Smartphones are one of the most popular gadgets of the last couple of years. Apple’s iPhone plus various rival handsets allow you to access online services quickly, easily and relatively cheaply. The car makers have spotted this and it won’t be long before mini-applications – aka ‘apps’ – will be a part of vehicle infotainment systems.
But can you imagine the road safety implications of systems that allow you to, for example, check live flight data as you drive to the airport, or search for an empty parking bay as you cruise into town? It would be horrendous, so the future is all going to be voice- controlled.
I spent some time recently with the tech guys at a company called Nuance, who develop speech-recognition systems. They already make software for high-end sat-navs on BMWs and Mercedes that allow you to enter your destination simply by talking to the car. But the next-generation stuff will be far cleverer. You will be able to chat to your vehicle in normal sentences – rather than giving instructions in a certain order that you need to learn – and it will understand.
Ford has pointed the way on apps with a recent concept car, the interior of which is in the photo. The screen to the right of the steering wheel looks just like an iPhone. Ford has also said the next version of the Focus, which is due early in 2011, will eventually feature this technology.
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