ground.

As a result, Toyota showcased a research vehicle based on the Mirai fuel cell vehicle that featured satellite communications...

By Connected CarTech, 19 January 2016, 0 comments. Categories: Connectivity, Navigation.

HARMAN aims to simplify vehicle integration with latest launch

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HARMAN has launched what it calls the Life Enhancing Intelligent Vehicle Solution (LIVS), with a view to bringing together separate connectvitiy and operational functions under a new automotive computing platform.

LIVS is an end-to-end system that offers adaptable and personal solutions in the car. The company will showcase the technology on the latest Rinspeed concept car, called Etos.

LIVS has the potential to transform the driving experience, HARMAN claims, and the Etos features...

By Connected CarTech, 14 January 2016, 0 comments. Categories: Connectivity, Infotainment, Navigation.

Volkswagen ensures mobile compatibility with RealVNC partnership

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Automotive giant Volkswagen has expanded a five-year relationship with RealVNC to enable it to ensure a consistent quality user experience in its cars – whatever handset the user is using.

Using its VNS Automotive Mirrorlink Certified solution car owners are able to pair their car with their smartphone. This then allows their devices to perform numerous functions within the car – from streaming movies to the backseats to running mapping applications on the centre...

By Liz Morrell, 07 January 2016, 0 comments. Categories: Devices, Ecosystems, Navigation.

DOT to become friendlier towards self-driving cars

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The UK Department of Transportation (DOT) is planning to update its position toward self-driving cars in the coming weeks as tech companies and automakers work on turning them into reality.

The agency is also working on making it mandatory for all new cars to come with vehicle-to-vehicle communication technologies.

Anthony Foxx, Transportation Secretary, said: "I expect the changes to...

By Connected CarTech, 08 December 2015, 0 comments. Categories: Driverless, Navigation.