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Connected car company Mojio has announced that its open platform for vehicles is now available to the world beyond Canada’s borders thanks to a partnership with AT&T.

Mojio has made a name for itself by breathing new life into the cars that manufacturers forgot when releasing new models and their shiny connectivity gadgets, giving them features such as parking...

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Looking at the recent news from some of the world’s biggest auto manufacturers, it is clear to see just how much progress has been made and how the connected car is revolutionising the in-car experience. At CES in January 2015, GM announced AtYourService, a suite of new OnStar services aimed at allowing retailers and other merchants to promote deals directly to drivers. These promotions include hotel...

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There is a lot of talk about software revolutionising the automotive industry and the conversation is growing because of how software management will impact the whole business of recalls.

The outrageous amount of good money going after bad is the reason why car manufacturers and tier one suppliers are looking for an optimised and alternative way to reduce the amount of time it takes to deliver a software update, reducing the cost associated with recalls and improving customer...

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It has been a big year for connected cars. Automakers, handset vendors, app developers and aftermarket CE manufacturers have graduated from a primary education in the best ways to support car and smartphone connectivity. There is now a solid outline of what the future body of connected driving will look like.

As the anatomy fills out, we have learned some critical lessons. Most importantly, smartphones are without question the brain of the connected car organism. They have the...

US Car manufacturer Ford has announced Sync 3, the latest edition of its communications and entertainment system.

Ford’s new system signals a switch in allegiance too, with the company dispensing with Microsoft Auto and opting for BlackBerry’s QNX platform instead. Early signs suggest that it has been a good move for the car manufacturer.

Prior to Sync 3, Ford’s earlier attempts at touch-screen infotainment left a little to be desired. Problems ranged from minor bugs to sporadic hard resets...

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The idea of the digital supercomputer car has been around since the 80’s. Characters like Knight Rider’s K.I.T.T had the ability to learn, communicate and even connect with Michael Knight on some emotional level, not bad for a Pontiac Trans Am.

While in the 80’s it seemed that the reality of an intelligent car was only for the magic of television, today we not only have intelligent cars, but are heading towards a future where your car can be your personal...

Telecommunications company Huawei has announced that it will be investing heavily in future infrastructure technologies as it prepares for the era of autonomous cars. Fifth generation mobile internet (5G) has been discussed as a solution to the substantial bandwidth requirements that vehicles are likely to require when communicating with other road-based objects. In a recent article on the Financial Times, Huawei CEO Eric Xu, revealed that talks with car manufacturers were already on the agenda. However, the discussions must still be at an early stage as Xu failed to disclose any specifics. Bandwidth capacity There is a worry that even...

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AT&T’s innovation and research centre Drive Studio already has 12 companies signed up and now LG Electronics has joined the party.

LG is hoping to work with Studio to develop new services for future connected cars, with it focusing mostly on hardware and equipment rather than the software side that many are investing in.

Drive Studio has been built to help with the research and development of the connected car industry and includes working garage bays, a speech lab, a full...

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In-car technology must have an element of simplicity to it or consumers will opt against buying a car they originally liked the look of.

The importance of technology to a consumer’s purchasing decision was revealed by Harris Poll on behalf of AutoTrader.com, which said that 48%...

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Smarter cars equate to more data being available on an owner’s driving habits, a notion not lost on US trade organisation the Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers that has announced new guidelines to manage consumer anxiety.

In a statement released on the Alliance’s website, Mitch Bainwol, the body’s president and CEO, immediately set out to allay consumer concerns by explaining how important it was to be transparent about the features of connected...

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German car manufacturer Volkswagen (VW) has announced a new partnership with Inrix, a move that offers a glimpse at the type of data drivers will have at their fingertips over the coming years.

Inrix, a big data company that specialises in traffic information, analytics and driver services for connected cars and smart cities worldwide, will be offering VW access to its Inrix Park and Inrix Fuel services.

VW intends to use the Inrix products in its new European Passat models...

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Manufacturer of microcontrollers and touch solutions, Atmel, has unveiled a raft of technology concepts that it hopes will disrupt the connected car ecosystem.

Atmel has been working on a product it is calling AvantCar, an automotive centre console with curved touch screens. The concept makes use of the company’s sensor and processing solutions, Sense, maXTouch and QTouch along with its 8-bit AVR MCU technologies.

Focusing on car access, Atmel has shone some light on passive entry...

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As car manufacturers invest large sums of cash in technology that will connect drivers of new models to the internet, Canadian company Mojio has set out to fill the used car void.

Boasting an open platform, Mojio says its hardware will connect any car to the internet of things through premium mobile phone networks. The company has signed agreements with AT&T in the US and TELUS in Canada.

The open platform that Mojio offers already has a number of apps in its store, with support from...

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Global automotive supplier Visteon has lifted the lid on its own interpretation of where the connected car industry is headed over the next few years.

With eyes as far ahead as 2018, Visteon has announced details of its Fusion connected platform that it says will launch in four years time. The infotainment platform bundles together driver information, infotainment and Cloud connectivity into a human machine interaction (HMI) experience.

Visteon’s Tim Yerdon, global leader,...

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Mobile coverage in the UK is far from seamless, especially when users travel across the country, but Westminster has announced plans to combat these so-called ‘not-spots’.

The UK government revealed that poor mobile coverage causes regular frustration to approximately one fifth of the UK. You can forget data connectivity, this inadequate reception leaves users without the ability to perform basic tasks such as sending texts and making calls.

One of the suggested remedies is...

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Co-inventor of near field communications (NFC) NXP has announced plans for the automotive industry with a whole batch of new products for the space.

NFC has barely reached critical mass in the consumer mobile market, yet NXP has decided that now is the perfect time to unleash new NFC tags, transceivers and a high-end NFC controller on the car industry.

However, Kurt Sievers, executive vice president and general manager of automotive business at NXP Semiconductors argues that there is...